I always tried to make it upbeat... but "solemn" in the sense of what it represented... one time we had a guy bring MD2020 to twig for communion... and that was just fine... funny... but fine...
Maybe I'm strange...but the fact that Christ died for us and we are CHILDREN OF GOD...seems a premise for celebration....not long-faced seriousness.
I mean...forchristssake...he turned water into wine at a wedding..a party....LET'S PARTY!!!!
The wedding party was one thing, the *communion* service was quite another. Gayity at the first, solemnity at the second. I for one would have a very hard time going to a communion service that was a *party*.
The dinner Jesus *initiated* communion at, was the last time He said He would drink wine, until the Kingdom of God comes (Luke 22:18) -- and given the fact that it was Gethsemane that He went to afterwards, speaks of the lack of levity at the situation.
If a party is held at a communion service -- I'm of the opinion that it would be following that described in I Corinthians 11:20-29.
Ps --- and if you want to attend a really weird communion service -- visit any Kingdom Hall.
The Jehovah Witness' will pass around a plate full of bread wafers, and then a glass of wine -- And every last person passes both the plate, and the glass on to the next person without taking any bread off the plate, or taking a sip of wine.
To them --- if you partake, that means that you are one of the 144,000 who are going to *Heavan*, and since none of them deem themselves *worthy* - they pass both the plate, and the glass on to the next person - who does the same.
I very much agree with you. Dmiller also has a point about not allowing things getting to get too far into the party atomsphere, but we certainly never had that happen in TWI. Just the opposite extreme plagued us.
I've posted this before, about two years ago, but I edited it and cleaned it up a little.
In the late Eighties and early Nineties, in TWI and then in the splinters here, I noticed that the format of Communion was getting more focus than the heart. The the original instructions given to us for formatting had by then been stretched way out of proportion.
One such original instruction was to not talk. There was a reason for that instruction: to get chatty teenagers (which many of us were at that time) to think a little. But instead of this guideline being relaxed as the average age increased it was instead intensified, and had degenerated into a false solemnity that was very offending if not downright spooky.
In the Seventies we were instructed to spend a whole month in twig preparing people for a special night of reflection. That one month of preparation made communion a joy. But this preperation period didn't last long. By the mid 80's preparation had been reduced to a quickie.
One time I saw communion done with NO EXPLANATION whatsoever, even though there were two relatively new people there who had no clue what communion was all about. It more resembled a spooky seance than a happy healing family meal. All that was missing were the priest's habit and vestments, which are ancient Roman ceremonial clothing.The two new people were spooked pretty bad.
Coming from an RC background I saw in our twigs once familiar RC priest-like actions and intonations coming from normally regular people. Lots of their previous religious training came out instead of the Word of God and healing. It became a costume party for the leader with lots of Thee's and Thou's thrown in to look spiritual.
***
As for the 'damnation' of the 'unworthy' Communion verse in Corinthians that was often read, I never saw that explained very well at fellowships in the later years. From Dr's writings and much discussion with leaders earlier I finally got an understanding that this verse says something much more simple than the religious buzz words 'damnation' and 'unworthy' conjure in the context of our cultural/religious use of them.
I learned that God provided communion as a way to help people's believing: 'Do these things in remembrance of me.' That remembrance would be a believing one. It's like the spit-mud that Jesus put on the eyelids of the blind man. It helped his believing. Same with the woman who touched the hem of his garment. Same with the brass serpent Moses erected in an emergency situation. All these things were cultural believing builders.
So if someone refuses or is unaware of this special believing aid provided by God, it's a little like not using an umbrella in a rainstorm. Walking out into the rain without this umbrella (communion) deployed (unworthy) a person is doomed (damned) to get wet (sick), sooner or later.
If there are any language experts out there, I'm interested in knowing if the English words 'damned' and 'doomed' are etymologically related. If not, I think the explanation I reported still works, but I've often wondered about these two words.
