Let us begin our study of Holy Baptism with a prayer, asking God to make real in our lives what he gives in baptism.

Living God, pour out upon us, we pray, your Holy Spirit, that we may be empowered to receive the great blessings you have promised to us in Baptism, and that from this day forward, we may walk faithfully in these blessings to the glory of your name. All this we ask through Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

The purpose of this introductory essay on Holy Baptism is to present a theological perspective by which we can understand and rightly respond to the baptismal rite. To do that, let us begin with a quotation from Scripture, the classic biblical text on Christian baptism, given by Jesus when he appeared to his disciples in the resurrection.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20).

This passage begins with two ideas, that Jesus has all authority, and second, that the disciples are commanded to go and make disciples. These two ideas are connected – the authority of Jesus is manifested in that he authorizes the apostles to make disciples and to baptize. As they do this, he will be with them always. Being with them always means he will act as they teach and baptize, and as he acts, he will be true to himself, creating the salvation that he had accomplished by his life, death, and resurrection. This salvation, as we shall see, is intimately connected to baptism. The authority to baptize and teach is not only true for the original disciples. It is true of all those who follow in the path of the apostles, that is, all who believe the apostolic testimony found in Scripture, and put it into practice. In other words, the church is called and authorized to make disciples, baptize, and teach those who believe and intend to keep Christ’s commands. When believers obey those commands, the Kingdom comes. Above all, the Kingdom comes as believers know Jesus for, as he says, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” We may formulate the first point of this essay in these words: The church is authorized by Christ to make disciples, to baptize, and to teach so that believers will know Christ forever.

The word “baptism,” in this context does not mean the bare rite alone, the washing of the water, but the entire complex of events leading up to baptism and coming forth from it. As the passage from Matthew and other biblical passages make clear, men and women were baptized in response to apostolic preaching and teaching. Hearing, believing, being baptized, and beginning the Christian life in obedience to Christian teaching is a single unfolding event with component aspects. All of these aspects need to be included in the act of water baptism. As a consequence, before a person is baptized, there must be preaching and teaching and it must be believed. In this regard, the matter of infant baptism will be discussed in a subsequent lesson.

Baptism is in the “name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” By this statement we know that a name is given in baptism. In a previous lesson, The Consecration of Space and Time, we discussed how God chose particular times and places to establish his Name. When God’s people came to those places at the appointed time, God promised to be there, speaking, acting, and appearing. Because of this, the Name could not be profaned, for one cannot treat God casually when he speaks or appears. Since God is present and active when his Name is proclaimed, baptism is a holy event. In baptism, the Lord Jesus binds himself to his people, promising to act in the event of baptism as the holy Name is proclaimed.

The Name that is proclaimed in baptism is that of “the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” This Name reveals that God is a living, dynamic person in which the Father sends the Son to save, and this salvation is made real in contemporary experience by the Holy Spirit. This has been described in several essays on this website, especially the lessons Trinity and Incarnation and In Remembrance of Me. Let me encourage the reader to read those two lessons as an indispensable foundation for what follows.

The lesson, ”Trinity and Incarnation,”, in its analysis of John’s gospel, described how God the transcendent Father sent his Word who became incarnate in the man Jesus Christ. As the incarnation of God, Jesus Christ was divine, possessing a divine nature. As a man, he possessed a human nature, and both the human and the divine natures were unified as one single person, Jesus Christ. The essay also described how words could convey the reality of a person across space and time. For that reason, the apostolic witness to Jesus conveyed the person of Jesus to those who heard the testimony, even if they had never seen or heard Jesus in the flesh. As they heard and received this testimony, they received the one person of Christ in his human and divine natures. Since Christ was divine, the incarnation of God, believers came to know the transcendent God, the living Father who sent his Son. As this happened by the power of the Spirit, God the Father and the Son would make their home with believers in an intimate fellowship of love (John 14-23). This intimate relation of love was mystical in the sense that believers could hear and see the transcendent God, but not mystical in the sense that the self dissolved into the divine nature.(1) Rather, the words and deeds that witnessed to Jesus took on a living quality that set forth the person of Jesus Christ, and through him, the living God of love.

With this in mind, and in reference to Matthew 28:28-30, the gospel that was proclaimed by the apostles as they went throughout the world making disciples set forth the very person of Christ, and through him, the living God. For example, in Luke 9:1-6, Jesus sent his disciples to proclaim the Kingdom, giving them the authority to heal and cast out demons. As they exercised this authority and preached the gospel (Luke 9:6), their words and deeds conveyed Christ because they could only do these deeds of power in his Name, that is, only when he was present and active in their words and deeds. In Matthew’s account of the sending of the disciples, Jesus says, “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me” (Matthew 10:40). In other words, the person of Christ is conveyed by the apostolic witness. To receive the witness is to receive the Lord Jesus, and similarly, to receive Jesus Christ is to receive the Father who sent him. Or Mark will begin his gospel with the words, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). The words “beginning of the gospel” can refer to the beginning of the literary text of Mark, but it can also mean that the very person of Christ is beginning to be set forth as one begins to read the text. Or Paul will say in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” For Paul, Christ is the true power of God for salvation, and the gospel is also that power since the gospel sets forth the person of Christ. From these examples and many more it can be said that the gospel is Jesus Christ in verbal form since it conveys his very person. Let us consider two quotations from the Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible. The first is from an article describing the biblical meaning of the word “gospel, the second from an article on the biblical meaning of the word “word.”

But Jesus is more than the first recipient and the propagator of the good news. In his ministry, he is himself the good announced. He is God’s power and wisdom (1 Cor. 1:24); our peace (Eph. 2:14); the end of the law (Rom. 10:4); our righteousness, consecration, and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30). The great “I am” statements in John (6:35; 10:7, 11; 14:6; 15:1) have the same function. In his whole ministry, Jesus himself is the gospel. (2)

There is an intimate connection between Christ and the word of which he was first the author and then the theme (cf. Heb. 2:3). This is shown by the way in which the word “preach” (κηρύσσειν) can have as object “the word” (Rom. 10:8; 2 Tim. 4:2); “the gospel” (Gal. 2:2; Col. 1:23; 1 Thess. 2:9); “Jesus” (2 Cor. 11:4); “Christ” (1 Cor. 1:23; 15:12; Phil. 1:15); “Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 1:19). Moreover, the word is not a formula, but something living and dynamic (cf. Heb. 4:12); it was accompanied by manifestations of divine power (cf. Heb. 2:4), both in the case of Christ and in that of his apostles. It is the “power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18; cf. 1 Cor. 2:4: “My speech (λόγος) and my message (κήρυγμά) were not in plausible words of wisdom but in demonstrations of the Spirit and power’”); and a little further on, Paul describes Christ as the “power of God” (1 Cor. 1:24). This intimate connection of Christ and the word makes less surprising their eventual identification. (3)

When Paul preached, he preached the word, the gospel, Jesus, Christ, and Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ was the Word, the gospel, the saving message, the living person of Christ in verbal form. Because the risen Christ, conveyed by proclamation, is alive and doing today what he did in the days of his flesh, the church’s preaching can become “living and dynamic.”

This needs to be emphasized because baptism is a response to a person, the person of Christ. It is not simply a rite without reference to a personal relationship. The same was said about the Holy Eucharist as described in the essay, In Remembrance of Me. This lesson described how the person of Jesus Christ is conveyed by the Holy Eucharist so that believers known Christ and through him meet the living God. To grasp the beauty of this more fully, let us listen to what Richard Hooker says about preaching, baptism, and Eucharist.

Is God alone the Father of spirits? Are not souls the purchase of Jesus Christ? What angel in Heaven could have said to man as our Lord unto Peter, “Feed my sheep: Preach: Baptize: Do this in remembrance of me: Whose sins ye retain they are retained: and their offences in heaven pardoned whose faults you shall on earth forgive?” What think we? Are these terrestrial sounds, or else are they voices uttered out of the clouds above? The power of the ministry of God translates out of darkness into glory, it raises men from the earth and brings God himself down from heaven, by blessing visible elements it makes them invisible grace, it gives daily the Holy Ghost, it gives of that flesh which was given for the life of the world and that blood which was poured out to redeem souls, when it pours malediction upon the heads of the wicked they perish, when it revokes the same they revive. O wretched blindness if we admire not so great power, more wretched if we consider it aright and notwithstanding imagine that any but God can bestow it! (4)

The ministries of God exercised by the church bring souls out of darkness into glory, raise earth to heaven, bring God to his people, make real the work of the Holy Spirit, redeem lost souls, bring judgment upon the impenitent, and revive the penitent with pardon, and all these things are done because the words and deeds of the Church are not only human words and deeds, but “voices uttered out of the clouds above,” bestowing things that none “but God can bestow.” When thinking of these things in relation to baptism, it is well to keep in mind that these heavenly and terrestrial realities encompass the whole of the baptismal event, from preaching and teaching, to the specific act of water baptism, to further teaching, and to a life of continuous obedience to the commands of Christ. All these, begun by the gospel, convey the person of Christ himself to those who are baptized. We may formulate the second essential point of this essay in these words: Baptism is a unified event in which the person of Christ is made real through the proclamation of the gospel in the power of the Spirit, and in response to Jesus Christ, persons are baptized as the first step in a life of obedience which brings believers home to God.

1. See the essay Knowing the Christian God.
2. The Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, George Arthus Buttrick, ed. (Volume II, New Work: Abingdon Press, 1962), pp. 445-6.
3. The Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, Volume IV, p. 871.
4. Richard Hooker, Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, Volume III, collected by John Keble (Ellicott City: Facsimile Reprint by Via Media, Inc., 1994), V.lxxii.1. I have slightly modernized Hooker’s English.

The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
dr.sanders@globalanglican

This essay is entitled “Eucharist as the Highest Form of Fellowship.” It will, I think, be the last of the lessons on the Holy Eucharist, and as such, it will summarize many of the themes presented in previous lessons. My aim is to show how God acts in the Holy Eucharist, and this will show why Eucharist is the highest form of fellowship. Before we begin, however, let us pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you that you come to us in the Holy Eucharist. Pour out upon us your Holy Spirit, that the eyes of our hearts might be opened so that we might perceive the glorious inheritance of the Eucharistic feast.

Today is Monday, June 13, 2011. Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday, the day we celebrated the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples. The lessons for that day were Acts 2:1-11, Psalm 104:24-36, 1 Corinthians 12:4-13, and John 20:19-23. The sermon was based on those lessons.

What can happen on a Sunday such as Pentecost Sunday? What can God do? How will the people respond? Let me suggest some replies to those questions, describing how God meets his people in the Holy Eucharist and enters into fellowship with them. I will describe the worship service, not based upon exactly what happened on June 13, but based in part on many Sundays, recounting the sorts of things that God can do in the Holy Eucharist and how his people might respond.

Prior to the service, the people began to assemble. Under the best of circumstances they are happy to see each other. If the life of God has come to the congregation, this love is apparent as the people fellowship together. The words of Jesus come true, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

As the time for the service approaches, the people take their seats and there is a moment of quiet. The priest or pastor greets the people and announces the opening hymn. All stand as they sing a hymn of praise and thanksgiving, one chosen to bring to their minds and hearts the great gift and work of the Holy Spirit. As this hymn to the glory of God is sung, God begins to move in the hearts and minds of the people, opening up their hearts and lifting off of them the darkness of this life.

