Tomorrow—the first Sunday of the month—would normally be the day in which our church commemorates the Lord’s Supper (Communion). And this first Sunday in April is especially significant because it is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week which recalls the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

You may be wondering: “Are we going to have the Lord’s Supper tomorrow? If so, how are we going to do it remotely in our own homes?” There are varying answers to these questions. A number of churches and authors have recently published announcements, articles and videos about Lord’s Supper services online, and they come to opposite conclusions.
As for FCBC Fountain Valley, we will not be having an “online, live-streaming” Lord’s Supper together. And here’s why…

From the biblical text, we do not receive much instruction about the mechanics of the Lord’s Supper. Certainly, today’s Lord’s Supper ceremonies have no resemblance to the original supper on the night Jesus was betrayed—but that doesn’t mean we’re wrong in the way we partake in it. It just means that how it looks and who presides and how the elements are distributed and whether we should share in one common cup are all questions that are more or less unanswered.

But, some things are quite clear from the Scriptures:

1. We partake as a gathered community of believers (Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 11:20). The common picture in all the biblical passages is of the gathering of the church, whether it was the 12 disciples, or the rapidly-multiplying early church in Jerusalem, or the selfish Corinthian church. The churches always “broke bread” together.
2. The bread and the wine (“cup”) are representative of Jesus’ body that was broken and His blood that was shed at the Cross (Matthew 26:26-28). As he distributed the bread and the cup, Jesus said: “This is my body” and “This is (the new covenant in) my blood.” Yes, some Christian traditions believe that the bread and cup are more than mere representations, but that’s a discussion for another day.
3. His broken body and shed blood was for us (“the many”). He willingly died for us and for the forgiveness of our sins (Mark 14:24; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:24). Sin has a high price, and the Father paid the price once and for all through His Son.
4. We partake in the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Him (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:26). The emphasis throughout the biblical texts is the attitude of remembering the great sacrifice of our Lord Jesus. There is very little written about how we are to do a communion service, but there is a great deal written about how we are to think about a communion service, and our attitude with which we come before the elements. 

In light of these teachings from Scripture, here are my applications to an online Lord’s Supper. I believe there are some circumstances under which we can have an online Lord’s Supper, but our live-stream service is not one of them.

1. Different kinds of “bread” and “cup” are OK. Neither Jesus nor Paul gave any priority to the kind of bread or cup we are to use during the Lord’s Supper. While there is biblical and theological symbolism in both the bread and wine/cup going back to the Pentateuch and Passover, it does not follow that we need to all be sharing from the same loaf or cup, or that we must all be partaking of the same kind of bread or juice. Therefore, I believe we can have a proper online Lord’s Supper even though everyone’s bread and juice are different.
2. A “Zoom” gathering can still be a church. Although we are certainly missing the personal and literal touch of being together physically, we can still be a “church” even if we are only communicating face-to-face through Zoom. When we pray, worship, study Scripture, uphold, encourage and bless one another—by teleconference—we are functioning as a church (Acts 2:42). With that being the case, I believe it is possible to fulfill the understanding of a gathering and community of believers for the Lord’s Supper while Zooming. An important ingredient here is the ability to fellowship with one another in real time under the guidance of pastoral leadership.
3. A video live-stream is not a “church gathering.” While live-streaming a worship service is certainly preferable to nothing at all, by itself it is not a gathering of the “church.” There is no mutual, interpersonal two-way fellowship. The pastor in front of the camera cannot see those on the other end of the live-stream. It is a “broad cast,” and where the seeds fall are unknown to the caster. Furthermore, none of the households logged into the broadcast can have fellowship with one another. For these reasons, I believe it is not biblically feasible to live-stream the Lord’s Supper. To rightly administer and ensure the integrity of the Lord’s Supper, I believe a pastor needs to see and be in real-time fellowship with the congregation. Also, there must be a gathered and united Christian community partaking together.
4. We can still remember Jesus at home. At a time when we are separated from one another and unable to partake in a communion service, we can and ought to be very intentional in remembering our Lord Jesus and the significance of His death on the cross for each of us. May I suggest that you lead your family in a simple time of remembrance at mealtime. Here are some ideas:
   1. Read the relevant Scripture passages (Luke 22:14-20 and 1 Corinthians 11:20-34).
   2. Sing a hymn like “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” or “And Can It Be (Amazing Love)”
   3. Pray with thanksgiving and remember why Jesus was crucified: the forgiveness of sins--your sin and mine.
   4. Serve food to one another and wait until everyone is served before eating. Honor one another as we honor the Lord.

And so, though we may not partake in a Lord’s Supper tomorrow, may you be blessed as you regularly and faithfully remember the death of our Lord Jesus. In God’s time, we will return to the church sanctuary, renew face-to-face fellowship and share in the Lord’s Supper once again.

Together in Christ,
Pastor Godfrey