***
I can't remember who I got this from, but I think it was Steve H or someone else at the early 70's Rye NY scene who gave me this following idea:
In the mid 80's, when things were dying all over in the ministry, I tried to get leadership here to put some heart back into communion. I couldn't get their attention about the need for the month long preparation, and that the heart of Communion had been squashed badly under the formatting. So, I pulled out this old suggestion I heard at Rye to help us disrupt the formatting idolatry. I suggested we do communion not with bread and wine, but with potato chips and beer!
Instead of getting the heart of my proposal they thought I was crazy, and one leader did a word study on bread and wine to prove me wrong.
***
I once did an impromptu communion service in a restaurant with three young twigees. It was extremely brief, and I used an absolute minimum of religious or biblical sounding language. They didn't even know I was doing a communion service because the format I used was so casual. It came off to them like explanatory conversation. I didn't pass around any food or liquid; everyone just used their own. It was totally underground, but the understanding was there and it was a happy healing family meal, just like the last supper. We remembered Jesus Christ, and focused with thanksgiving that he took on all our sicknesses just as well as he took on our sin, and that we were forgiven and healed.
I just remembered more about that impromptu restaurant communion "service" at the end of my last post.
It occured to us that chewing solid food reminded us of how Jesus' flesh was torn up. Then we flashed on how drinking liquids "washed away" that image.
***
Cindy!
This is all I've on my mind to post here for two years, so I'll now bow out of your thread and not leave any of my usual commercial messages here. OK? :)-->
Hey Cindy!, when you wc had to prophecy over us during the service, did you make those up ahead of time or were they genuine? I always thought that was a lot to ask.
and/or superstitious ceremony gives me the creeps. Always has, since as far back as I can remember.
Praying, reading some holy writ, "witnessing" (oh GAWD!), or especially some public demonstration of one's "faith" (baptism or reciting some arcane oath or other), all of it gives me the same feeling I'd get if I'd just swallowed a worm or something.
Icky, that's the only way I can describe it. Just plain icky.
The reason communion got to be so dead was that the format was legislated from the top. If every fellowship was truely self-governing, they could decide how they wanted to do it. The only limitation should be what is described in I Corithians. According to I Corinthians 11 there certainly should be some solemnity to the affair. It is supposed to be a "memory peg" to bring us back to a full realization of what Christ did for us.
We once had a "flaming communion", but I'll never do that again... (My sweater caught on fire while reaching over the candles to get the bread...) We sure had a hot time at that one! :-)
When I was in NJ we had a branch full of former Roman Catholic adults who had grown to dislike the rules the church wanted them to follow.
There was one particular gentleman who loved PFAL, thought TWI was the answer to his prayers and felt much freer than the church made him feel about worshipping God.
Then we had communion. It was a 2 twig effort.
After it was over and mostly everyone was gone, he came up to me and the twig leader and said that the communion service made him really uptight - that it was too much like the RC Church and why did we do it that way? He couldn't believe that TWI would have such a formal, rigid service (this was the late 70's!).
I didn't disagree with the man, but I was one of the twig leaders doing the ceremony. He wasn't in my fellowship so the other Twig Leader handled it. He had also been Catholic and was able to show the guy the differences, and that "God was in the details" stuff.
I think the man was appeased, but not fully satisfied with the explanation.
I just remember a story about Limb Leader who yelled and screamed at the Corps in his state because someone did't use red candles. Yeah - God was in that detail... uh huh...
The strict ceremony, with the correct colored candles, and everything done according to script, was pretty dead IMHO.
In 2000 they decided that communion was to be done by heads of households (moms & dads) for their families and assorted singles who were close to them. We came up with our own service which was fun and joyous without being a "party" atmosphere.
After I was thrown out of there I continued to do communion. I found thatwhen we were able to keep heart and love in it then it was a "successful" for lack of a better word thing. I used the manner of doing communion I learned from the way and sometimes swerved far from it by doing it like after a dinner, on a sunday morning, etc.
I guess the way we were taught to do it during our time w/ TWI is great as long as we keep our hearts in the right place. I don't think God has ever faulted us for not having the right candles or for not having candles at all sometimes.
and/or superstitious ceremony gives me the creeps. Always has, since as far back as I can remember.
Praying, reading some holy writ, "witnessing" (oh GAWD!), or especially some public demonstration of one's "faith" (baptism or reciting some arcane oath or other), all of it gives me the same feeling I'd get if I'd just swallowed a worm or something.