There may be more than one hymn or song of praise, depending on the custom of the congregation. At some point, as the hymn or praise songs are sung, there is a procession which moves down the center aisle toward the altar which is located at the front. The procession is proceeded by a cross held high, followed by the choir, acolytes who serve at the altar, and finally the clergy. All these are dressed in vestments which add to the sense of holiness, revealing that God has chosen this place and time to make his Name known.

The sight of the cross invokes wonder that the great God would humble himself to die for those he loves. Carried in triumphant procession, the cross also reveals that Christ, by his cross, has conquered the world. As these events unfold, surrounded by the praises of his people, God enters the sanctuary. He is honored that his people have come to meet him, and he takes his place invisibly behind and above the altar. His glory radiates outward as those who process in take their places around the throne, represented by the altar or table covered by a clean linen cloth or beautiful hangings reflecting the beauty of God. Before the throne are the people themselves, the congregation of the Lord.

Since this is Pentecost, the hangings on the altar are red, and the stole the priest wears is red, and these are in contrast to white which was the color of the previous Easter season. These colors remind the people that this day is special, and its color, red, represents the fire of the Spirit. Invisible, yet present, like Yahweh between the cherubim in the holy of holies, the Lord begins his reign.

After the hymn or hymns, or songs of praise and thanksgiving, the people are suddenly silent. Then the opening salutation rings forth, spoken by the priest, “Alleluia. Christ is risen,” and the people respond, “The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.” With this triumphant cry, the Lord begins to pierce the hearts of the people, releasing the sorrows and worries they carry in their hearts and giving them a glimpse of his great victory. Some members of the congregation may well perceive the action of God at this moment. Others may remain bowed down by sin and the troubles of life. Even so, God is not deterred; his work has only just begun.

The salutation is followed by the prayer of humble access, asking the Lord to “Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord.” As this prayer is said by the priest, members of the congregation become aware of their sin and sadness, and a number of them ask the Lord that he cleanse their hearts that they might worship him in Spirit and in Truth. As they offer themselves to God, God begins to cleanse their hearts so that he might, in his august holiness, come even closer to them as the service unfolds.

The priest then says the summary of the law, commanding the people to love God with all their hearts, souls, and minds, and to love their neighbors as themselves. As the people listen, they begin to realize that they have not loved God fully, and with this realization, God begins to reveal to them their sin that they might be forgiven and see God face to face.

On this particular Sunday the Gloria is sung, a song of praise honoring God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This hymn, sung in faithfulness and thanksgiving for God’s mighty acts, brings joy to God’s heart that his people would honor him with this beautiful song of praise.

After the hymn, hearts are more open and the following prayer, the collect for Pentecost, is said by the priest.

O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful
people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit:
Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all
things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through
Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and
ever. Amen.

The people then sit down, ready to hear the lessons. The first lesson, Acts 2:1-11, describes how the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost. As this is read, the Holy Spirit takes the words of the lesson and uses them to speak to the people in varying ways. Some are thankful to be hearing the word of God, and thankful that God has poured out upon them his Holy Spirit. Others wonder if this could happen to them, and still others, weakened by sin and the work of the devil, scarcely perceive the promise of God’s Spirit as a present possibility. Some, without being fully aware of it, have God speak to them, promising them the Spirit, and a few, and it may at times be many, know that God is speaking to them as the lesson is read. Some hardly hear the lesson at all, preoccupied by other things. The words of Jesus ring true, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke14:35). The first reading is followed by portions of Psalm 24, and then by 1 Corinthians 12:4-13. As these are read, the Holy Spirit continues to work in the hearts of those present, revealing the glory of God, setting forth their sin, empowering them to repent, and enabling them to live holy lives according to the biblical words.

The people then stand to sing a hymn prior to the reading of the gospel. The hymn gives praise to the living God, and the Lord rejoices in the praises of his people. At times, when hearts are open, this joy overflows and the people are caught up into heaven where they sense the wonder and grandeur of God. After the hymn, the people remain standing. The reading of the gospel is introduced by the reader with these words, “The Holy Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ according to John,” and the people respond, “Glory be to you, Lord Christ.” This introduction to the gospel honors the Lord Jesus whose gospel words are the words of eternal life. The gospel, John 20:19-23, is now read — the words of life, the incarnation of God, and the hope of the world. As the words are read, Christ becomes present, made present by the words of John’s gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit. These words have a solemn and momentous quality, and some members of the congregation sense this. As the words are read, the Spirit administers the various phrases of the reading according to the needs of the people and the will of God. The passage contains the words of Jesus, “Peace be with you,” and some present receive his peace. “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you,” speaks to others, giving them a sense of purpose. Others hear the words on forgiveness and know they are forgiven, and the Spirit will remind others of those they need to forgive. Some listeners, by the power of the Spirit, hear the words and are given life. Others, as in the parable of the sower (Luke 8:4-15), hear the words with their ears, but it scarcely penetrates their hearts. In congregations where hearts are open, the words may have many powerful and diverse effects. In other congregations, where hearts are closed, the words may find no resting place on the stony ground. They allow the Lord to pass by and pay him no heed.

The sermon is now preached. This is important and will be discussed in other lessons. At this time, however, two points can be made, corresponding to Word and Spirit. According to the Word, the sermon must accurately reflect the biblical message, and further, be directed to the people where they live. On Pentecost, the sermon was simple: Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit and thereby empowers the congregation to set forth his words and do his deeds. In this way, the very life of Christ, the life he lived in the flesh and the resurrected glory he now conveys, becomes a living reality here and now. Further, the whole congregation reflects the ministry of Christ as each person uses their gifts for the good of the whole (1 Corinthians 12:4-13). This sermon, directed to the people, encourages them to believe, to lay hold of God’s promises, and to seek to receive the full authority of the Spirit to do what God intends for the congregation. As the sermon goes forward, God works in a powerful way, revealing his sovereign will, encouraging them to receive his Spirit, assuring them that his goal is peace, and that none are too insignificant to have a vital place in his Kingdom.

Corresponding to Spirit, the sermon needs to be given in love and humility. The preacher cannot stand over his people. Let him gather with them at the foot of the cross. Let them know that he loves them, and let him daily forgive them of any wrongs, praying earnestly day by day to love them, asking that the love and tenderness of God shine forth in his words, his gestures, his facial expressions, in every aspect of his being. The Word of God takes incarnate form, in flesh and blood, mind and spirit. Animated by the Spirit of love, joy, and peace, the preacher speaks tenderly to the people, and at times, confronts them with compassion, never excusing them for their reluctance to receive the Spirit and minister in the name of Christ, but convicting them of their sins, their need for repentance, and the never-ending love and compassion of God who forgives them from the cross.

The preacher ends the sermon with a time of prayer and silence, praying for and asking the people to pray in their hearts, that all receive the full measure of the Holy Spirit. The pastor offers to personally pray, once the service is over, with any of those present who feel they may need help in receiving the Holy Spirit, noting that Peter and John, according to Acts 8:14-17, imparted the Spirit by the laying-on-of-hands.

As this sermon comes to an ends, God is glorified, his heart is pleased that his people have heard his Word, and he looks forward to the moment when the confession is made at which time he will gladly forgive them of their sins and lift them into his glorious presence.

After the sermon, as a response to having heard the Word of God, the people recite the Nicene Creed. If they have been educated as to the meaning and context of the Nicene Creed, they will be aware of the great history of the church, her eternal truths, her saints, martyrs, and innumerable humble believers, and God, reigning from on high across the years, will be glimpsed in his eternal glory.

The celebrant now introduces the confession, calling upon the members to confess their sins. They are asked if they are in love and charity with their neighbors, and if they intend to lead a new life. Some of those present are not in love and charity with their neighbors. They do, however, hope and intend to lead a new life. They need the forgiveness of God and empowerment of this Spirit in order to love their neighbors. They are welcome to draw near to God with faith and to make their confession. They are also welcome to receive the body and blood of Christ as empowerment to love. As described in the lesson, Eucharistic Discipline, only those who willfully and publicly wish to remain in sin are barred from the Holy Eucharist.

The confession is said, the words of absolution are proclaimed, and the words of assurance are spoken. The Spirit delivers the people, placing upon Jesus their sins, their troubles, and their afflictions. Delivered, set free, and made clean by the sacrifice of Christ, the people are ready to enter into the very presence of God. Physically, they remain kneeling, or seated, but spiritually, in terms of the effects of God’s presence, they draw even closer to the Lord. He pours out upon them his grace. They call him Abba, Father, and he is graciously ready to hear their requests. Forgiven and clean, gathered before his throne, the people pour out their hearts to God. By this time it is often the case that the hearts of the congregation have been so stirred that they offer to God their hopes, fears, sorrows, and joys, beseeching his mercy and thanking him for their many blessings. The forms used are classical, reaching back into the ancient life of the church, the prayers of the people of God through the centuries. This outpouring of love and requests is important to God and to the whole company of heaven who invisibly surround the throne to praise his blessed name. All pray, rejoice, and give thanks together.

As the prayers come to an end, the priest stands and proclaims the peace: “The peace of the Lord be always with you,” and the people respond, “And with your spirit.” The word “spirit” in biblical usage is the whole self, animated with purpose and life, and as they exchange the peace, cleansed and made new, they manifest the love that characterizes all true Christian communities. Depending upon custom, the peace is usually celebrated by a handshake, a light kiss, or a hug, and the words, “peace be with you,” as the people greet each other. Like the Holy Eucharist, the early church kept the peace holy by making sure that those who passed the peace were reconciled and truly at peace with one another. At this time, it is especially appropriate that peace be extended to those who are new to the community, or not well known, welcoming them into the household of God. This peace, given by God through the forgiveness of sins, comes to its close and the people prepare themselves to ascend Mount Sinai to meet God face to face as did Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders.

They begin by taking up an offering to support the work of the church, and this offering is given to God by placing it upon the altar. This portion of their sustenance represents the fact that the people are now offering themselves fully to God, not simply their money, but their time, their strength, their talents, resources, everything to God who, at that very moment, is preparing to feed them with the body and blood of the one who gave up all for those he loves.

As the offering is collected, the choir sings a hymn, and normally the congregation is in a reflective mood, a mood which changes as the offering is brought forward. The priest or deacon has prepared the table, and it is beautifully and simply arranged as befits a God who manifests himself in the beauty of his holiness. The Eucharistic liturgy begins,

Celebrant: The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.
Celebrant: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up unto the Lord.
Celebrant: Let us give thanks unto our Lord God.
People: It is meet and right so to do.

The words announce the coming of the Lord, visibly and audibly present as described In Remembrance of Me. The opening words proclaim the essential point, “the Lord be with you,” and the people’s response indicate their willingness to receive his august presence. Their hearts are lifted up to the Lord, and on the day of Pentecost, a reason is given for their joy as described in the preface,

Through Jesus Christ our Lord; according to whose true
promise the Holy Spirit came down on this day from
heaven, lighting upon the disciples, to teach them and to lead
them into all truth; uniting peoples of many tongues in the
confession of one faith, and giving to your Church the power
to serve you as a royal priesthood, and to preach the gospel
to all nations.

Notice that the preface proclaims that the Holy Spirit came down “on this day,” meaning that the Holy Spirit descends again to empower the people as they come before God. After the preface, revealing the present power of God to renew his people in the Spirit, the congregation joins with all congregations everywhere, with angels, archangels, and the whole company of heaven to praise the transcendent and ever-living God,

Celebrant: Therefore with Angels and Archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify Your glorious Name; evermore praising thee, and saying,

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts:
Heaven and earth are full of Your glory.
Glory be to thee, O Lord Most High.
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

As this ancient hymn is said or sung, preferably sung, the congregation joins with “all the company of heaven,” and like Isaiah in the temple, the Lord, the living God, high and exalted, makes himself visible to those who stand before him. This vision of the divine glory is given by the power of the Spirit, and although the degree and nature of this unveiling varies with the purposes of God Sunday by Sunday, God does reveal himself as he did to Isaiah, and this is especially true for those who have been instructed in such matters and await his appearing with eagerness and purity of heart.

