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This Xanga will stay as it is, but I'll no longer update here.

One of the staples of the church of Christ faith has been its observance of the Eucharist. Every Sunday, Christians in the church of Christ brotherhood break bread (or Matzo, pie crust or some other unleavened treat) and take a sip from a small cup (each has their own, typically). The elements are also brought to those not sitting in the sanctuary, so they can partake (nursery, bouncers, etc.) If one is unable to attend on Sunday, usually an opportunity is provided to take it on Sunday night.

The emphasis is typically placed on the day that it is taken, not on the reason WHY it is taken. This is, in a word, bad.

While reading a blog post on Evotional.com I had a realization.

Celebrating communion is something that we should do as often as possible, maybe everytime we come together. However, I don't know if it is necessary or best-used as a part of the corporate worship service. Very rarely is the focus of the service on communion. It's usally done as quickly as possible with cursory devotional to "prepare our minds" for what we're about to do. (A quick aside: when I was in high school, my fellow tray passers and I would draw up "plays" for the passing out the trays. We would figure out the most efficient way to pass out trays. It was pretty awesome.)

I think we've missed the point.

The early church came together to break bread. (Acts 20:7) This verse has been used to argue that communion can ONLY be taken on the first day of the week. However, the emphasis of that verse has been distorted. Rather than arguing for a certain day to partake in the bread, the verse "argues" for the purpose of coming together. How many of our churches come together to "break bread?" If an unbiased outsider were to visit our church and we asked them why they thought we were meeting, would they say to take communion? Probably not.

We need to be intentional about taking communion. We need to pay attention to what we're doing and why we're doing it. I have no problem with traditions as long as they serve a purpose. I fear that our every Sunday tradition has lost its purpose.

Churches that take communion every Sunday without being intentional are no more "right" than a church that takes it sporadically. Let's stop missing the point.

Not long ago, I read a book by Neal Boortz and John Linder titled "The Fair Tax." In it, they lay out Linder's proposal to introduce a national sales tax and do away with income tax. They make a compelling case, and I am convinced that this is something that needs to happen.

However, in light of the current illegal immigrant situation in which we find ourselves, the importance for the Fair Tax increases exponentially. Millions of individuals are coming into our country, working in jobs that are probably disgusting and not paying taxes. Thousands of companies are hiring these individuals, making them do disgusting jobs and not paying taxes.

This lack of revenue for the government places quite a burden on our economy. However, if we were to introduce The Fair Tax, fewer people would get away with not paying taxes. Every time somebody bought the newest Mariah Carey CD, taxes would be paid. Everytime a new car was purchased, taxes would be paid. It would be huge!

I encourage everyone, regardless of age, political leaning or nationality to pick this book up and check it out. See what you think about the Fair Tax plan. I think you'll love it.