Monday 19 May 2025
For when the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk. (v. 21)
Background
In the early days of the followers of Jesus worshipping together, the Eucharist or Holy Communion was a full meal – as in the Passover meal – with special words said over a particular loaf and cup of wine as had happened when Jesus instituted this practice. The believers in Corinth were following this practice and it is interesting that the ‘Lord’s meal’ was a central and symbolic act in the churches that Paul founded.
The problem being aired in this passage is that the Corinthians appear to have been reinforcing the social divisions within the community even in the context of this special meal. The important principle of the followers of Jesus being one family was being subverted by some of the Corinthians who, rather than breaking down divisions, were emphasising them and thus defacing the unity that Holy Communion should exemplify. Paul sees this as displaying contempt for God’s Church and showing a desire to put the poor to shame.
To Ponder:
- Are there any ways in which your congregation emphasises differences or divisions either at Holy Communion or in other ways?
- When I was young and worshipping in a Methodist Church, Holy Communion was celebrated at the end of the service and only some people stayed for this part. There was a perception in the minds of some that taking Holy Communion was something for the ‘super holy'. Does this attitude still linger, even if the practice of a tagged-on Communion has long gone?
Prayer
Heavenly God, you have called your people to be one family, and one Church to be the body of Christ. Help us, we pray to transcend all divisions – economic, social, racial, ethnic, and those of sexual orientation or education – so that, as we meet at your table, we may fully reflect this one family. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Jennifer Potter
Jennifer is a supernumerary minister living in the Croydon Circuit. She works as a part-time chaplain at the local MHA (Methodist Home for the Aged). She was previously a minister at Wesley’s Chapel in London.