Eucharist

[skipbeat]

I see a lot more people receiving the Eucharist in their hands and surprisingly majorities of this people are youngsters between the ages of 8 to 16. Of course adults do it too. I don’t remember it being made possible to receive the Eucharist in your hands…when I was growing up it wasn’t allowed but now it seems to be more accepted. (Maybe it's a choice of the church which you attend). I was just wondering how everyone else receives the Eucharist. In there hands or directly in the there mouth. And which one do you think is better? To receive it in your mouth or in your hand?

 

[B-A-C]

In Luke 22:19-20 it would appear that Christ simply gave them the bread (not fed it to them) and also it appears they passed the cup around. I have seen this done may ways over the years, sometimes we literally take a loaf of bread and break small pieces of it off (depending how many people are in attendance) more often, it is a wafer or a small piece of a cracker. I have never in over 35 years (at over a dozen churches) of taking communion had someone feed it to me. Maybe this is a protestant thing?
In 1 Cor 11:23-31 it doesn't really say how the bread was distributed out among the people. But again, these are simply symbols of Christs body and blood. I see no need to have a special way to receive the bread. (Other than in Holy reverence and self-examination).

I have never seen a reason for this written down anywhere, but in practice, we almost almost always pass the elements out in advance, then pray, then partake together. I suppose that is one big advantage everyone holding their own elements of communion. I myself wouldn't prefer someone else's finger handling my elements in advance. Especially fingers that have been putting these into a great number of mouths. It somehow seems rather un-sanitary to me. But that's just my preference.

It is refreshing to see the term "Eucharist" again. Most churches I have attended over the years simply call it communion. I suppose to avoid the ambiguity and negative connotations of the Roman Catholic "mass". Which is similar in some ways, yet very different in others.

 

[skipbeat]

In Luke 22:19-20 it would appear that Christ simply gave them the bread (not fed it to them) and also it appears they passed the cup around. I have seen this done may ways over the years, sometimes we literally take a loaf of bread and break small pieces of it off (depending how many people are in attendance) more often, it is a wafer or a small piece of a cracker. I have never in over 35 years (at over a dozen churches) of taking communion had someone feed it to me. Maybe this is a protestant thing?
In 1 Cor 11:23-31 it doesn't really say how the bread was distributed out among the people. But again, these are simply symbols of Christs body and blood. I see no need to have a special way to receive the bread. (Other than in Holy reverence and self-examination).

I have never seen a reason for this written down anywhere, but in practice, we almost almost always pass the elements out in advance, then pray, then partake together. I suppose that is one big advantage everyone holding their own elements of communion. I myself wouldn't prefer someone else's finger handling my elements in advance. Especially fingers that have been putting these into a great number of mouths. It somehow seems rather un-sanitary to me. But that's just my preference.

It is refreshing to see the term "Eucharist" again. Most churches I have attended over the years simply call it communion. I suppose to avoid the ambiguity and negative connotations of the Roman Catholic "mass". Which is similar in some ways, yet very different in others.

Thank you for your input.