What do we believe is happening here? What do we think about the bread and wine. We obviously think that it is important because we observe the Supper every week. But what is the nature of this importance?
The Roman Catholic position is that the elements are actually turned into the body and blood of the Lord, a miracle they call transubstantiation. The Lutheran position is that the body and blood of the Lord appear on the Table, but without displacing the bread and wine, as in the Roman tradition. This the Lutherans call consubstantiation. We may say that both these views hold to the local presence of Jesus in this meal, localized on the Table, in the elements.
The historic Calvinist position holds to the real presence of Christ in this meal, but it occurs in the power of the Spirit, as He ushers us into the heavenly realms, there to partake of Christ spiritually, but at the same time really and actually.
A fourth position is the Zwinglian position, named for another great Reformer, which holds that this meal is merely a memorial meal, enabling us to remember what Christ did for us on the cross. Most evangelicals today are Zwinglian in their convictions, and that is probably the tradition you grew up with.
So what do we believe? Why do we come to this Table every week? Our position is a mix of the historic Calvinist position and the Zwinglian position. We agree with the Zwinglians that this is a ritual, but we do not agree that it is merely a ritual. You could, if you wished, call our position a high Zwinglianism. There is nothing here but ritual, but, it turns out, rituals are much more potent (and much larger) than many have assumed. God takes them very seriously.
The heart of this ritual is the oath-taking implicit in it. The oath is what makes this ritual a sacrament. No oath, no sacrament. As we make our vows, as we renew covenant with God, we are doing so in the heavenly places, and we are doing so in the power and authority of the Holy Spirit.
A moment ago, I spoke of our view of this Supper being a “high” view. What makes it high? An exchange of oaths can be formal or informal. It can be solemn or casual, full of joy or full of foreboding. What makes it what it is has to be the oath—it has to be the meeting between God and man.
In this oath, which you are about to renew, you are solemnly engaging to be the Lord’s, along with all that you have and are. And God, for His part, is solemnly engaging to take up your part, as you trust him, working out His sovereign will, working and willing in accordance with His good pleasure. And that is a meal that you can partake in with great joy.