The Sacraments

The following are notes I'm using tonight to lead the CLM class.

A. What is a Sacrament? 

 The word sacrament comes from a Latin word that means pledge or oath. In this case, it is a pledge from God of God’s continued presence in our lives. In the sacraments, God works invisibly in us, quickening, strengthening and confirming our faith. It emphasizes God’s actions in and through the sacrament.

As United Methodists (along with most protestants) we have two rituals we call sacraments – baptism and communion. Just FYI, the Catholic church practices seven sacraments – baptism, confirmation, eucharist, reconciliation (confession), anointing of the sick, holy orders, and matrimony. We call sacraments those that it is believed Christ instituted explicitly. If you look at the list, you will see that our faith includes all of the others, but not as sacraments.

B. Methodism and the Sacraments

Remember, the Methodist denomination did not begin as a new denomination. It was begun by Wesley as a way to bring Anglican parishioners to a deeper faith. In the book Sacraments and Discipleship by Mark W. Stamm, the author writes that Wesley was working against two barriers to deeper discipleship:

1. Structural – the Anglican church was set up in Parishes – the Parish system was designed for a rural church and didn’t fit the needs of the working poor who lived in the emerging industrial centers. Wesley and Methodist preachers met the people where they were and when they could be there – even in fields.
2. Theological – There was a Calvinistic belief of unconditional election – God has already chosen who will be saved (and who will be condemned) and that the person cannot change this pre-election. Wesley believed that everyone should hear the Gospel in order to repent and believe.

Wesley gathered new and existing believers into disciplined, supportive communities called societies and classes The only requirement for admission into these groups was to desire to seek the work of God. Wesley believed that discipleship and faith were not private matters and that a community was required.

In the classes, “they helped one another embody the terms of their baptismal covenant. They also committed themselves to receive Communion as often as they could.” Understand that the sacraments were not usually part of the classes – these were led by lay people – but were a way to live out the sacraments.

Another quote by Stamm: “According to a Wesleyan understanding of the church, sacramental practice is (and should be) a the living center of communities where people watch over one another in love, communities where people under that the church’s primary task is disciple making, communities where people seek to become the body of Christ in mission.”

It’s important to remember that for Wesley, the sacraments were not ends in themselves, but were a means to an end, and that end is love – love God with all we are, and love our neighbors as ourselves (also from Stamm).

C. Grace and the Sacraments (much of this is from an article on UMC Resources) For John Wesley and for the Anglican church of which he was a part, the sacraments were instituted as a means of grace. We’ve talked about the means of grace before – According to Wesley, these are “outward signs, words, or actions ordained by God, and appointed for this end, to be the ordinary channels whereby God might convey to us, preventing (or prevenient), justifying, or sanctifying grace.”

And a quick review of the three “types” of grace…

1. Prevenient grace (or the grace that comes before) is part of baptism – bringing us into the body of Christ – God at work initiating us into a relationship with Godself.
2. Justifying grace – the grace of responding to God into relationship – is also part of baptism. We are cleansed from sin and brought into relationship.
3. And that leads to sanctifying grace – the work of the Holy Spirit to bring us to perfection. How does that work? Wesley doesn’t try to explain it – we just trust in God’s promises that it does.

In the article, the author quotes Stamm: “Jesus’ command was to ‘do this’ in the sacrament of Holy Communion. Experiencing God’s grace during this sacrament is a matter of trust. Luke 24: “Christ is made known to us in the breaking of the bread; the risen Christ shows up in the eucharist. You can’t control the risen Christ – just follow him"

The grace in communion moves Christians to act on their faith. We just talked about that when we were exploring the Methodist outlook on the sacraments. Remember that those actions are motivated by grace – it is grace that reaches towards us in communion – it is grace that moves us to reach out towards others. Love divine.

One other thing about grace and sacraments – “grace given in sacraments is not irresistible; God’s work there can be frustrated and even blocked by human rebellion, stubbornness, and apathy.” We have free will, and we can ignore grace.

