The Lord’s Supper:

Presbyterian Style

World Communion Sunday

Mark 14: 12-16, 22-26     1 Corinthians 11:17-16, 33-34             Rev. Todd B. Freeman

Bethany Presbyterian Church, Dallas                                       October 5, 2003

Today, across the entire world, Christian churches will be celebrating the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper – Communion; the Eucharist – in recognition of our oneness and unity in Christ. So on this World Communion Sunday I thought it would be appropriate to speak on what the Lord's Supper means.

But first I'd like to start by taking a little survey. I'm interested, and I think you will be too, in knowing which particular faith tradition each of us grew up in, if any at all. Raise your hand, if you would please, if you grew up primarily in a Presbyterian church; Baptist; Methodist; Lutheran; Episcopal; Pentecostal/ Evangelical; Roman Catholic?

Think for a moment just how many different religious teachings we have grown up with. I would further say that there are as many different understandings of the meaning of communion as there are people in this sanctuary.

When I was growing up in the Midwest, the church I belonged to only served communion 4 times a year – unlike our practice here (and most Protestant churches) of every month. If you happened to be gone on one of those 4 Sundays it was a half a year before you had communion again. And it was the custom of the denomination at that time to only serve communion to those old enough to have gone through Confirmation Class. I was in the 9th grade, for instance, before my first communion, which I still remember very well as an important and meaningful occasion in my life. I’m sure many of you remember your very first communion as well.

The Presbyterian Church today, however, allows children to share in this sacrament – emphasizing God’s grace more than our knowledge and understanding. And I know some of you, especially those from a Catholic background, grew up taking the Eucharist every week.

So the place where we should probably start this morning is with the following question: What is your understanding of communion? What does it mean to you when you participate in this sacrament of sharing the bread and the cup?

Perhaps you're not exactly sure what it means, you just know it's something important. Most likely, the majority of us are in this category: not having the meaning of communion all figured out. If that's the case, you're in very good company.

John Calvin, the person to whom we Presbyterians trace our roots, back to in the 16th century Protestant Reformation, wasn't too sure either. In one of my favorite quotes from Calvin, he wrote the following concerning the Lord's Supper, "It is a mystery too sublime for me to be able to express, or even to comprehend; and, to be still more explicit, I rather experience it, than understand it."

Calvin was a great thinker, and a very logical and rational theologian. Yet he was honest enough with himself to admit that when it comes to the grace and ways of God, there are some things we just have to realize are still a mystery. To this day, it’s those who think they have God all figured out that we should be very cautious.

That being said, Presbyterians, like other denominations, have tried to put into words our own unique understanding of The Lord’s Supper. While I do not believe it is my role as the pastor of this church to tell you what you must believe, it is my role to at least inform you of things Presbyterian. So, for those of you who are interested, I have placed on the Bethany Information Table a small pamphlet entitled, What every Presbyterian should know about the Sacrament of The Lord’s Supper. Feel free to pick one up, I’ll order some more.

Most things Presbyterian are discussed in what is called the Book of Order. It is a part of our church constitution, along with the Book of Confessions. The Book of Order is divided up into three sections, the first being our Form of Government, the last being our Rules of Discipline. The middle section is called the Directory for Worship, and it explains how and why we Presbyterians do worship the way we do.

For one thing, you may not know that I, or any other Presbyterian pastor, can't serve communion any time I please. It is the responsibility of the elders on the session of the church to give approval for the times and places that communion will be served, including at special times like at retreats or in the homes of those who are shut in, or in the hospital.

And except for sharing it with the sick, communion can only be served at public worship where everyone is invited. For instance, if a couple is getting married, the bride and groom cannot be given communion alone. Everyone must be invited to participate in this sacrament when it is served.It is for the entire community of faith, the whole church, not a private ceremony or a devotional exercise. The same is true, by the way, with our other sacrament, Baptism. It must be done in public worship, not just with the family.

Presbyterians have what is called "open communion" where not just Presbyterians are welcome to the table. This differs from a “closed communion” where, in the Catholic Church for example, only other Catholics are invited to partake of the bread and the cup.

Our Book of Order states, "The invitation to the Lord's Supper is extended to all who have been baptized, remembering that access to the Table is not a right conferred upon the worthy, but a privilege given to the undeserving who come in faith, repentance, and love."

It goes on to state something very important, "Even one who doubts or whose trust is wavering may come to the Table in order to be assured of God's love and grace in Christ Jesus." At one point or another in our lives, that most likely includes all of us.

Whenever communion is served it must be preceded by the reading and proclaiming of the Word. That is, reading the Bible and preaching. Herein lies one of the biggest differences between Protestants and Roman Catholics. The focal point of a Catholic Mass is the Eucharist, communion. Back in the Middle Ages, they believed that the only way to receive God’s grace was through communion. This led to many abuses where priests would deny access to the sacrament, even to the extreme of permanent excommunication, for those who didn’t believe or behave the way they wanted them too.

Being cut off from God’s grace, in their understanding, would condemn that person to hell. Presbyterians, then and now, do not believe that. God’s grace, while certainly present in this sacrament, can come to any person at any time and at any place of God’s choosing. It is not up to me or anyone else to decide whom God will bless.

The Protestant Reformation, which by the way is wonderfully portrayed in a new movie I just saw earlier this week, called Luther, said that the main focus of worship should not be the sacrament but rather the reading of the Bible and its interpretation in the sermon. Historically, in fact, Protestants were called “people of the Word.” Teaching directly from the Bible replaced the teaching of just church tradition and doctrine.

When it comes to the significance of the actual bread and wine (or juice), Presbyterians really differ from Catholics, and from Martin Luther’s original teachings as well. It was over this difference of understanding that led John Calvin to split from the Lutherans.

The Roman Catholic Church taught something called "transubstantiation." During communion, they believed that the bread actually transformed somehow to the real physicalbody of Jesus Christ; the wine to the real physicalblood of Christ. John Calvin understood the elements in a different way. He taught, as we teach today, that Christ is present during communion, but spiritually, not physically.

So if anyone asks you about what Presbyterians believe about this issue of the bread and wine, the simple answer is, "Presbyterians believe in the real spiritual presence of Christ when we partake of the bread and cup."

So as we share in communion later this morning, think about what it means to you to have the very real spiritual presence of Christ among us, and within you.

The bread and the wine remain just that, common bread and wine. Nothing magical happens to them. Again, nothing magical happens to the water during baptism either. Instead, they act as visible signs and symbols. And as symbols they point beyond themselves to a deeper reality. That reality, and this is the most important part, are the promises that God has made to us in this new covenant.

The bread and the cup outwardly represent those things which God is doing for us inwardly. One of the most important things God is doing for us is feeding you and me spiritually. Just as food provides nourishment for our hungry bodies, The Lord’s Supper promises spiritual nourishment for our hungry souls.

But perhaps the greatest mystery behind communion is that it somehow unites us with Christ and each other, reminding us that Christ, the Spirit of God, dwells within each one of us. The promise of communion is that we are all connected, to everyone in every part of the world, regardless of our denominational and personal theology and beliefs. That is what we are celebrating today, our oneness with brothers and sisters, hermanos y hermanas, across the globe.

So, even if we can't completely understand intellectually what The Lord’s Supper is all about, hopefully we will experience it – God’s empowering and uniting presence with us, and within us.

Amen.