Communion and Faith

Media_httpdanielmrose_qiyhz
One day not very long ago my son and I were sitting in the gymnasanctatorium at our church readying for worship to begin.  That particular morning was a communion sunday and the table was front and center and covered.  For a 6 or 7 year old boy anything covered with a sheet is instantly mysterious and requires investigation. "Dad, what's under that sheet?" "Communion son." "What's communion?" "It's when we celebrate Jesus dying on the cross and rising again." "Yeah, but what's under the sheet?" "Juice and crackers." "Really? Do I get some?" "No." "Why?" "Because the juice and crackers are symbols for Jesus' death and resurrection and the only people who get to eat them are those who believe in Jesus." "I believe in Jesus." "You do?" "I do." "Well, you have to meet with Pastor Doug and talk to him about the fact that you believe in Jesus and what that means." "I do?" "Yes." "I can't do that, I would be too scared." "Well, then you're not ready for communion." "Hmph." And so began a conversation about Jesus that lasted a few months until Ethan was ready to proclaim his faith and take communion.  It was a remarkable period of time.  Communion is a means of grace.  The very act of taking communion leads us to the place where we actually talk about what Jesus did.  In our tradition we "fence" the table and encourage those who don't know Christ to allow the elements to pass.  This is purposeful.  It opens the conversation. Why use a tract alone when the table is set and ready?

When's a meal not a meal?

Media_httpdanielmrose_bmhzl
I am often times amazed at the fact that when the early followers of Christ came together they always gathered around a table. This table was where they would eat and enjoy the presence of one another and Jesus.  It is remarkable when you think about the difference that most of us find ourselves in when we gather with other followers.  Too often the discussion turns to an us versus them situation where we are worshiping our proper understanding of theology as opposed to the risen Christ. What I love about the mystery of the Lord's table is that it shapes us and reminds us of our in-Christness.  When we fellowship at this table it is for the one who claims Jesus as Lord. When we gather the walls melt between us.  We are caught up in the mystery and beauty of grace.  We are found out to be sinners who need a savior and we are found to be a part of a community of forgiven saints. The table reminds us of our identity, of who we actually are. Consider the words that St. Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26,
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
How does these brief words of institution shape us?
  1. They remind us that Jesus suffered (he was betrayed and his body was broken).
  2. They remind us that Jesus suffered for us (his was for us).
  3. They remind us that Jesus offered a new covenant (one of grace, mercy, and forgiveness).
  4. They remind us that Jesus calls to a proclamation of his death.
Consider communities of people in the way of following Christ who grabbed hold of these truths and lived them daily? What would that look like?  How might that bring transformation to themselves (1-3) and those near them (4)? The supper reminds us that we are a people who for whom one suffered, died, offers a new way, and sends us to invite others in.  This is us.  This is a piece of what it means to be in-Christ. When is a meal not a meal?  When it's a transformer.

Gluten-free: BRILLIANT!

Media_httpdanielmrose_gbkhn
The first Sunday of every month is our community's traditional time to celebrate the Lord's Table.  It probably looks like any other communion celebration, but it does not sound like any other I have been a part of.  As a church leadership team we found that there were a growing number of people who could not participate in communion due to gluten allergies.  One of our resourceful volunteers found gluten-free "communion wafers". I love these things. They crunch like it's nobody's business and it is BRILLIANT! Why? Quite simply when we take the "bread" and eat you know you are doing it with everyone else.  Our Gymnasanctatorium has painfully bad acoustics and so when 150 or so people go crunching into the gluten-free wafer it ignites a sound that you feel in your chest.  You know that you are not alone.  You know that you are with others and they are with you.  It is an audible reminder that sharing the Lord's Supper is something you do in community. We live in a day where community is a buzzword as opposed to a reality.  We have air conditioning, TV, and attached garages, all of which are designed to keep us apart from other people in the name of "comfort".  It is comfortable because when I, the chief of sinners, interact with other people I make mistakes and I say things that hurt them. Isolation protects me from this. It is comfortable. The communion table is supposed to draw us out from isolation into communion with one another.  It is a time for us to be caught up in the spiritual mystery and grace of the supper where we remember Jesus and what he has done for us. It is a time for us to celebrate together the beauty and magnitude of the grace we have in Jesus. It is to shape us and mold us and change our identity and help us remember anew the reality of our being in-Christ together. A gluten-free wafer - The sound of community and communion.

