Having grown up in a "high church" Methodist congregation, it was always my understanding that Wesley, as an Anglican minister believed in the Real Presence, but not in transubstantiation. As noted in his sermon:
5. In order to understand the nature of the Lord's Supper, it would be useful carefully to read over those passages in the Gospel, and in the first Epistle to the Corinthians [1 Cor. 11], which speak of the institution of it. Hence we learn that the design of this sacrament is, the continual remembrance of the death of Christ, by eating bread and drinking wine, which are the outward signs of the inward grace, the body and blood of Christ.
And according to Article XVIII "Transubstantiation, or the change of the substance of bread and wine in the Supper of the Lord, cannot be proved by Holy Writ, but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture, overthroweth the nature of a sacrament, and hath given occasion to many superstitions. The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper, only after a heavenly and spiritual manner. And the mean whereby the body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith".
But what do Methodist's believe about the transformation, the mystery, that occurs upon consecration? Wesley believed, and subsequently Methodists believe, for the most part, that Christ is present in the elements in a virtual sense. We share this view with Calvinists by saying that by the power of the Spirit, our souls are joined with Christ. Since the bodily Christ is in heaven and nowhere else, the Spirit brings Christ to us when we receive the bread and juice.
(quoted from the Global Ministries of the UMC)
So, why do we as a congregation choose to only partake of this particularly important means of grace only once a month?
I was raised Presbyterian and we had Holy Communion quarterly. On the Wednesday before we had 'Preparatory Service'. It was 45 minutes with a heavy emphasis on repentance and getting your heart ready for Sunday's celebration. The Elders (ordained lay people) served communion and it was considered an honor to do so. As a youth growing up in that church, I remember communion as being very somber (a remembering of the death of Christ), rather than a celebration of the Christ in our midst. I actually have had to get used to celebrating communion so often (once a month). We also passed communion, so I have had to get used to sharing it at the altar. Now, there is a renewal movement in the United Methodist Church calling for weekly communion and even more often than that (daily or midweek opportunities), as a sign of our continuous neeed for the renewing presence of Christ. I appreciate the motivation, but I do wonder if celebrating the feast too often will make it less valued. I wonder if that isn't already the case in our own services, where we no longer "discern the body of Christ" but rather, see it as participation in an important routine.
I actually find that when i do it on a regular basis it means more to me. For about a year I was going to an Episcopal church and i loved the weekly and even mid-week communion.
When it is once a month i find that i use that week as an excuse to skip church because it feels like there is more cramed into my "normal" worship. When it is weekly i tend to view it as a part of that "normal" worship.
I remember growing up that communion week was teh week that the family slept late on Sunday. I will probably get in trouble with my mom for putting that on the internet-- HA
3 comments:
Having grown up in a "high church" Methodist congregation, it was always my understanding that Wesley, as an Anglican minister believed in the Real Presence, but not in transubstantiation. As noted in his sermon:
5. In order to understand the nature of the Lord's Supper, it would be useful carefully to read over those passages in the Gospel, and in the first Epistle to the Corinthians [1 Cor. 11], which speak of the institution of it. Hence we learn that the design of this sacrament is, the continual remembrance of the death of Christ, by eating bread and drinking wine, which are the outward signs of the inward grace, the body and blood of Christ.
And according to Article XVIII "Transubstantiation, or the change of the substance of bread and wine in the Supper of the Lord, cannot be proved by Holy Writ, but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture, overthroweth the nature of a sacrament, and hath given occasion to many superstitions. The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper, only after a heavenly and spiritual manner. And the mean whereby the body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith".
But what do Methodist's believe about the transformation, the mystery, that occurs upon consecration? Wesley believed, and subsequently Methodists believe, for the most part, that Christ is present in the elements in a virtual sense. We share this view with Calvinists by saying that by the power of the Spirit, our souls are joined with Christ. Since the bodily Christ is in heaven and nowhere else, the Spirit brings Christ to us when we receive the bread and juice.
(quoted from the Global Ministries of the UMC)
So, why do we as a congregation choose to only partake of this particularly important means of grace only once a month?
In Him,
Melissa Crawford
I was raised Presbyterian and we had Holy Communion quarterly. On the Wednesday before we had 'Preparatory Service'. It was 45 minutes with a heavy emphasis on repentance and getting your heart ready for Sunday's celebration. The Elders (ordained lay people) served communion and it was considered an honor to do so. As a youth growing up in that church, I remember communion as being very somber (a remembering of the death of Christ), rather than a celebration of the Christ in our midst. I actually have had to get used to celebrating communion so often (once a month). We also passed communion, so I have had to get used to sharing it at the altar. Now, there is a renewal movement in the United Methodist Church calling for weekly communion and even more often than that (daily or midweek opportunities), as a sign of our continuous neeed for the renewing presence of Christ. I appreciate the motivation, but I do wonder if celebrating the feast too often will make it less valued. I wonder if that isn't already the case in our own services, where we no longer "discern the body of Christ" but rather, see it as participation in an important routine.
Will Cotton
I actually find that when i do it on a regular basis it means more to me. For about a year I was going to an Episcopal church and i loved the weekly and even mid-week communion.
When it is once a month i find that i use that week as an excuse to skip church because it feels like there is more cramed into my "normal" worship. When it is weekly i tend to view it as a part of that "normal" worship.
I remember growing up that communion week was teh week that the family slept late on Sunday. I will probably get in trouble with my mom for putting that on the internet-- HA
Jason Hancock
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