Coming to the Eucharist as God’s Gift

John H. Armstrong August 25th, 2008

In November, a book that I had edited and done extensive writing for myself was finally released. That book, Understanding Four Views of the Lord’s Supper (Zondervan), forced me to think a great deal over the past eighteen months about the Lord’s Supper, or the Eucharist. The book clearly brought me into fresh contact with the views of serious Christians like Baptists, Lutherans, Catholics and Reformed Christians. The more I studied the subject, and reflected upon my own experience of the Lord’s Supper over five plus decades as a communicant evangelical Christian, the more I came to ask a simple, practical, question: “How do I get more out of the celebration of this meal when I come to it as a Christian?”

Personally, I have taken the Eucharist thousands of times. I have received it in many contexts and in a number of other countries. I have celebrated the sacrament by kneeling, sitting, standing and laying prostrate on the floor. I have received both wine and grape juice as well as fresh bread and matzo. I have used paper cups and a beautiful chalice. I have come to tables adorned with liturgical markings and bare simple Puritan-style tables and services. I am impressed, after all of this personal experience, that none of this really has anything to do with my very practical question: “How do I get more out of this celebration?”

All Christians believe that on the night Jesus was betrayed, and before he died the following day, he gave bread and wine to his disciples and said to them “my body for you” and “the new covenant in my blood.” The debates that followed brought about much debate about what these words actually meant and why. I am convinced, and not all Christians agree with me on this point, that Christ gave to his people a great gift that evening. We should focus on the gift more than the debate. This gift would thus become a primary way, but not the only way, that Jesus would continue to be present with his Church down through the ages “until he comes.” Here he would be present to all who came to him in faith and adoration. Here, at this meal that the Church called the Eucharist (for good reason since the word means “thanksgiving”), Christ would meet with his people as he promised. We cannot explain how he meets with us but we can, and I believe we should, affirm that he does come to meet with us here.

When you come to the Lord’s Table, are you ever bored? Are you missing something because there is not enough entertainment with this ceremony? Or do you come to the meal sitting in judgment on those who are around you? Or perhaps you daydream and consider everything from the tasks that weigh you down to the score of a favorite ballgame. There are a myriad of ways that we can miss the opportunity to meet with Christ meaningfully at this special occasion.

The Second Vatican Council referred to the Eucharist as “the source and summit of the whole Christian life.” I do not completely agree with the theology behind this statement, thus I remain unconvinced of certain aspects of Roman Catholic teaching at this point. The rub, for me at least, comes in the next phrase. It says that “they [the priests] offer the divine victim to God” in the Eucharist. I see this as standing in sharp opposition to the teaching of the epistle to the Hebrews which says his sacrifice was “once for all” (cf. Hebrews 10:10–14).

But what I am convinced of because of my study of this vital subject is that the reaction of most Protestants, especially evangelical Protestants, against the Roman Catholic position often hinders them from truly enjoying this divine moment. They are not, therefore, encouraged to meet with their Savior personally and mysteriously. The sad fact is that most evangelicals seem to believe “in the real absence” of Jesus. Why? Roman Catholics believe in the real presence of Jesus at this meal. One does not have to become a Catholic to believe that Jesus is really present and that in some way this is his body and blood, at least in a way that we do not have to understand or explain to our satisfaction since we come in faith. We can, in other words, allow this great mystery to be mystery and leave it there.

In the same statement of Vatican II on the Eucharist there is another line which says believers “offer themselves along with it.” This I completely agree with. And I think there is something here for all Christians to benefit from in regard to helping them actually participate with deeper devotion and meaning in the Lord’s Supper.

The American Catholic publishing company, Our Sunday Visitor (www.osv.com), produces a tract for Catholics titled “How to Get More Out of the Mass.” I recently read it again. It is filled with insights that will actually help any Christian experience much more from the Lord’s Supper. This tract uses an acrostic to explain nine concrete steps you can take to get more out of this act of worship. What follows are the nine steps of this acrostic, which spells SACRIFICE. (The list and the first line come directly from this tract without being literal word-for-word quotations of the line that follows the step. The remainder of the thought in each paragraph is mine as I use these nine steps to reflect upon what the tract says.)

Nine Steps to Getting More from the Eucharist

Serve: Obey the command that Jesus gave at the first Eucharist. John 13:15, in the context of the first Eucharist, says: “I have given you an example that you also should do as I have done to you.” We should always bring an attitude of service to the Table of Christ. When you come to this Table ask: “How can I be of service to the Lord and his people?”

Adore: Realize the great gift that God has given to you and is offering to you now. If we meet the living Christ, by faith and in mystery, then receive the elements with adoration. This does not mean I believe in transubstantiation, but not believing in that teaching about the Eucharist does not require me to reject outright the real presence of the living Christ at the meal. We should come to the meal with hearts filled with devotion and praise. “O come let us adore Him.”