Icky, that's the only way I can describe it. Just plain icky.
What is the appeal?
Yet you have no problem sharing about your new faith (or anti-faith if you will). Interesting …
my favorite communion time out in emporia was being on cleanup or teardown or whateveryoucallit afterwards. all that leftover bread and wine. thank you jesus ;)-->
I saw this subject and just had to post...the most memorable communion for me was the time in Colorado in the late 70's when Jen*y Schei*tz, the corps branch coordinator, had Bev Eri***on (maybe they were both 6th corps...I don't remember) lead communion in the home of another couple we were friends with. There were a group of lightbearers in town so combined with all the local twiggies, there was quite a crowded living room.
It came time for the guy who opened the meeting to introduce B*v, and just at that moment, the hall bathroom toilet flushed and out came B*v.
A couple of the people's shoulders in front of me started shaking with repressed laughter and I glanced around and saw the faces of several people trying to keep from laughing out loud, especially the hostess.
It just got funnier as the ceremony continued. When she broke the bread she sorta shrugged her shoulders and made a little gesture like it was a magic trick. By the time that happened, I was in pain from supressed laughter and didn't dare make eye contact with anyone else.
As soon as it was over the hostess and I went back into the spare bedroom where the coats were and cried from laughing as we relived the whole thing. Poor B*v didn't intend for it to be funny but it sure turned out that way. When we finally came out of the room we found out that people were waiting for thier coats but didn't want to interrupt us because they thought she was ministering to me. I told them that I had really gotten delivered. We were afraid to let anyone else know how funny we found the whole thing, lest we be reproved.
Whether you thought it was "churchy", funny, sad or the candles ( I liked that one). I think it was who was doing it. I went through all kinds. It was like anything that we go through today. If it was positive. It was good. If it was bad, it was BAD.
Oh GAWD, My3Cents! You would have been M&A for doing that in TWI II and TWI III. Okay, you wouldn't be M&A in TWI III, but they would smile and tell you that you would probably be better off in a church somewhere. Then they would kindly tell the others in your area that it's probably *best* if they didn't communicate with you since you're obviously having some *issues*. (Whisper the key words like polite southern ladies do and for an extra touch wrinkle your nose a little when you're whispering)
Tonight is Holy Communion (HC) at the local fellowship. (Is it always on Passover?) I only know this because my son was manipulated away from his scheduled time with me to go to the service.
I remember the last wierwillian HC I attended. I wasn't sure if I would go, but my ex wife admonished me with some kind of passive-aggressive threat like, "I wouldn't miss it if I were you," or, "If you know what's good for you," or "It's a real good idea."
There were red candles and a white linen table cloth. The mood was über serious, solemn, morose, and somehow comically pretentious. So much sincerity. (You know what sincerity is no guarantee of, don't you?) Some cheesy Way elevator music (sorry, just not my style) was playing on the stereo as attendees shuffled in. No one dared say a word.
The first order of business was, well, business! The FC wanted to get the cash flow out of the way so as not to interrupt the ritual flow later. He actually said this at the outset. The horn was passed, and everyone dropped in their donations conspicuously, making sure to reveal for any scanning glance bundles of $20 bills at every turn. HC was always the most lucrative fellowship for the FC because attendees beleeeved they were buying "spiritual protection" to cover them for the next twelve months.
The preoccupation with collecting cash money ruined the whole thing for me. I always found it to be a vulgarity tainting the sacrament. I guess my mind wasn't renewed enough or something. Oh well, render unto Caesar... oh, wait...
No scripture was read at HC. None. HOWEVER, a passage from JCOPS or JCOP was read.
-------
10,000 Unpainted Arizona points to whoever correctly guesses the author of the following absurdly. (Beleeeving is misspelled by the original author.)
Ilearned that God provided communion as a way to help people's believing: 'Do these things in remembrance of me.' That remembrance would be a believing one. It's like the spit-mud that Jesus put on the eyelids of the blind man. It helped his believing. Same with the woman who touched the hem of his garment. Same with the brass serpent Moses erected in an emergency situation. All these things were cultural believing builders.
