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Originally posted by BBBCanada

Just wondering. Is the communion table an open table or a closed table? 1 Cor 5 where Paul admonishes the church to not even eat with the expelled brother seems to indicate that the table is not fully open?

I'd like to hear from everyone, but am especially interested in POW's orthodox position.

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"Of thy Mystic Supper, O Son of God, accept me today as a communicant: for I will not speak of thy Mystery to thine enemies, neither will I give thee a kiss as did Judas; but like the thief will I confess thee: Remember me, O Lord, in thy Kingdom. Not unto judgment nor unto condemnation be my partaking of thy Holy Mysteries, O Lord, but unto healing of soul and body."

"Let us who mystically represent the Cherubim and sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-creating Trinity, now lay aside all earthly cares."

"Let us who mystically represent the Cherubim and sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-creating Trinity, now lay aside all earthly cares."

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Originally posted by PotOnWheel
Well, Brandon, friend... I'm not going to let you off the hook.

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Originally posted by BBBCanada

Anyone? Pow, JE, Tom....what chu got fo me?

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Originally posted by BBBCanada
To John,

It seems to me that what Paul was driving at in that text was not whether a person should be worthy (who really is right?) but whether we are partaking in an unworthily MANNER. Paul’s concern was toward those who were treating their fellow Christians with disrespect because they were poor. The focus is not on the person themselves but on the WAY in which they were taking the communion.

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Originally posted by BBBCanada

What do you make of Paul’s saying that we “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes?” Isn’t there something EVANGELISTIC about taking communion? That is, they are “visual sermons” that symbolically proclaim God’s grace in Christ.

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Originally posted by JEE

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Originally posted by BBBCanada
To John,

It seems to me that what Paul was driving at in that text was not whether a person should be worthy (who really is right?) but whether we are partaking in an unworthily MANNER. Paul’s concern was toward those who were treating their fellow Christians with disrespect because they were poor. The focus is not on the person themselves but on the WAY in which they were taking the communion.

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Do a study of how the concept of "worthy" is used in the NT with regard to believers; very eye-opening. Of course it's not the case that anyone can be worthy in the sense of having EARNED or merited a spot at the table.

I of course agree that they were partaking in an unworthy manner; however, that does not do away with the imperative of self-examination and repentance and reconciliation. A believer partaking of the communion without being reconciled to his brother first, would flatly contradict Christ's command about leaving your gift at the altar, reconciling with one's brother, and then coming back to worship. (Not talking about communion per se, but the principle our Lord layed down is that we should make every effort to be at peace with our brothers if we claim to be Christ-followers).

I should add that from my perspective, a true Christian does not practice sin (1 John 3:6-9), and if he does happen to sin, he repents and forsakes it as soon as he is aware of it (1 John 2:1, 1:7, Prov. 28:13), and so to my mind one should ideally already be living righteously prior partaking of communion.

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Best communion I ever had was with Coke and pizza.

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Originally posted by BBBCanada

Coke and Pizza ... I'd also be interested in hearing POW's response on this as well.

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First Prayer of St. Basil the Great.