Having seen the Lord, invisible to the eyes of the flesh but visible to the eyes of the heart, the Lord now speaks as the celebrant sets forth the great mystery of the Christian faith, the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross. At once the people are taken there, and the glory of the exalted Lord is mingled with the awful darkness of the upper room, the terrible yet sublime words of Christ, the trial, the crucifixion, and God himself, giving away his very life to those who kneel before him. As the liturgy proclaims these great mysteries, the Lord himself comes their way, meeting them according to the words, and then, at the end, in obedience to his command, they pray, speaking to the Father in the words their Lord taught them, the Lord’s Prayer.

After the prayer, the bread is broken, followed by a moment of silence. In this intense silence many things can happen, but at its deepest, the awful nature of ultimate reality becomes apparent — that God must die at human hands. Then, in an instant, the congregation is lifted up by God himself, giving life through death,

Celebrant: Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
People: Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.

A short hymn may be sung, and the people come forward, entering into the very presence of God, receiving from God’s hands the body and blood of Jesus, offering themselves in thanksgiving that the great, true, and living God would humble himself to feed them with his very life.

After the communion, a prayer of thanksgiving is said, and then the blessing. God blesses his people, raining down upon them his living strength, preparing them for the life that lies ahead. At peace with God and each other, strengthened by his very life, surrendered to his will and kindness, the congregation rejoices as they sing the final hymn and the procession returns from the altar down the pathway between the people, carrying once more the symbols of their everlasting victory. God himself leads them, passing through their midst and leading them forth to establish his Kingdom in all the world, beginning with them that very day.

And then, the final words,

Celebrant or deacon: Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.
People: Thanks be to God.

The service concludes. God has been honored, his people blessed and fortified for life. Hearts and minds return by degrees to their daily affairs, but all is not the same. They have met God, have entered into his Kingdom, and have seen his face and heard his words. They are Christians, sons and daughters of the King, and although their witness may not always be strong, and although their worship may at times be feeble, and though they may not always be aware of his presence, he was there, and to “all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
dr.sanders@globalanglican.org

The essay, Eucharist as Covenant Renewal, describes how believers make a covenant with God and each other as they celebrate the Holy Eucharist. This covenant is mediated by the Lord Jesus who meets believers as described in the essay, In Remembrance of Me. Since Jesus is concretely present, believers meet the living God, and for that reason, the Holy Eucharist is surrounded by holiness. Because of God’s holy presence, the Holy Communion must be kept pure. It cannot be profaned, but must be received in a joyous and reverent fashion. Sometimes, however, believers are not fully aware of the importance of Holy Communion, and even more, not aware that God is present as they receive the body and blood of Christ. This leads to the Holy Communion being profaned. One reason for this is the belief that the Holy Communion is simply a memorial, a human act of memory, without the Lord Jesus becoming present and active. As seen in the essay, In Remembrance of Me, this is not the position that is accepted here.

Since the Holy Communion is holy, and since the Lord Jesus gives himself as the bread and wine, the church has always sought to honor Christ’s presence by maintaining the purity of the eucharistic feast. This is not only true of the Eucharist, but of the peace as well. In the early church, it was understood that those who passed the peace should be in love and charity with each other. One aspect of maintaining this purity is Eucharistic discipline, which means that certain persons are excluded from the congregation and the celebration of the Holy Communion. Under certain conditions this is commanded by the New Testament, and further, eucharistic discipline has been a part of the practice of the church for centuries. In this essay we will discuss eucharistic discipline, but first, however, let us begin with a prayer, asking God to help us with this important matter.

Heavenly Father, thank you that your Son humbled himself to die for us upon the cross. Help us, we pray, as we come into his presence, to honor him with a pure heart and sincere soul. All this we ask in his name. Amen.

At the time of the Protestant Reformation, the Anglican Church maintained those ancient traditions which had their roots in Holy Scripture. Among those traditions is the recognition that Scripture requires the church to maintain the purity of its eucharistic feasts. For that reason, the 1662 Prayer Book, the classical liturgical text of Anglicanism, requires the minister to maintain the integrity of the Eucharist. This admonition is found on the first page of the Eucharistic liturgy and is quoted in the endnote.(1) Its teaching can be summarized in the following points.

1. Persons can be refused communion for two reasons — “malicious and open” conflict with others, as well as “grave and open sin without repentance.”
2. Once the minister becomes convinced that these serious and open conflicts and sins exist, he is to report the matter to the “Ordinary of the place,” that is, to the local bishop.
3. Then, according to orders from the bishop, he is to advise the person living in open and grave sin not to come to the Holy Communion.
4. At times, scandals can arise very quickly and, before the minister has time to consult the bishop (this admonition was written long before modern communications), the minister may refuse communion, but must inform the bishop within a week and then follow the bishop’s direction.
5. The bishop, before making any decision in such a case, shall give the person who was refused communion an opportunity to present his side of the story in person before the bishop.

As one considers this admonition, one can notice that eucharistic discipline applies only to those who commit “grave and open sins without repentance,” or those in “malicious and open” conflict with others. Every person receiving the Holy Communion is sinful. All have gone astray in various ways. Most people receiving the Holy Communion know this and regret their sins. When they confess their sins at the time of the Confession, they want to be forgiven. They hear the words of absolution with gladness. At the same time there are others who know they are sinners and find they do not want to repent. They know this is wrong and wish their hearts could be softened. They are struggling with sin. Perhaps, for example, they are not able to fully forgive someone. Still others are not aware of their sins because sin is a deep and subtle matter, and all of us have sins we can scarcely recognize. It requires the deep work of the Spirit to reveal our sin. Still others are just learning about the Christian life, or perhaps its truths have just barely penetrated their souls. They may not always agree with biblical teaching, or fully understand the power of the Eucharist, but they are not there to promote their ideas or sway others to their point of view. None of these sorts of persons should be excluded from the Holy Communion. In fact, they need the love of God given in Holy Communion in order to make their way forward toward Christ. Such persons need to be accepted, loved, and encouraged.

At the same time, however, it can sometimes happen that there are those who do not wish to repent, whose sins are “open” and “grave.” These are publicly known and serious sins which, if left unaddressed, will affect the entire congregation. These open, serious, and unrepentant sins fall into three categories, and each category entails exclusion from the Holy Communion.

First, there are those who are in “malicious and open” conflict with others and refuse to repent and be reconciled. The word “open” in this context means conflict that is publicly known, while “malicious” means a serious conflict. This serious and publicly known conflict, if not addressed, can tear apart the body of Christ. In Matthew 5:23-24, Jesus says the following, “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” In other words, Jesus commands his followers to be reconciled before they come to the altar, which for Christians, is the table or altar where Holy Communion is celebrated. In Matthew 18, Jesus describes the process by which two people can be reconciled, and this was discussed in the lesson Forgiveness in Action. If the process of mutual reconciliation breaks down, the unrepentant person is not to be accepted into the community, and this, above all, excludes them from the Holy Eucharist. Here are the words of Jesus, “And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” (Matthew 18:17).

The second form of sin what requires exclusion from the Holy Communion is serious, public, and unrepentant immorality by a member of the church and known by other members. Such a sin is an example of a “grave and open sin without repentance.” If this is not addressed, the church can be seriously and even permanently damaged. It is best for the minister to quietly go to the guilty party and address the situation. If the person is unrepentant, if no resolution is possible, that person must be excluded from the Holy Communion. An example of this can be found in 1 Corinthians 5 where Paul commands the Corinthians to expel from their midst a person who was in a sexual relationship with his father’s wife. According to the passage, Paul imposed this discipline for two reasons. First, by expelling the man from the community and thereby surrendering him to Satan, there was the hope that he would be so afflicted that he would repent that “his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (5:1). This is always the goal of eucharistic exclusion — the hope that the excluded person will come to their senses, repent, receive forgiveness, and be restored to the life of the congregation. Secondly, Paul says,

Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (5:6-8).

Here Paul references the feast of the Passover and unleavened bread, Exodus 12. According to the new covenant, as we have seen in the essay Passover and the Holy Eucharist, this refers to the Eucharistic festival in which believers celebrate the saving truth that “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” If the old leaven, the flagrant sinner, is allowed to continue in sin and participate in the eucharistic feast, his evil leaven will infect the entire body of Christ since all become one in the common loaf (1 Corinthians 10:17). When the Eucharist is profaned in this manner, it inflicts deep spiritual wounds on the congregation. Among other things, those who seek to live holy lives will be discouraged and wonder why the leadership allows such things. Therefore, for the sake of the body of Christ and for the sake of those who persist in evil, those who are engaged in serious sins, which are known, are to be excluded from the fellowship and the eucharistic feast.

Finally, Scripture considers false teaching to be worthy of exclusion from the fellowship and from Holy Eucharist. False teaching is especially dangerous since it leads people away from Christ, substituting another gospel for the liberating gospel of Truth. It is for this reason that Paul, in Galatians 1:8-9, will use the strongest possible language to condemn false teaching,

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Among other things, to be accursed means to be banished from the community. Similar ideas in regard to false teaching can be found in Second John,

Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works” (9-11).

The universal church practiced Eucharistic discipline for centuries, building upon the biblical foundation and developing systems of eucharistic discipline. Those who committed especially notorious sins were excluded from the fellowship, including the Eucharist. A lesser penalty was to be excluded from the Holy Communion for a period of penance and repentance. This penitential system was abandoned at the time of the Reformation, but the essential idea, that Eucharist must be kept pure for the health and integrity of the body of Christ and the holiness of God cannot be abandoned.

The church was especially vigilant in regard to false teaching since false doctrine, above all, can permanently destroy a right relationship with God. Only those who believed right doctrine were welcomed at the holy table. False teachers were excluded. Here is a quotation from Werner Elert’s book, Eucharist and Church Fellowship in the First Four Centuries.

This involves an understanding of the church according to which orthodox doctrine is an essential criterion of the church. Heretical doctrine is apostasy and the worst of all sins. … . The early church was never in doubt that unity in doctrine is a prerequisite of altar fellowship. No one who taught false doctrine might receive Holy Communion in an orthodox congregation. (2)

As an example of heretical doctrine is the Arian controversy. Arius taught that the spiritual being that became incarnate in Jesus Christ was not God, but was a creature, a being less than God. The church in council, in the year 325, denied this false doctrine and proclaimed that Jesus Christ was of the same substance as the Father. This was proclaimed in a forerunner of the Nicene Creed which ended with an anathema excluding from the fellowship all those who followed the teaching of Arius.

And whosoever shall say that there was a time when the Son of God was not, or that before he was begotten he was not, or that he was made of things that were not, or that he is of a different substance or essence [from the Father] or that he is a creature, or subject to change or conversion – all that so say, the Catholic and Apostolic Church anathematizes them.