Online Communion

Yesterday was Sunday (when I’m writing this).  I was on vacation, sitting on the beach.  I realized it was the time my church worships together, so I turned on the live stream (on my phone) to participate.  It was a communion day, and I was reminded of the (sometimes heated) discussions during the pandemic concerning “online communion.”  This is not something we practice in our Annual Conference.  As I watched and listened to communion in a worshipful attitude, I realized the online experience of communion is not “all or nothing.”  To be certain, I did not participate in the sacrament, but there are ways to worship through online communion that are not the sacrament itself.

I can confess my sins, and experience forgiveness.

Free us for joyful obedience

I can remember and be thankful for the existence and acts of God,  remembering that I am created by a grace-filled God in God’s image, and that God still walks with us today.

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,

Heaven and earth are full of your glory,

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

I am reminded again of the acts of Christ in my life, in creating and sustaining of the church, and in the transformation of the world.  I can re-envision Jesus in the upper room, with the bread and wine.

Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

As the Spirit covers my church family gathered together, I can know that the Spirit covers me, too, even though I am hundreds of miles away.  I can pray the Lord’s Prayer with those I love, using the words taught by Christ 1000s of years ago.

Amen.

As the bread is broken and dipped into the cup, I can see each person participating, and pray for them.  I can surround my church family in prayer as they are offered and receive the sacrament.  I can pray for this church, and the church universal.

The body of Christ, given for you. Amen.

The blood of Christ, given for you.  Amen.

I thank God for online worship for when I cannot be physically present with the congregation.  I am thankful for the realization that online communion, though not a sacrament for me, 100s of miles away, is still a means of grace.

 

Communion Inclusion

Who should receive Communion?  Should there be exclusions, exceptions? What is your church's tradition on the matter? Your own opinion?

 

I very much appreciated the video’s explanation regarding “unworthiness:” this sacrament was created for the unworthy. For us to assume we need to be worthy in order to participate, I think, creates a situation where we are relying on our own righteousness, and not God’s grace. 

 

Beyond our own response to the invitation to communion, we also need to consider the questions of exclusions and exceptions. I think one of the most wonderful aspects of our practice of communion is that it is an “open table.” All are invited to participate. This is my church’s tradition – at each communion, the open table invitation is issued.  This is so ingrained in my understanding of the Eucharist that I react with resentment when the invitation is not open to all. I was visiting the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento. I sat in the sanctuary and experienced the beauty and peace of the place, but my response was one of anger that I would not be included in the Blessed Sacrament in this place. I don’t want anyone to feel that way. 

 

In Between

Some would even say that it is only in the in-between times that we are free enough form the structures and strictures of ordinary life to hear God’s voice.  (Guthrie: From Pew to Pulpit: A Beginner's Guide to Preaching)

I read this book along with my CLM students, and this sentence really caught my attention.  From that quote, I created a questions for them:  Think about this quote in the context of our current reality as churches and communities living  through a pandemic.  In what ways are we in an in-between time?  Has this enabled the church  or you to hear God more clearly?  How will that impact your ministry as a CLM? How will this  impact your church into the future? Have opportunities for the church’s ministry opened from  the challenges?

For me, it feels as if we are currently in an "in between" time in our churches.  We are still in the pandemic, although we had hoped it was ending.  We are still trying to have some sense of normalcy in our churches, and think there is a part of us that would like to "go back" to the way it used to be.

On World Communion Sunday, we celebrated the Lord's Supper as a church.  We all came to the front of the room and were handed a small goblet-shaped cup with juice and a wafer sealed inside.  It isn't what it used to be, with sweet bread torn from a loaf and dipped into a cup, but there was liturgy, and there were the words "The body and blood of Christ, for you."  We waited until everyone was served, and then ate and drank together.  The people at home, watching on the internet weren't able to have consecrated elements, but did, I hope, feel the community of communion.  

It's better than it was - when we were all at home.  And it's better than the basket of elements at the door that you pick up without the face to face contact of being served and of receiving.  

And in this in-between, I remember why we have communion in the first place.  When we were worshiping from home, I really felt the lack of this meal.  The in between at that time focused my attention more on the need for remembrance together.  