So if someone refuses or is unaware of this special believing aid provided by God, it's a little like not using an umbrella in a rainstorm. Walking out into the rain without this umbrella (communion) deployed(unworthy) a person is doomed (damned) to get wet (sick), sooner or later.
I don't recall it being scheduled to coincide with Passover. At the last twig I was involved with, we held a communion service in lieu of the weekly fellowship. There was no weekly "teaching", just a somber atmosphere and a highly ritualized ceremony, after which we quietly went home..
I don't recall it being scheduled to coincide with Passover. At the last twig I was involved with, we held a communion service in lieu of the weekly fellowship. There was no weekly "teaching", just a somber atmosphere and a highly ritualized ceremony, after which we quietly went home..
Ah, yes. That's right. Now I remember.
Either last Sunday or next Sunday there will be no fellowship because of communion.
Was Easter Sunday acknowledged? For some reason I feel like it wasn't. Not 1st century enough or the date is wrong. Something about accuracy vs. tradition. I'm probably remembering that wrongly, too.
It was called "Resurrection Sunday", and written that way on their calendars. Frankly, it makes sense to me even if it's commonly called "Easter", so long as no stupid games are played about that not being the same day.
According to twi, Jesus died Wednesday afternoon, and was buried before sundown because Passover was arriving. Three days and three nights later was Saturday afternoon. When the women arrived Sunday morning, Jesus was already gone, having been resurrected and all that.
Then again, that was in the 80s. I heard things got really crazy in the 90s, after the exodus of 4/5 of twi.
It was called "Resurrection Sunday", and written that way on their calendars. Frankly, it makes sense to me even if it's commonly called "Easter", so long as no stupid games are played about that not being the same day.
According to twi, Jesus died Wednesday afternoon, and was buried before sundown because Passover was arriving. Three days and three nights later was Saturday afternoon. When the women arrived Sunday morning, Jesus was already gone, having been resurrected and all that.
Then again, that was in the 80s. I heard things got really crazy in the 90s, after the exodus of 4/5 of twi.
Yeah, that sounds familiar. Thanks. My fellowship commander's tenure was c.1975-c.1986, but his commitment is forevah. I think he "taught" it as you explain it.
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Steve!
Wow, sounds great!
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Tom Strange
I always tried to make it upbeat... but "solemn" in the sense of what it represented... one time we had a guy bring MD2020 to twig for communion... and that was just fine... funny... but fine...
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dmiller
The wedding party was one thing, the *communion* service was quite another. Gayity at the first, solemnity at the second. I for one would have a very hard time going to a communion service that was a *party*.
The dinner Jesus *initiated* communion at, was the last time He said He would drink wine, until the Kingdom of God comes (Luke 22:18) -- and given the fact that it was Gethsemane that He went to afterwards, speaks of the lack of levity at the situation.
If a party is held at a communion service -- I'm of the opinion that it would be following that described in I Corinthians 11:20-29.
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dmiller
Ps --- and if you want to attend a really weird communion service -- visit any Kingdom Hall.
The Jehovah Witness' will pass around a plate full of bread wafers, and then a glass of wine -- And every last person passes both the plate, and the glass on to the next person without taking any bread off the plate, or taking a sip of wine.
To them --- if you partake, that means that you are one of the 144,000 who are going to *Heavan*, and since none of them deem themselves *worthy* - they pass both the plate, and the glass on to the next person - who does the same.
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Mike
Cindy!,
I very much agree with you. Dmiller also has a point about not allowing things getting to get too far into the party atomsphere, but we certainly never had that happen in TWI. Just the opposite extreme plagued us.
I've posted this before, about two years ago, but I edited it and cleaned it up a little.
In the late Eighties and early Nineties, in TWI and then in the splinters here, I noticed that the format of Communion was getting more focus than the heart. The the original instructions given to us for formatting had by then been stretched way out of proportion.
One such original instruction was to not talk. There was a reason for that instruction: to get chatty teenagers (which many of us were at that time) to think a little. But instead of this guideline being relaxed as the average age increased it was instead intensified, and had degenerated into a false solemnity that was very offending if not downright spooky.