The point at which the early believers first publicly proclaimed their faith was at baptism. New converts were taught the faith, and to that end, summaries of fundamental Christian beliefs were developed. These were the forerunners of the creeds, and these creeds were taught prior to baptism. Traditionally, new converts were taught the faith and exorcised for a period of time prior to baptism, and then, on Easter Eve, were baptized. In time, the The Apostles’ Creed became the creed to be used at baptism with candidates affirming their faith in the affirmations of that creed. J.N.D. Kelly describes the baptismal use of the creeds with these words, “Whatever other uses they may have been put to in the course of history, the true and original use of creeds, their primary raison d’être, was to serve as solemn affirmations of faith in the context of baptismal initiation.” (3)
For this reason, Anglican Prayer books have always required those being baptized to affirm, or reaffirm, a commitment to the truths of the Apostles’ Creed.

In actual practice, purity of doctrine is not always recognized by or affirmed by members of the church. People forget what they may have learned, or they may blend Christian truth with other ideas, or they may be poorly taught. As in the case of immorality and unresolved serious conflict, the danger of false belief becomes pernicious when it is publicly proclaimed. Then it is imperative that the leadership address the false teaching at once. Normally, however, it is best to create an atmosphere of love, and not one of doctrinal surveillance, allowing church members to grow in their knowledge of God. Having said this, however, it is important that all persons given a teaching role in the church be tested as to their understanding of the Truth. This is critical.

According to the admonition taken from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, the minister shall consult with the bishop and abide by his decision in regard to barring someone from Holy Communion. The origin of this custom is the fact that, in the early church, the apostles exercised spiritual authority. It was Paul who commanded the Corinthians to excommunicate the man living with his father’s wife. Or, in Second John, it is the elder, most likely the apostle John, who commands the lady and her children not to accept the doctrine that Jesus Christ did not come in the flesh (verse 7). These are the false teachers the elder commanded his readers to avoid in verse 10. With the death of the apostles, government in the church became associated with the office of the bishop. Anglicans do not believe that church government is exactly specified in Scripture. Nevertheless, it is vital that any minister who exercises eucharistic discipline do so in conjunction with spiritual authority. For Anglicans, that authority is the bishop. It is also wise for Anglican priests to work in conjunction with a church council whose members have been chosen for their spiritual maturity and the respect they hold in the congregation. Other church bodies are governed by a council of elders together with their chief pastor. However the authority is structured, it is wise for the pastor to seek the authorization of legitimate authority, including council members respected by the congregation. Decisions to exclude from communion are very serious, and if not done wisely, in ways that show deliberation and consultation, can easily divide and even destroy the body of Christ. For this reason, the pastoral counsel given to ministers in regard to eucharistic discipline by the 1662 Prayer Book requires consultation and due deliberation.

Finally, Eucharistic disciple requires discernment, wisdom, and pastoral discretion, and there are two ways to go astray. One is to never exercise discipline. This is fatal as it allows false teaching, open immoral behavior, and public conflicts to destroy the church. The other path is to foster an atmosphere of surveillance in which church members fear reprisals if they reveal their weaknesses and failings. This creates a climate of fear, excessive religiosity, and pretensions of holiness which, and in the end, destroy love and spiritual growth. Only if church members know they are accepted and loved in spite of their weaknesses, and given time and a place to grow spiritually, yet challenged to repent by rigorous and tender-hearted public preaching and pastoral care, will conditions emerge that allow growth in Christ in an atmosphere of increasing love. Jesus associated with sinners and outcasts, and his pastors must do the same, allowing sinners to know that they are loved and thereby empowered to grow in the grace of God. What a blessing when this occurs, and it can occur, because the Lord Jesus loves his pastors and leaders. He pours out his grace upon them and all members of the congregation, and by his amazing grace fills his beloved people with all the love in the world. And when his people partake of his crucified body and blood, they find a love that never ends, a love that conquers all things, endures all things, hopes all things, and believes all things. This love is celebrated week by week in the Holy Communion, and for that reason, the eucharistic feast is to be guarded, honored, and loved.

Let us end with a prayer of thanksgiving.

Heavenly Father, pour out upon us your grace that we might lead lives of repentance and courage, thereby honoring the great mystery of love that you have poured out upon us in the Holy Communion. And we also ask that, by your grace, our leadership may be filled with wisdom, tenderness, and steadfast purpose, that they may guard this holy mystery for the sake of your glory and honor and for the health under their authority. Amen.

If a Minister be persuaded that any person who presents himself to be a partaker of the holy Communion ought not to be admitted thereunto by reason of malicious and open contention with his neighbours, or other grave and open sin without repentance, he shall give an account of the same to the Ordinary of the place, and therein obey his order and direction, but so as not to refuse the Sacrament to any person until in accordance with such order and direction he shall have called him and advertised him that in any wise he presume not to come to the Lord’s Table; Provided that in case of grave and immediate scandal to the Congregation the Minister shall not admit such person, but shall give an account of the same to the Ordinary within seven days after at the latest and therein obey the order and direction given to him by the Ordinary; Provided also that before issuing his order and direction in relation to any such person the Ordinary shall afford him an opportunity for interview.

2. Werner Elert, Eucharist and Church Fellowship in the First Four Centuries, (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1966), pp. 108-09.
3. Kelly, J.N.D. Kelly, Early Christian Creeds, third edition (New York: David McKay Company, Inc., 1972), p. 31.

The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
dr.sanders@globalanglican.org

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.

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

In the lesson, Leadership, three kingdoms were described: kingdoms governed by the desires of the powerful, the Kingdom of Israel founded by conquest and ordered by the covenant, and the Kingdom of sacrificial love founded by Jesus, where love is defined by the cross and empowered by the Spirit. This lesson will reflect on these three kingdoms and connect that reflection with the Holy Eucharist. First, however, let us open up our hearts to God in prayer.

Heavenly Father, by your heavenly grace pour out upon us the Spirit of discernment that we might recognize your Kingdom in the midst of the kingdoms that seek our love. Even more, we pray, give us the authority by your Word and Spirit to set forth your Kingdom in this sinful world. For the sake of the Lord Jesus who died that we might live. Amen.

Thinking back on our lesson, Worship and the Covenant, let us describe the social entity of a kingdom as composed of three factors: a common history, a common body of laws, customs, and practices, and finally, rituals, educational forms, and celebrations that instill the history, custom, and law into the members of the kingdom. By “kingdom,” we mean what we commonly call nations, and we may note that the world is composed of many nations speaking many languages with many and varied histories, laws, customs, and practices. Within these nations there are many subgroups, ethnic groups, clans, tribes, and geographical regions with their common histories, laws, customs, rituals and celebrations.

As we survey these many nations, tribes, and ethnic groups, as we study their histories and the ways in which they govern themselves, we see many differences, and yet at the same time, there are many similarities. All of them, to one degree or another, were established and maintained by violence in various forms. Within Scripture, one may think of the Kingdom of Israel. It was begun in violence and it continued in violence. It began with an escape from Egypt, wilderness wandering, an invasion, and bloody battles of conquest. Once in the land, the nation was afflicted by frequent conflicts, both internally and externally. At times, as under King David, Israel was victorious. By and large, however, Israel suffered terribly in these wars, and in the years 69-70 after Christ, Israel was utterly destroyed and its people dispersed. This is the fate of the kingdoms of this world. In the words of Jesus, “all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52).

I am a citizen of the United States of America, a nation that, at the moment, is a very powerful nation. It was founded by violence, a rebellion that took place in the late 18th century, and it has been held together by violence, the worst being a terrible war that erupted in the nineteenth century. In the last hundred years, it has fought numerous wars, and now it possesses a powerful military with massive destructive power. This power guarantees, for the moment, a feeling of security for its citizens. This security, like the security of all nations, is only temporary. This nation, like all others, will collapse, destroyed by the violence and death at the heart of it. Even if this nation were to last forever, it could not solve a fundamental problem, the fact that we all die.

Once a group of people have established themselves in a land, they must organize and govern themselves. By and large, this is often to the good, enabling a people to live together with some degree of peace, protecting the citizens from criminals and enemies, and enabling commerce and communal life. This communal life is often governed by some degree of law, and the law always requires force to uphold it. Israel was governed by the laws of the covenant. These laws had their roots in Israel’s history, God’s liberation from Egypt and the gift of the land. The laws were enforced by violence, such things as stoning, for example, or what is known as the lex talionis, “It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Deuteronomy 19:21). God himself enforced the laws, sending Israel into exile for her violations of the covenant. As seen in such lessons as Land and Work, or The Righteous King, one of the purposes of Israel’s law and leadership was to protect the weak against the strong. Frequently, however, this did not happen. Although Israel had a law based on justice, she often fell back into the Egyptian pattern, that is, a nation ruled by the ruthless, the wealthy, and the powerful, who used their power to oppress and exploit their fellow Israelites. We studied this in the lessons on the prophetic judgment, Micah Three, Isaiah Five, and Amos Five.

Even under the best of conditions, within nations that are governed by just laws and rulers, these laws must be maintained by force to prevent the ascendancy of criminal elements, and therefore, coercion upholds even the best of societies. It is not unusual, however, for the laws to favor the powerful against the weak, allowing the strong to confiscate the lands, resources, and labor of their weaker citizens. In all societies, and this is true in varying degrees, there are constant struggles among individuals, factions, and centers of power, all seeking to impose their will on others and to use them to their advantage. This can also be seen in Israel’s sorrowful history. Her history of evil kings, faithless priests, and lying prophets, interspersed with a few good kings and true prophets, is similar to the histories of this world’s kingdoms. All these societies carry their history of sin in their souls, and they cannot escape the consequences of that sin in their ongoing histories.

Further, all societies raise their children and educate their citizens to honor and keep the laws, customs, and practices of their respective countries. In Israel, the renewal of the covenant, seen for example, in Joshua 24, was an occasion to educate the people in the life of the nation, and all the great feasts had the same function. Many nations set aside times of celebration and their leaders often appeal to their nation’s history or fundamental beliefs to justify their actions.

In the United States, for example, the Fourth of July is such an event. On this day its citizens celebrate the Declaration of Independence, the day in which the founders of the country threw off the yoke of England’s rule. At major sports events, it is not unusual for the National Anthem to be sung, an anthem bringing together the violence of war, the flag, and the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” All nations and social groups have these rituals, and these rituals are easily twisted by unscrupulous and deceitful rulers who manipulate their populations. In fact, it is rare for leaders to be completely honest with their followers. The history of the world is filled with charismatic leaders who promised their followers wealth and power, and then led them to destruction.

When one considers the church, one sees similar conditions. It is not unusual for church leaders to use their positions to profit off of their followers, nor is it unusual for pastors to be engaged in struggles for power and influence. Church members often divide into warring camps, fighting over property, doctrine, moral norms, their leaders, and many other matters. The divisions that afflict the wider society, divisions based on wealth, power, national and tribal differences, infect the church. I have seen churches split over such matters. Anyone who reads First and Second Corinthians can see that there was conflict in the Corinthian Church, and the history of the church has its share of religious wars. Because of these failings, many people leave the church, finding it little different from the world which surrounds them. In many ways they are correct, but there is a profound difference between the church and the kingdoms of this world, and this difference begins with Jesus.

Unlike the founders and leaders of other nations, Jesus was sinless, and the character of his sinless nature can initially be seen in his temptations (Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13). Jesus was led into the desert and there the devil offered him bread, the kingdoms of this world with their political power and wealth, and finally, Jesus was tempted to produce a great sign of his favor with God to justify his spiritual authority. Unlike other leaders whose goals are wealth and power, including religious leaders who justify themselves by some form of spiritual authority, Jesus was driven by one fundamental concern — to love God and to keep his Word. What began in the desert ended on Calvary. There, above all, he revealed his obedience to the Father and his willingness to put God’s will above power, wealth, physical relief, status, spiritual authority, or any other value offered by the kingdoms of this world. That is where his Kingdom began, and that is why his Kingdom is different from the other kingdoms of this world.

