April 15, 2007: Second Sunday after Easter

C.E. Gordon noticed in the March newsletter that we were having a communion preparation program for our youth and children and he ask if I would preach about Holy Communion. I told C.E. that I would the next time we had Holy Communion on a Sunday, which is today.

Coincidentally, Thursday morning before beginning to write today's message, I checked email and found a very helpful article forwarded from a friend. What was helpful was the way the author differentiated between mysteries that are really problems that we can discover answers and solutions for and mysteries that are impossible for human beings to understand . Examples of mysteries that are really problems we human beings are capable of solving given enough time and effort are: what causes various diseases? And how do we prevent them? Or, what is electricity and how do we generate it? For centuries the origin of many diseases and electrical energy were mysteries to humankind. We didn't know why epidemics of yellow fever or typhoid suddenly started. But now we know they are caused by mosquitoes and polluted water. What were once dreaded mysteries are now problems we have solved.

Holy Communion is the other kind of mystery, not a problem to be solved. In fact one of the definitions for mystery given in the dictionary is the sacrament of Holy Communion. Another name for Holy Communion, besides the Lord's Supper, is the Paschal Mystery. In fact Christ himself is called “the mystery of our religion” in the first letter to Timothy (3:16). In a Christian context, mystery means the saving purpose of God for the world, long hidden but now revealed in Jesus Christ, The church expands upon the ultimate mystery of Jesus Christ's salvific work for us into various other mysteries, one of them being the sacrament of Holy Communion. What Holy Communion is, how Christ is present with us in the sacrament is not a problem to be solved although some denominations have treated it that way. Some argue the bread and wine physically and completely change into the body and blood of Christ only the appearance of bread and wine remain. Or said another way, the bread and wine are no longer bread and wine but the body and blood of Jesus. Mystery solved! A miracle takes place every time we celebrate Holy Communion!

Other denominations argue no, the bread and wine is still substantively bread and wine but Christ is somehow now mysteriously present in the bread and wine. Or said another way, the bread and wine are still bread and wine but are now also the body and blood of Jesus.

Sill others say well if Jesus has ascended to the Father in heaven, how can he also be physically present in the bread and wine? So they argue Jesus is not physically present with us in Holy Communion, but spiritually present. The bread and wine are merely signs that represent and point to Jesus. He is present independent of the bread and wine. Or said another way, Jesus is spiritually present with us when we celebrate Holy Communion, but he is not physically present in the bread and wine.

Moravians, as you might imagine, hold to a fourth view. It has not been adapted by any other denomination that I know of, but I would bet you will find a fair number of folks sitting in any church who believe what we understand about the sacrament. Here's how I think we said it best in The Unity's the Confession of 1535:

“And it is to believe in the heart and confessed with the mouth that the bread of the Lord's Supper is the true body of Christ, which was given for us. And the chalice is his true blood which was poured out for us for the remission of sins, as Christ the Lord explicitly says…[but no one] should add to, mix in with, or take away anything of one's own from these words of Christ but should simply believe these words of Christ, inclining neither to the right nor to the left.” Or said another way, according to our provincial archivist Daniel Crews, Jesus is present with us in Holy Communion like the 300 pound canary, anyway Jesus wants to be! Since scripture is silent as to the actual how, it will forever in this lifetime at least, be a mystery to us.

What's more important for us as Moravians than trying to solve the mystery of how Jesus is with us in the sacrament is the implications of celebrating the sacrament. What's the purpose of celebrating Holy Communion beyond a literal obeying of Jesus' command, “do this in remembrance of me”?

Church Life in the Unitas Fratrum . the book of order for the worldwide Unity, tells us that as Moravians we celebrate Holy Communion for the Unity and Fellowship believers have with Christ and each other. We know from our own experience that sharing a meal with folks is a good way to strengthen the relationship between us. That's why for most of life's important occasions we commemorate them with a meal! Sharing the bread and wine together draws us together with one another, other Christians and our Lord himself. This is one reason why I serve communion to the folks in Children's church and the nursery during the communion service rather than serving them leftovers after we've finished.

Another benefit of celebrating Holy Communion according to the Moravian Covenant for Christian Living is we receive renewed assurance of the forgiveness of our sins. We come to the table in need of God's forgiveness for our sins. That's why when I preside at the communion table we always have a liturgy that includes confession of sins and assurance of pardon. And again from our experience we know that meals go much better when a person who has wronged another diner apologizes and is forgiven. The same is true for the Lord's Supper.

When we put these two benefits together, fellowship and renewed assurance of the forgiveness of our sins, a “Great Exchange” takes place in the words of Martin Luther. We come to the communion table with our burdens and sin. Christ takes these upon himself and in exchange offers us forgiveness, and renewal in the Spirit and his presence. Newly assured and renewed by the meal and fellowship, we go back out into the world where we complete the exchange. We take on our neighbors burdens and give our neighbor the love Christ has given us. Then we return to the table and the exchange takes place all over again. This is why we as Moravians celebrate Holy Communion.

Fellowship with our Lord and other baptized believers. Renewed assurance of the forgiveness of our wrong doings towards God and our neighbor that sends us newly equipped to go back out into the world. Let us rejoice in Jesus' promised presence among us as we celebrate the sacrament and draw closer to his healing love and power.