When Should You Not Take Communion?

When I was growing up, I did not like going to church. For a young boy in a rural town, church was boring, long, and filled with old, stodgy people singing old, stodgy songs. I would have rather been playing and watching football. However, there was one Sunday out of every month in which I did look forward to church—the first Sunday.

The first Sunday was communion Sunday. The mothers (older woman) of the church would dress in all white. The pastor would wear his white robe. The communion table, normally bare, would be draped in a white cloth under which was clearly the communionware containing the bread and the wine.

I was impressed with the ceremony involved and the care taken in preparing the table. There was care in handling and distributing the elements. The deacons wore white gloves and the trays were passed between them with a deliberate orchestration of movements and reverence. I really enjoyed the anticipation and celebration of the Lord’s Table. Unfortunately, for all the care taken with the elements of the table, similar care was not taken by the participants, those receiving the table. Read More

The Thirty Nine-Articles of Religion and the Book of Common Prayer of 1662 emphasize that those sharing the Lord's Supper must have a vital faith, have repented of their sins, "are in love and charity with their neighbors, and intend to lead a new life."