Furthermore, at the founding of his Kingdom, created by crucifixion, resurrection, and the gift of the Spirit, only the founder himself was killed. When Jesus was brought before Pilate for sentencing, Pilate asked him if he were king of the Jews. Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world” (John 18:36). This is the essence of the matter. The Kingdom of Christ was founded by sacrificial love, not by force of arms. Love is its root and source, and for that reason, when it flowers, it produces the fruit of love. Other kingdoms grow out of their roots as well, and since their roots entail conquest and killing, their fruit is expansion, conquest, and eventual decline and death. Since Christ’s Kingdom was not founded by force of arms, it cannot be expanded by conquest. It can only be expanded by the proclamation of the gospel, the gospel that Christ died to reconcile his followers to God and each other.

It must also be said that Jesus, unlike other leaders, did not promise his followers wealth and power. He made great promises, above all, the privilege of knowing him, the greatest gift of all. He also promises healing, blessings, protection, provision, life, and love, beginning in this life and completed in the life of the world to come. All these things happen in the lives of Christians. But he also said we are to take up our crosses daily. Life does not always go the way we expect. Salvation now is only partial. Only at the end will God fully wipe away all the tears from our eyes. Only then will we be fully safe. From the beginning Christians have been persecuted. Paul said it succinctly, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, …” (2 Timothy 3:12). This is a statement of fact. Sometimes this persecution is of the hard variety, being robbed, harmed and killed. At other times, it is of the soft variety, being ignored, slandered, and pushed to the side. Unlike other leaders who promise wealth and power, Jesus tells the truth and he can tell the truth because he knows that knowing him, being faithful to him, is worth everything. Here are some of his words.

If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: “A servant is not greater than his master.” If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:18-20).

Over the centuries Christians have lived in many different kingdoms and nations. These nations, like all nations, lived by violence, and at times, were forced to live by violence as in legitimate self-defense or in protecting themselves against criminal activities. Christians have participated in these wars and police actions. God willing, in another lesson, I will address these matters more fully. Until Christ comes again, there will always be injustice and wrong, and the lesser evil of force must, at times, be used to restrain greater evils. Wars must sometimes be fought to defeat terrifying tyrannies. It needs to be understood, however, that not all wars are just, that Christians cannot rush to war at any and every moment, and that when force is needed for legitimate purposes, Christians are not founding the Kingdom of Christ by participating in wars and police actions. Rather, they are restraining greater evils by lesser ones, keeping alive this sinful world under the providence of God.

In spite of the sin and shame found in the church, the church possesses something that is found nowhere else, and that is the person of Christ bringing life to the church. That is what makes the church so very, very important and so different from the kingdoms of this world. Since these essays are primarily from an Anglican perspective, let me introduce Article 19 of the The Articles of Religion, an article defining the visible Church.

The visible church of Christ is a congregation of believers in which the pure Word of God is preached and in which the sacraments are rightly administered according to Christ’s command in all those matters that are necessary for proper administration. As the churches of Jerusalem, Antioch and Alexandria have erred, so also the church of Rome has erred, not only in their practice and forms of worship but also in matters of faith.

The article describes the visible church. It does not describe the invisible church. The invisible church is all those who by faith truly believe in Jesus Christ and are in a living relationship with him. The visible church is composed of those who are members of the church, that is, places we can see and recognize as churches, places that take the name “Christian.” All who belong to the invisible church under the lordship of Christ will manifest their obedience to him by living in relationship with other believers, and therefore, they will be members of the visible church. Not all, however, who are in the visible church believe in Christ and are members of the invisible church. There are those who become church members for reasons other than serving Christ, and further, there are churches which claim to be Christian, but are not. These are “Christian” bodies that have abandoned the faith and believed a false gospel.

Churches that have not abandoned the faith are those in which “the pure Word of God is preached and in which the sacraments are rightly administered according to Christ’s command …” Within Anglican Churches, there are norms which determine whether the preaching is pure and the sacraments rightly administered. First and foremost, there is the norm of Scripture. Every Sunday in Anglican Churches, three lessons and a psalm are read from God’s Word. This, above all, is the pure Word of God. As one hears the Word in Christian worship with an open heart and empowered by Spirit, God creates his distinctive Kingdom of love, a Kingdom created by crucifixion, resurrection, and the giving of the Spirit. Further, within Anglicanism, there are subsidiary norms, the Creeds, the homilies (sermons written at the time of the English Reformation and recognized as truthful renderings of Scripture), and the teaching of the Prayer Book. These, by the corporate discernment of the church, have been recognized as presenting the pure Word of God because they set forth the true teaching of Scripture.

Many, many churches, and not just Anglican Churches, are filled with believers who weekly preach the pure Word of God. Of course, all preaching has an element of sin in it, as do all churches since all have erred as Article 19 states. Nevertheless, by God’s justifying grace, and sincere efforts in pursuit of purity, preaching can become pure and does throughout the Christian world. Nowhere else, in no other kingdom, does one hear the Word of Life and therefore, it is vital that all who wish to know the Lord Jesus and to enter into his distinctive Kingdom, find a fellowship and join with others in seeking and proclaiming the pure Word of God.

Further, for Anglicans, there are two sacraments, baptism and the Supper of the Lord (Article 25). The “Supper of the Lord” refers to what we have termed “The Holy Communion,” the second part of the Holy Eucharist. As described in these essays on the Holy Eucharist, Anglicans worship by means of liturgies, and Anglicans have inherited and purified the ancient liturgies that have blessed the Church for centuries. These, in and of themselves, proclaim the pure Word of God and enable believers to meet the living God. These liturgies, like the one offered on this website, A Liturgy for Eucharist, enable the congregation to celebrate according to Christ’s command. Among other things, the liturgies for the Holy Communion specify the use the elements (bread and wine), the words, and the actions that Christ commanded when he said, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19, 1 Corinthians 11:24-25). The lesson, the Formation of the Eucharist, described how the church developed these liturgies in accord with their biblical form.

As is the case with the Word of God, so it is with the Holy Eucharist. There, and only there, in the church and in no other kingdom, can one eat of the Bread of Life. Only there does one hear and see the words and deeds that bring one before the living God. There and only there does one sit at table with God, his Son, and the company of the redeemed. Only there does one remember the one who suffered violence to found his Kingdom of love. Only as one receives his broken body and spilt blood does one enter that everlasting Kingdom. Always, everywhere, in churches that keep the faith, preach the pure Word of God and celebrate the Holy Communion, sinful human beings are united to God through the blood of Jesus and made a member of that Kingdom that has no end. For this reason, all who seek hope are called to join that fellowship, and the church, for her part, is called to purify herself that she might faithfully proclaim the Word of God and administer the Holy Communion.

I write this essay for several reasons. First, many Christians have been blinded by the glory and powers of this world, and this glory often manifests itself in the social group to which they may belong, whether it be their country, class, tribe, or geographical region. Nevertheless, from the beginning Christians have belonged to another Kingdom, a Kingdom not of this world, and it is idolatry to love one’s country, or tribe, or ethnic group, rather than loving God and one’s neighbor. Scripture never commands anyone to love their country. Nowhere in the Old Testament are the people of God commanded to love their native country Israel. Aside from one ambiguous possibility, Scripture nowhere states that any of God’s people loved their country. (1) The people of Israel were called to love their neighbors, even the alien in the midst, but not their country. Israel lived by the love of God, the first commandment, and not by self-love. God loved Israel, but Israel was not called to love herself. The same holds true for the church. Christians are called to love God and each other, as well as their enemies, but are never called to love the church. When Christians love the church, they put the success of the church, its programs, property, and power, above the love of God and their neighbor. There are many successful churches whose members love the church, but have little love of God. Just as Christians are not called to love the church, they are not called to love any other society such as their country. The example of Paul is instructive here. In his letter to the Philippians, he proclaims that he had more confidence than anyone in the things of this world, that is, in the flesh. He was “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; …” (3:5). He was an Israelite, his tribe was Benjamin, his people, the Hebrews. But then he says,

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, … But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Philippians 3:7-9, 20-21)

Paul was a Roman citizen, and Rome was the greatest power in the Mediterranean world. He was also a member of the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people. Yet he counted these as “loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” The writer of I John proclaims a similar message. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1John 2:15). The nations belong to the world, the system that is passing away. It is no accident that the only place the state is mentioned in the Nicene Creed is in reference to Pilate, a representative of the state who sentenced Jesus to death.

Although Christians are not called to love their country, they are, however, called to respect and honor authority, both in the church and in the world (Romans 13:7, 1 Peter 2:17). For this reason, it is amiss for Christians to drag down their countries, or to virulently attack their leaders. As will be seen in another essay, Christians may, at times, be forced to resist outrageous internal tyrannies, but by and large, Christians are called to work for the welfare of their countries. More needs to be said on this vital subject.

Secondly, the church at times seems so weak and pitiful, and its members so hypocritical, ineffectual, and constantly at odds with one another, that we fail to see that she carries in her bosom the hope of the world. That is where we belong, with other sinners like ourselves, sinners who have the incomparable privilege, Sunday by Sunday, of entering into the holy of holies to meet the living God who loves us without end. Let us remember the words of Jesus, “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Mat 26:29). Those words apply to us, to believers who can, by the grace of God, receive the living Word of God and are blessed by the Holy Communion, and this happens, over and over again, in the church. It is a blessing to belong to that distinctive Kingdom which is Christ’s, and that Kingdom is manifest in the church. We need to be faithful to that blessing.

Finally, when believers come into the church, they leave the world with its kingdoms, tribes, classes, and ethnic distinctions and enter a universal Kingdom composed of persons from every nation and class upon the earth. The divisions of the world, however, are carried over into the church, and it is not unusual for a church to split along lines of national origin, tribe, or class. I have witnessed first hand a church dividing because certain members, those with wealth and accustomed to being in authority, were unwilling to become the servants of those who were poor and powerless. This cannot be. As believers come forward to receive the Holy Communion, they commit themselves to unity, to serving others, and to forging bonds of love across all divisions that afflict this sinful world. Here is Paul,

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1Corinthians 10:16-7).

When the unity given to us in the body and blood of Christ becomes a living fact in the church, then and only then does the church become a living witness to Jesus Christ. Jesus stated this clearly in John’s gospel, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). For this reason, it is imperative that believers, united by the body and blood of Christ and washed by the preaching of his word, live in peace with one another, leaving behind the conflicts and divisions of the world, and uniting themselves with joy into the great Kingdom that will have no end.
In our essay, Eucharist as the Dawn of the Age to Come, we proclaimed that we enter into the great Kingdom as we come before God in the Holy Eucharist. We saw how that never-ending love could become real even upon earth as we worship the one who sits upon the throne.

Let us end this essay by remembering this again, remember in the strong sense of In Remembrance of Me.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 7:9-12).

Finally, a prayer:

Heavenly Father, pour out upon us we pray your Holy Spirit that we, beholding the face of your Son, Jesus Christ, may bring forth your Kingdom in the church, and by your mighty power, become a blessing to the world. These great things, beyond our abilities, but within your power, we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
dr.sanders@globalanglican.org

This page lists all texts given on the website. To the left, in blue, they are arranged in alphabetical order. Below they are listed according to the categories that organize this website.

