Category: Eucharist - Page 2

Do We? Or Don’t We?

Ordained by another denomination, I have been a Presbyterian minister for nearly my whole ministry. Like many others, I was drawn to Presbyterianism impressed by the way the denomination explains itself on paper. The first Presbyterian congregation on whose staff I was called to serve was led by a pastor whose own views and practice corresponded relatively closely to the official documents by which the PC(USA) describes itself in terms of polity, theology, and liturgy.

Anamnesis, Prolepsis, and the Work of the Spirit

56.3, Article, Eucharist, Liturgy

Participation precedes cognition. Long before I encountered words like anamnesis, epiclesis, and prolepsis, I sat in the front pew of the Beacon Hill Presbyterian Church in San Antonio, Texas, my twelve-year-old self decked out in a white sport coat bought for the occasion, my hair well plastered with Brylcreem, and my eyes fixed on the pastor. It was Maundy Thursday, and I was being admitted to the Lord’s Table.

The Work of Our Hands: “Draw Us in the Spirit’s Tether”

56.3, Article, Eucharist, The Arts

S. Beth TaylorBorn and baptized into the First Presbyterian Church (USA) of Smithfield, North Carolina, S. Beth Taylor has served as an artist and musician in churches in Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, and New York.My paraments/quilts are often complex in...

Virtual Communion: Treading New Ground

56.3, Article, Eucharist, Liturgy

In 2018, I was serving as the interim associate pastor for a medium-sized congregation in north Texas. The congregation was in a time of transition, and the head of staff and I began leading the session in discussions about how the congregation celebrated the Lord’s Supper. All the congregations I had previously been a part of served communion in one of two ways.

On Communion – 56.3

56.3, Article, Eucharist, Liturgy

Author’s note: This poetic proclamation is adapted from a talk that was given as part of a meeting of Not So Churchy, a worshiping community in New York City, in November of 2021. Not So Churchy is a place of healing and hope, where queerness and curiosity expand the spiritual journey beyond boxes and binaries.

Art and the Lord’s Supper: Choreography of Grace and Table

56.3, Article, Eucharist, The Arts

Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the doors, and . . .” With this little rhyme, many children learn with their hands that the church is all about those gathered. Step into any sanctuary, and there, right before your eyes, is the communion table, the heart of the church.

Singing around the Table

56.3, Article, Eucharist, Music

My earliest recollections of hearing that particular verse from Matthew are from the celebrations of the Lord’s Supper on the first Sunday of each month as a child. After we had sung and prayed through the meal, the pastor would conclude with that verse. It resonated with me deeply for two reasons.

A Place at the Crowded Table

56.3, Article, Eucharist, Liturgy

If your family table is anything like mine, it’s never clean. In order to eat (or write), you’ve got to make space in a place crowded with baseball cards, crafting supplies, stacks of mail, homework during the school year, goggles and spray sunscreen during the summer heat. Some of the mess is just passing through, dropped here due to exhaustion and the chaos of family life, but some of it belongs here just as much as dinner.

Eucharist and Hunger: Who Gets to Eat?

56.3, Article, Eucharist, Liturgy

The celebration of the Eucharist involves eating and drinking. Who gets to eat and drink and what they get to consume has been a much-contested matter in the history of the church. It is an issue that is worth pondering in these days when the division between the rich and poor grows exponentially each year.