O Sovereign Lord Jesus Christ our God, source of life and immortality, Who art the Author of all creation, visible and invisible, the equally everlasting and co-eternal Son of the eternal Father, Who through the excess of Thy goodness didst in the last days assume our flesh and wast crucified for us, ungrateful and ignorant as we were, and didst cause through Thy own Blood the restoration of our nature which had been marred by sin: O immortal King, accept the repentance even of me a sinner, and incline Thine ear to me and hear my words. For I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned against heaven and before Thee, and I am not worthy to gaze on the height of Thy glory; for I have provoked Thy goodness by transgressing Thy commandments and not obeying Thy orders. But Thou, O Lord, in Thy forbearance, patience, and great mercy, hast not given me up to be destroyed with my sins, but Thou awaitest my complete conversion. For Thou, O Lover of men, hast said through Thy Prophet that Thou desirest not the death of the sinner, but that he should return to Thee and live. For Thou dost not will, O Lord, that the work of Thy hands should be destroyed, neither dost Thou delight in the destruction of men, but Thou desirest that all should be saved and come to a knowledge of the Truth. Therefore, though I am unworthy both of heaven and earth, and even of this transient life, since I have completely succumbed to sin and am a slave to pleasure and have defaced Thy image, yet being Thy work and creation, wretch that I am, even I do not despair of my salvation and dare to draw near to Thy boundless compassion. So receive even me, O Christ Lover of men, as the harlot, as the thief, as the publican, and as the prodigal; and take from me the heavy burden of my sins, Thou Who takest away the sin of the world, Who healest men's sicknesses, Who callest the weary and heavy laden to Thyself and givest them rest; for Thou camest not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. And purify me from all defilement of flesh and spirit. Teach me to achieve perfect holiness in the fear of Thee, that with the clear witness of my conscience I may receive the portion of Thy holy Things and be united with Thy holy Body and Blood, and have Thee dwelling and remaining in me with the Father and Thy Holy Spirit. And, O Lord Jesus Christ, my God, let not the communion of Thy immaculate and life-giving Mysteries be to me for condemnation nor let it make me sick in body or soul through my partaking of them unworthily; but grant me till my last breath to receive without condemnation the portion of Thy holy Things, for communion with the Holy Spirit, as a provision for eternal life, and as an acceptable defense at Thy dread tribunal, so that I too with all Thy elect may become a partaker of Thy pure joys which Thou hast prepared for those who love Thee, O Lord, in whom Thou art glorified throughout the ages. Amen.

Prayer of St. Symeon the Translator

O Thou Who givest me willingly Thy Flesh for food, Thou Who art fire, and burnest the unworthy, scorch me not, O my Maker, but rather pass through me for the integration of my members, into all my joints, my affections, and my heart. Burn up the thorns of all my sins. Purify my soul, sanctify my mind; strengthen my knees and bones; Enlighten the simplicity of my five senses. Nail down the whole of me with Thy fear. Ever protect, guard, and keep me from every soul destroying word and act. Sanctify, purify, attune, and rule me. Adorn me, give me understanding, and enlighten me. Make me the temple of Thy Spirit alone, and no longer a habitation of sin: that having become Thy house by receiving Holy Communion, every evil spirit and passion may flee from me like fire. I bring to Thee as intercessors all the saints, the ranks of the Heavenly Hosts, Thy Forerunner, the wise Apostles, and Thy pure and immaculate Mother. Receive their prayers, my compassionate Christ. And make Thy slave a child of light. For Thou alone art our salvation, O Good One, and the radiance of our souls, and to Thee as our Lord and God as is right we all give glory day and night.

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Originally posted by Sahid

Open to anyone who accepts Christ's sacrifice.

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Finally, the "mystery of mysteries," the Holy Eucharist, is the actual experience of all Christian people led to communion with God the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit through Christ the Son who is present in the Word of the Gospel and in the Passover Meal of His Body and Blood eaten in remembrance of Him. The very movement of the Divine Liturgy -- towards the Father through Christ the Word and the Lamb, in the power of the Holy Spirit -- is the living sacramental symbol of our eternal movement in and toward God, the Blessed Trinity.

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Originally posted by PotOnWheel

I was thinking today that the heavily, "only" symbolical read on the Table lacks Trinitarian emphasis. Like much of Evangelicalism because of its revivalist heritage and "Jesus only" message. (This lacking became extreemly evident in the 70s during the 'charismatic movement.')

Here's Hopko:

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Finally, the "mystery of mysteries," the Holy Eucharist, is the actual experience of all Christian people led to communion with God the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit through Christ the Son who is present in the Word of the Gospel and in the Passover Meal of His Body and Blood eaten in remembrance of Him. The very movement of the Divine Liturgy -- towards the Father through Christ the Word and the Lamb, in the power of the Holy Spirit -- is the living sacramental symbol of our eternal movement in and toward God, the Blessed Trinity.

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Mere symbol, mere idea, lacks in this Trinitarian dynamism.

Interesting.