Christian Basics

Following Jesus
The Ten Commandments
The Cross and Resurrection
Forgiveness
Forgiving and Being Healed
Forgiveness in Action
Clothed in Christ’s Righteousness
Review and Thanksgiving
God Creates the World
Sin, Corruption, and Death
God Chose a People
Worship and the Covenant
Leadership
Land and Work
Micah Three
Isaiah Five
Amos Five
The Righteous King
Jeremiah Thirty-One
Isaiah Fifty-Three
Old Testament Review
The Lord Jesus
The Resurrection
The Ascension
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit
Baptism by Water
The Baptism of Infants and Little Children

Christian Discipleship

Holy Baptism

Introduction to Holy Baptism

Holy Eucharist

Holy Eucharist
Formation of the Eucharist
The Consecration of Space and Time
In Remembrance of Me
Eucharist as Covenant Renewal
Passover and the Holy Eucharist
Eucharist as Forgiveness and Healing
Eucharist as the Dawn of the Age to Come
Eucharist as Deliverance from Evil
Eucharist as a Direction of Service
Eucharist as the Restoration of Eden
Eucharist and the Distinctive Kingdom
Eucharistic Discipline
Eucharist as the Highest Form of Fellowship

Theological Writings

Trinity and Incarnation
Friedrich Schleiermacher
Knowing the Christian God
Barth on Anselm
The Creeds and Biblical Interpretation

Testimonies

Dick Bowman’s Witness
Nepal Testimonies

Resources

The Articles of Religion
A Liturgy for Eucharist
The Nicene Creed
Prefaces and Offertory Sentences
A Kenyan Liturgy
A Biblical Timeline
The Creed of Chalcedon
The Creed of Saint Athanasius
The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God the Father almighty; creator of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born from Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried, descended to hell, on the third day rose again from the dead, ascended to heaven, sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty, thence He will come to judge the living and the dead;

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the remission of sins, the resurrection of the flesh, and eternal life. Amen.

The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
dr.sanders@globalanglican.org home

This essay describes Barth’s analysis of Anselm’s "proof" of God.  As the essay unfolds, it will be shown that God speaks and that he speaks objectively.  By this it is meant that God says things that can be understood by the mind in much the same way we understand the objects that surround us.  This can be looked at christologically.  Jesus spoke and still speaks as Scripture.  By the communicatio idiomatum the words of Jesus are also the words of God.  As we understand the human words of Jesus, we understand them as God speaking, as God’s words.  The difference between God’s speech and other objects is that God’s words are eternal, and further, they lift one into the presence of the transcendent God who, even as he speaks, lives in light approachable. 

One corollary of this essay is that Scripture is not only the Word of God, centered in Jesus Christ the Word, but also the words of God.  This means that orthodox, biblical interpretation will first attend the the literal, grammatical meaning of the text, taking genre into account, and coordinate that meaning with the whole of the biblical revelation understood in a triune fashion.   For this reason, it is best to say that the words of Scripture are the words of the human authors, and, at the same time, the words of God.   Or, to put it another way, God speaks as the words of Scripture rather than through them.  The preposition "through" gives the impression that the Word of God somehow bypasses the human aspect, usually resulting in the belief that the Word of God is a mystical "it," rather than concrete, objective content that we can understand.   The perspective affirmed here is that the biblical words are God actually speaking to us, judging us, forgiving us, lifting us into his sublime and transcendent presence. 

A second corollary, is that God is objectively present in the sacraments.   The two sacraments, baptism and Eucharist, are comprised of three aspects, ordained by Christ, a visible sign, and lastly God’s grace, his action.  This action is objective, that is, it entails God speaking and acting in ways that are objective.  This can be understood in two senses.  In the sacraments, Christ is present regardless of the subjective attitude of those who partake of the sacrament.   That is the first sense, and the second is that his presence is objectively grasped by the mind.  His speech and action can be understood, and further, objective means that this speech and action changes the person who enters into a relationship with God by faith.  Faith is the human response to God revealing himself objectively.  There is no need, in Eucharist, for example, for Christ to be physically present as transubstantiated bread and wine in order for Christ to be objectively present and active.  There is a need, however, for the signs and the words of institution to be set forth, for it is by them, as this essay describes in regard to a name, that Christ becomes present and active.  

Barth on Anselm

Barth began as a liberal theologian, a partisan of Schleiermacher, but broke with him for three principle reasons — the outbreak of WWI and the capitulation of the liberal theologians to the Kaiser’s war policy, Barth’s witnessing of a miracle wrought by the Blumhardt’s in the name of Jesus, and his discovery of what he called "the strange new world in the Bible." (1) The result was his epoch-making edition of The Epistle to the Romans.

Barth’s Romerbrief, however, did not really solve the problem of liberal theology. It had no concept of God’s act, an act in which God miraculously becomes present to human knowing. All it really did was deny the liberal assumption that the "feeling of absolute dependence" was tantamount to a revelation of God. Or, to put it differently, the Romerbrief affirmed God’s transcendence, but failed to do justice to the incarnation. Later, Barth was to say of it,

Then, in face of the prevailing historism and psychologism which had ceased to be aware at all of any revelation other than an inner mundane one within common time, the book had a definite antiseptic task and significance. Readers of it today will not fail to appreciate that in it Jn. 1:14 does not have justice done to it. (2)

It wasn’t until Barth read Anselm’s proof on the existence of God that he was able to break free of Schleiermacher and affirm the biblical notion that God can become objective in revelation. Barth wrote up his conclusions on Anselm in a book entitled, Anselm: fides quaerens intellectum. (3) For Barth, Anselm provided the key to his theological enterprise, and once he had the key, he began at once to work on his monumental Church Dogmatics. In regard to his study of Anselm, Barth commented,

Only a comparatively few commentators, for example Hans Urs von Balthasar, have realized that my interest in Anselm was never a side-issue for me or–assuming I am more or less correct in my historical interpretation of St. Anselm–realized how much it has influenced me or been absorbed into my own line of thinking. Most of them have completely failed to see that in this book on Anselm I am working with a vital key, if not the key, to an understanding of that whole process of thought that has impressed me more and more in my Church Dogmatics as the only one proper to theology. (4)

In this essay I will set forth the essence of Barth’s understanding of Anselm. I will speak of Anselm throughout, but in so doing I am always speaking of Barth’s interpretation of Anselm. I will not present Barth’s analysis in detail, only the underlying logic which makes it possible to grasp why and how Barth is a theologian of the objective school.

Finally, I wrote my doctoral dissertation on Karl Barth. In the process, I read a number of theologians who had studied Barth. Very few of them seemed to have really penetrated to the heart of his theology. They failed to grasp the key insight by which to make sense of the whole of his theology. This essay presents that key insight. It comes from Anselm.

As many commentators have observed, and this includes Barth, this "proof" isn’t really a proof in the logical sense. It wasn’t a proof for Anselm as well. He had something else in mind. The "proof" is a way for faith to seek understanding. By faith Anselm already believed that God existed. Once Anselm believed, he sought to understand what he believed and the "proof" helped him do that. To use a scientific example, everyone knows that gravity exists. Fewer people understand that the gravitational force between two masses is directly proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Knowing that, one not only knows that gravity exists, one also has some understanding of gravity itself. Anselm believed God existed. He also wanted to understand the God in whom he believed. The "proof" is a way of understanding God. For that reason, Barth entitles his book on Anselm, Anselm: fides quaerens intellectum,” where the Latin phrase means "faith seeking understanding."

Even so, Anselm believed that God could take the texts of Scripture, the words of preaching, the creeds of the church, and speak as these created mediums so that God would come before his mind as an object for his knowing. As this happened, God would speak to Anselm and Anselm would know God and not simply believe that God existed. To repeat myself, although God was unlike any object, God could, binding himself to the statements of authoritative texts, take form as an object before Anselm’s mind and enable him to have some understanding of God.

For God to speak, however, a miracle would have to occur. As a finite human being, Anselm could not make God speak, nor was God’s speech a property of the created order. As things stood, God might or might not speak to him, and Anselm may or may not understand God’s Word even if God did speak. Anselm was utterly dependent upon God’s action, an action he could not control. Therefore, Anselm began with prayer, praying that God would reveal himself as an object to his understanding.

He [Anselm] interprets the plight of man in his failure to know God, a plight which even the believer shares, as being due to the fact that he is involved in the remoteness of God from a humanity that is sinful by inheritance. This remoteness is clearly an objective remoteness of God himself God is absent, he dwells in light unapproachable. (5)

Strictly speaking, it is only God himself who has a conception of God. All that we have are conceptions of objects, none of which is identical with God. … He is all that we are able to say about him and is not only wholly-other, though certainly he alone is true and real, unique and in a category all his own and known only to himself. Therefore, every one of the categories known to us by which we attempt to conceive him is, in the last analysis not really one of his categories at all. God shatters every syllogism. But just as everything which is not God could not exist apart from God and is something only because of God, … so it is possible for expressions which are really appropriate only to objects that are not identical with God to be true expressions, … even when these expressions are applied to God who can never be expressed. (6)

Faith, according to Anselm, does not come about without something new encountering us and happening to us from the outside … The seed to be received is the "Word of God" that is preached and heard; and that it comes to us and that we have the rectitudo volendi [right will] to receive it, is grace. (7)

This attitude [Anselm desiring to pray] is not just that of a "pious" thinker who offers his work to the service of the divine work that his work may be done well. It is that of course. But above and beyond that it is a specific and perhaps the most decisive expression of his scientific objectivity. Everything depends not only on the fact that God grants him grace to think correctly about him, but also on the fact that God himself comes within his system as the object of his thinking, that he "shows" himself to the thinker and in so doing modifies "correct" thinking to an intelligere esse in re [knowledge of the thing itself]. Only thus does the grace of Christian knowledge become complete. (8)

In this skepticism of the possibility (maintained by Anselm) of a knowledge of God, Guanilo appears as a great champion of the concept of the incomprehensibility of God. Ought there really to be a word capable of giving knowledge of God; should any human word about God be more than a reasonably meaningful symbol of a human, an all too human, desire, that is never fulfilled, to comprehend the incomprehensible? These are the questions he [Guanilo] feels compelled to address to Anselm. (9)

That there ever could be words which even in themselves do not remain "mere" words but are a divine revelation in the guise of something "conceived" by a human brain in accordance with human logic and expressed in human Latin–that, in complete contrast to Anselm, was for him [Guanilo] a totally foreign concept. (10)

Thus in no sense is he [Anselm] of the opinion that he produced this formula [the Latin phrase Anselm heard] out of his own head but he declares quite explicitly the source from which he considers it to have come to him: when he gives God a name, it is not like one person forming a concept of another person; rather it is as a creature standing before his Creator. In this relationship which is actualized by virtue of God’s revelation, as he thinks of God he knows that he is under this prohibition; he can conceive of nothing greater, to be precise, "better," beyond God without lapsing into the absurdity, excluded for faith, of placing himself above God in attempting to conceive of this greater. Quo maius cogitari nequit only appears to be a concept that he formed for himself; it is in fact as far as he is concerned a revealed Name of God. (11)

No one doubts the first of these three ways, that Anselm entertained a Latin phrase in his mind. The second claim, that God himself existed in Anselm’s mind with the revelation of the Name, is a direct result of Anselm’s understanding of revelation. Revelation is not simply an event in the mind. It is that, but it is also an event in which God acts, in which God becomes present, affects the mind from without as a divine Word. As such, the Word of revelation differs from ordinary words. Ordinary words convey knowledge of various realities, and at least in contemporary thought, do not bring the things themselves within the mind. But that is not the case with God. When God speaks, he becomes present as his Word. For Barth, and for Anselm if Barth understands him correctly, this belief that God becomes a human word implies that when one hears this human word, then God exists in the mind of the one who hears. This, for Anselm, was an article of Christian faith. As in John 1:14, if the "Word became flesh", then wherever the flesh was, there was the God the Word. The “flesh” in this case is the Latin phrase given to Anselm. If God took form as that Latin phrase, then wherever the phrase is, there is God. The phrase was in Anselm’s mind, and therefore, he believed God was in his mind as the divine Word. Therefore, Anselm will claim that his Christian opponent, Guanilo, should not cast doubt on Anselm’s claim that God was in his knowing as he ponders the Name that God has given him.

