Thoughts on the Eucharist


I plan to make several posts on the Lord's Supper -- as per a request from a friend. This is a a first stab at this with more to follow:

The question is pretty simple -- what's the deal with the Eucharist?

According to Acts 2:42 early Christian worship consisted of listening to the teachings of the Apostles, fellowship, prayers and the breaking of bread. Breaking of Bread is a reference to what becomes in time the Eucharist. The Disciples of Christ tradition, of which I'm a part, sought to be biblical in its worship and so they decided that the New Testament patter was to celebrate the Lord’s Supper each Sunday. This is kind of unique in Protestant circles, which is why a chalice serves as our denominational symbol. It reminds us that the Table, more than anything else, stands at the center of our identity. We are a table fellowship kind of people, and that doesn’t mean we have pot lucks. That reality led Dick Hamm, our former General Minister and President, to sum up our church’s mission as: "The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) inviting the World to Christ's table" [Richard Hamm, "Address to the Assembly", General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), (Cincinnati, October 10, 1999)]. But what does it mean to invite the world to Christ’s Table?

The Lord's Supper is often understood to be a memorial of Christ’s death, but it is much more than that. It is also seen as a sign of Christ’s spiritual presence (and for some his real physical presence) and a reminder that we are not alone in the world. In this regard we take seriously the statement that whenever two or three gather in Christ's name he will be with them, and so when we come inviting the world to the Table we invite them to share in table fellowship with Jesus. But the Table is not only a reminder that Jesus with us now, it also points us into the future where we will gather with Jesus at the messianic banquet Table.

The Supper is a memorial, so it requires reverence from us. But because the Table is also a sign that Jesus is present with us, it calls for joy. That’s why we can sing: "I come with Joy, a child of God, forgiven, loved and free, the life of Jesus to recall in love laid for me, in love laid down for me." And we sing about coming together as a "new community of love in Christ’s communion bread." (Chalice 420). Alexander Campbell, a founder of my tradition, recognized the need for joy at the table, and he wrote that "with sacred joy and blissful hope (we) hear the Savior say, ‘This is my body broken -- this my blood shed for you’." These signs of Christ’s love for us excite within us a sense of joy and they stir in us a love for our neighbor [Alexander Campbell, Christian Baptist, 3 (Aug. 1, 1825): 175 (Reprint, College Press, 19830)]. Finally, the oneness of the bread and the cup remind us that we who are many are made one when we come to the table. So, when we invite the world to the table the Lord has set, we invite them to share in the blessings of his kingdom.

Here are a few themes -- taken largely from my own tradition. I'll try to expand and unpack this in coming days and weeks.

Comments

Anonymous said…
A great beginning, especially the various ways of understanding the Eucharist. I look forward to hearing more.
Dennis said…
We are a table fellowship kind of people, and that doesn’t mean we have pot lucks.

On the other hand, potlucks are important, too. There's something important about the shared meal even when it isn't Eucharist; in some sense, it's still Eucharistic.

TV chef Alton Brown had an article in Guideposts magazine a few months ago in which he talked about hospitality as a spiritual virtue. Brown wrote, "A good meal should offer both physical and spiritual nourishment. That’s why I believe the Last Supper is at the heart of Christianity, perhaps its central moment. When Christ broke bread with his disciples and reminded them to do it in remembrance of him, he was showing them the way to both earthly and heavenly sustenance. The simplest moment can be the most profound. Christ unites with his disciples through food that is both sacred and real."

So, maybe the potlucks are PART of what we mean by "fellowship of the table" after all.
Robert Cornwall said…
Dennis,

I appreciate your expansion of this thought. You're right, table fellowship does include and extend to our potlucks (or as they call them in Kansas -- Covered Dish Dinners).

This issue of hospitality is at the heart of my own understanding of an open table. So, your point is definitely well taken.

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