Select two Christian denominations and explain their approach to Holy Communion. Compare and contrast the main features of their celebrations.

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1a) Select two Christian denominations and explain their approach to Holy Communion. Compare and contrast the main features of their celebrations.

I have chosen to write about the Roman Catholic and the Baptist Church for the comparison and contrasting of how two different Christian denominations celebrate Holy Communion.

Almost all Christian traditions have Communion services at which the bread and wine are taken in memory of Jesus' sacrifice at Calvary. Christians understand Communion in different ways depending on how they interpret the celebration of the Last Supper.

For many Christians, Communion is the central ceremony of their worshipping life. It is a memorial of Jesus' last meal before he died. By sharing a meal of bread and wine, Christians remember the saving power of Jesus' death and resurrection as members of the family of the church.

Jesus shared a meal with his disciples on the evening before he died. Christians call this meal 'The last supper'. It took place in an upstairs room in a house in Jerusalem. Jesus was a Jew so this Passover meal would have all the symbols and gestures of the ancient ceremony but Jesus changed this ancient ceremony by offering up his body and blood. 'This is my blood which is poured out for many, my blood which seals God's covenant'.

Jesus is saying to his disciples that his work is nearly complete and that he is going to die. The next time he will celebrate with them will be at the Messianic banquet at the end of time. 'I tell you, I will never again drink this wine until the day I drink the new wine in the Kingdom of God'.

At the Last Supper Jesus was celebrating a Passover meal and he gave it a new meaning. Now, when we hold a Communion service it is like a new Passover. We are asking God to take an event that happened in the past and bring it and the events surrounding it into the present for us- this is known as 'Anamnesis', which the Roman Catholic Church believes.

At the Old Covenant, the sacrifice was the lamb that was sacrificed to save the Jews from slavery. Just as the lamb was eaten so the bread and wine are consumed. Jesus is actually referring to his body and blood. The bread is his body and the wine is his blood.

There are a number of similarities and differences between the Roman Catholic Church and the Baptist Church. The most significant difference between the two Churches is that Roman Catholics believe in Transubstantiation and the Baptist Church believes in Consubstantiation.

Consubstantiation is the belief that at the Eucharist the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ in a symbolic way while in no way ceasing to be bread and wine. Transubstantiation is the belief that at the Eucharist, when the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ, there is a change in the substance (real presence) of the bread and wine.

'Drink from it all of you'. This is my blood of the new Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins'.

The wine did not become the actual blood of Jesus. How could it before he died? The Jews used blood as a symbol for violent death- here the wine symbolises Jesus' death. 'By the covenant', Jesus was referring to the agreement made between Abraham and God, through which the Jews had become Gods chosen people. Through his death, Jesus has set the seal on a new covenant between God and the Christian Church whereby Jesus would become the sacrificial lamb.

Bread and wine are the outward signs of the gift he was giving. He said, I am the bread of life symbolize the fact that his sacrificial death would bring about a new covenant between God and the human race.

The word Eucharist means 'Thanksgiving' we give thanks especially in the Roman Catholic Church for this sacrifice which Jesus made.

Nearly all Christian Churches celebrate the Eucharist although the emphasis and meaning that they attach to this celebration varies considerably. The Eucharist is the most important sacrament because Christ is present in it even before it is shared. It is the summit to which the Christian life aspires and the source of the most important Christian blessings.

A similarity between the two churches is the sacrament that the bread and wine symbolize Jesus' body on the cross with his lifeblood flowing out.

In the Baptist church, the minister takes the cup, gives thanks and offers it to the people saying

Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

In saying that the wine is His blood, for Baptists, it does not literally mean that it changes into His blood just as the cup of water, which David's friends secured for him in peril of their lives, represented to him. This is a contrast/ between the two churches.

A similarity between the Catholic Church and the Baptist Church would be that when they go to the table, they come not to remember a dead Christ; they expect to meet a living Saviour.

The purpose of Christ's death and resurrection was to make it possible for sinful man to be 'accounted as righteous' so that we can enter into His presence, not only in the spiritual sense but also in His physical presence.

Another similarity between the two churches is that when they look up, it reminds them of their relationship with the Lord Jesus. That we cannot do anything in our strength that we must die with Him in that we surrender our lives to His will.

A major difference between the two churches would be how the ceremony is organized in the Baptist Church. On the upper or lower platform there is usually a plain wooden table, some chairs, a lectern, some flowers and a screen with an overhead projector or a video projector. There are also microphones and other special equipment (like a television set and video), which are used during the service. The Roman Catholic Church has a more traditional ceremony and has a more frequent service than the Baptist Church. The Roman Catholic Church has a service every day when it is possible to receive Holy Communion whereas the Baptist Church has a service once or twice a month. Also the Baptist Churches ceremony may vary from Parish to Parish, to country to country but the Roman Catholic Church is almost the same from one Parish to the next. The Baptist Church has a more informal service. A communion service is a simple (and symbolic) meal sometimes called communion. Other Christian denominations have their equivalent of the communion service which they call mass or the Eucharist. But Baptists do not give the bread and wine special or mystical significance. We use them to represent the body and blood of Jesus and give thanks for what they represent. Unlike some Christian denominations, they do not believe that they become the body and blood of Jesus a teaching which they call transubstantiation. This is another major difference between the two religions. Another difference is that Baptist Church buildings will usually have a communion table which is a simple wooden table. It is not called the altar and has no special significance other than as a table! It is called a communion table because it is there to be used as a table primarily during a communion service. Communion tables often have Do this in remembrance of me carved on them that is, hold a communion service in memory of Jesus.

b) For individual members of each denomination, explain how the beliefs and practices you have identified would affect their lives.