Everything depends not only on the fact that God grants him [Anselm] grace to think correctly about him, but also on the fact that God himself comes within his system as the object of his thinking, that he "show"’ himself to the thinker … (12)

But combined with this fatal flaw in his [Guanilo's] technical knowledge is the fact that for him quo maius cogitari nequit is just one percepta vox [perceived voice] amongst many others and is not a dynamic word of revelation; [for Guanilo] it is not the Name of God that is revealed and believed. (13)

Right at the beginning of this essay in the passage that we have already quoted more than once, Anselm declares it impossible for a Christian like Guanilo to act as if he knew nothing at all about what the formula quo maius cogitari nequit describes. Perhaps the insipiens [the disbeliever] (14) does know nothing (for he may remain insipiens even after the Name of God is proclaimed to him) but at least Guanilo, as spokesman for the insipiens, shares Anselm’s knowledge of the esse Dei in intellectus [God in one's knowing]. As a Christian he [Guanilo] has part in this event of the intellectus [knowing], he is subject of an action of the intelligere [to know] and is therefore charged with it and called as a witness that in this event as such the esse Die [being of God] is reality. At least in ullo intellectu [in that (Christian) knowing] God is not just a vain invention but an object that is known. (15)

Guanilo’s second and cleverer objection is this: granted that the object designated quo maius cogitari nequit, just by this name being spoken and heard, exists within the knowledge of the hearer, is an object–yet this happens in such a manner as cannot be conceived. It has, so to speak, only an existence intended by thought, namely the existence which thinking endeavours (in vain) to ascribe to an object [God] which is described to it as existing but which as existing is totally unknown to it. Guanilo makes these statements on the following basis: we know the object designated quo maius cogitari nequit as little as we know that designated Deus [God] as an object known to us on the grounds of a definite perception or something analogous to a definite perception. (16)

This objection on Guanilo’s part fails to grasp that it was the Name that was revealed. The Name was given, that was the primary datum. Prior to the name there never was anything else, such as a mystical presence which was subsequently given a name. The Name came first. It came from God. It was God’s speech. It was not a name assigned to a mystery although it reveals a mystery. As such, the name represents God. It reveals God. It stands with God. God is objectively present as the Name for only in the Name, conceiving it objectively before the mind, is God known. When this happens, God is known as the Name. The fact that, apart from God’s act, God in himself is incomprehensible does not preclude his becoming comprehensible when his Name is proclaimed and received. In other words, the divine presence in the mind only exists "in and with this event" of the Latin words that Anselm heard and understood. In the following quotation, the word "object" refers to God.

From these premises it follows that where something becomes known, as for example the object described as quo maius cogitari nequit, a representation of this object takes place by virtue of the act of knowing (intelligere) and within the event of knowledge (intellectus), so that we may say of it: it exists in and with this event (est in intellectu) [in the mind]. (17)

To put it another way: whoever hears the name, cannot avoid, but must have, some positive knowledge of God as the person believes and accepts the Name as being of God. By "positive," I mean something that one can understand, something that objectively comes before the mind. Positive knowledge makes some sense of God. It leads somewhere, has consequences for faith and action. In positive knowledge, God comes as the Name, and not merely a mystery pointed to by the Name.

All that is involved is: whoever hears the Name of God can–whether he does so is a different question, but he can–"thereby conceive something" because, if he really hears, he cannot possibly lack a revelation of the Nature of God and that is the point here. And to the extent to which he is able to do that he can hardly dispute the existence of God in his consciousness on the ground that for him the Name of God is an empty concept. (18)

Or, the matter can be seen from another angle. The fact that God is incomprehensible means that God cannot be known at all, not even intuitively through a mystical knowledge apart from God’s speech. In fact, the Name precludes any sense of God whatsoever except that given as the Name. The Name, "that which nothing greater can be conceived," simply states that all human concepts, words, and intuitions have nothing to do with God. Only when God acts, speaks, proclaims the Name, does God become known, and that knowledge is positive knowledge given as the meaning of the words themselves. For example, the Name can inform the mind that God prohibits certain ideas in relation to him. This tells us something of God. It tells us that God prohibits all mystical intuitions of God since the mind can understand the Name to deny all concepts, intuitive or otherwise, except the concepts given when God speaks.

Recapitulating what was said earlier in connection with this object: knowledge of the inconceivability of God cannot be played off against knowledge of his (intramental) existence because as knowledge of God and therefore knowledge of faith it rather presupposes the latter. It excludes far more radically than Guanilo appears to assume an intuitive knowledge on our part of God’s Existence. (19)

The attempt to conceive of something by the word "God" and therefore of the esse Dei in intellectu [being of God in the mind] must not break down because God is a hidden God. As such he is also the God who is manifest, who even reveals himself in the real world of the insipiens [the disbeliever]. There is a conicere Deum [knowledge of God]. Where and when it actually happens is of course another questions. (20)

What Anselm regards as having been proved by what has gone before is that the thing described as aliquid quo maius cogitari non valet has existence not only in knowledge but also has objective (and to that extent genuine existence). Now how far has that been proved? In so far as it has been shown that God exists in the knowledge of the hearer when the Name of God is preached, understood and heard. But he cannot exist merely in the knowledge of the hearer because a God who exists merely thus stands in impossible contradiction to his own Name as it is revealed and believed, because, in other words, he would be called God but would not be God. Thus as God he cannot exist in knowledge as the one who merely exists in knowledge. (21)

The step from mind to God in reality on the basis of the Name seems straightforward, but there is more to it than that. Anselm does not believe, if Barth interprets him correctly, that God’s existence in the mind together with the revelation of the Name "proves" the existence of God external to the mind. There could be some form of spiritual being in the mind that revealed a Name, but that being could have little or no existence beyond the mind itself. The step from the Name in the mind to God in reality describes the normal flow of the mental process, but it doesn’t prove God’s existence. For Anselm, that existence was already given in faith. Faith knows that God exists. The revelation of the Name drives the mind at once to contemplate God as existing both in the mind and beyond the mind. As that happens, faith recognizes and affirms its object. But the experience of hearing the Name and thinking of its consequences does not "prove" God’s existence. An intuitive process can be illusionary. Faith is always required. Anselm did believe that God spoke to him and revealed the Name as a Latin phrase. As this happened, he experienced God and his mind was led by the Name to believe that God was beyond his mind in reality. The "proof" which resulted from the Name did not abolish the need for faith. It did, however, present the contents of faith to the mind in an orderly and intelligible fashion.

Anselm’s hypothesis is certainly an expression, but not as Guanilo thinks empty words, but the Word of God–not as Guanilo thinks, an expression given and to be understood in isolation, but a Word of God within the context of his revelation, to which also belongs the revelation of his existence. It declares the Name of God from which Name we certainly cannot derive his existence, as Guanilo interpolates, but from which the impossibility of his non-existence (on the assumption of his revealed, unique existence as Creator–which Guanilo ignores) is perceived and which makes it possible to recognize in thought the Existence of God that is believed. This result does not satisfy Guanilo because he himself is obviously in search of a proof of God from some sort of experience, a proof which would have nothing to do with Anselm’s intellectus fidei [knowledge of faith] and which would be excluded by Anselm’s very concept of God. (22)

Of course, Anselm already knew that God was one who lives forever. He believed in the authoritative sources. He could read, for example, these words from 1 Tim. 6:15-16, "God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen." By faith, Anselm accepted God’s supreme existence. Once Anselm had received the Name, however, the Name itself invited him to understand that God was eternal, that God could not be conceived as not existing.

Further, we can conceive of something as good or bad. Something good we imagine as greater than something bad. In regard to God, we can imagine perfect goodness, mercy, and truth. God’s eternal and perfect existence can be conceived in contrast to all that is transitory, faulty, and blemished. Again, the Name, "that which a greater cannot be conceived," leads the mind to conceive of God as perfect in every respect. If God were less than perfect, the mind could conceive of something greater than God, namely a perfect being. The Name prohibits that, and therefore, God is perfect. Barth quotes Anselm.

Therefore "something beyond which nothing greater can be conceived" exists in reality in such a manner that it cannot be conceived as not existing. (23) And so it stands, whatever exists apart from thee, the Only One, can be conceived as not existing. Thou alone of all being hast really true existence–and therefore thou alone of all beings hast perfect existence. For anything other than thee does not possess this manner of existence and therefore possesses but imperfect existence. (24)

This, essentially concludes the "proof."

Anselm’s faith sought understanding. He prayed, knowing that without God he could not conceive of God. God answered his prayer for understanding. God spoke a Name. Anselm received the name. The Name told him, quoting from the previous paragraph: 1. "That God is utterly transcendent, beyond every human concept." 2. Upon receiving the Name, Anselm knew that "God can speak his Word." 3. He knew that God "is present in the mind as God the Word to those that hear him." 4. As the Word came before his mind as a concept he knew that those who "hear and receive his Word know God as an object of their knowing." 5. The Name led him to understand that "God exists." 6. The Name led him to understand that "God is eternal, he must exist." 7. The Name led him to understand that "God is perfect in every respect."

As this happened, Anselm came to an understanding inherent in the Name, an understanding that led to God in all his perfections. It was an event of revelation, an event that began with the gift of faith and ended with the illumination of his understanding. It was grace. From first to last it depended upon God speaking to Anselm, coming "within his system as the object of his thinking, …" Thus, Anselm ends his great "proof" in thankful praise to the wonderful God who humbled himself to speak to Anselm so that he, Anselm, might truly know a living God. Here are Anselm’s words, quoted by Barth.

I thank thee, good Lord, I thank thee, that what I had first believed because of thy gift, I know because of thine illumining in such a way that even if I did not want to believe thine Existence, yet I could not but know it. (25)

Barth sums up the foregoing with these words,

It is a question of the proof of faith by faith which was already established in itself without proof. And both–faith that is proved and faith that proves–Anselm expressly understands not as presuppositions that can be achieved by man but as presuppositions that have been achieved by God, the former as divine donare [gift] and the latter as divine illuminare [illumination]. … God gave himself to him to know and he was able to know God. On this foundation, comparable to no philosophical presupposition and inconceivable for all systematic theology, he has come to know and has proved the Existence of God. For that reason his last word must be gratitude. Not satisfaction over a work that he has completed and that resounds to his own praise as its master, but gratitude for a work that has been done and of which he is in no sense the master. God gave himself as the object of his knowledge and God illumined him that he might know him as object. Apart from this event there is no proof of the existence, that is of the reality of God. (26)

First, the critical point in Anselm’s "proof" was the event of the Word of God which came to Anselm as the Name. Barth’s theology is a theology of the Word of God. That Word is Jesus Christ. As God speaks, he speaks Jesus Christ. This Word is spoken by the Father who "dwells in light unapproachable," to quote Anselm. When the Word is spoken, God the Son comes forth from the transcendent Father. Once spoken, it is heard as a human word and God becomes present within the hearer as a divine Word Jesus Christ in union with that human word. Then, within the hearer, God dynamically enables the hearer to receive, believe, and act upon the Word. All this is from Anselm.

