"Taking Communion
To Shut-Ins"
The Lord's church has always
followed the pattern found in the New Testament concerning the
worship service on the first day of the week. That pattern indicates
acceptable worship includes singing, praying, giving of our means,
partaking the Lord's Supper, and preaching or teaching via
the Scriptures. That's commendable and normally accepted
throughout our brotherhood.
Those members who are ill or
shut-in cannot attend the worship service. Thus they are
not accountable for that which they can not do. However, they
often request or we offer to take the Lord's Supper to them
whether it be at home, in a nursing facility, or in the hospital.
This appears reasonable and a good work. But why not engage
in other expressions (acts) of worship? When we only take the Lord's
Supper, it may indicate that we look upon this expression of worship
as "sacrament" similar to the Catholics. A short devotional which
includes other acts of worship, would be both scriptural I
and edifying. Let's be careful that we do not develop a practice
that becomes so traditionalized that improvement c an never be
recognized. I'm not advocating we stop taking the Lord's Supper to
the shut-ins but I am suggesting we can do more if their condition
and surroundings permit such activity
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