Wow! We had a much expanded group with many new faces. Why don't you come and join us this week? We will start the study at 5:30 and then there will be dinner at 6:30. Rumor has it pot roast is on the menu this Wednesday...
Because there were so many new folks our Fearless Leader did a great job of recapping sacraments in general and also items particular to United Methodists. We recalled that a sacrament is an outward sign of an inward grace, the work of God within humans, and through them God discloses things that are beyond human capacity to understand through reason alone. Some faiths observe sacraments ( the action of God) while others observe ordinances, which are remembrances commanded by God but in which humans are the actors.
That moved us into some of the different understandings of the elements - the bread and wine. Some faiths believe in transubstantiation - the actual physical properties of the bread and wine are changed to be the body and blood of Christ. For some, mainly those who follow ordinances, the elements are a memorial representation. As United Methodists, we fall in the middle. Our liturgy and beliefs tie us to the Bible stories and we call the living Christ to us through the elements. If Christ was merely human then the most we could do would be to remember him, as a memory. Because we believe Christ is divine, we call the living Christ to us.
In doing so we remember not only what God has done in the Biblical narrative, but what God is doing for us here and now. We remind ourselves of the New Covenant - the indwelling of God in our hearts, the unmerited grace that is extended to us - and we offer ourselves as "... a holy and living sacrifice..." What, exactly, does that mean? That we sacrifice our will for the will of God? And is there a right or a wrong way to take communion? Sometimes we use intinction, or individual cups, or a community cup. As United Methodists we only use grape juice, some faiths only use wine. In our church we have used wafers, crackers, bread cubes, and individually torn bread. In some churches you walk to the front, in some you kneel at an altar or rail, in others communion is taken while seated in your pew or chair. The United Methodist tradition of celebrating communion once a month, or even once a quarter, grew out of the reliance on circuit riders, who were only with congregations on a limited basis. John Wesley called on us to celebrate communion as often as possible, and some of the newer congregations celebrate communion every week. If you would like to research the United Methodist understanding a good place to start is here: http://www.gatewayumc.org/pdf/hcfinal2.pdf
We closed questioning in what form is communion most meaningful to you? And therein, my friends, lies the benefit of attending an organized study like this. Clearly there are many ways to celebrate communion, and many understandings of its purpose, but the big question is what does it mean for you? Joining in a class like this affords me (or sometimes forces me) to take at least one hour a week to think about important questions of faith. When I recite the liturgy do I really know and feel the sacrifice for me? Do I really comprehend the magnitude of the gift of grace, for me? Does it really matter what form the sacrament takes, or is celebrating the sacrament and feeling and understanding it on the deepest levels what is important?
One of my favorite Wesley quotes is, "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity." Our emphasis is on an individualized understanding of and relationship with God within the framework of the essentials. Each one of us is shaped by our own unique experiences and history, so how can we experience and understand God in the same way as our neighbors? This is why I am a United Methodist. Not because my Grandmother said so, or because it is the church of my childhood (even though it is). In this church I can develop and grow and have a unique understanding of faith in the non-essentials, know that I have a community of faith that is firmly rooted and bound together by the essentials, and we reach out to all in charity. And in closing, another favorite Wesley-ism, "Though we may not think alike, may we not all love alike?"
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