In the Seventies we were instructed to spend a whole month in twig preparing people for a special night of reflection. That one month of preparation made communion a joy. But this preperation period didn't last long. By the mid 80's preparation had been reduced to a quickie.
One time I saw communion done with NO EXPLANATION whatsoever, even though there were two relatively new people there who had no clue what communion was all about. It more resembled a spooky seance than a happy healing family meal. All that was missing were the priest's habit and vestments, which are ancient Roman ceremonial clothing.The two new people were spooked pretty bad.
Coming from an RC background I saw in our twigs once familiar RC priest-like actions and intonations coming from normally regular people. Lots of their previous religious training came out instead of the Word of God and healing. It became a costume party for the leader with lots of Thee's and Thou's thrown in to look spiritual.
***
As for the 'damnation' of the 'unworthy' Communion verse in Corinthians that was often read, I never saw that explained very well at fellowships in the later years. From Dr's writings and much discussion with leaders earlier I finally got an understanding that this verse says something much more simple than the religious buzz words 'damnation' and 'unworthy' conjure in the context of our cultural/religious use of them.
I learned that God provided communion as a way to help people's believing: 'Do these things in remembrance of me.' That remembrance would be a believing one. It's like the spit-mud that Jesus put on the eyelids of the blind man. It helped his believing. Same with the woman who touched the hem of his garment. Same with the brass serpent Moses erected in an emergency situation. All these things were cultural believing builders.
So if someone refuses or is unaware of this special believing aid provided by God, it's a little like not using an umbrella in a rainstorm. Walking out into the rain without this umbrella (communion) deployed (unworthy) a person is doomed (damned) to get wet (sick), sooner or later.
If there are any language experts out there, I'm interested in knowing if the English words 'damned' and 'doomed' are etymologically related. If not, I think the explanation I reported still works, but I've often wondered about these two words.
***
I can't remember who I got this from, but I think it was Steve H or someone else at the early 70's Rye NY scene who gave me this following idea:
In the mid 80's, when things were dying all over in the ministry, I tried to get leadership here to put some heart back into communion. I couldn't get their attention about the need for the month long preparation, and that the heart of Communion had been squashed badly under the formatting. So, I pulled out this old suggestion I heard at Rye to help us disrupt the formatting idolatry. I suggested we do communion not with bread and wine, but with potato chips and beer!
Instead of getting the heart of my proposal they thought I was crazy, and one leader did a word study on bread and wine to prove me wrong.
***
I once did an impromptu communion service in a restaurant with three young twigees. It was extremely brief, and I used an absolute minimum of religious or biblical sounding language. They didn't even know I was doing a communion service because the format I used was so casual. It came off to them like explanatory conversation. I didn't pass around any food or liquid; everyone just used their own. It was totally underground, but the understanding was there and it was a happy healing family meal, just like the last supper. We remembered Jesus Christ, and focused with thanksgiving that he took on all our sicknesses just as well as he took on our sin, and that we were forgiven and healed.
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Mike
I just remembered more about that impromptu restaurant communion "service" at the end of my last post.
It occured to us that chewing solid food reminded us of how Jesus' flesh was torn up. Then we flashed on how drinking liquids "washed away" that image.
***
Cindy!
This is all I've on my mind to post here for two years, so I'll now bow out of your thread and not leave any of my usual commercial messages here. OK?
:)-->
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Belle
Hey Cindy!, when you wc had to prophecy over us during the service, did you make those up ahead of time or were they genuine? I always thought that was a lot to ask.
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George Aar
Gawd, me too. In fact, just about any religious
and/or superstitious ceremony gives me the creeps. Always has, since as far back as I can remember.
Praying, reading some holy writ, "witnessing" (oh GAWD!), or especially some public demonstration of one's "faith" (baptism or reciting some arcane oath or other), all of it gives me the same feeling I'd get if I'd just swallowed a worm or something.
Icky, that's the only way I can describe it. Just plain icky.
What is the appeal?