Confess: Believe in God’s power to forgive all your sins. (The tract says, “to make up for your weakness,” which I find less biblical and helpful. It also urges that the believer focus on the image of Jesus on the cross, i.e., the crucifix.) We should remember that Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). We should humble ourselves before the awesome sacrifice of Jesus and trust again in God’s mercy if we “believe” in him and want to experience cleansing from all unrighteousness.

Respond: Function as a member of Christ’s Body. Abiding in Christ is the way we should always live, but here we especially remember that we are one with him in the mystery of his shed blood and perfect sacrifice. Realize afresh that you have failed him but take into your soul the wonder of his grace that this is also a sacrament of reconciliation. Trust in the mercy of God no matter what you have done before coming to this sacred place. Many Calvinists I have known over the years have had a hard time coming to the table, wondering if this was for them due to an overburdened conscience. I am reminded that the famous John Duncan, a Scottish Presbyterian theologian himself, once told an old woman that this was for her if she was really a sinner. So it is for all of us still.

Incline: Listen intently to the Word of God. This step in the Catholic tract is very encouraging to me since I want Catholics to listen more to the Word of God than many are inclined to do, at least traditionally. But evangelicals have almost entirely abandoned serious Bible reading in public worship. This is why I personally prefer hearing an Old Testament text, an epistle and a Gospel reading in every service of worship. (I also believe, as did John Calvin for example, that it is preferred that we have the Eucharist in every pubic worship service as well.) When the Word of God is read “listen intently” and incline your heart to the Word of God. When the sermon is preached don’t just take notes, in fact you may try not taking notes since this can reduce it to hearing a lecture. Listen, really listen. Say, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”

Fast: Bring a hearty appetite to the Eucharist. Catholics are encouraged to fast from food and drink for an hour before the Eucharist. Though this is not biblical, in the sense that no text clearly teaches it, it is practical and devotional. You could do much worse but I am sure of this much—not consuming a huge meal just before worship is a wonderful thing to do for many obvious reasons. More importantly, the stress should be on preparing your whole body and soul by fasting so that you will hunger for God in the time when you meet with him at Christ’s Table.

Invite: Open yourself to a relationship with Jesus. When our Lord walked with his disciples on the road to Emmaus at one place he “appeared to be going further.” The disciples invited him to “Stay with us” (Luke 24:29). What a perfect sentiment and heart to bring to the Eucharist. We should open our lives to him at all times, but here we can especially do so in a way that impacts our entire week. He is knocking at the door of the congregation. Seek to open it to him.

Commune: Become one with Christ. God is a communion of divine persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He invites us into the mystery of that communion. Evangelicals have far too little appreciation for this central Christian truth. The recent recovery of Trinitarian theology and devotion to the three persons is a healthy sign. Jesus clearly taught, again in the context of that last evening and the meal that he shared with his disciples: “I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you” (John 14:18–20). Entering this communion with Jesus is never a solitary act. To get the most out of this communion you must offer yourself up to God, and to his people, as the servant of Christ.

Evangelize: Share the Lord with others. If we have truly met the risen Christ, in the mystery of this meal, then we have much to share with the world. The encounter we have with Christ should “constantly” be intensified and deepened in the Eucharist. This language comes from the late John Paul II. I believe it to be helpful and right.

Conclusion

The Catholic word “Mass” comes from the Latin for dismissal and means, literally: “Go, you are sent.” The original idea behind it was that this meal sustained us and prepared us to go on mission for Christ. This is the reason a few Protestant traditions will still refer to this Supper as the Mass. (I do not use this terminology since I think it confuses some other important matters.)

You will gain so much more from the Lord’s Supper if you prepare your heart and mind before you attend, if you read the Word of God with real purpose in advance, if you attend to all that is said and done in the actual service of the Eucharist, and if you yield yourself up to Christ in a new commitment of faith and love.

This is not simply Roman Catholic teaching. It is ancient Christian catholic teaching. Evangelicals, especially in our time of entertainment-centered services of assembly, could profoundly profit from a deep recovery of this great tradition. In disagreeing with some aspects of the Roman Catholic doctrine itself, let us not “throw the baby out with the bathwater” as the old saying goes.

I am reminded of what a good Catholic friend, Father Thomas Baima, said in a Catholic/Evangelical Forum I led in late 2007 when I asked why Catholics do not read and study the Bible quite like evangelicals. His answer was, “We don’t do it because you do.” The same is often true for many evangelicals when it comes to the Lord’s Supper. Our approach is so often affected by our opposition to Roman Catholic practice and teaching that we miss the wonder and joy of this great feast. My humble appeal here is simple—we can learn from the whole Christian tradition and be much richer and stronger for it.

John H. Armstrong will be our guest on Steve Brown Etc. this weekend. Armstrong is founder and president of ACT 3, a ministry for the advancement of the Christian Tradition in the third millennium. He is a former pastor and church-planter, of more than twenty years, the author/editor of eight books, and the author of hundreds of magazine, journal, and Web based articles. John has served as the editor-in-chief of ACT 3 Review: A Journal for Faith, Church and Culture since its origin in 1992. But most importantly, he is our go-to professional religionist.

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