Why Isn't Communion More . . . Communal?

Communion, Eucharist, Lord's Supper--do all of these, and more, mean the same thing?
When we take communion during a worship service, what are we doing? Do we think about it?
While we've been talking about community, we need to finish with the most important thing that brings us together as a church. (And I'm talking about church throughout the centuries, not just the one we happen to be attending today.)

Communion comes from the same word as community--and they both emphasize the fact that believers are supposed to share in common with one another. So when we take communion, it's more than a personal act. It's a shared experience of the presence of God.

We often make several mistakes thinking about communion.

• We think it's not OK to take if we're not totally right with God in our hearts (who is???)
  
• We think it's supposed to be solemn all the time (It's thanksgiving!)
• We just tack it on to the end of the service, because the sermon is the most important thing, right? (Spoiler--it isn't)
  
• We think about it only as a personal thing, not a communal thing. It's all of us! Communion is meant to bring us together in a shared experience of God and a grateful thanksgiving together.
  

So let's dispel those myths. Let's be communal about communion. And you're welcome to join us.