Love Feast

For the Church of the Brethren, "communion," as it's referred to by most of Christendom, is called the "love feast." Normally celebrated on Maundy Thursday evening and Worldwide Communion Sunday evening, the love feast consists of three main components: feet washing, a fellowship meal, and the bread and cup.

Our love feast begins with the washing of one another's feet. This segment of the service is intended to signify the cleansing and purification of our hearts, something for which we constantly stand in need. It also demonstrates the call of Christian discipleship which is love humbling itself in service. Jesus stooped to wash the feet of his disciples. God became a servant among us. Jesus instructed us that if we are to have a part in him we must follow the example he left for us by similarly loving others. As we stoop to wash another's feet, our bodies are "broken," signifying the breaking of our pride, perhaps the most pervasive and stubborn form of human sinfulness.

The second component of the Love Feast is the fellowship meal. Based on the last supper which Jesus had with his disciples, this meal signifies that the church is the one body of Christ. We celebrate the unity and harmony of the body through supper fellowship around the Lord's table. The menu for the meal is rather simple, but the love shared during the meal is a direct consequence of the outpouring of love present among a people seeking their direction in life from the presence of Christ's Spirit.

The third component of the Love Feast is communion. This is the climax of the evening, a celebration of what Christ has done for us through his suffering, death, and resurrection. For this reason, it is the most solemn moment of the service. The bread and cup signify communion with the body and blood of Christ. By memorializing Christ's suffering and death this way, we remind ourselves of the meaning of Christ's death and resurrection."He loved us and in so doing has given us new life."

For the Church of the Brethren, the Love Feast is the single most precise statement of the characteristics we believe to be central to Christian faith and practice: genuineness, practicality in life and faith, intimacy between believer and God, and a fellowship based upon the love of Jesus Christ. Alexander Mack, who is credited with founding the Church of the Brethren in 1708, once was asked, "And how shall your members be recognized?" In his sermon, "And How Shall the Brethren Be Recognized," given during the 250th anniversary celebration of the Church of the Brethren, Dr. Desmond Bittinger, Brethren minister, leader, and educator suggested we should be recognized by having an open mind and open Bible in the search for truth, a loving heart, and serving hands. Each of these suggestions is embedded in the celebration of the love feast.