Abstract:
The Spirit tradition is a fairly new tradition with its essential focus on experiencing the Holy Spirit. This tradition has made its latest and most influential appearance during the Azusa street revival in Los Angeles at the start of the 1900s. This has started a new wave or move if you want across the earth andhas made inroads into most other existing traditions. It is a tradition fashioned by the needs of believers and the reality of experiencing the Holy Spirit.
Worship is a vital part of any Charismatic church service. Upbeat music with talented bands is up front and ready to lead people into passionate and expressive worship. Their worship stretches further than just music. They attempt to fashion their lives as a worship offering to God. Within the Charismatic tradition, the word Liturgy is unheard of, even though it is part of their service. Part of this worship includes the celebration of Communion. Communion is celebrated all over the world in most Christian churches. It has been one of the most sacred sacraments of the church through the centuries. With it came many feuds over doctrine and challenges regarding the form, meaning, presence, elements and so forth. It has been thecenter of many debates. But it still remains central to any believer.
The researcher has looked at the history of the Spirit tradition within chapter 2 with its main focus on liturgical rituals of healing, exorcism and speaking in tongues. These rituals are researched and traced all through history. The rituals are present and active in every era the researcher looked at. The Theology of the spirit tradition was also explored. She then went on to look at the history of the Eucharist. The changes and forms were noted. A deeper understanding of the celebration of the Eucharist was realized and the Theology depicted the differences in opinion.
No current day practical theological research is complete without Empirical research. This made the researcher more involved. By participatory observation and questionnaires, essential information was gathered regarding how believers in Charismatic churches appropriate their participation during the celebration of Communion. New insights were gained. Based on this research the researcher came to the conclusion that the Meal-and the Spirit worship traditions can come together in a more meaningful way. The true meaning needs to be taught to believers so that a deeper knowledge of the truth of Communion can be gained. Communion cannot remain watered-down and enter as an afterthought during a service. It has the potential to be an incredible experience by any Christian believer. When the Spirit and the Meal can be brought together in a more meaningful way, it has the potential to become the future of Charismatic worship. This conclusion is worked out in some detail in the final chapter.