I would love to go back to no masks, and to torn loaves, and to praying together at the altar; however, in this in between, I can be more grateful for what we do have, and for the ways we can come together.

A Place at the Table

The choir sang an anthem on World Communion Sunday called For Everyone Born (text by Shirley Erena Murray, music by Brian Mann, arranged by Tom Trenney - link here): 

For everyone born
A place at the table
For everyone born
Clean water and bread
A shelter, a space
a safe place for growing

It reminded me of a passage from a letter written by Paul to the Church at Corinth where he admonishes them about their practice of Communion.  From 1 Corinthians 11:20-21:  "When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord's supper. For when the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk."

This anthem linked for me the idea (which I should have known) that God prefers a communion that includes everyone - and if some of us are hungry and if some of us are cold and frightened, and have no place to live, then not all of us have a place at the table.

Bird Communion

Another thing I've noticed about the birds is that, for the most part, they get along. There might be a starling who chases off a few smaller birds, or a blue jay might land on the feeder, causing everyone else to fly away, but, in the main, the chicadees, cardinals, house finches, gold finches, mourning doves, tufted titmice, nuthatches, and woodpeckers all share the feeder in harmony.

That's a whole lot of birds, all existing in community.

We could learn something from the birds. They are different, and yet, they are eating together.

It's one of the reasons that communion can be so lovely. Everyone - all the "birds" in the community, come together and share a holy meal. God invites us, and we come, in love and acceptance of each other.

The Release of Communion

I don't remember anyone ever telling me how to take communion. I just remember watching, and doing. I remember my understanding and need of communion being strengthened through my walk to Emmaus. I love the symbolism (this happens in my community - I don't know if it is universal) of walking forward with my hands on the shoulders of the person in front of me, and the hands of the person behind me on my shoulders. Connected.

When I watch people approach communion - especially some clergy - I see them offer their two open, cupped hands to receive. I don't do that. I think about it whenever I reach the elements, but something prevents me from doing it. I have made it to the point of lifting one empty, cupped hand to receive the bread, but there is something vulnerable in offering both hands - a line I haven't yet crossed.

Today I read this:

If we did nothing else," writes Nora Gallagher, "if nothing was placed in our hands, we would have done two-thirds of what needed to be done. Which is to admit that we simply do not have all the answers; we simply do not have all the power It is, as the saying goes, 'out of our hands.'" ...."Faith," she says, "is a catch-and-release sport. And standing at the altar receiving the read and wine is the release part." (Searching for Sunday, Rachel Held Evans)

Have you ever considered the receiving of communion to be a "release?"  That statement took me by surprise. It seems counter-intuitive. 

I'll have to consider what it is I need to release.

Means of Grace

From Rachel Held Evans book, Searching for Sunday:

“I was always denied baptism and communion growing up,” Andrew said. “My dad told me I wasn’t manifesting enough fruits of the Spirit in my life. He wanted me to wait until I was good enough, holy enough.”

One of the gifts I received from my Walk to Emmaus is the concept of means of grace (it’s Wesley – taught by Emmaus). There are ways that God has established that help us to know and accept grace. Sacraments are means of grace (although there are countless others). Baptism and communion are ways that God has created as guideposts for us to recognize – to notice – God’s grace.

I was speaking with a woman who was baptized as a child – forced to do so by her parents. She is a woman of faith, but she is uncertain whether the baptism “took.” I want her to have confidence in the presence of God in her life, and who am I to argue with what she feels, but I want to tell her that God is who act through baptism – not us. It isn’t magic – it’s a symbol that God has accepted – adopted – us as children of his own. We can do nothing to change that.

I remember that my grandmother wouldn’t participate in communion because she was angry with a neighbor. The thing is that communion isn’t offered to anyone who is free of sin. If it were, then Jesus would not have offered it to the disciples. It is a means of grace – a way for God to help us remember that we are forgiven, accepted and loved.

