Communion Part 4

 

[Christ's] mission and work it is to help against sin and death, to justify and bring life. He has placed his help in baptism and the Sacrament [i.e., communion/Eucharist/Lord's supper], and incorporated it in the Word and preaching. To our eyes Baptism [capitalized in original] appears to be nothing more than ordinary water, and the Sacrament of Christ's body and blood simple bread and wine, like other bread and wine, and the sermon, hot air from a man's mouth. But we must not trust what our eyes see.  Martin Luther

 

Unfortunately, the arguments about communion didn’t stop at Corinth or in the earliest centuries of the church.  People kept being so human and demanding that their understanding be accepted and assimilated by all people.  In the 16^th Century, the reformer Martin Luther was in a conversation with another reformer, Huldrych Zwingli, about communion.  Okay, they were in major disagreement.  Zwingli said that communion was a nice remembrance, like when you look at photos from a vacation years ago.  Zwingli emphasized hearing Scripture and preaching as vital to worship, and communion was okay - but not necessary.  Some UCC churches today follow this theology by celebrating communion quarterly.  I have heard members say that if you celebrate communion too much, it spoils the specialness.  I have always said that I tell my wife I love her every day and that frequency doesn’t diminish the specialness but rather reminds me of our connection.  Likewise, I could take communion every day to remember God’s love and connection with me.  And believe me, some days I need that reminder!  Zwingli said communion was a remembrance meal, that the bread and wine stayed ordinary/everyday elements.  Luther said an emphatic “NO”.  Remember, Luther was initially a Catholic monk.  Catholics say that the bread becomes the actual body and the cup the actual blood of Christ.  You need to handle the elements with care.  Luther wanted to back away a bit from this.  Luther said that while the bread and cup don’t get transformed, nevertheless Christ is there around the elements.  If it feels like splitting theological hairs, in some ways I get that.  In other ways, it is good to ponder what the elements themselves are communicating.  Does communion remind us that every ordinary piece of bread is holy because the wheat grew in the soil of God’s creation?  Is every sip of juice refreshing and renewing because of God’s love found there?  Or does the mystery of God transform the bread and juice/grape on the table into something more than what we bought in the store?  I pray you ponder what communion means to you.  On Monday, I asked you to rewind and remember past communions that were meaningful and even ones that left a bad taste in your mouth.  Those experiences inform your understanding today.  And the invitation is to open our hearts to other perspectives of other people we pull up a chair alongside to feast at Christ’s table.  May you and I continue to find ways to connect with what this sacrament means and how this ritual moves our souls toward the Holy. Amen.