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Originally posted by JEE

I fail to see...

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"Having in remembrance, therefore, this saving commandment and all those things which have come to pass for us: the Cross, the Grave, the Resurrection on the third day, the Ascension into heaven, the Sitting at the right hand, and the second and glorious Coming:


'Thine own of thine own we offer unto thee, in behalf of all, and for all.'

We praise thee, we bless thee, we give thanks unto thee, O Lord, and we pray unto thee, O our God."

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Originally posted by PotOnWheel

By a Methodist, at:

http://www.gbod.org/worship/articles/standing_door/p19.html

Eschatology is not a word that trips easily off the tongues of the Sunday morning coffee klatch. Yet when persons pray, “Thy kingdom come,” they speak, knowingly or not, the language of eschatology. Eschatology voices our tradition’s deepest hope for the fulfillment of God’s Reign. It describes the promised destination of our baptismal waters—the new Jerusalem, the city on the hill—symbol of God’s ever-lasting reign of justice and of peace. Christian eschatology is also the most appropriate theological thematics to interpret and lend context to that strange cultural convergence of fear and hope arising just now as we lurch toward a new millennium.

Too often, however, in the (appropriate) effort to distance itself from the tragic/comic millenarianism of the sectarian fringes and in its (inappropriate) comfort with the status quo, United Methodism has ignored the pervasive eschatological themes of the Christian faith. Compounding our ignorance is the fact that eschatology is just plain difficult to talk about. After all, how does one explain the “here now but not yet” character of the Reign of God? A claim such as this is inherently paradoxical, and paradox, by definition, mocks our attempts to rope it and brand it in the name of theological precision.

It turns out that Christian liturgy offers a different manner for considering eschatology. Liturgy at its best has never settled for reducing meaning to the narrowness of theological positivism; instead it has preferred the primacy of encounter with Holy Mystery, of experiencing the Divine to explaining it. Indeed the grammar and syntax of liturgical practice—the playful engagement with poetry, metaphor, symbol, and song, especially in relation to Book, Table, Font, and a distinctive patterning of Time—provide a unique medium for revealing to human beings (hearts and bodies as well as minds) the deep, even paradoxical mysteries of God’s extraordinary saving grace in Jesus Christ. This includes, of course, the mystery of eschatology.

Rather than talking about eschatology, Christian liturgy invites its participants into an encounter with eschatology. As such, Christian liturgy becomes nothing less than the church’s lived experience of a God who has saved, is saving, and will save the world in and through One who is at once peasant child and cosmic king. In other words, Christian liturgy, by holding together simultaneously and with intensive creativity all the dimensions of this eschatological paradox that elude our well-meaning attempts at explanation, becomes uniquely capable of evoking this reality. And it is finally in worship where persons of faith encounter the God whose faithful past is shaping a present and a future that Christians may anticipate with trust and hope rather than fear or dread.

How does liturgy accomplish this feat? To some extent, attempts at explanation inevitably fall into the same reductionist trap of “explanation” criticized above. On the other hand, sensitivity to the eschatological dynamics operative in our worshiping patterns can only strengthen a community’s faithful response to God and to a culture seemingly overcome with with repeated visions of a millennial apocalypse. An undergirding assumption at work here is that eschatological theology is already embedded in our worshiping practices; therefore we need only tune our “faith senses” into the gifts that God is providing.

We begin with time. Following the insights of Alexander Schmemann, the Orthodox liturgical theologian, I suggest that the Christian patterning of time enacts fundamental theological convictions. According to Schmemann, by the end of the first century, Christians had increasingly segregated themselves from their synagogue communities. Consistent with their experience of the resurrection as central to communal life and identity, they also began to worship on the first day of the week, variously described as “the Lord’s Day” or (more notably) “the Eighth Day” rather than the Sabbath. Schmemann claims this as an example of the manner in which the church’s own emerging liturgy of time (Lord’s Day placed in ‘contrasting conjunction’ with the Jewish week) witnesses to its distinctive theology; in this case a new eschatology—one that, since it is rooted in faith that the messiah long-anticipated by Israel has come and his kingdom has begun, is no longer exclusively future-oriented as is its Jewish source but is instead simultaneously future-oriented and presently fulfilled. Clearly the Lord’s Day does not cancel or nullify the week in the church. For Christians, the Eighth Day marks a new creation, a new reality, a kairos, yet it nonetheless requires the Jewish week for its revelatory opening to the world. Embedded in the church’s creative patterning of time is the paradoxical reciprocity of past, present, and future at the heart of its theological eschatology.

