So much to be discussed on theology and so many points of view. I can see some heated debates going on in here and for the sake of the "search of truth" I'm all for it!

A topic that I would like to put on the table is the Jewish Holiday of Passover, loosley known to Christians as Holy Week or Easter. This seems like a two-topic debate, but it stems from one central topic and I would classify it as one.

I will assume that all people on here are familiar with the story and history of Passover. It all started right before the Israelites were released from Egypt and God killed every Egyptiptian first-born. That night, God established the celebration known to the Jewish people as Passover. Basically, God established this celebration that continues to be observed (by Jews) to this day, roughly 4000 years later, if I'm not mistaking. On the first night of Passover God stated that this feast would be celebrated till the end of time and that during that festival all the decendants of Israel would remember God's greatness and the release from bondage.

Now, forwarding 2000 years later, Jesus obviously celebrated the Passover, but on his last night of the feast he told his followers that the meaning of this feast would change. Basically, instead of symbolizing a liberation from physical bondage in Egypt this feast would symbolize a liberation from sin. After Constantine merged pagan religions into Christianity things began changing and due to anti-semetic sentiments, theological issues were restructured to diverge from Judaism." One of these things is the Last Supper. In my opinion, the meaning and usage of the Last Supper has been misconstrued.

Now, here is where the debatable topic enters. Post-Roman ecclesiastical changes gave new meanings to things and therefore things are no longer as they once were. I know that communion is celebrated differently in different denominations but the way it is practiced is still very similar. Is there a Biblical base to how it is performed? As I see it, Passover, as is celebrated in Judaism is the way communion should be celebrated. I don't see a Biblical basis for taking a wafer (commonly followed by a vine harvested fruit beverage) a couple times a year. Instead I think we, Christians, should be celebrating Passover as Jesus celebtrated it. Once a year, with our "people" and according to the specifications prescribed in Exodus.

What do you think? Should communion be a multiple time of year miscellaneous event done in church or should it carry more weight as Passover does in Judaism? I know many sides and opinions to this debate, but I would like to hear a fresh take on it.

I look forward to the opinions and discussions. May God bless you and give you wisdom and understanding!

You raise an interesting issue.

Thoughts of Passover rekindle Sunday School memories of the Moses stories ... pretty exciting adventures for a young boy to learn about.  And the echoes of Passover certainly reverberate in the Christian sacrament of communion.

Now Constantine's institutionalization of the Church of Rome can be blamed for a lot of confused theology, but the schism with Hebrew tradition happened much earlier.  Early 'Christians' were, in effect, Jewish reformers who were finally denied access to synagogue.  This "excommunication" did create a lot of ill will, but it also effectively focused the faith on the Gentile world ... allowing a much larger audience to benefit from the message.

I come from the 'Reformed' tradition, so I perceive the practices of the church as more symbolic than mystical.  We celebrate 'communion' roughly on a seasonal basis, as opposed to the weekly 'mass'.  As such, I've come to view communion as a special reminder of ultimate victory of the Christ's life ... in a pattern of celebration that isn't made mundane by weekly observance, nor made remote by becoming one of the annual feasts like those surrounding Easter and Christmas.

Jesus did warn us about allowing the rules of religious authority to obscure our faith.  So, I won't suggest that there is a proper 'orthodoxy' that governs the observance of the last supper.  And let's not forget about the hospitalized and the shut-ins who can't attend church services, and rely upon the clergy or laity to administer the sacrament of holy communion.

Perhaps it is the tolerance of different faith traditions that accounts for the perennial appeal of Jesus' message.  How goes the verse? -- "In my father's house, there are many rooms ...."

I read both of your posts and you both make great remarks. Personally, I enjoy the fact that my church serves communion weekly. For me it a personal and a public acknwledgement of God's grace and mercy in my life.  think anytime under any circumstances that it is served the Holy Spirit ministers to me. Just my wo cents.

I certainly disagree. There seems to be a fair amount of Scriptural indications in both the Gospels and the Apostolic Epistles to indicate that both the substance/meaning and the practice were to be changed. The way that Holy Communion is celebrated in the Magisterial traditions (Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, etc.) is simply the Church's long standing interpretation of these passages, not a "from scratch" invention of "paganizing" Christians. If anything, I think Christians who are seeking to reject the Holy Eucharist are Judaizing.

What are you talking about? If anything Constantine created and institutionalized the Church of Byzantium.

I'm with 110% DeusVeritasEst on this one. I am actually of the opinion that it's offensive to Jews for Gentile Christians to mimic sacred Jewish rites.

Er...

I don't think that we're both coming from a perspective of reverence for strick adherence to the Old Covenants.

If anything I was suggesting that attempting to force the New Covenant rites to conform to the Mosaic Law is devaluing the New Covenant which is understood to be independent, universal, and superior.