In this section we are explaining how the celebration of Holy Communion for individual members from the Roman Catholic and Baptist Church have had their lives affected by their beliefs and practices.

Roman Catholics rely heavily on the mass and especially Holy Communion for guidance of their beliefs and practices in their everyday lives. Baptists on the other hand rely heavily on the scriptures to provide them with an interpretation of their beliefs and practices in their everyday lives.

Roman Catholics see taking the body and blood of Christ as a reminder that they need to follow his example and give thanks (meaning of the word Eucharist a thanksgiving meal) for the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross i.e. to save us from sin, allow us to reconcile ourselves and find a way back to God. This would encourage us not to sin, not to commit acts of evil against our fellow men To be 'the salt of the earth'.

Baptists while attaching different degrees of relevance and significance still give communion reverence to the fact that it reminds them of the Passion, death and resurrection and as a sign of their fellowship not only as a family but fellowship within the Christian community. Also as a family they believe in their personal subordination … that is to put themselves last in all things for the good of the family.

Both Baptists and Roman Catholics recognise their responsibility to the poor. The end of mass response 'Go in peace to love and to serve'. Baptists too believe in this and support Cooperative Program because 'If one part of the body hurts so close the whole body, the same comes, from being a member of the Christian body. Both Corinthians and Acts of the Apostles tells us about living out the faith in our lives can be done by helping the less well off.

'Love one another as you love yourself'. This is telling us that we should treat our neighbours, as we would like to be treated ourselves. It is the second most important commandment made by Jesus. The word 'Yourself' means one personally and also one family emphasising the idea of the Christian family.

Roman Catholics see beyond the 'bread' to the spiritual nourishment and satisfaction of having received the body of Christ. Although Jesus is not physically present in the bread and wine, He is spiritually present at the table. We read that the couple walking along the road to Emmaeus recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread.

'When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he disappeared from their sight.'

c) 'How a Christian treats other people is more important than whether or not he/she receives communion.' Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer showing that you have considered more than one point of view.

A Christian is a person who follows and hopes to practice the values and attitudes of Christ's teaching. These values and attitudes include being kind to others, helping other people, and trying not to sin. To Christians, Holy Communion has a special significant meaning. It tells us of how Jesus sacrificed his body, through suffering and death, on the cross, so that Man could be saved from sin, and that we could be reconciled with God the Father despite having sinned. For me, as a practising Roman Catholic, I believe that all Christians should receive Holy Communion. I believe that through receiving Holy Communion we are getting a part of Jesus' body and by taking the wine we are drinking 'His blood'.

Roman Catholics believe in 'Transubstantiation'. Transubstantiation is the belief that at the Eucharist, when the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ, there is a change in the substance (real presence) of the bread and wine. Through receiving Holy Communion we are gaining spiritual strength from the Lord Jesus Christ. Holy Communion is a 'food' and by receiving it we are gaining links to our faith.

Some Christians however, fail to see the lack of importance of Holy Communion. Instead they favour other values and beliefs. E.g. The Salvation Army doesn't believe so much in outward signs and never celebrate Holy Communion. They believe helping others is much more important to live out the great commandment which commands love God and love your neighbour as yourself.

In the Methodist Church, Holy Communion is celebrated once or twice a month on 'Sacrament Sunday'. It usually takes place after the main service. Methodists call the Eucharist 'Holy Communion'. The service is led by a minister who says the Prayer of Thanksgiving over the bread and wine. This tells the story of the Last Supper and is taken from one of the Gospels 'this is my body. This is my blood'.

Anglican, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians regard the Eucharist as their principal act of worship. The Eucharist is celebrated every Sunday, and often during the week as well.

Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed and other free churches may celebrate the Eucharist once or twice a month. Their worship is pulpit-centred and, therefore, the main emphasis of each service is on readings from the Bible and preaching.

The Salvation Army and the Society of Friends (the Quakers) do not have Eucharistic services. These Christians do not believe that outward symbols are important. They believe that the most important part of Christian worship is to accept Jesus Christ into our hearts. They honour Christ's sacrifice on the cross in the way they live their lives.

Conclusion

I feel that the statement that 'How a Christian treats a person is more important than whether or not he/she receives Holy Communion' is very much decided by the Church to which you belong or have been brought up in and I feel that despite some of these Churches not attaching the same importance to Holy Communion as I do they still exhibit the Christian values which Jesus wanted us as followers to aspire to. I think that in order to be called a Christian we must receive the sacrament Holy Communion. Without getting the sacrament I believe that we are not getting the spiritual strength, which Communion gives us. I think that through receiving Jesus' body in communion, it is giving us the strength to carry out his wishes and to honour the 10 commandments. Throughout this course, I have learnt that different Christians interpret the meaning and significance of Holy Communion differently. However, I believe that the Roman Catholic's interpretation for me, is the most important because I think that when we are receiving Holy Communion we are gaining a bit of Christ's body and when we are drinking the wine we are drinking his blood. I feel that this is bringing us closer to be united with God, in the Kingdom of God.

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