And [Jesus] took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you: do this in remembrance of Me.”
Likewise, He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”
— Luke 22:19-20
When I went to New York City about ten years ago, I was led into a church near the place where I was staying. I was told they were having a Friday evening healing service, so I went over to have a look.
It was a black congregation, so blending in was not going to be an option. So I sat quietly, and prayed in agreement with the Pastor as he ministered to the people. Presently, one of the elders — who I later learned was called Mother Jackson — came over to me.
“Will you take Communion with us, son?”
It was a moment of “acceptance”, and one of the warmest Holy Ghost sensations I’ve felt before or since.
Many years ago, a friend of mine got completely bent out of shape when I told her I’d taken Communion in a church of her denomination. She was shocked: “You can’t do that unless you’re a member of the church!” I’m not mentioning the denomination because I found out recently that it’s not the only denomination that restricts Communion to its members.
I’m not going to attribute “right” or “wrong” to that policy, or to the “open door” policy other denominations hold, like Rivers of Living Water in Brooklyn. But let me explain why I prefer the open door.
It comes down to a question of what does Communion mean? Literally, it means being together as one: but is it being together with other like-minded people, or being together with Jesus, in a group setting? I believe it’s the latter: He said, “Do this [share in the bread and wine as symbolic representations of My broken body and shed blood] to remember Me.”
We do it as a group because spreading the Gospel is a shared burden, but if we limit Communion to people of the same denomination, are we not putting back together the veil that was torn apart when Jesus was crucified? Maybe that’s a bit extreme, but I believe that restricting Communion like that makes the act more an act of togetherness with a church or denomination than with Jesus Himself.
The churches I’ve gone to generally make Communion optional: they invite everyone to partake, but it’s up to the individual’s choice. I’ve only seen a couple of people take a pass over the years, and I wonder if that’s because they feel (a) they need to be a part of that church or denomination to do it, or (b) they align with a different denomination and they feel they’d be violating its tenets if they took Communion in a different church.
Like anything else in the faith walk, Communion is an intensely personal thing, but it’s also something where we take this personal position and do it alongside others. When we’re of “one accord”, there’s nothing we can’t do and Jesus promises that He’s there with us. I believe that “one accord” is belief and fellowship with Jesus Christ. That’s why I don’t think anyone should be barred from taking Communion. It comes back to the principle: “Do this in remembrance of Me,” and if someone is moved to consider what Jesus taught, the way He lived, or especially what He did for us at Calvary, pass the bread and wine and let them join the party!
Two Minutes for Cross-Checking! 