Trinity Lutheran Church

Should I Take Communion or Not?

Maybe you have been there. You’re in the pew at your friend’s or relative’s wedding, confirmation, baptism, or something and it is time for Holy Communion. The usher is madly waving you forward. You’re holding up the process! So, you stumble out of the pew and wander to the front of the church where some well-meaning person is ripping off chunks of a French loaf (it looks remarkably like the loaf you saw on sale at Jewel on the way to church) and shoving little cups of grape juice in your hand. Oh my, what a nice snack, but I thought we were receiving the Lord’s Supper.

Or, it becomes even more complicated when you’re at an ELCA Church.  See, the problem there is that all bets are off. The word “Lutheran” means nothing more than an historic connection to the churches of the Augsburg Confession. They might believe just as you do but they might be just as protestant as the people with the French loaf and grape juice. Why? Because the Bishops of the ELCA are more interested in promoting the quasi-Marxist organization, Black Lives Matter, and advancing the LGBTQI+ agenda than policing the administration of Holy Communion in their congregations. So, if you went to church that morning to hear Law and Gospel from the Divine, Inerrant Word of God, you are very likely in the wrong place.  But, here comes the usher, waving you forward to receive…what?  We don’t really know, do we? It is the LORD’s SUPPER but they do not seem to know Him very well and they certainly don’t believe what He says.

Should you take Holy Communion or not when visiting a non-Missouri Synod congregation? The easy answer is no.  You have no need to receive communion every Sunday.  You can receive it at your home LCMS congregation the next Sunday and until then, you are covered by Baptismal grace and fueled with the Word of God to which you have access every day. Holy Communion is not a family tradition. It is a sacrament. It is not tantamount to holding hands around the Christmas tree and singing “O Tannenbaum.” It is far more like open-heart surgery where the living God is being implanted into you to wipe away your sin and empower your soul.  I am assuming that you would not undergo heart surgery just because an usher waved you forward.  And even if you desperately needed heart surgery, you would not undergo heart surgery at a clinic where the physician cared more about the living conditions of the cleaning staff than he did about the latest cardiological techniques. Before you wander up to Holy Communion at a non-LCMS church, ask yourself these questions:

1. It is the Lord’s Supper not mine. I believe of it exactly what the Lord says of it. Do I know what this group of people really believes, teaches, and confesses about the Lord’s Supper? Because you cannot trust that they believe, teach and confess the same as us just because they have the word “Lutheran” in their name.
2. Am I desperate for Holy Communion or can I wait to receive it next week at my home congregation where I know what I am receiving?
3. By receiving the Lord’s Supper here, I am giving the impression that I agree with all of their teachings because Holy Communion is the highest expression of unity that there is in the Christian Church. Is that the message I wish to convey? Do I agree with them ordaining female, gay and transgender people? Do I agree with the political premise behind Black Lives Matter? Do I believe that it is the first priority of God’s Church to right social, gender, or racial inequality? And if I believe all of that, should I attend an LCMS church?
4. By receiving Holy Communion just because everyone else is, am I cheapening the sacrament and treating it more like a mere tradition instead of God’s Holy gift? Am I going to allow social pressure to force me to make a public, physical confession that I do not believe?

It is good to worship together with other Christians. It is good to celebrate watersheds in their lives: confirmations, baptisms, weddings, funerals. We rejoice when people are connected to and involved with the Holy Church. But we do not pretend that all other Christians are proclaiming God’s Word fully or correctly. We understand that the devil, the world and our own sinful flesh are always trying to pollute God’s Holy Word and we diligently stand against that. It is not easy to stand for what is right and holy but it is our calling as God’s people and He will empower us to do whatever He calls us to do.