Why We Will Not Be Participating in a “Virtual Lord’s Supper”

(In these challenging times, I know it is not beneficial to challenge or second-guess the decisions of leaders of other churches as they guide their specific congregations through this time in their specific context.  This article is not intended to do that.  It is simply a piece of pastoral guidance for the church I serve, First Baptist Church of Many, and an opportunity for me to think through this issue by writing my thoughts.  For that reason, I have intentionally not published this until after the past week’s celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection, as I knew that many were planning to observe this ordinance as part of their worship this past weekend during Maundy Thursday activities, Good Friday worship, or Resurrection celebrations.)

Not many of my congregants and church members have asked, but some may.  And it is always my desire to have a well-developed and articulated response to their questions.  And that means that sometimes I have to tell them that I will have to answer their question at a later time.  It may because we do not have enough time in that setting to address the issue, but more often than not, it is because I need to research the topic thoroughly and carefully.  I know my first response may not be the best reply, and I am willing to put forth the effort to provide a well-researched, well-developed response, even if sometimes I may lack in the delivery of that response.  Often, I can articulate that response better through writing, though after reading this post you may disagree.

The question is “Will we observe the Lord’s Supper while we are not meeting in person during this period of social distancing?”  My answer is a qualified “No.”  This response is nuanced because I want us to understand the practical, theological, ecclesiological reasons we will abstain from participating in the ordinance until we gather again in worship.

Before I begin, though, allow me to explain that this decision was made before other pastors and congregations began this on-line, or virtual, observance of the ordinance.  Our church has the custom of observing the Lord’s Supper once every three months on the first Sunday of the month.  We were scheduled to gather for this ordinance at the end of worship on Palm Sunday.  That was the third Sunday we did not meet on campus for worship.  We also knew from the first week of social distancing and shelter-in-place recommendations that we would not meet on campus that week.  The decision was made then to wait to observe the Lord’s Supper until we would gather again, even with hopes that we would be gathering for celebration of our Savior’s resurrection.  So, the question is, “Why wait?”

First, practically it is difficult to fence the table.  That means it is hard to help participants refrain from partaking of the elements in “an unworthy manner” (1 Corinthians 11:27).  While we are excited that people who do not often attend our worship gatherings are watching or listening to our worship services, we also recognize that many may be seekers.  We are delighted that they are hearing the Gospel, but we do not want to confuse them with the observance of an ordinance in which we declare our faith and hope in the broken body and spilled blood of Christ, even before they have made that confession of faith.  We also do not want those believers who are not participating in a local congregation, either because they are under church discipline or because they have chosen to distance themselves from the community of faith, to receive one of the benefits of participating in a local church.

Also, of a practical concern are the elements of the supper.  I have observed some tremendous efforts by some church leaders to deliver the elements of the supper, unleavened bread and juice, to their church members.  Some have ordered specialized packaging of the elements and delivered those packages or made them available for pick-up, others have provided guidance for those that could go to the store and those who could not, while some have even made cooking videos or provided recipes.  All of these are good.  But I have also seen the not so good, including the suggestion to use soft-drinks and chips or milk and cookies.  The elements have meaning, not sacramentally and not in that we must match the chemical formulas of the food and drink of the first Passover or the Last Supper, but we should attempt to make the elements relevant and similar to what Jesus did.  If one were to use milk and cookies to represent the body and blood of Christ, he is essentially declaring that if Jesus had Nestle™ tollhouse cookies and Fairlife™ chocolate milk, he would have told His disciples about the significance of His death during dessert, not at the moments He did, with all the history and significance at that moment.

Next, we should examine the theological rationale.  When Paul addresses the observance of the Lord’s Supper to believers in Corinth, which is the passage I almost exclusively quote during our observance of the Lord’s table, he uses the term translated “come together” at least five times (1 Corinthians 11:17-34).  This indicates the observance of the Lord’s Supper is something we do together as a church, not as any sub-group.  As Baptists, we do not participate in “Private Communion,” nor is our observance of the other ordinance, Baptism, done outside of a local body of believers.  This does not mean that the ordinances are only to be performed and observed within a church building; rather, it means that when we observe the ordinance, we provide opportunities for the entire congregation to participate.  Sunday School classes, youth groups, and even deacons, elders, and ministry staff, do not have private times of observing the Lord’s Supper away from the congregation.  During these times when we cannot physically come together, I feel like we would further isolate some who are unable to gather the elements, give others the opportunity to think they can participate in the Lord’s Table without participation in a local body, and make the ordinance more important than our gathering with the silent, unspoken resolve that this should be observed even in the absence of meeting.

Finally, I want to address the ecclesiological rationale.  In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul shares with his readers that the observance of this ordinance builds a sense of anticipation—that :as often as eat the bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He returns.”  That means we long for the day when we no longer come to the Lord’s Table here on earth, but we gather around the banquet table of the Lamb.  At the Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples that He would not participate in the meal again until they were with Him in His Father’s Kingdom (Matthew 26:29).  And we long for the day of His return more than we desire to eat a small wafer of unleavened bread and drink an ounce of grape juice.

In a similar way, I want our church family to long for the day that we can gather again for worship on our campus.  On that day, when we come together, we will once again sing together, pray together, give of our tithes together, hear the word proclaimed together, and come to the Lord’s Table together.  May we, together, long for that Sunday similar to, but only slightly less than, how we long for the return of Christ.  “Amen! Come Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)