Dear St. Paul’s Family,
It’s true what they say: children grow up to be much like their parents. One night, during a dinner with Jessica’s father, our older daughter Grace spontaneously demonstrated her impression of her preacher daddy. After receiving a freshly buttered dinner roll from her grandpa, she stood up in her chair, raised the bread into the air and spoke in the most dignified tone her toddler voice could muster:
“This is Jesus,” she declared.
Then, leaning over to Grandpa Elwyn, she whispered, “But it’s only make-believe.”
I didn’t know whether to beam or blush.
Intuitively, we know she was right. We don’t believe in a literal transformation of yeast and dough into the cellular composition of the man from Nazareth. Yet at the same time, we would never go so far as to say that what happens around the altar is pure pretense. Something real is happening. Isn’t it?
As we prepare for Maundy Thursday and the rest of Holy Week, it is always good to remember the words of Charles Wesley, the musical theologian of the Methodist movement, who offered his reflection on the meaning of communion through his hymn, Come Sinners to the Gospel Feast, which we will be singing tomorrow night. Each verse offers a different angle on the mystery of this holy sacrament:
COME: Communion is an invitation for all of us to enter the presence of God revealed to us in Jesus Christ:
Come, sinners, to the Gospel feast;
Let every soul be Jesus’ guest.
Ye need not one be left behind,
For God hath bid all humankind.
CONNECTION: Communion unites us as a body of Christ with Christians around the world and across time. It connects us with saints past, present, and future:
Sent by my Lord, on you I call;
The invitation is to all.
Come, all the world! Come, sinner, thou!
All things in Christ are ready now.
COMFORT: Communion affirms the constant presence of God in and among us, even in the midst of our most difficult trials:
Come, all ye souls by sin oppressed,
Ye restless wanderers after rest;
Ye poor, and maimed, and sick, and blind,
In Christ a hearty welcome find.
CONFESSION: Communion acknowledges the grace of God through the work of the Holy Spirit, prompting us toward confession and an experience of God’s forgiveness:
Come, and partake the Gospel feast;
Be saved from sin; in Jesus rest;
O taste the goodness of your God,
And eat His flesh, and drink His blood!
COMMITMENT: Communion gives us the opportunity to recommit ourselves to following Christ, so that, in the words of John Wesley, the love of God “may be shed abroad in our hearts:”
My message as from God receive;
Ye all may come to Christ and live.
O let His love your hearts constrain,
Nor permit Him to die in vain.
CONTEMPLATION: Communion helps us ponder God’s holiness and power, and reminds us of our utter dependence on God’s love:
His love is mighty to compel;
His conquering love consent to feel,
Yield to His love’s resistless power,
And fight against your God no more.
COMMEMORATION: Communion is a remembrance of what Jesus has done on the cross. It is more than mere intellectual recollection; it is a dynamic re-presentation of Jesus, making him vividly real today:
See Him set forth before your eyes,
That precious, bleeding Sacrifice!
His offered benefits embrace,
And freely now be saved by grace.
CELEBRATION: Communion express grateful thanks for what God has done, and reminds us of our future at the great banquet table of God.
This is the time, no more delay!
This is the Lord’s accepted day.
Come thou, this moment, at His call,
And live for Him Who died for all.
I invite you to come to tomorrow night’s Maundy Thursday service at 7pm and share in the gift of Holy Communion. And on the following night, we’ll join together in the solemn remembrance of Good Friday at 7pm, reflecting on the drama and passion of Christ’s great sacrifice and love. And, of course, we’ll celebrate together the joy and triumph of Easter Sunday, with identical services at 7:00 and 10:10.
Come, Connect, and Celebrate!
Magrey
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