There isn’t a magic line we have to reach in order to receive grace. There is a test we have to pass. There is only us and only God. God invites; we accept. We (not me, not you, not Andrew, not his father) are never “good enough.” That’s WHY there is baptism; why there is communion. Because we need it.

Andrew continued, “’I put off baptism because I felt like I was in a state of sin, like I wasn’t good enough or fit enough to be baptized. But then I realized that baptism is done at the beginning of your faith journey, not the middle or the end You don’t have to have everything together to be baptized…You just have to grasp God’s grace. God’s grace is enough.”

Perspectives: Have you been served?

Have you ever noticed that during communion, the pastor who is leading cannot serve him/herself. Someone else has to do it. It would be easy to reach for a piece of bread, dip it in the juice, and eat it, but the pastor never does that. Someone who is helping, hands him/her the bread, holds the cup, and says the reassuring words of remembrance - This is the body of Christ, broken for you. This is the blood of Christ, shed for you.

Whoever we are, we need someone to serve us. It is the way church is created. Church and grace are not solitary pursuits. 

I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said, "Nature is my church." Don't get me wrong, I find God in nature all the time, and nature - God's creation - can be a wonderful place to encounter God. But it isn't community and it isn't church.

Church is the place where we can serve. Church is the place where we can be served. Both of these must happen. 

It's hard, isn't it, to be served. But it's necessary.

The Open Door

A friend told me that when the Chapel at Drew Theological School was being renovated, a search in the facility was made for wood that could be re-purposed. Heavy doors were found on site that had been used to make the chapel smaller when necessary. Not being used often, they were stored away. When they were found, that were repurposed to craft a cross and the communion table.

I love that - the communion table is made from a door.

We, as United Methodists have open doors and an open communion table.

Do we live up to that? Do we open our churches to those Christ welcomes to his table? Are we inclusive or exclusive? Have we opened our hearts to accept all who Christ calls us to welcome. The table is open. Are we?

In John, Christ uses several I Am statements to describe his purpose and his connection to God. I Am the way, the truth, the life, living water, the bread of life, the gate.

Could is be that Christ is also the open door? And shouldn't we be likewise?

Communion and worthiness

Think back for a moment to the institution of the Lord's supper in the Gospels.  Can you remember Jesus giving a bite of bread to Judas, right before Judas left to betray him?  Do you remember that Jesus washed the feet of all of the disciples, and then shared the bread and cup with them?  Do you remember what happened to the disciples after Jesus' arrest?  They betrayed him.  Peter denied him.  None of them stood by him. Do you think Jesus knew what would happen to the support of his friends?  Do you imagine he hesitated to offer them his body and his blood that night?

Could it be that their sin was the reason he offered himself?

I hear discussions about who should be allowed to take communion.  My grandmother wouldn't accept communion because she felt her grudge against her neighbor prohibited her from the sacrament. Do you ever feel you are not good enough or sinless enough or clean enough to partake?  

Don't get me wrong.  I think the confession at the beginning of communion is important and beneficial - especially to us, as it offers us an opportunity to be honest with ourselves and God.  Do any of us truly repent of all of our sins before we receive communion? Were the disciples?  Was Judas repentant?  How could he have been, since he left that place to betray Jesus.

It is in communion that we meet the grace of God.  It isn't the sinless who are in need of grace; it's the sinful.  God loves and accepts us, knowing that we have sinned, and forgiving us.  Thank God for that truth.  

I will remember

He took the cup,

held it up,
and gave thanks to his father for this gift.
Take this, share it,
and remember me.

I will remember you.
I will remember
The flow of water as you were baptized
The flight of the dove as God declared,
this is my son.
Wine, where water had been.
You, quieting the storm,
and walking on the water.
The tears at Lazarus's grave.

I will remember
The sweat and tears dropping like blood
as you prayed that the cup would pass.
The blood draining from wounds
caused by fear, anger, torture and sin.
The vinegar on hyssop
and the watery sun that stopped shining
when you died.

I will remember
My sins are washed clean.
The taste of the wine at the meal
at your invitation.
The life and light flowing through me
because of your love.
I will remember.