Er, I think you misunderstand. I agree with what you're saying here (that is, from the orthodox Christian standpoint). I am in complete agreement that (in your words) the New Covenant is "independent, universal, and superior" and that forsaking the rites of the New for those of the Old would be a departure from orthodox Christianity. But, I'm adding that this sort of thing might also be offensive from a Jewish standpoint.

Oh, ok. I understand now.

I never thought of communion being something that should be celebrated only once a year at Passover as Jesus did with His disciples.  I am so used to celebrating communion once a month.  You make a very good point with this suggestion, a point that I just don't have a good answer for.

I have celebrated Passover with a Messianic Jewish congregation.  Passover, celebrated as they do, is very memorable and there is also a lot to it with special foods and things going on.  The Messianic Jews also do not object to Gentiles joining in for the feasts or any of their services.

If I were to put my two cents worth into this debate I would say that all Christians perhaps would have celebrated Passover like the Jews did if Paul had not come out so much against it in his letter to the Galatians.  I believe Paul did much harm to Christianity and, in particular, Hebrew Christians, with the letter to the Galatians that slammed Jews for celebrating the required Hebrew festivals and inviting Gentiles to join in.  I believe the Christian Jews would have been less persecuted had Paul abstained from such arrogant self aggrandisment that led him to call Peter and Barnabas hypocrites and accuse Christian Jews of witchcraft simply for making circumcision available also to the Gentiles. Paul made too big a deal of being against a practice that was required for Jews for as long as they lived on the face of the earth.  Circumcision was an everlasting covenant with the Jews as was also some of the feasts.  Why shouldn't Gentiles also be allowed to join in and be accepted into a Hebrew fellowship circumcised as the Jews were and join in on the feasts?  Wasn't it at a Jewish feast that the Holy Spirit came down on men for the first time?  What Paul seemed to do was alienate the Gentiles from the Jews more than anything else when actually all should have recognized each other as family with no barriers between them, including differences in whether they were to be circumcised or not circumcised.

Paul went too far in his letter to the Galatians as he did in all his letters and also as he did in just about everything he was asked to do by the Lord.

DJJ1 writes: “I believe Paul did much harm to Christianity and, in particular, Hebrew Christians,” 

I disagree.  Without Paul, there would be no Christianity as we know it.   Christianity would have suffered the fate of many religious splinter groups.  It would have faded into obscurity.  The very act of taking Christ’s message to the Gentiles (non-Christians) is what catapulted Christianity into a major religion.  

Paul was the perfect tool for the job.  All the other Apostles were Jews first and followers of Christ second.  It stands the test of reason.  Jesus was a Jew.  He grew up in the Jewish tradition fulfilling all the necessary requirements of Judaic law.  He instructed his followers to follow Jewish law to the last letter.  Paul on the other hand was raised in Tarsus, a city perfect for the task of exposing him to other faiths and other cultures.  Tarsus sat on the crossroads connecting Rome and Greece with the Mid-East.  (Read “The Cities Of Paul”)

As far as Passover and Communion, my own opinion is two fold.  We do celebrate/remember Passover during Holy Week.  Many Christians just go to church on Easter Sunday morning if at all.   In my church we start on Maunday Thursday.  “The feast of Maundy (or Holy) Thursday solemnly commemorates the institution of the Eucharist and is the oldest of the observances peculiar to Holy Week. "  It is on this evening that we commemorate the act of Christ’s washing of the guests feet by going through the same process ourselves.   The Last Supper and therefore the Holy Eucharist was first celebrated on Holy Thursday.  The Last Supper was the celebration of the Passover Feast and by celebrating the one, we celebrate both.  After the service, the altar is stripped bare in preparation for Good Friday.  On Good Friday we have the stations of the cross .  On Saturday evening we celebrate the Great Easter Vigil which includes reading the Passion story.    At the end of the Easter Vigil, the Paschal candle is lit and the church is flooded with light.  The celebration of Easter mass follows on Sunday morning.  As you can see this is more than just going to Easter Service.  Each day is meant to reflect on a different aspect of the passion, beginning with the Passover feast and ending on Sunday morning when we celebrate the Risen Christ.

As to celebrating the Eucharist once a year or month or weekly or even daily,  I carry much baggage into this discussion.  I was raised Roman Catholic.  About the time I came out Gay, the Catholic cardinals were talking about denying certain people access to the sacrament.  If you were a practicing homosexual, or if you believed in a woman’s right to choice, or if you thought it was ok for priests to marry, you were not going to be allowed to receive Holy Communion.  That changed the following year after the public outcry.  The way it changed was that you were supposed to ask yourself those same questions and if you couldn’t follow the church’s teachings, you were supposed to refrain from taking communion.  That was when I made the decision to leave the Roman Catholic Church.  I became Episcopalian and have never looked back.  I celebrate communion at least twice a week, on Sunday and Wednesday mornings.  I also take communion from the reserve sacrament when I administer to shut-ins.  Celebrating the Eucharist is the core of our Faith. It is what Christ told us to do in remembrance of him.  I choose to remember Him all the time.