We come to this Table as summoned, but we often need to be reminded of the purpose of the summoning. This Table represents and enacts the favor of God. We come to this sacrament to receive God’s grace, God’s favor.
This is the place where we are intended to experience the friendliness of God. Does that phrase strike you? God receives us here warmly. God welcomes us. God wants us here.
Now the tension we feel is because we know that we—in our own persons, in our own names—have not been loyal to Him in the same way that He is loyal to us. He is our friend, but have we been His? He receives our presence warmly—have we shrunk from His presence? He delights to have us speak with Him? Do we hesitate at the prospect of prayer?
Another way of putting this is that we don’t deserve to be here. We don’t deserve God’s friendliness. We do not merit the favor or grace of God. If we know anything at all about the mysteries of God, we know this.
The answer to this is found in what is on the Table. We don’t deserve to be at the Table, and in fact could not come, but for what meets us at the Table. The broken body of Jesus, and the shed blood of Jesus, is the only answer we need. We do not come here because we are worthy; we are made worthy as we come.
But one other thing must be said about this. In order to experience God’s favor rightly, we have to understand that it is through the work of the Holy Spirit, who is a person. And so we must not understand this as a mere ceremonial powered by an impersonal kind of electricity. Warmth, friendliness, welcome—these are all aspects of a relationship. So come now to the Father, in the strength of the Spirit, through the work of the Son.
So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.
“He delights to have us speak with him?” Is that a question or did you mean to place a comma there? I really am curious. I hope I do not sound rude :( Thank you very much for writing!
I have always loved Luther’s emphasis on the sacrament as a gift from God to us (against the medieval notion that it was a sacrifice offered to God).
But … and pardon me for being off topic here … I notice the (apparently) leavened bread in the photo. It just occurred to me that I can’t recall the leavened vs. unleavened bread issue ever arising in Reformed circles, which is somewhat surprising since the Reformed have a reputation for arguing and splitting over just about anything.
Probably because nobody ever tried to dictate that at a level where a split would be required. Sessions/congregations are free to do it their way provided it’s identifiably bread and something grapey.
My pastor’s a pretty hardcore loaf guy. Others are hardcore unleavened. But nobody’s trying to tell either of them to do it one way or the other, so there’s not much to fight about.
Of course there’s the other, sadder reason, that you don’t fight over what you don’t think is important, and the Reformed do have a problem with the sacraments in that regard.
I think what you’re saying is right, but it’s not only that the Reformed have a problem believing the sacraments are important, but (… and maybe this is the same thing said in a slightly different way), they aren’t all that worried about the physical characteristics of the sacraments. IOW, you could find a Reformed guy who believes the sacraments are very important but who doesn’t believe it makes much difference whether you use wine or grape juice. So ISTM there are two hurdles. First, the sacraments are important to the spiritual life, and second, the sacraments have a physical… Read more »
I agree with that.
BTW, I made a broad brush statement (as I think you are doing also.) I believe at least in corners of Reformedom, there’s been real progress in taking the sacraments seriously as well as in more attention to the physical aspects of things. (I happily live in such a corner.) But it’s still too much the way you’ve characterized it, and certainly it’s been that way to a high degree historically.
I’ve seen conversations about it, certainly, but not any knock-down-drag-out fights. Here’s some good reasoning on the matter. And here’s my communion bread recipe, in case anybody wants one. ;^)
Thanks Valerie, interesting read.
Your bread looks sweet, is that to match the port? The idea of milk and honey is clever.
But what is it with Americans and their recipes? They always have measurements like a can, or a packet; what is a stick of butter? Our “sticks” are all 500 g so does it call for a pound of butter? A communion croissant?
I don’t think we use port. When I did communion prep at my last church, I used Cab. Whatever we use here is usually pretty nasty, I’m sad to say (and I don’t like wine in general, but even I know it’s awful), but you can imagine how the cost of good wine for several hundred communicants x fifty-two Sundays a year would be pretty steep. I have a friend who dreams of becoming financially successful enough to rectify this situation. What is it with non-Americans and having to weigh everything? And in metric, no less? I’m not going to… Read more »
I thought you were at Doug’s church? Nasty wine?!
Communion monthly for us, in little cups, with grape juice. Don’t think it breaks the bank.
And we don’t have to weigh our butter. The wrapper has 50 g markings on it, so we can easily cut in 25 g measures.
I’m sorry to have to report it, but ’tis so!
Our butter sticks are marked in nice, civilized-with-a-zee tablespoon increments. ;^)
Then the battle will have to be judged on taste. Ours is New Zealand butter!
And though I have not tasted US butter, NZ does have the highest milk product exports in the world. As there are only 5 million of us (and 4 million dairy cows) there are a lot of foreigners who seem to agree with me. Perhaps I should ask my North American colleagues.
I would be happy to do a comparison taste test if I had access to the NZ product. Any excuse to consume butter is just fine by me.
Ahem … would you have any clue on how I might obtain NZ ketchup (a.k.a., Wattie’s tom sauce) in the US of A?! :-o
Maybe the newly signed TPPA may help?
An American colleague of mine bought this recently and threw it out as it was too sweet.
I wish he’d thrown it MY way! ;-)
We have had the discussion of leavened vs. unleavened in our church (which has three separate parishes). We have considered using unleavened for part of he church calender and leavened for the other. My pastor always breaks the loaf (a round boule) into three pieces, which I appreciate as a subtle reference to the Trinity. Wine is usually a cab but we always use port for Christmas Eve service, btw.