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Research Geek
The reason communion got to be so dead was that the format was legislated from the top. If every fellowship was truely self-governing, they could decide how they wanted to do it. The only limitation should be what is described in I Corithians. According to I Corinthians 11 there certainly should be some solemnity to the affair. It is supposed to be a "memory peg" to bring us back to a full realization of what Christ did for us.
We once had a "flaming communion", but I'll never do that again... (My sweater caught on fire while reaching over the candles to get the bread...) We sure had a hot time at that one! :-)
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Hope R.
When I was in NJ we had a branch full of former Roman Catholic adults who had grown to dislike the rules the church wanted them to follow.
There was one particular gentleman who loved PFAL, thought TWI was the answer to his prayers and felt much freer than the church made him feel about worshipping God.
Then we had communion. It was a 2 twig effort.
After it was over and mostly everyone was gone, he came up to me and the twig leader and said that the communion service made him really uptight - that it was too much like the RC Church and why did we do it that way? He couldn't believe that TWI would have such a formal, rigid service (this was the late 70's!).
I didn't disagree with the man, but I was one of the twig leaders doing the ceremony. He wasn't in my fellowship so the other Twig Leader handled it. He had also been Catholic and was able to show the guy the differences, and that "God was in the details" stuff.
I think the man was appeased, but not fully satisfied with the explanation.
I just remember a story about Limb Leader who yelled and screamed at the Corps in his state because someone did't use red candles. Yeah - God was in that detail... uh huh...
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Oakspear
The strict ceremony, with the correct colored candles, and everything done according to script, was pretty dead IMHO.
In 2000 they decided that communion was to be done by heads of households (moms & dads) for their families and assorted singles who were close to them. We came up with our own service which was fun and joyous without being a "party" atmosphere.
Best one I ever was at.
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Out There
After I was thrown out of there I continued to do communion. I found thatwhen we were able to keep heart and love in it then it was a "successful" for lack of a better word thing. I used the manner of doing communion I learned from the way and sometimes swerved far from it by doing it like after a dinner, on a sunday morning, etc.
I guess the way we were taught to do it during our time w/ TWI is great as long as we keep our hearts in the right place. I don't think God has ever faulted us for not having the right candles or for not having candles at all sometimes.
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def59
Yet you have no problem sharing about your new faith (or anti-faith if you will). Interesting …
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George Aar
What you seem want to call "sharing my faith" is simply telling how I really am. Something I never quite got around to as a "Christian".
The act, the overall phonyness with religion was what always got to me.
Maybe I was the only one playing a game and everyone else was absolutely genuine.
Yeah, I guess it could have been that way...
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excathedra
my favorite communion time out in emporia was being on cleanup or teardown or whateveryoucallit afterwards. all that leftover bread and wine. thank you jesus
;)-->
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tonto
I saw this subject and just had to post...the most memorable communion for me was the time in Colorado in the late 70's when Jen*y Schei*tz, the corps branch coordinator, had Bev Eri***on (maybe they were both 6th corps...I don't remember) lead communion in the home of another couple we were friends with. There were a group of lightbearers in town so combined with all the local twiggies, there was quite a crowded living room.
It came time for the guy who opened the meeting to introduce B*v, and just at that moment, the hall bathroom toilet flushed and out came B*v.
A couple of the people's shoulders in front of me started shaking with repressed laughter and I glanced around and saw the faces of several people trying to keep from laughing out loud, especially the hostess.
It just got funnier as the ceremony continued. When she broke the bread she sorta shrugged her shoulders and made a little gesture like it was a magic trick. By the time that happened, I was in pain from supressed laughter and didn't dare make eye contact with anyone else.
As soon as it was over the hostess and I went back into the spare bedroom where the coats were and cried from laughing as we relived the whole thing. Poor B*v didn't intend for it to be funny but it sure turned out that way. When we finally came out of the room we found out that people were waiting for thier coats but didn't want to interrupt us because they thought she was ministering to me. I told them that I had really gotten delivered. We were afraid to let anyone else know how funny we found the whole thing, lest we be reproved.
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justloafing
Whether you thought it was "churchy", funny, sad or the candles ( I liked that one). I think it was who was doing it. I went through all kinds. It was like anything that we go through today. If it was positive. It was good. If it was bad, it was BAD.
