Why doesn’t everybody commune at your church?
At Immanuel, we believe in the time honored and biblical administration of the Lord’s Supper.
As a congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, we hold Holy Communion as a precious gift from our Savior, where we receive His true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of our faith. Our love for all who worship with us compels us to ensure that everyone approaches the Lord’s Table in a manner that brings blessing, not harm. Scripture guides us in this care:
"Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body." (1 Corinthians 11:27-29 NKJV)
This passage reminds us to examine our hearts and confess our faith in Christ’s real presence in the Sacrament. Moreover, communing together expresses our unity in the teachings of the LCMS, which we believe faithfully reflect the truth of God’s Word. To maintain this unity and to prepare all for a worthy reception of the Sacrament, we kindly ask that those unfamiliar with our beliefs, those who disagree with our beliefs, and those who are not currently members of an LCMS congregation refrain from communing until they have spoken with Pastor Ottmers. He is eager to offer instruction that explores the rich theology of our church, ensuring that you can join us at the altar with confidence, joy, and a shared confession of faith.
If you are a member of an LCMS congregation but yet you are unrepentant we also ask that you refrain from receiving the Lord’s Supper. St. Paul teaches that when we commune we are one in faith in Christ. If you do not know what we believe, are not a member of our church body or you are living an unrepentant life, you are not in unity with us. St. Paul warns that if there is disunity, the Lord’s Supper then becomes an eating and drinking of judgement. If you have questions please speak with Pastor Ottmers to discuss this matter.
This does not mean we are perfect. Quite the contrary! We come to the Lord’s Supper to receive real forgiveness for real sins. If we disagree on what sins are, then we are not in unity. We don’t desire the same forgiveness.
We take your beliefs seriously. So seriously, in fact, that we acknowledge that you might just believe differently. If that is the case, we would love to sit down and talk, but we would never presume to ask you to publicly acknowledge agreement with us by having communion with us. If you do believe differently than us regarding the Lord’s Supper, or what a sin is and is not, then we don’t want to force you to commune with us.
If you would rather wait to commune with us until you are certain we believe what the scriptures teach, then we invite you to remain in the pew during communion and pray or sing during the distribution hymn. There are some people who don’t commune for many reasons. Some of the folks are in the process of discovering what it is our congregation actually believes and teaches, so they remain seated. An usher might invite you to go up to the Altar of our Lord. If you don’t intend to commune, just acknowledge the usher, but don’t feel obligated to go to the Altar for Jesus' body and blood until you know what we believe and you can confidently say to us (and more importantly, to Christ) that you are in agreement with us and the Scriptures.