A Conversation About Communion
On this episode of The Branch, Pastor Matthew Johnson sits down with Pastor Chris Reed and Pastor Anthony Lombardi to follow up on Pastor Chris's recent message about communion. Together they explore its meaning and how different churches have practiced it through history.The episode opens with a lighter question about what makes an experience memorable. Pastor Chris says good food and the right setting, like Christmas lights and snow. Pastor Anthony and Pastor Matthew both say it comes down to the people you share it with.
The Major Views of Communion
Pastor Matthew shares that his son Titus recently asked which view of communion he holds and then listed five. Pastor Matthew admits he had never wrestled with the question at that level, so he asks Pastor Chris to walk through the views.Transubstantiation is the Roman Catholic view. After the priest blesses the bread and wine, they physically become the body and blood of Christ. Pastor Chris notes that Christian writers in the first and second centuries spoke about communion in this very literal way.Consubstantiation is close to the Lutheran and Eastern Orthodox views. The bread and wine stay the same, but Christ's real presence surrounds them. The Anglican view, called the middle way, accepts the mystery of Christ's presence with no change in the elements.Spiritual presence was held by John Calvin and the Reformers. It teaches that the Holy Spirit works on our hearts and minds as we take communion. Finally, the symbolic view, put forward by Ulrich Zwingli, sees communion as a memorial for remembering what Christ has done.
How They Grew Up With Communion
Pastor Chris grew up Lutheran, where the blessed elements could not simply be thrown away. Pastor Anthony grew up with the symbolic view. Still, his great uncle, who was the pastor, treated communion with real reverence and invited people to pray before taking it.Pastor Matthew's background was similar to Pastor Anthony's. He explains, "The actual taking of the communion in the moment was sacred, but I don't know that we ever attached anything sacred to the items." He remembers a boy in his youth group asking for some leftover bread. His dad, the pastor, said yes and pointed to the priest who let King David eat the sacred bread.
Why Communion Matters
Pastor Chris explains that Jesus gave his followers two things to do to remember him, baptism and communion. Pastor Anthony adds that Protestants call these two sacraments, special means of grace that Jesus set apart for his followers.Both men see a danger on each side. A very sacramental view can turn communion into a magic trick, where people keep taking it but live however they want. A purely symbolic view can lead people to go through the motions and lose a sense of how the Spirit works.Pastor Chris puts it this way. "The spirit of God meets us in this moment and does something in our hearts and our minds when you have real faith." He is also clear that communion does not save us. Pastor Anthony says the goal is to feel the weight of it while connecting it to daily life as a way of deeper devotion and love for God.
Passover and the Four Cups
Pastor Chris explains that the Exodus is the central moment in Israel's story. God rescued them, redeemed them, and made them his people. He gave them Passover so they would not just think about that story but live it. Through Passover, God was saying, "I want you to know that you're a part of this story."Pastor Matthew shares that he read Nehemiah 9 that morning. In their prayer, the people described the Exodus as something God did for them. In the same way, our story goes back to Passover and finds its fulfillment in Jesus.By the time of Jesus, scholars believe the meal included four ceremonial cups. Each stood for one of four promises God makes in Exodus 6, which Pastor Chris reads aloud. God promises to free his people, to deliver them from slavery, to redeem them "with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment," and to take them as his people.
The Meal and the Bread of Affliction
The Passover meal unfolded in stages, with prayer, ceremonial cups, and the singing of the Hallel psalms to recount God's mighty acts. Someone would even play the part of a child and ask why they kept this meal.The next day began the seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread. The bread was mostly water and flour, flat and bland because it had no time to rise. Families also cleaned every trace of leaven from their homes. Pastor Chris says this reminded them that sin was part of their house and that they needed God to rescue them. Like the manna in the wilderness, the bread held both affliction and God's provision.
Sorrow and Celebration at the Same Table
Pastor Matthew points out that Passover remembers slavery and death, yet it is also a celebration. Pastor Anthony says the cross holds that same tension. It was both the worst and the best thing that ever happened. It shows the ugliness of sin and the wrath of God, along with his goodness, mercy, grace, and love.So communion calls for a sober mind. We remember why Jesus died, and we admit that we still fall and fail. Yet as we take the bread and the cup, we celebrate. Pastor Anthony says we are receiving God's answer to our prayer for forgiveness, and the answer is yes.
Jesus and the Greater Passover
Pastor Anthony explains that Passover was a real event that also pointed to something greater. At the table with his disciples, Jesus took the meal they had always known and pointed it to his own death.John the Baptist saw this when he said, "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." The blood of the Passover lamb caused judgment to pass over Israel's homes. In the same way, the bread and cup represent Jesus's body broken and his blood shed.The disciples did not fully understand yet. Even in Acts 1, they asked when Israel would be restored. But Jesus was offering all people freedom from slavery to sin and death. Pastor Anthony says our faith and our hope rest on Jesus giving his life in our place, so that we can know and worship God every day.
Practical Questions About Communion
How Often Should We Take It
Pastor Chris says there is no set right answer, but it matters that we take it. Pastor Anthony notes that the early church seems to have taken communion weekly. He came to love that rhythm while serving at River Tree, because every service came back to Jesus. If a church takes it monthly, he suggests setting aside real time to reflect on it.Pastor Matthew shares that The Tree Church celebrates communion together once a month and offers it every week. He would love to see people take it more as individuals, as families, and in connect groups. Pastor Chris adds that it should stay communal, because it reminds us that we belong to a community God is still working in.
Is Communion Only for Believers
Pastor Anthony answers yes. During a service, he would gently explain that communion is for those who have put their faith in Jesus and been baptized. All people are welcome, but taking part is for believers.Pastor Chris agrees for a practical reason. Without faith, it is only bread and juice, which he jokingly compares to styrofoam. The power is the Holy Spirit at work in a heart tied to Christ through faith.
Paul's Warning to the Corinthians
Paul warns against taking communion in an unworthy manner. Pastor Chris explains that wealthy believers in Corinth arrived early, ate the meal, and even got drunk. Poorer believers who worked all day came later and missed both the meal and the Lord's Supper. A meal meant to unite them was dividing them.Pastor Matthew says putting yourself first while celebrating Jesus's sacrifice makes no sense. Pastor Anthony adds that the same principle applies today. Communion still calls for a right heart and posture.Paul also says some had become sick and some had died. Pastor Anthony admits he has not studied it deeply. At face value, he believes God was judging their self indulgence, much like Ananias and Sapphira in Acts. He also cautions that we should never assume every hardship in a Christian's life is God's judgment.
An Update From Pastor Anthony
To close, Pastor Anthony shares that his family is done traveling and back in Stark County, Ohio. They are looking for a place to rent while they discern what God has next. He also plans to return and teach at The Tree Church on November 15.
Take your seat at The Tree Church.
If you are looking for a church in Lancaster or a church in Logan, we would love to welcome you to The Tree Church. We are one church meeting at two campuses in Ohio. Join us any Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM.
We can't wait to meet you this Sunday!