Oct30’05
THE NEW COVENANT
Matthew 26:26-28
My first and most moving experience in communion took place while I was in Bible College. Because of the enormous size of the church that I attended back then we came forward for communion according to sections of the church. I knelt down at the altar and prayed the perfunctory prayers of forgiveness so that my soul would not go to hell because of the hidden sins in my heart. I felt that I was all set for the elements. And then I heard a man weeping.
He was not weeping in a silent kind of way but was weeping incessantly. I could hear him praying words of confession, weakness and short-comings. And my curiosity was peaked. Who was this man next to me? Obviously, this was some lost sinner. Of course. Only someone praying this kind of prayer would be at the altar. Surely, didn’t he know that if he was entirely sanctified that he did not need to pray such a prayer?
My young heart was still developing. At that age I was still learning about myself, learning about life and learning about God. I had come to the altar with a stained heart using hasty words so that I might be safe from wrath. But looking back, my heart was torn between two worlds at that time.
Do I dare peak and see who was next to me? Perhaps he was one of the other college students. Maybe he was a poor sinner from the community who stumbled into our church service. Who knows. I have to peak and see.
Now many of you know that in the old holiness tradition you never peak during prayer. To lift your snooping eyes is sinful in and of itself. It shows that you are not interested in praying but in nosiness. But I, the spiritual man, must peak. After all, what if this man needed my prayers. Surely, I could help.
So I peaked.
And I was stunned. The man kneeling next to me was no small potatoes. This man weeping and pouring out his heart to God was none other than the pastor of the Hobe Sound Tabernacle- Rev. Robb French.
The impact shamed me so much that I could hardly take the bread and wine. And ever since, I have never taken communion the same.
Who am I that I am worthy to partake of the body and blood of Christ? Who am I that I should be given this holy sacrament for the furtherance of my spiritual life? And now I ask: Who am I that I might be the pastor who leads this blessed congregation to the table of communion?
And yet, through the blood of Christ and his broken body we are made worthy. You who are here today struggling in sin- Jesus calls you to His table. You who are here today struggling with your faith- Jesus calls you to His table. You who are here today struggling with life- Jesus calls you to His table. You who are here today struggling with nothing- Jesus still calls you to His table.
Take and eat, He says. Take and drink, He says.
None of us are worthy. And so I say to you today: Come to Jesus and be made whole through this communion time we have set before us. Because there is no more sacred time for the Christian than now.
Communion is one of the most sacred of Christian traditions and sacraments.
Adam Clarke tells us: “What more simple than a morsel of bread, and a few drops of wine, in the Lord’s Supper! And yet, they who receive them by faith in the sacrifice they represent, are made partakers of the blessings purchased by the crucified body and spilled blood of the Lord Jesus!”
Did you know that communion means different things to different people? This is why in some Churches you and I are not allowed to participate. Let me lay out for you the differences. [And I hope that I am not misrepresenting any Church doctrine.]
VIEWS OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
1. Transubstantiation. This is in the Roman Catholic tradition. When the priest blesses the elements they literally become Christ’s body and blood. Christ’s presence is in the bread and wine. So when the believer partakes he/she does eat the very body and drinks the very blood of Christ. Faith is not an issue.
2. Consubstantiation. This is the Lutheran view. Christ’s presence is only in the use of the bread and wine. There is nothing special or blessed of the elements. Those who partake by faith receive a special blessing.
3. Commemoration. This is probably where a vast number of Protestant churches would put themselves. The Swiss reformer, Ulrich Zwingli promoted this perspective. Christ’s presence is everywhere. So the act of communion is merely symbolic and of no real special value. The elements symbolize the absent body and blood of Christ. In essence, communion is an expression and nothing more.
4. Dynamism. This view was promoted by John Calvin. This teaches that the body and blood of Christ are spiritually present in the elements. And with them in the communion ceremony something dynamic happens. They are “…holy, true symbols…” and they are “…for the feeding and nourishing of the spiritual and eternal life.” (John Calvin “The Institutes”)
Wesleyan View. I separate this view not because ours is higher than the others but because we are a Wesleyan Church and as Wesleyans we should have a clearer understanding of what we believe to be the scriptural basis of the way we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
This is what The Wesleyan Discipline says:
"We believe that the Lord's Supper is a sacrament of our redemption by Christ's death and of our hope in His victorious return, as well as a sign of the love that Christians have for each other. To such as receive it humbly, with a proper spirit and by faith, the Lord's Supper is made a means through which God communicates grace to the heart" (paragraph 242).
Here are instructions to ministers (besides having this every quarter and using unfermented wine):
"It is expected that Wesleyan ministers shall carefully admonish the people that only those who are in right relations with God and with their neighbors should come to the Lord's table, and that others should come only if in so doing they are expressing repentance and seeking forgiveness" (para. 5605).
"You who are walking in fellowship with God, and are in love and harmony with your neighbors; and you who do truly and earnestly repent of your sin and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from this time in His holy ways, draw near with faith and take this holy sacrament to your comfort; and meekly make your confession to Almighty God (para. 5615)."
"…we commemorate the suffering of our Lord"
"…giving it to his disciples as a means of remembering Him until He comes again, and as the seal of the new covenant between God and man" (sic: 5635)... more comments on contrition.
