In this installment of our modern animated series which features the brothers who founded Methodism, John and Charles Wesley talk about communion, the "Lord's Supper" while preparing a meal.
We hope you will watch and share these clips, whether with your confirmation class, new member class, Sunday school group or in other settings. Some suggested discussion questions are below.
See more of the Wesleys Take the Web series.
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Transcript:
CW: Hey brother, I'm very excited. I just got my first delivery from NuApron! All I need for a great meal is inside this box! (starts unpacking)
JW: You mean they deliver bread and wine for Communion, brother?
CW (keeps unpacking, shakes head): Oh John, when will you get with the times?! This service provides meat, vegetables, even spices, so you can make a dinner to remember.
JW: Charles, the real dinner to remember is Communion, when we recall what Jesus gave us at the Last Supper.
CW: Ah yes, you are what you eat.
JW: You should probably re-read my sermon on The Duty of Constant Communion.
CW: (stops and pays attention) I do recall they called us Sacramentarians because we celebrated Communion so many times a week…
JW: Exactly. And we should join with other believers whenever we can.
(Reads from sermon notes) "This is the food of our souls: this gives strength to perform our duty, and leads us on to perfection. If we wish for strength to believe, to love and obey God, then we should neglect no opportunity of receiving the Lord's Supper."
CW: Okay, John. But in the meantime, I'm feeling quite good about this recipe for Bubble and Squeak.
JW: I suppose goose fat can show us God's love too…
Tag:
See a variety of topics in the animated Wesleys Take the Web series.
These videos were produced as a 21st century follow up to the popular clip known as "Clayride: A Gallop Through United Methodist History." Find out more about the making of "Clayride" from the artists who created that 1984 classic.
This video was produced by United Methodist Communications in Nashville, TN.
Media contact is Fran Walsh.
This video was first posted on March 27, 2019.
Suggested discussion questions:
How often does your church serve communion? How do you receive it? One cup or many? Bread or wafers?
In the video, John calls communion "the real dinner to remember." What do we remember through the sacrament of Holy Communion? Why is it important that we remember?
Charles recalls being called a sacramentarian — one of several insulting names their Oxford Holy Club received when John and Charles were young — because they went to communion so often. Did you notice the picture of their old group on their fridge? Do you think you can receive communion too often? Why or why not?
At one point, Charles says, "You are what you eat." How is that true with food? How is that true with the bread and wine/juice of Holy Communion?
John advises that we should join with other believers whenever we can. Why is it important that we celebrate communion together? Note: The words communion and community come from the same root.
Did you notice in the video how the people morphed into the communion elements? Why do you think the animators chose to do that?
Our animated John Wesley recites a direct quote from a sermon of the actual John Wesley, "This is the food of our souls: this gives strength to perform our duty, and leads us on to perfection. If we wish for strength to believe, to love and obey God, then we should neglect no opportunity of receiving the Lord's Supper" (The Duty Of Constant Communion). In what ways does communion give us "strength to perform our duty?"
We United Methodists are sometimes known for eating together at potluck suppers, covered dish dinners and, in the early days, love feasts. At the end of the video, John says, "I suppose goose fat can show us God's love too." What does he mean? What's different between a meal together and communion? How are they similar?
