Huntsville Christian
Church
Dallas,
Pa.
-
Our
Practices and Beliefs
Communion
Baptisim
Alter
Call
Practices
and Beliefs
Communion
Sharing in the Lord's Supper is at the heart of what
members of Huntsville Christian Church do when they gather for worship. Generally
each week there will be the singing of hymns,
prayers, the reading of scripture, and a sermon. But without the Lord's Supper
(or communion, as it is often called), worship would be incomplete. A marked
characteristic of Huntsville Christian Church is an emphasis upon the importance of the Lord's
Supper as a basic part of weekly worship.
The time of communion within the Lord's Supper is a weekly occasion to let
Christ lift the burden of guilt from our shoulders and to free us by his grace
for a more loving existence. Matthew's gospel says that when Jesus took a cup at
the last supper he told his disciples, "Drink of it, all of you, for this is my
blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins"
(Matthew 26:27-28). When we share in the Lord's Supper we hear afresh Christ's
promise of forgiveness that was sealed by his death on a cross for each of us.
The very lifting of the communion cup to our lips can be a sign for us that our
lives are freed from guilt. We are forgiven. We are freed to love even as Christ
loves us.
Invitation
From the beginning , two things have been characteristic
of worship: the eucharistic celebration and the
"invitation." Every Sunday morning worship service At Huntsville
Christian Church is centered on the communion service. Almost every worship
service concludes with the "invitation." The communion celebrates and makes real
Jesus' sacrifice of self-giving love as the presence of God's own love and
grace. The invitation is the call to respond to God's grace by devoting our
lives to God's service as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Baptism
Tradition
Baptism in the Christian Church takes
water -- plenty of water. Huntsville Christian Church practices "baptism
by immersion" because it mirrors New Testament practice. In addition,
we use of the specific form of baptism, immersion, as
powerfully symbolic. It recalls Jesus' own baptism; it acts out dying with
Christ and emerging to new life; it is a "putting on" of Christ. The person
being baptized experiences the firm support of the community -- of the Body of
Christ -- in the arms and hands of the minister, feels the plunge of commitment,
and bursts into new life with the sound and feel of rushing water. At the
conclusion of a baptism, the congregation most often is asked to
pledge support of the newly-baptized person in her or his faith
journey.
03/16/2006
