At Sharon you can expect Holy Communion at all services. We practice an “open table” meaning all are welcome to participate in Communion regardless of age or whether you are a member of Sharon, a different denomination, or have no church background. Christ is the host of the Communion table and Jesus opened his arms to welcome all people.
Communion is one of two sacraments in the Lutheran tradition, along with Baptism. Lutherans define a sacrament as something that contains these 3 things:
1. The command of God:
Holy Communion: “Take and eat," “All of you drink of it”
Baptism: “Go therefore into all the world, baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
2. A promise of God:
Holy Communion: “The body of Christ, given for you," “The blood of Christ, shed for you”
Baptism:“Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved”
3. An earthly, physical element:
Holy Communion: Bread and wine
Baptism: Water
In the sacrament of Holy Communion Christ is present with us, as Luther says, “in, with and under” the bread and wine, uniting us as one body of Christ, nourishing us in body and spirit, and providing what we need to go and share God’s love with the world.