He took the loaf of bread
held it up,
gave thanks to his father for the gift
Take this, share it,
and remember me.

I will remember you.
I will remember
The prophetic gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
You fed thousands of people with five loaves and two fish
and baskets left over.
You healed the sick,
loved the lost,
extended God's grace
even to the sinner.
I will remember the stones that were dropped
and not cast.

I will remember
The bread you fed Judas
who would betray you.
The lash of the whip.
The jab of the crown.
The strike of the hammer on the nails
into your flesh.
The stone rolled away
and the empty tomb.
The bread lifted and blessed at Emmaus
and eyes opened.
I will remember.

I will remember
I am part of the Body of Christ.
The taste of the bread shared with others.
The towel offered in service,
the blanket to be shared.
The feel of the ground beneath my knees.
I will remember.

Remember me, Jesus,
when you come into your kingdom.
I thank God that I can remember you.
I will remember you.

Who will betray him?

John 13:21-38

Jesus ate one last meal with them.
He said, "One of you will betray me."
He risked telling them the truth,
as he always had.

Sounds at the table stopped.
The shuffling, the rasp of hand on beard,
the wash of drink clearing away the dirt.
Silence fell for a moment
as hearts stopped
and minds raced.

Guilt and sin rose with the thought.
Is it me?
Will I betray him?
After a moment, in the heat of the night
uncomfortable in their doubt of themselves,
the disciples began whispering,
prodding,
until the brave (or brazen) Peter urged John to ask,
"Who is it, Lord?"

Jesus fed Judas the bread
and sent him on his way.
Communion with the betrayer.

If they had known what it meant
there might have been
a released sigh,
a quiet breath,
a prayer of gratitude
that Jesus hadn't given them the bread.

But Jesus wasn't finished, not quite yet.
Love one another.
Feed and care for one another.
Peter swore to lay his life down for Jesus,
and Jesus once again spoke the truth,
as he always does,
and said, "You will betray me.
Three times before the cock crows."

The words must have echoed in Peters mind
mingled with the denial,
and the guilt.
I am the one who will betray him.
I am the one.
Me.

Communion Joy

Think about Luke 24:28:35.  This is the end of the walk to Emmaus story.  The disciples Jesus met on the road have invited him into their home for a meal.  Jesus breaks and the bread, and they recognize him.

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ (30-32) 

Imagine for a moment their joy.  The Lord they thought had been crucified and was dead and buried is alive. I can't imagine it.  What wonderful joy.

In this story, for me, are the echoes of our communion ritual.  Sometimes we think of that as a "do this in remembrance of me" act.  Remember Jesus.  It is that, but it is more.  Jesus isn't just being remembered; he is present.  We are at a table with our Lord, in communion.  What joy that should bring to our hearts!  Christ is alive!

Communion Thanksgiving

We shared communion in worship yesterday.  Part of our routine is that we are given the opportunity to spend time in prayer at the altar rail.  While I like this, I find it difficult to pray during this time because the congregation is signing. Cross signals in my brain:  I listen to the music instead of being able to pray.

During this prayer time yesterday, I decided to only pray thanksgiving. I think having that focus enabled me to pray, and the purpose of praying thanksgiving loosed gratitude from my heart into my prayer.  It was uplifting and joyous to remember all the ways my life is full of God's blessings.  

I recommend it to you, for any moment, not just communion.

In Communion

What is communion?  To have / take / be in communion?  We often say that we are "having" communion or that we "take" communion.  As I thought about it this afternoon, I wondered if those were good words to describe communion.

Is communion just an event in the order of worship?  Is it something we "do" and then move on to the next item?

Or is it something  more?

Our pastor's son-in-law died last week.  I sent him a picture I took during worship as he blessed the communion elements, and told him to remember this week, as he goes through the funeral, that he is IN communion.

What difference does that word make?

We are in communion, and God calls us to remember that during the ritual.  We are in communion with God -- in relationship with God.  God calls us to that relationship, and God loves us.  We are in communion with God, and that makes a difference in our lives.