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My3Cents
I got out in the mid '80s but I don't remember those kind of rules about communion. Hell, I did it one time with my twig in a Chinese restaurant!
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Belle
Oh GAWD, My3Cents! You would have been M&A for doing that in TWI II and TWI III. Okay, you wouldn't be M&A in TWI III, but they would smile and tell you that you would probably be better off in a church somewhere. Then they would kindly tell the others in your area that it's probably *best* if they didn't communicate with you since you're obviously having some *issues*. (Whisper the key words like polite southern ladies do and for an extra touch wrinkle your nose a little when you're whispering)
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Nathan_Jr
Tonight is Holy Communion (HC) at the local fellowship. (Is it always on Passover?) I only know this because my son was manipulated away from his scheduled time with me to go to the service.
I remember the last wierwillian HC I attended. I wasn't sure if I would go, but my ex wife admonished me with some kind of passive-aggressive threat like, "I wouldn't miss it if I were you," or, "If you know what's good for you," or "It's a real good idea."
There were red candles and a white linen table cloth. The mood was über serious, solemn, morose, and somehow comically pretentious. So much sincerity. (You know what sincerity is no guarantee of, don't you?) Some cheesy Way elevator music (sorry, just not my style) was playing on the stereo as attendees shuffled in. No one dared say a word.
The first order of business was, well, business! The FC wanted to get the cash flow out of the way so as not to interrupt the ritual flow later. He actually said this at the outset. The horn was passed, and everyone dropped in their donations conspicuously, making sure to reveal for any scanning glance bundles of $20 bills at every turn. HC was always the most lucrative fellowship for the FC because attendees beleeeved they were buying "spiritual protection" to cover them for the next twelve months.
The preoccupation with collecting cash money ruined the whole thing for me. I always found it to be a vulgarity tainting the sacrament. I guess my mind wasn't renewed enough or something. Oh well, render unto Caesar... oh, wait...
No scripture was read at HC. None. HOWEVER, a passage from JCOPS or JCOP was read.
-------
10,000 Unpainted Arizona points to whoever correctly guesses the author of the following absurdly. (Beleeeving is misspelled by the original author.)
I learned that God provided communion as a way to help people's believing: 'Do these things in remembrance of me.' That remembrance would be a believing one. It's like the spit-mud that Jesus put on the eyelids of the blind man. It helped his believing. Same with the woman who touched the hem of his garment. Same with the brass serpent Moses erected in an emergency situation. All these things were cultural believing builders.
So if someone refuses or is unaware of this special believing aid provided by God, it's a little like not using an umbrella in a rainstorm. Walking out into the rain without this umbrella (communion) deployed (unworthy) a person is doomed (damned) to get wet (sick), sooner or later.
Edited by Nathan_JrOh, these f'n gloves!
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waysider
I don't recall it being scheduled to coincide with Passover. At the last twig I was involved with, we held a communion service in lieu of the weekly fellowship. There was no weekly "teaching", just a somber atmosphere and a highly ritualized ceremony, after which we quietly went home..
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Nathan_Jr
Ah, yes. That's right. Now I remember.
Either last Sunday or next Sunday there will be no fellowship because of communion.
Was Easter Sunday acknowledged? For some reason I feel like it wasn't. Not 1st century enough or the date is wrong. Something about accuracy vs. tradition. I'm probably remembering that wrongly, too.
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WordWolf
It was called "Resurrection Sunday", and written that way on their calendars. Frankly, it makes sense to me even if it's commonly called "Easter", so long as no stupid games are played about that not being the same day.
According to twi, Jesus died Wednesday afternoon, and was buried before sundown because Passover was arriving. Three days and three nights later was Saturday afternoon. When the women arrived Sunday morning, Jesus was already gone, having been resurrected and all that.
Then again, that was in the 80s. I heard things got really crazy in the 90s, after the exodus of 4/5 of twi.
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Nathan_Jr
Yeah, that sounds familiar. Thanks. My fellowship commander's tenure was c.1975-c.1986, but his commitment is forevah. I think he "taught" it as you explain it.
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