Cannibal? Yes, yes, I am.

Media_httpdanielmrose_ocibi
The early church was accused of being cannibalistic.  They were thought to be such because they feasted on the body and blood of Jesus the Christ. This was an unthinkable ritual and act.  It was seen as barbaric and it was a stumbling block to the world around them.  The Eucharist split churches in the 1700s and was a cause in Jonathan Edwards being released from his position in Northampton. Today communion is a mundane and humdrum ritual that nobody really notices. This is a tragedy. The celebration of the Eucharist, the Lord's Table, the Lord's Supper, Communion is one of the most beautiful acts that we as Christians get to participate in.  When we do we experience the presence of Christ and join with the great of cloud of witnesses in a spiritual act that bonds us as the body of Christ. How can this astounding and beautiful means of grace become something that is largely ignored? My senior year at Central Michigan University as new church was planted in Mt. Pleasant, MI.  This church was unlike any I had ever seen.  It met in an airplane hangar.  Yes, that's right an airplane hangar.  The seats were couches and plastic chairs.  The room was dimly lit and cold in the winter. There was nothing routine about this church.  It was determined that the celebration of the Eucharist would occur whenever it seemed right to "us and the Holy Spirit." The first time that Amy and I celebrated communion there we were amazed.  I was moved to the core of my being and changed that evening. The bread was homemade without yeast and the juice was in a 64 oz containers next to a stack of 12 oz cups. Barry, the pastor, stood and read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. Then he said (atleast this is how I remember it), "This was supper. It was a meal that was shared.  Jesus is not stingy in his grace or his mercy.  Come, take, eat to your fill and drink till your thirst is quenched.  Seconds, thirds, fourths, whatever you need Jesus will provide. Come, taste and see that the Lord is good."  We partook and we were filled. I was left in wonder and awe.  This was a far cry from the thimble of juice and crumb of bread that I was used to.  We celebrated together the beauty and wonder of the crucifixion and resurrection.  We marveled in the grace of God.  We were a community perfectly united in a feast of grace.  The bread was warm and smelled wonderfully.  The juice was cold and refreshing. I was changed. I was left in awe. I got lost and found in the mystery and limitlessness of God's goodness. I feasted that night on the body and blood. That night I became a cannibal and was forever changed. Are you a cannibal?

Water and Wine...

Media_httpdanielmrose_jkahi
Over the next handful of days I want to tease out some thoughts on the sacraments. In the Protestant tradition we have two sacraments: baptism and the eucharist. I think that these two means of grace are essential for the church today and that they have been largely ignored or abused.  The sacraments do not bring salvation.  They are however means of grace. This means quite simply that we experience something beautiful, authentic, and Christ-centered in their celebration. In an age where we talk about "multi-sensory" preaching and object lessons it is as if we have forgotten the beauty and raw power that is to be found in these ancient acts that tie us to "the great cloud of witnesses". A couple of years ago I wrote a few posts on these issues.  One of them was an argument for paedobaptism and I would encourage you check it out. I also wrote a post on communion that lays out some initial thoughts and in the comments a friend suggested that I dig deeper.  I hope these next days my metaphorical shovel will reach a new depth.
Media_httpdanielmrose_ysdjh
Before writing in earnest I want to say thanks to Eugene Peterson (not that he'll ever read this).  His text, Christ Plays in 10,000 Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology has been really helpful in shaping some of my thoughts about both baptism and communion. When possible I will give him credit but so much of what he has written has become a part of my own views and sometimes I may not be sure where his thoughts begin and mine end. To kick things off, I am curious do you remember your first communion?  What was it like? Did it mean anything to you?