We are in communion with each other - not just during the time of worship that we receive the bread and juice, but also before and after that.  We are in relationship with each other, and that makes a difference in our lives.

We are in communion with those who have gone before.  We are separated from those who have died, but we are still in communion with them.  We are still a part of the kingdom of God, and so are they, and that makes a difference.

I love communion -- I love the prayers, the words, the ritual.  I find grace in the actions that we take together.  Today, I remember that we are in communion all the time, and we are called to remember it.

Chains forged in life

In the book A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Scrooge is haunted by ghosts (Is that sentence redundant?).  The first ghost is Jacob Marley.  Marley had been Scrooge's business partner.  When he appears in the book as a ghost, he is dragging chains made of "cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds and heavy purses wrought in steel."  His chain is made of all the tools of his profession.  Marley says, "I wear the chain I forged in life...I made it link by link and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it."

What an vivid picture.  I heard that quote on the radio while we were traveling one day.  It made me wonder what chains we forge for ourselves in life, through our own free will.  In what ways to we imprison ourselves?  If you had to describe the chain you wear, what would it be made of?

Once again I hear the phrase I love from the United Methodist Communion ritual -- "free us for joyful obedience."

May it be so.

One bread

Last Sunday was World Communion Sunday.  Every third year in Huntington, the Downtown Churches Association plans a World Communion Celebration in the streets.  We all start worship in our own buildings and then at about 11:30, we leave the building and join together for a shared celebration.

This year, as we stood in line to receive the elements, a little girl near me said to her mother, "Is this the same kind of bread that we have in our church?"

I didn't hear the mother's answer to her daughter; I was too busy trying to make sure I remembered the question to blog about it!

Yes, sweetheart, this is the same bread that is offered at communion in your church.  It might look different or taste different, but it is the same bread, the same body, offered by Christ to us.

It was a great question for World Communion Sunday, and I hope that as we were all gathered as one Body of Christ, we were reminded that it is the same bread.

(...even thought there is a grape juice line and a wine line, it's the same blood, too....)

Table Manners

In the scripture passage Luke 14:1-14, Jesus tells his disciples to choose their place at the table carefully.  If they were to sit too high in the "pecking order" they might be asked to move down so that someone else could have their places.  Wouldn't that be humiliating?

The devotional I read about that passage (written by B. John Franklin) said:

So Jesus unapologetically comes to our table, stands in our cultures' customs, and challenges our table manners.  He is the host.  He himself is the living water, the very bread of life.  In him the Love that will not let us go meets us where we are. 

What does it mean that Jesus is the host?  Lots of things went through my mind.  Jesus stands at our tables, in the middle of our worlds, and challenges the way we live.

• Are there hungry people who are excluded from our tables?  Jesus tells us that this is not the way it should be.
• Do we claim to be the host, decreeing who can have access to the table? Jesus says that he is the host, and no one is to be kept away.
• Do we place ourselves "above" other people, allowing others to serve, while we only take the place of the one being served?  Jesus tells us that this is not discipleship.
• Do we distance ourselves from God?  Jesus follows wherever we go, and will not let us go.
• Do we attempt to survive on the water and bread that we provide, or that the culture supplies?  Jesus tell us that he is the living water and the bread of life, and that nothing will substitute.
• Do we try to buy a ticket to our place at the table, either by good works or in exchange for what we own?  Jesus says that the table is free.  He invites us to take our place, as a gift.
• Do we stand apart, feeling unworthy to step up to the table?  Jesus tells us that he is the host, and he makes us worthy.

The table belongs to Jesus, and he is the host.

Remember

Remember.

How many times in the Bible are we told to remember? 

I was reading Exodus 13 today, and I was struck by how necessary it was to God (is to God) that the Israelites remember God's action.  The feast of unleavened bread lasts for 7 days, and it was a teaching tool for adults to pass on the story to their children.

Communion, among its many purposes, is a tool of remembrance.  Eat, drink and remember me.

How well God knows us that he would institute tools of remembrance.  We are certainly prone to forget.

Remember that you are loved.  Remember that I am here.  Remember, and it will make a difference.