Eucharist as the Restoration of Eden
Let us begin this lesson with a prayer.
Heavenly Father, thank you that by the sacrifice of your Son you bring us into your presence where we are fed with everlasting life. Pour out upon us, we pray, that same spirit of sacrifice that we may bless others with all the blessings of your final Eden. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
In the lesson, Eucharist as Covenant Renewal, we learned that we renew our covenant with God in Christ each time we receive the Holy Eucharist. This covenant is a commitment on God’s part to bless us with all the blessings in Christ, and on our part, to serve him with all our heart, mind, and strength. Among other things, as seen in the lesson, Eucharist as a Direction of Service , the Holy Eucharist is a commitment to work for the service of God and others as God directs and empowers us. In this lesson we will examine one dimension of that service, our work to fulfill God’s desire that all people be blessed with the material blessings of Eden.
In the lesson, Passover and the Holy Eucharist, we learned that the Eucharist is a modified Passover. This can be recognized in that all four gospels proclaim that Jesus’ death and resurrection took place at the time of the Passover, and further, the institution of the Eucharist is portrayed in the first three gospels as occurring when Jesus ate a Passover meal with his disciples. For this reason, it is understood that the Eucharist is the fulfillment of the Passover in which Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
The Passover itself, however, is part of a larger complex of revelation which links the escape from Egypt with the wandering in the desert, the covenant at Sinai, the conquest of the land, its division by tribes, clans, and families, and covenant law which protected families from losing their land in times of economic difficulty. This was discussed in the essay Land and Work. The gift of the land, its distribution, and laws protecting its citizens from impoverishment, was God’s first great step in blessing his people with all the blessings of Eden. These blessings, and here we emphasize material blessings, were described in the essay God Creates The World. Further, it was understood that if the people kept covenant with God, he would bless them materially, and if they did not, the land would fall under a curse and not produce its plenty. This can be seen in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. In Jesus, however, the curse has been broken because he is the Passover Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. For this reason, in his presence, there was abundance. Not only did he heal the sick, he also fed the hungry as seen in the miracle of the loaves and fishes (Matthew 14:5-21, Mark 6:35-44, Luke 9:12-17, John 6:4-14). This miracle was only one of a series of events by which God fed his people, beginning in Eden, followed by the liberation from Egypt, fed by manna in the wilderness, established in the land of milk and honey by conquest and covenant, lost in Exile, restored in Jesus by his miraculous feedings, and celebrated in the Eucharist, and consummated in the marriage feast of the Lamb. In Eucharist, believers enter into his Kingdom where they are directly fed by God. He feeds them with bread and wine, a meal of love since this bread and wine not only sustain physically, but this meal reveals the love of God which issues in eternal life. God does not withhold the goodness of Eden, and what they experience upon earth in the Eucharist is a foretaste of that heavenly banquet, the marriage feast of the Lamb. Here are the words of God taken from Revelation 19:9, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” God invites his people to the feast, both now upon earth, and in eternity. The foregoing has several important implications. Here are some of them.
The Eucharist is a celebration of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, and by the cross and resurrection, sinners are forgiven, justified, and clothed in Christ’s righteousness. Therefore, they are qualified to enter into God’s presence and receive his many blessings and this includes, among many things, the material blessings of Eden. This great affirmation of God’s goodness needs to be more clearly defined. The blessings of life in Christ begin in this life, but they are never fully given in this life. Only in the life to come do we receive the fullness of his blessings. Our difficulties and trials rarely disappear for long. Even more, Christians are called to take up their cross and to follow Jesus and, at times, this entails material want. One can, for example, think of Christ upon the cross, or the sufferings of Paul described in 2 Corinthians 11. Given the struggles and losses of this world, Jesus, in John 6, urges his listeners to not be swept away by his feeding them with bread and fish, but to seek him, the eternal Word, the bread of life that comes down from heaven. Having said this, however, God does bless his people, and he blesses them materially. This needs to be affirmed. He is a good God who provides for our every need. Our greatest need is to live in his Kingdom of sacrificial love, and therefore, there are times when he calls us to live sacrificially in material matters. Even so, God is always working to bless people materially, and he is always thinking of each of us. In fact, although such events seem to be rather rare, there are even instances in this day and time when the risen Jesus miraculously feeds his people as he fed the five thousand. As an example, I give the testimony of Barbara Frey who, in the context of the Eucharist, saw God miraculously feed impoverished people in Juarez, Mexico. Normally, however, God works to feed the hungry through normal processes, and in this connection, the church has a vital role to play. In the church and only in the church does the great and generous God humble himself to feed the ones he loves. When this wonder is experienced in the context of Eden to eschaton, Christians know that they are called to use their resources to feed the hungry and help those without employment to find work. This is a great calling and Christ spent considerable time and energy teaching on the right use of material resources. Repeatedly he called his disciples to use their resources to bless others and not simply themselves, and on many occasions he warned his followers of the dangers of the love of money. Among many examples is the parable of the unjust steward found in Luke 16:1-13. This parable ends with the stern admonition, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (16:13). Therefore, in obedience to Christ and fortified by his forgiving love, believers work to materially bless each other as well as persons who live in their community. Since the work of Christ does not deny the Old Testament revelation, but rather fulfills it, believers are not only called to acts of charity, but also to create programs and institutions that enable others to earn a living. In the Old Testament this was done through conquest and covenant law. In the Kingdom of Christ, a kingdom of love, it is done by sacrifice, the sacrifice of time, money, and abilities to enable others to have food, shelter, and work. This is a commitment, a commitment made each time believers come forward to be fed by God in the Holy Communion.
