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Holy Communion

 Along with Baptism, Holy Communion is a central rite of the church, a rite that we understand as a "Sacrament", action in which God is the primary actor.

The rite itself is very simple to enact: it consists in eating a small piece of bread and drinking a small cup of grape juice.  The layers of meaning we attribute to this simple meal, however, run deep, and remain of deepest significance to disciples of Jesus.

Jesus enacted this meal with his disciples at an evening meal not long before he was arrested and killed.  He invited his disciples to eat and drink the bread and the cup on that occasion and forever after.  We continue this practice 2000 years later.  It was the central rite of early worship.

In the meal, Christians remember the love that Jesus had and has for his disciples.  He loved sharing time and meals with them.

Preparing for the meal consists of breaking bread and presenting the cup.  Jesus indicated that the meal symbolized his personal sacrifice--the breaking of his body and the shedding of his blood, for his disciples, but also for anyone who wished to participate in a life of trust in God and sacrificial love and service.  

When we receive this meal we believe that we "recall" Jesus into our presence so that every time we receive it, Jesus is present with us in a special way.  In that way, time and distance shrink so that as we gather around the altar at FUMCVC, we are present with Jesus and his disciples 2000 years ago and with all those disciples who have come and gone since.

We understand Holy Communion as a symbol, that reaches beyond itself and has meaning far beyond bread and cup.  Yet one does not need to understand all about Holy Communion in order to receive.

At FUMCVC, our Communion table is open to all.  Visitors are always invited to receive.  You do not have to be a member of the congregation or even a United Methodist to share the meal.  The principles of receiving the meal are trust in God and a willingness to live one's life according to the example of the one who gave us the meal:  Jesus the Christ.

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