"We come today to remember once again how Christ obtained our salvation. And as we do, we ask that the Holy Spirit shall search our hearts..."
So what do we believe? How do we boil down to the very essence for this Church and what we celebrate?
a. Communion is both a Ritual and a Sacrament.
Each week for the last 112 years this church has met for church services. Nearly every Sunday morning- with snow days as exceptions- we have met and performed the ritual of worship service. Please keep in mind that not all ritual is bad. Ritual is good. Ritual is spiritual routine that allows us to grow.
The same is said of communion. We celebrate the Lord’s Supper as a ritual. There is nothing wrong with this because Jesus calls for us to do this in remembrance of Him. The Wesleyan Church calls for communion to be celebrated at least every three months.
Furthermore, communion is also a sacrament. We believe that something special happens when we partake of the bread and wine. Even though we may perform the ritual, there is still something very spiritual about what we are doing. We believe that the Holy Spirit is very active within the ritual and that is why we see it as a sacrament. Like baptism, it is outward expression of an inward work.
b. Communion is Remembrance
We take of the elements in remembrance of Christ’s atoning death. He died that we might become free from the penalty and the presence of sin. This is very important for us to realize. When we eat the elements we are to remember what Christ did on the cross for our sins.
c. Communion is a Proclamation.
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:26
We are witnessing to the world that Jesus means something to us. We partake proclaiming the death of Jesus Christ for our sins and sinfulness.
d. Communion is Participation.
We participate in two primary ways: with Christ and with each other.
How do we participate with Christ? This is accomplished in two ways:
When we eat the bread and drink the wine we are participating- in a symbolic way- with Christ and His death. You and I are recognizing that we need Him for salvation. These elements are signs of the body and blood of Christ.
First, we experience His presence. We believe that the presence of Christ is with us in the participation. No, the elements are not body and blood, but they contain the His spiritual presence. That is why we believe that anyone who desires may come to the Lord’s table. His presence is available to all who come to celebrate Him. Church membership is not required and even those who are not Christians may come and receive salvation as they partake of communion.
Second, communion also allows believers to participate with one another. The Apostle Paul points this out in 1 Corinthians 10:16. Our communion with one another is not to be separated from our communion with Christ. Just as the bread comes from the same loaf, so to the Christian participates together in the body and blood of Christ.
There is something further to be noted about the Lord’s Supper. John Wesley introduces to us the notion that communion is a means of grace.
e. Communion as a Means of Grace.
I came across this description of Wesley’s view:
“John Wesley, it is said, was well aware of this nourishing aspect of Holy communion. It is said he partook of it every four or five days on average (Lockyer, p.655). Wesley believed that, in the same way prayer and Scripture have a transforming effect on the soul, so does communion in that it miraculously bestows upon the believer a transference of God’s grace (Lockyer, p. 655). Thus, we should view the Lord’s Supper—in the present—as a refreshing and nourishing encounter with the Regenerative God who both sustains us and gives us life everlasting.” (Gannon Murphy “On Holy Communion” Minnesota Apologetics Project)
Dr. Ken Schenk, professor at Indiana Wesleyan University, said this about the matter:
”No one would be surprised that in addition to the remembrance, Wesley considers communion a means of grace… If we really believe that communion is a sacrament, then we believe it actually can do something to you. In some mysterious way--not just some [predictable way] you think about it, you repent, you commit more--but in some mysterious way, partaking of this spiritual food makes it more likely that you will come closer to God than you were before.”
So what are we to think? Communion is a means of grace by which God mysteriously reaches into our lives with His loving hands. Something should happen to us when we have communion. Something should change in our attitude and our actions. When you partake of communion, there should be a change taking place within you. When you leave here after taking this communion, you will be different.
Conclusion
So how do we wrap this up?
First, communion is a means of salvation. This is that opportunity for you who do not know Jesus Christ in a personal way to accept Him as your Lord and Savior. No special prayer to say, but only receiving Him into your life.
Second, communion is a means of re-commitment. Maybe you have been struggling in your faith. You can take this opportunity to re-commit your life to the Lord, commit your problems and issues to Him. Perhaps this is that time where in remembering Christ’s death for you, you remember your lostness and weakness without Christ. This is that time to take in remembrance.
Third, communion is a means of sanctification. Maybe you need a heart cleansing. If you have been saved and striving to live your life for Christ, this might be that time where you commit your entire being to the Lord. This could be to you that time of surrender of your heart and life.
One more thing. It is quite possible that you are uncomfortable with taking communion this morning. If so, do not feel compelled to partake because those around you are. It is this freedom that God gives to you. You may be grappling with or unsure about something. Please, feel free to pass. No one will judge your heart or faith here today.
As we take and eat, the elements will be dissolved into our body. However small this amount is, our body will nonetheless process it. In the same sense, you need to allow God’s grace to permeate your life. Let it nourish you- body, soul and spirit.
I like how Rev. Glen Robinson from the Etna Wesleyan Church in Huntington, Indiana puts it: “You are what you eat.” When we participate in the Lord’s Supper, truly we are what we eat- when eaten by faith.