Barth then identifies God the divine Word sent from the Father in union with the human word as Jesus Christ. God active in the hearer enabling the mind to know God is God the Holy Spirit. The Spirit enables the hearer to know the God who cannot be known except by the Word Jesus Christ. All this is the work of one God who acts in three ways as three persons. This leads to Barth’s doctrine of the Trinity. All this is inherent in Anselm in that the transcendent God, God the Father, speaks his Word Jesus Christ in human words, and then acts by the Spirit within the hearer to give the knowledge of God.

Secondly, as Anselm received the Name, he was given a word he could understand with his mind. This human word was an object to his knowing. God was present as this human word. The human word that Anselm received in Latin was also a divine Word since that human word was also God speaking. It was God the Son present "in and with this event" of God speaking his Word. There is not, as in Schleiermacher, a mystical feeling which then issues in human speech pointing to the ineffable. Rather, there is a Word, and God is bound to the human word in the sense of "the Word became flesh." (John 1:14) This leads to Barth’s Christology, the denial of any natural or mystical knowledge of God and the affirmation that God is only known in his Word.

Further, God’s speaking his Word is an event in space and time. It comes to a person from without. It is God addressing a person as Lord — speaking, commanding, revealing, and requiring obedience. This Word from God is always a miracle, no less miraculous than the Virgin birth or the bodily resurrection. Barth believes these miracles. As miracle, God’s speaking is not a property of the created order. God the Father creates, but it is God the Son who takes flesh, as miraculous event, word, and deed. Creating and taking flesh are two different things, and therefore, the event of the Word is different from the event of creation. The Father who creates is different from the Son who becomes incarnate though both are God. In this way, Barth preserves the inner-triune distinctions of Father, Son, and Spirit. By contrast, Schleiermacher can make no distinctions within God. For him, the inner-triune relations refer only to distinctions within consciousness and not in the nature of God’s acts.

The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
dr.sanders@globalanglican.org

Let us begin this lesson with a prayer.

Almighty Father, your beloved Son, on the night he was betrayed, humbled himself and washed his disciples feet. Allow us, we pray, to receive that washing, and by the example of his great humility, serve those you have placed before us. All this we ask in the name of your Son our savior, Jesus Christ. Amen

In this lesson we will be considering John 13:1-17. As described in a previous lesson, Trinity and Incarnation, John’s gospel presents a series of signs, together with teaching, that interprets those signs. John 13:1-7 is an example of this. It is first and foremost a teaching whose sign, the washing of the disciples feet, points to a greater sign, the crucifixion and resurrection. By washing the disciples’ feet, a task ordinarily done by disciples for their masters, (1) Jesus was interpreting his crucifixion and resurrection as an act of service for those he loved. The passage begins with the statement, “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end (John13:1). The word “end” refers to his death, and even more, to his giving up his life for his beloved disciples.

As Jesus was about to wash Peter’s feet, the following occurred,

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” (13:6-11)

The phrase “afterward you will understand” means that Peter and the other disciples will understand the symbolic significance of the foot-washing as referring to the cleansing power of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. By means of this sacrifice, believers will be washed clean from their sins, and even more, they will have a “share with me,” meaning that believers will inherit all the blessings of Christ’s saving work. The words, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean,” has been interpreted by the tradition in several ways. First and foremost, it means that faith in the saving work of Christ is what cleanses a person from sin and reconciles one to God. This is generally recognized. Some scholars think that the phrase “except for his feet” was not a part of the original dialogue between Peter and Christ since it is missing from some of the ancient manuscripts. Others believe it is original and that it refers to the daily sins that believers commit which must be cleansed by confession, repentance, and amendment of life. Regardless, the important point is that believers are made clean by Christ’s redemptive, saving work and therefore, have peace with God and each other. Further, the daily appropriation of this saving event, even if the phrase were not original, requires daily repentance and forgiveness through the blood of Jesus.

In the next section of this text, Jesus commands his disciples to follow his example and wash one another’s feet.

“Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you (13:12-15)

Christ washed his disciple’s feet as a way of showing them the meaning of his work on the cross, and at the same time, as an example that they might wash each other’s feet. Just as the foot-washing interpreted the cross, so the cross sets forth our redemption, and at the same time, it is a command to serve others with the same love revealed by the cross. This is a difficult command, and to think we can do it is to fail to see its rigor. Nevertheless, God helps us by feeding us with his very life in the Holy Eucharist. As described in the essays, Trinity and Incarnation, as well as In Remembrance of Me, two principle factors are required for God to become objectively presence in Eucharist and to give us his life. First, the revelation given in the Lord Jesus must be visibly and audibly represented in worship. The liturgy, the words, the actions of worship, are that representation. Second, as the Holy Spirit works, the Lord Jesus becomes present, and God acts. The words and deeds of a foot-washing are not set forth visibly and audibly in the Holy Eucharist, although the foot-washing reveals that the Holy Eucharist, representing the cross, reveals Christ as a servant. At this meal, Jesus serves us by offering us his body and blood, feeding us with eternal life. This is represented visually and audibly as the people come forward and are served the bread and wine. As they are served, Jesus himself, in his two-fold human and divine nature, serves them, and at the same time, by the communicatio idiomatum, God himself, the creator of the universe, humbles himself to wait on table in his eternal Kingdom. According to Luke 12:37, “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.” This needs to be understood in a rather literal fashion since, by God’s objective presence in the Eucharist, he communicates himself by the sights and sounds of worship. That is, human beings, like Isaiah in the temple, or Thomas with his hand in Jesus’ side, can, not only experience the human nature of Christ, but his divine nature, and through him, the living God himself by means of earthly realities. (2) Therefore, as believers celebrate the Holy Eucharist, it is good to be awake, expecting the living God himself to become a servant, giving up his very life for those he loves. As this happens, over a period of time, believers are cleansed of their selfishness and empowered to serve as they have been served.

Let us review for a moment how God has served us in Christ Jesus as revealed in the Holy Eucharist. First, he set aside places and times to come to us and bless us with his presence. At those places and times, he revealed to us his great faithfulness by entering into a covenant with us, sending his Son to make propitiation for our sins, ransoming us from darkness, washing us clean, empowering us by the Spirit to remember the Lord Jesus, surrounding us with brothers and sisters in Christ where love abounds, conquering the devil who afflicts us, clothing us with the righteousness of Christ, forgiving us of our sins, healing our bodies and souls, bringing us before his throne in the company of angels and archangels, and serving us at table as we receive the bread of immortality. These are some of the ways that God has served us, and further, he blesses us with an additional blessing, the call to quit our useless, selfish lives in order to serve him and others with the love that he loves us. Let it be said here that this is who God is, and this is who we are in Christ Jesus.

As we dedicate ourselves to serve God and others, several things are important. First, it needs to be remembered that God has placed us first in his heart by serving us. Therefore, we are to place God first in our service. There is the two-fold commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). This means we love God above all, and we should since he has loved us above all. We love God by worship, praise, thanksgiving, and obedience. As we are obedient, he teaches us to serve others. He shows us how to do this concretely, that is, by meeting real needs as he directs. Sometimes he show us who to serve by speaking in times of prayer, sometimes he presents us with the needs of others through circumstances, sometimes he gives us gifts and abilities to serve others, and he expects us to use them. Sometimes people ask us to help them, and if this is in accord with God’s will, we should do so. Sometimes others put demands upon us that are not what God intends, and for that reason, we need to pray and ask the Lord whom and how we should serve. Generally speaking there are God-given authorities, in the family, the church, and the larger society, and these help us to discern God’s work for us. At times, however, these authorities may contradict God’s will as known in Scripture, and in that case, we cannot obey. All in all, however, we are called to serve, and God teaches us how to serve in our daily lives. The foundation of that service is being set right with God through his saving sacrifice, being clothed in Christ’s righteousness, and being empowered to serve by being served by God himself.

Finally, this essay is entitled “Eucharist as a Direction of Service.” God looks on the heart, and he knows that we often fail in our service of him and others. The heart has a direction, however, and that direction, in spite of weaknesses and sins, needs to be directed toward Christ and the service of others. The Holy Eucharist, taken over a period of years, redirects our hearts in the right path. The final prayer of the Eucharist expresses this beautifully, assuring us that God, each day, has prepared good works for us to walk in.

Almighty and ever-living God, we heartily thank you for feeding us in these holy mysteries, with the spiritual food of the most precious body and blood of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; and thereby assure us of your favor and goodness towards us; and that we are very members incorporate in the mystical body of your Son, the blessed company of all faithful people; and are also heirs, through hope, of your everlasting kingdom. And we humbly beseech you, O heavenly Father, so to assist us with your grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all such good works as you have prepared for us to walk in; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

1. Have you ever had the sense that you are at table in the Kingdom of God and that God is serving you with his body and blood?
2. What blessings have you received from the Holy Eucharist, and how can you extend those same blessings to others?
3. As you think about worship, what parts seem to bless you most deeply? As you share this, pray that God would bless all of you in all aspects of the Holy Eucharist.
4. Think about your family or those close to you. Are there some ways you can serve them more fully? Are you serving others in ways that are not of God? Ask the Lord God to enable you to serve others as he would wish, and ask those studying this lesson to pray with you that this would happen.
5. What experiences, such things as work, children, additions, suffering, leadership, and so forth, have you had that can enable you to help others who may be in similar circumstances?
6. What gifts and talents do you have that can be helpful to others — gifts such as teaching, taking care of children, the ability to do manual labor such as cleaning or construction, or the gift of listening to and counseling others? Are you using these gifts and talents for service?
7. It is good to seek the counsel of the leadership of the church when thinking of service in the church. With whom do you need to talk about serving your church, and what can you offer to the church as you counsel with them?
8. In your work, whether as a laborer, in agriculture, as a business owner, or in government, God wants you to serve and to use your work, gifts, and talents to the welfare of others. How can you best do this in your particular circumstances? Do you need to change, to repent, and begin to dedicate your business, your position, your labor, your leadership, to the service of God, your organization, and your community? Are you engaged in work that is contrary to the will of God, and if so, are you willing to repent and seek honest work?
9. When you worship, are you aware that you and others are a blessing to God, and that you serve him in worship as well as in all other aspects of your life? How do you understand your daily activities? Do you see them as the works that God has prepared for you to walk in?
10. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). In certain circumstances, God may call us to do things that are very difficult, and these take their toll on our bodies and souls. Jesus’ crucifixion is an example of this, as is the suffering Paul experienced on some of his missionary journeys. Often, however, Christians do not wait upon the Lord and do what he has asked, allowing Jesus to pull the heavier load. As a result, they tire of doing good, having never learned to receive strength from God. They do what they think best, rather than what God commands. Are there some things in your life that you are doing that are not what God commands, but simply your ideas? This requires discernment, and it is good to get the counsel of others as well.
11. Can you think of ways to help others find how they can serve more effectively?

1. Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel According to John, Vol. II, XIII XXI. The Anchor Bible, (New York: Doubleday, 1970), p. 564.
2. I have given a contemporary example of this at the end of my novel, Face to Face.

The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
dr.sanders@globalanglican.org

Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body, of one substance (homoousios) with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer (Theotokos); one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the Fathers has handed down to us.

The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
dr.sanders@globalanglican.org