The same pattern is evident in the seasons of the Christian year. Just as the Lord’s Day recasts the Jewish week, so does the Paschal feast of Easter reinterpret and refashion the Passover; likewise the Great 50 Days from Easter to Pentecost the other 6/7 of the year. Again I should stress that these were not policy decisions emanating from denominational headquarters; instead they exemplify the church’s genius for actualizing in its liturgical life its experience of God’s new activity in Jesus Christ within the context of God’s history of salvation.

The season of Advent deserves special attention. Advent manages to be at one and the same time a season of beginnings and endings, a crucible of time that simultaneously enacts past, present, and future. Advent revels in the paradoxical themes of Christian faith: the “here now but not yet fully realized” character of the Reign of God (thus the focus not only on the manger but on “watchfulness” for the return of the cosmic Christ and his reign of justice and peace); as well as the incarnational notion of a “transcendent” God becoming “immanent” in human life (thus the focus on God’s risking the redemption of all creation on the willingness of a peasant women to make a home for God’s flesh). Some churches simply don’t “do” Advent, caught up as they are in the juggernaut of North American cultural Christmas and its consumer countdown. On the other hand, shallow pastoral understanding, teaching, or leadership can make Advent feel like nothing more than the Christmas Grinch stealing away everybody’s holiday fun. As a new millennium emerges, however, the juxtaposition of a White Christmas with John’s imprisonment or a sentimental manger scene with the approaching cloud of judgment offers a rich resource for evoking, confounding, interpreting, and recasting the pervasive cultural ambiguity afflicting the late twentieth century. Practicing Advent watchfulness and its dialectic of prophecy and hope not only resists the current mythology of consumption, it provides a vision and experience of faithful leaning into God’s promised future in the context of God’s saving past. In this way we rightly proclaim and dwell in the tension of “Maranatha” (Our Lord Come) and “Maranatha” (Our Lord has come). 10 In the former, the future is joyfully present; in the latter, it is painfully not yet.

The Eucharist is another liturgical practice brimming with eschatological power. As liturgical and textual scholars have ably demonstrated, Jesus’ instruction to “do my ANEMNESIS" is impoverished when translated as a passive “remembrance.” Eucharistic anamnesis implies action, a remembering, a re-presenting of the history of God’s saving work, including especially the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Mere ordinance will not do here, as clearly the meal means and intends far more. Just as the child’s question at Passover, “Why is this night different from all others?” signals more than a memory exercise in progress, Christians cannot be content with the supper as flat memorial. As Don Saliers suggests, Eucharist is a “foretaste of glory divine” where a Stranger becomes host to the community’s life-giving meal, a messianic banquet that inverts and perhaps even subverts typical human relations of power. 11 In other words, our Eucharistic celebrations are a partial realization of God’s Promised Reign. Eucharist becomes for God’s people an occasion where past and future collapse into present sacramental action, where, through the mystery of grace a historically and culturally bound community finds fellowship with the risen Christ and a host of heavenly witnesses. This eschatological dimension of Eucharist was brought home to me when a recently widowed parishioner, after participating for the first time in an All Saints’ service of Word and Table, described it as follows: “It was an experience of fellowship I’ve never encountered or even considered before. I felt connected to persons I’ve loved and lost but they also seemed out there ahead of me.”

. . . .



(-- Fred P. Edie and his family live on the Isle of Hope near Savannah, Georgia. Edie is a United Methodist pastor and religious educator and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Emory University. )

Edited by - PotOnWheel on 06/07/2002 3:52:44 PM

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