By David Ryser
Then Jesus said to them, “Most
assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink
His blood, you have no life in you.” (Jesus of Nazareth, John 6:53)
For more than a year now, I have
been attending a men’s study/fellowship group sponsored by a local church. Although
I am not a member of this church, nor do I attend the religious services there
or share many…if any…of its core beliefs, I am enjoying the fellowship of the
men in the group. Like many Christians, these men are desiring to know and
serve God better. And their desire is sincere and heartfelt.
And because I am a guest at this
church, I strive to be on my best behavior and not contend against any of their
beliefs at our meetings.
The sect of Christianity of which
this church is a part is currently in the midst of a three-year Eucharistic
Revival. Exactly why it would take three years to train the faithful members of
this sect adequately concerning the Eucharist (or Communion, or Lord’s Supper,
if you’d prefer) is somewhat bewildering to me, but I have found the
discussions of the Eucharist at our meetings to be quite illuminating.
Because I was raised in this
particular sect of Christianity; and although I have not practiced this form of
religion for more than 50 years, I do speak the language and understand its
core teachings.
The doctrine of the Eucharist is
this sect’s theological cornerstone. According to their doctrine, the elements
of the Eucharist…the bread and the wine…are transformed (transubstantiated) into
the literal spiritual body and blood of Jesus when consecrated by a priest during
their religious ritual. And this doctrine is based upon the biblical passage in
John 6:48-56 combined with the Gospel accounts of the Last Supper. So,
partaking of the consecrated Eucharistic elements is the same as partaking of
Jesus’ body and blood.
And now things become interesting.
Because in one of our meetings, a
question was posed as to how long the grace received at the partaking of the
Eucharist remains effective. Having received the body and blood of Jesus, why
is it necessary to receive the Eucharist more than once? Why does one need to
receive the Eucharist multiple times? Does the presence of Jesus leak out of us
over time? Does Jesus’ body and blood have an expiration date? And if it does
have an expiration date, how long does it last before it becomes ineffective?
Is there something that can cause this grace to become null and void?
All good questions, and there is an
answer to them.
According to this sect’s teachings,
the presence of Jesus and the grace received upon partaking of the Eucharist is
effective until the recipient sins. When the participant sins, they have fallen
from a state of grace, and the benefits of Jesus’ body and blood are no longer
effective in their life.
What? My sin drives Jesus out of
me?
Oh, but there’s more. Because receiving
the Eucharist with certain kinds of sin on my soul can render the whole thing
ineffective from the start. If I have unconfessed small sins (venial
sins such as lying or having impure thoughts) on my account, the grace received
at the partaking of the Eucharist will wash these sins away. But if I have
unconfessed big sins (mortal sins such as rape, murder, or missing
mandated church services), these will remain unforgiven even though I have
received the literal spiritual body and blood of Jesus.
It seems that some sins are just
bigger than Jesus.
Fortunately for the members of this
sect, there is an avenue to receive forgiveness for sins prior to receiving the
Eucharist so that the grace imparted can be obtained by the recipient. Instead
of relying on Jesus’ broken body and shed blood for forgiveness, one needs
merely to confess their sins to a priest who can do for us what Jesus’ body and
blood cannot…forgive our big sins.
And it doesn’t matter what is the
spiritual condition of the priest administering this forgiveness to me. He
might be engaged in grievous sin (homosexual pedophilia, for example) and still
be able to forgive me for cheating on my taxes.
So, on those rare occasions when I
attend a service at a church associated with this sect, I do not go forward to
receive the Eucharist, in part because I am not an active member of the sect
and would be respectfully denied the Eucharist as a result. Also, to receive
the Eucharist at this church would imply that I am unified with this sect in
its doctrine of the Eucharist…which I am not.
So, I don’t.
But what is the alternative? I have
received the Eucharist at churches which are a part of other Christian sects.
Typically these churches refer to receiving the Eucharist as taking Communion.
And, typically, this partaking of Communion consists of a five-minute add-on to
the end of the church service where the communicant is given a stale oyster
cracker and small cup of Welch’s grape juice to consume when the cue is given
to do so after a brief review of the institution of the Lord’s Supper.
Aside from giving me atrociously
bad breath, this disrespectful form of receiving the Eucharist does virtually
nothing for me. It certainly does not
bring me closer to Jesus. And it is, at best, unbiblical.
Because while I do not subscribe to
the doctrine/teaching of the first-mentioned sect concerning the Eucharist,
neither do I see the receiving of Communion to be merely symbolic. To do so
would be to ignore the clear teaching of 1Corinthians 11:17-34 in which the
apostle Paul chastises the Corinthian believers for receiving the Communion in
an unworthy manner and writes that to do so brings judgment upon the
recipient…to include physical illness and even death (verses 27-30).
Mere symbolism won’t kill you.
So, what exactly is the Eucharist?
Is it a holy sacrament? Is it a powerless ritual? I have come to believe that
it likely is, strictly speaking, neither; rather, it is an observance and
proclamation in memory of Jesus and His redemptive work that is best received
with reverence, gratitude, and a pure heart. And when a fellowship of believers
receives the Communion in this manner, Jesus is present.
So where does that leave me?
I find that I can no longer, in
good conscience, receive the Eucharist in either of these kinds of churches.
But I also desire to experience the presence of Jesus in this special way
shared with other believers.
Fortunately, I have come into
contact with a small group of godly people who are passionate about Jesus.
Because we do not live in the same town, or even in the same state, we meet
regularly, remotely, via the internet. We share our lives and our faith
journeys during our time together and recently have expressed our desire to
receive Communion collectively. No ritual. No priests needed to consecrate the
elements. Just a handful of garden-variety lovers of Jesus who want to share a
sacred moment together.
And that’s what the Eucharist is to
me.
Responses to this article are
welcomed. You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com