Communion...now this is good...

My son and I were worshipping together on Sunday and being the first Sunday of the month we partook in Communion.  As the elements came to us, he smiled at me and we had the following conversation: Ethan: Do I get some of that? Me: No son.  We need to make sure that you truly follow Jesus by faith and that you believe that he is your Lord and that he has forgiven you. Ethan: I do Dad. Me: Well, you have to get up with Pastor Doug and tell everyone that you do. Ethan: By myself? Me: Yep. Ethan: I'm not ready for that Dad, but I can't wait! Amazing!  This ties the whole thing together for me.  We have confused the sacraments. For believing children communion is the place for the public proclamation of their faith.  For the new convert it's baptism. Can you imagine what that day will be like when he stands before the world and proclaims his faith in the risen Messiah and claims him as his own and then joins with the community through The Meal? Infant baptism, communion, all tied together.  This is the beautiful way.  This is the covnenantal way of our promise keeping and ever faithful God!

Communion 2...

My friend Tim challenged me to go deeper with this.  So, I have been thinking about it for the last few days and meditating some more about why Communion is so significant right now in our time and place. I keep going back to mystery and transcendence.  So much of our world today is "real" there is no imagination.  There is no mystery.  Our movies leave nothing to the imagination when it comes to sex, violence, or anything...really. Neither do sports.  I was struck by this when I heard a caller on the local sports station talk about his experience as a boy going to his first Tiger game.  He said that when he would watch a game on TV it was black and white.  He had to imagine the grass being green, the colors of the uniforms, and the color of the stadium.  He said that when he walked through the tunnel to enter his seats for the first time he was blown away by the color, the green grass, the green seats, the whiteness of the baseballs, the brownness of the dirt, the blueness of the steel.  It seared deeply in his memory. We have lost that.  Now we have 'High Def' TVs were you can even see the sweat drip off the foreheads of the players and the individual blades of grass sway in the breeze. Mystery is gone. That is the beautiful thing about the supper.  There is a mystery to it.  There is something that we can't get our hands around.  There is an engagement of our imagination as we enter into the presence of the raised Jesus with us at the meal (or snack as it is now). If we will engage our imaginations in the mystery of this sacrament then we can regain something that has been lost. We can enter into the story of our faith and with the church invisible taste and see that the Lord is good. In a culture where our imaginations are stolen from us, actually, where we willingly give our imaginations away, this is our one opportunity to engage them again and embrace the mystery that is supping with the Lord Jesus! The second thing is transcendence.  It seems that much of the Christian life is considered to be humdrum and boring.  But, oh, the supper is anything but.  It is in this supper that we enter into an experience with Jesus that is beyond us and takes from the normal and we enter into communion, into fellowship, into the presence of our Jesus with one another. People want to know what is so different about the Christian life? Is it any different from being a good Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu?  Yes, in every way!  It is found in the transcendent reality of the supper.  The supper should bring us into an experience that changes us and draws us into a passionate and emotional and physical and spiritual engagement with our Jesus.  With the one who really died for us.  With the one who looked at our sin and our turning away and went to the cross anyway.  With the one who conquered death and thereby made us conquerors too.  With the one whose love for the Father led him to that cross.  With the one who sits at the right hand of his Father and intercedes for us. This is the transcendent reality that the Christian alone can experience as he or she eats and drinks with the Lord at his table. Mystery and transcendence.  These two things have been lost in our churches, our culture, and our world.  They have gone the way of the dinosaur.  It is in the Supper that we can reclaim them, reengage with them, and get lost with them again. If you want a great picture of getting lost in the mystery and transcendence of the supper grab a copy of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis.  The interaction with Aslan and Lucy in the house of the Magician is amazing. Tim, I know that this barely scratches the surface.  I can hardly put all this into words. I am still processing and am thankful you keep pushing and drawing me deeper.