Today happens to be World Communion Sunday in the church. Most mainline denominations recognize the day as a celebration of our unity in Christ. Though we do not agree all on how to follow Jesus, or how to worship, or even how to read the bible, we are united in the belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the world.
For most protestant traditions baptism and Holy Communion (also called The Lord's Supper) are the only two sacraments instituted by Christ according the witness of scripture. These Jesus practiced and these His disciples continued to observe from the very beginning.
I belong to the United Methodist Church. Our understanding of the sacraments sets us apart from other traditions. We believe sacraments are a mean of grace, as do many traditions, but our emphasis is on what God has does, is doing and will do in Jesus Christ. Some traditions will not allow you to be baptized unless you make a confession of faith that meets their criteria. In a sense the person wishing to be baptized must meet some standard before baptism is allowed to be celebrated. This is often known as believer's baptism. Those traditions do no include children until they reach an age where they can profess faith in Christ according to the standard upheld by that tradition.
Because the United Methodists are celebrating what God is doing, our emphasis is not on the person's action, but on God's action. As a result baptism is celebrated at every stage of life. We baptize babies because God has moved the hearts of the parents to join the child to the body of Christ. We believe God honors the sacrament and welcomes babies. We believe God includes them in the body of Christ when they are baptized, and through the ministry of the church, and the nurture of Christian parents, God's grace forms them in His love.
Holy Communion is also a celebration of God's love and grace when He gave His Son, Jesus, to be a sacrificial offering to atone for our sins. When Methodists celebrate the Lord's Supper, we invite any and all to come to the table. You don't have to be a member. You don't even have to be a baptized Christian to enjoy the sacrament of Holy Communion. All you need do is come and receive the elements of bread and wine, and remember that Jesus Christ gave His life for you. Remember His sacrifice, and hope in your own resurrection, so that you can be free of sin and death, and live free to serve God.
Holy Communion is a means to receive grace and love. Through the liturgy, the prayers and the taste of eating bread and drinking wine (or grape juice), worshipers experience the mystical presence of Jesus and are renewed by the touch of grace.
People come to the table to receive the body and blood of Jesus (symbolically so), but they receive so much more. We experience overwhelming love. We receive mercy. We feel forgiveness. We feel our burdens lifted. We feel happiness and joyful bliss as we remember with thanksgiving God's great love for us.
But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
I've come to the table tired and worn down and walked away renewed. I've come sorrowful for my sins and walked away forgiven and free of guilt. I've come filled with giddy joy, grateful for Christ's love and for the fellowship of the believers, as we all file before the altar to take and eat and drink and remember. I've come empty and walked away full. I've come preoccupied and walked away centered on the Holy Spirit. The sacrament is a mystical sacred moment in the life of the church. It is a means of grace that always feeds the hungry heart and quenches the thirst of the soul.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, taught that the Christian should never pass on an opportunity to celebrate the Lord's Supper. He went so far as to call Jesus' words, "Do this in remembrance of me," a command. As a divine command from our Lord, we are bound to participate. Wesley would have us celebrate the Lord's Supper every time Christians gather.
From a Jewish perspective, participation in the Lord's Supper is similar to eating meat sacrificed on the altar. The sacrifice of animals made atonement for Israel. As they ate the meat of the sacrifice, they were made holy again, restored to God's righteousness. Jesus is sometimes referred to as the Lamb of God for this very reason. His death is our atonement.
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (1st Corinthians 10:16-17)
So as you partake of Holy Communion, realize how vital it is to your progress in Christ. Don't miss it if you can. Come hungry. Come thirsty. Come ready to be touched by grace. And do not receive this grace in vain, but allow grace to propel you ever deeper and fuller into the love of God until you become love incarnate.
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (1st Corinthians 10:16-17)
So as you partake of Holy Communion, realize how vital it is to your progress in Christ. Don't miss it if you can. Come hungry. Come thirsty. Come ready to be touched by grace. And do not receive this grace in vain, but allow grace to propel you ever deeper and fuller into the love of God until you become love incarnate.
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