At first, the Lord’s Supper was an entire meal that Christians shared in their homes. Each guest brought a dish of food to the common table. The meal began with common prayer and the eating of small pieces from a single loaf of bread that represented Christ’s broken body. The meal closed with another prayer and the sharing of a cup of wine, which represented Christ’s shed blood. Some people speculated that the Christians were participating in a secret rite when they observed the Lord’s Supper, and
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