When Jesus said "Do this in remembrance of Me..."

[nemo137]

"Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me" 1 Cr 11:26
Did he mean to take communion everytime we take bread and wine together as believers, even only one or two of us? Or only at Passover? Or did he really mean it as the central sacrament of his Church?

Any thoughts?

[Tux]

1. The whole thing

It's a method to remember and honor Jesus. At least what I got in Church of Christ. When it's done, you're honoring Jesus and all he stood for. It's like burning incense at a Buddhist sangra.

[Rowdyboy]

2. My church, the Episcopal, celebrates the Eucharist in every full service

There are some abbreviated services (morning/evening prayer etc) where it isn't included, but every full service that includes a sermon also has the Eucharist. I think the church started doing this in the early 1970's, about the same time they decided to ordain female priests.

I once experienced a prayer service for an AIDS patient with only 7 people present where the priest served the bread and wine. Thats about the smallest I've seen. During that same service, the priest (without our asking) blessed my union with my partner (he had known us both for awhile). I was stunned, but also moved. He basically threw us a surprise wedding!

[papau]

3. The priest can do the service with only himself present.

I do not know what "central sacrament" means - but "in remembrance of me" is kind of what much of the Church is about.

[Igel]

4. My church did it only on Passover.

Since it was at passover that it was done in the first place. Footwashing, bread/wine, a hymn, and we'd exit with no further ado.

No minister required. I've known people to observe it by themselves (minus the footwashing, of course), if there were no fellow church-members nearby.

[hvn_nbr_2]

5. Do WHAT as often as you drink WHAT?

I could never make any sense of that statement and certainly could never impute to it whatever meanings churches said it has. Too many missing antecendents of pronouns. I have a strong suspicion that it doesn't mean what any modern churches say it means, but I don't know what it does mean.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

8. In the same manner also he took the cup of wine after supper...

"Drink of it all you. This is my blood of the new covenant, given and shed for you for the remission of sins. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me."

(I'm quoting the words of institution from memory here, but it's pretty clear that he's referring to wine.)

Denominations vary in how often they observe communion. Roman Catholic priests are required to say Mass every day. Episcopalians and ELCA Lutherans have Communion as their main service every Sunday, although Lutherans used to have it only on the first Sunday of the month. Some denominations have it only four times a year.

[CatholicEdHead]

6. Catholic Dogma

has this done during every Last Supper recreation (e.g. Liturgy of Euchurist). Foot washing is done on Holy Thursday (Thursday before Easter).

[More Than A Feeling]

7. an interesting thing about the passover

don't mean to hijack it, but does anyone else find it interesting that God's firstborn son was betrayed and taken on the passover, when all the Egyptian firstborns had been taken?

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

9. well, yeah, that is part of the Messiah prophesy

of which only Jesus filled every article.