Baptism and Communion in the Early Church

Last month, we learned about Christian worship during the first hundred years of the church. Christians met in private homes on the Lord’s Day, in small congregations led by a Bishop, Elders, and Deacons. There they shared a fellowship meal and a service centered around scripture reading and the Eucharist. Now we will take a closer look at two of the central sacraments of the early church, baptism and communion.

Baptism had a deep and complex meaning for early Christians. Before baptism, a person was considered “dead”, because he would someday die and not have eternal life. But a person could repent of his sins, go into the water of baptism, and be washed clean of those sins. He could come up out of the water and arise into new “life”, bearing the name of the Son of God. A baptized person was “born again”, this time into choice, knowledge, and the illumination of understanding. He had fear of God and trust in Jesus in his spirit. He had dedicated himself to God, and had been made new through Christ.

What were the steps in a baptism of that time? First, a person had to believe the truth of the Christian message, and agree to live according to that message. To prepare, a person prayed and fasted for a day or two beforehand. Then he would go somewhere to be fully immersed in running water, in the company of those already baptized. There, he would be “washed clean” in the name of God the Father, Jesus Christ the savior, and the Holy Spirit. If immersion wasn’t possible, water was poured on his head three times. The newly baptized person then went with the congregation to their meeting place, where he received communion for the first time, and where prayers were said for him.

The central focus of worship was the Eucharist, which means “the thanksgiving” for the gift of God’s grace. The meaning of the Eucharist was the fulfillment of the Passover meal. In the Passover story from the Bible, the Jewish slaves were “passed over” by the angel of death who slew the Egyptians, because they sacrificed lambs and painted their doors with the blood. The blood marked the houses that death should skip over. Here was a story that focused on escaping death by sacrificing a lamb. Just before his death, Jesus shared a Passover meal with his disciples. There, Jesus commanded them to commemorate his coming sacrifice with bread and wine, representing his body and his blood. This became the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, communion, a way to reenact the sacrifice among the believers.

Early Christians understood the symbolism of the Eucharist in this way: Jesus was the ultimate Passover lamb, a final sacrifice for our sins. Jesus’ sacrifice was the final fulfillment of all those prior sacrifices, which were a foreshadowing of the real thing. It gave the faithful the ultimate pass-over by the angel of death – the gift of eternal life. Early Christians believed from the beginning that the bread and the wine were not received as common food and drink. The food was blessed and transmuted into the flesh and blood of Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, becoming food that could nourish a person spiritually, giving life and communion with Jesus.

How was the Eucharist done in those first churches? After the scripture reading, the people made a procession to the east wall, to an altar. The Bishop, surrounded by Elders, faced the assembly. Deacons brought the “gifts” of bread and wine, and distributed them. The “Didache”, a first century manual for Gentile converts, describes what the Bishop said to the people.

“Concerning the Eucharist, give thanks thus: First, concerning the cup: We give thanks to you, our Father, for the holy vine of David your servant which you have revealed to us through Jesus your servant. To you be glory for ever. And concerning the fragment: We give thanks to you, our Father, for the life and knowledge, which you have revealed to us through Jesus your servant. To you be glory for ever. As this fragment lay scattered upon the mountains and has been gathered to become one, so gather your Church from the ends of the earth into your kingdom. For the glory and power are yours, through Jesus Christ, forever. Let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist but those baptized in the name of the Lord, for concerning this the Lord has said, ‘Do not give to dogs what is holy’. After you have had your fill, give thanks thus: We give thanks to you holy Father for your holy Name which you have made to dwell in our hearts and for the knowledge, faith and immortality which you have revealed to us through Jesus your servant. To you be glory for ever. You Lord almighty have created everything for the sake of your Name; you have given human beings food and drink to partake with enjoyment so that they might give thanks; but to us you have given the grace of spiritual food and drink and of eternal life through Jesus your servant. Above all we give you thanks because you are mighty. To you be glory for ever. Remember Lord your Church, to preserve it from all evil and to make it perfect in your love. And, sanctified, gather it from the four winds into your kingdom which you have prepared for it. Because yours is the power and the glory for ever, let grace come and let this world pass away. Hosanna to the son of David. If anyone is holy let him come, if anyone is not let him repent. Maranatha [Oh, Lord, come]. Amen.”

Baptism and communion have been important sacraments throughout church history. The details of each sacrament and the way they are understood varies among the different branches of the church, but Christians still make these rituals a central part of worship. Think about what baptism and communion mean to you personally. However you do them, you are part of a long tradition that goes all the way back to the beginning of Christianity.