As can readily be seen, the impulse to accumulate, hoard, and spend excessively is one of the most powerful impulses that drives our world. Entire nations have been driven into poverty because of financial speculation. Terrible wars in pursuit of territory have ravaged entire continents. Do not let it be so in the church. Let the church be a light in the darkness. It is sad to see Christian leaders, pastors, evangelists, and teachers using their influence and ability to accumulate wealth. Leaders, if at all possible, need to live at the material level of their congregations. Sometimes this can be difficult. On the mission field, for example, persons raised in affluent cultures have difficulty adjusting to the poverty of other cultures. God understands these things and freely accepts our weaknesses even as he strengthens us to be good witnesses. We are justified by Christ, not by being perfect in financial matters, but by faith in his atoning love. But because he loves us, we are called to serve others with our resources. In the Eucharist, believers can experience that heart-rending love. Once that is known, once he comes to us bereft and broken on the cross, once we see that we have put him there, then our hearts are broken, we are humbled by our sins, and anxious to reach out our hands in love to those who, like him, have no place to lay their heads (Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:58).
To help us think how God might use us to serve others in material need, I will end with the questions given in the lesson Land and Work. I will reword them slightly and place them here for your consideration. Discussing these questions with others in a small group is a good way to bless the Lord, yourselves, your church, and your community. Before we address these questions, however, let us pour out to God our hearts in prayer. O how badly God needs witnesses in this area of Christian life, and you are the ones he has called.
O living God, by the compassion that moved your Son Jesus to have pity upon those driven from place to place without a shepherd, open up our hearts that we might respond to the needs of the poor and impoverished who surround us on all sides. Give us wisdom, discernment, the authority to hear your call and to follow you to the very end. All this we ask in the name of the one who, being poor, made others rich.
1. In Israel, relatives were to help their family members who lost their land. In Christ, family members are still responsible for each other (1 Timothy 5:8), and yet, the bonds that bind Christians together are stronger than the bonds of one’s natural family. Our fellow Christians are also our nearest relatives, and we are responsible for them. In parts of the world where people lack land and employment, how can church members work together to start small businesses or cooperatives, or to acquire land, so that all church members can have the opportunity to work?
2. Does your small group have any means, land or resources, that you can use to enable persons in your community to work? Are their ways you can cooperate with the leadership of your church to enable church members to work? Are you willing to cooperate with Christians from other churches, even differing Christian bodies, to work on building up your community? Also, if some of you are political or community leaders, what does Christ call you to do in regard to land and resources? Here you will need to seek God’s help, and you will need the help and prayers of Christian friends, for in certain countries, it is very difficult and even dangerous to reform deep evils.
3. It is not good to be idle. If, at this moment, you do not have work, are there ways you can work in your church or community, even if there is little or no pay involved?
4. Scripture commands believers to give ten percent of their produce or income to the church for the work of the church and to help the poor. Are you giving ten percent and trusting God in this matter?
5. According to 2 Thessalonians 3:10, if a man or a woman will not work, they have no right to eat. If you have no work, are you seeking work? If you do have work, do you do your work well? If you are an employee, are you working to the best of your ability?
6. All Christians belong to the great family of God. If your church has more than enough resources to meet its material needs, are you working with other very poor Christian churches to help them develop ways of meeting their material needs? What these churches need, above all, are persons who are skilled in forming cooperatives, or in developing better farming methods, as well as capital to start small enterprises or obtain resources such as clean water.
7. Are you, as an individual, using your material resources wisely, not wasting money on luxuries or excessive living, and using your surplus for the good of others?
8. This question is especially important for those who are leaders in commerce, or in business. Is your business being conducted in ways that honor God? Do you seek God’s direction by daily prayer and study of his Word so that God will direct your business according to his plans? Are you paying a living wage and treating your employees fairly?
Let us end this lesson with a prayer.
Heavenly Father, thank you for blessing us with all the abundance of Eden in the Eucharist, beginning in this life and completed in the life to come. Help us to be thankful for your blessings, to come to you with all our needs, and to bless others in their times of difficulty. Finally, we pray, give us, even today, a foretaste of that heavenly banquet where, with angels and archangels, we may dine with you in your heavenly Kingdom. All this we ask in Christ’s name. Amen.
The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
dr.sanders@globalanglican.org