Eucharistic Hymns of the Wesley's, and Receiving the Body and Blood of Christ: Part 2

This is the second blog post in a series that notes verses in The Eucharistic Hymns of John & Charles Wesley (also known as Hymns on the Lord's Supper) that speak specifically about our receiving the body and blood of Christ.  

In part one, I presented hymns 71 and 73 in their entirety.  In this post, I will go back and highlight verses from various hymns, prior to hymn 71.

4:2.  The eucharistic feast
Our every want supplies,
And still we by His death are blest
And share His sacrifice:
By faith His flesh we eat,
Who here HIs passion show,
And God out of His holy seat
Shall all His gifts bestow.

30:5.  The cup of blessing, blest by Thee,
Let it Thy blood impart;
The bread Thy mystic body be,
And cheer each languid heart.

8.  Now, Lord, on us Thy flesh bestow,
And let us drink Thy blood,
Till all our souls are fill'd below
With all the life of God.

33:2.  In the rite Thou hast enjoin'd
Let us now our Saviour find,
Drink Thy blood for sinners shed
Taste Thee in the broken bread.

35:1.  O Thou Paschal Lamb of God
Feed us with Thy flesh and blood;
Life and strength Thy death supplies,
Feast us on Thy sacrifice.

42:4.  This is the richest legacy 
Thou hast on man bestow'd:
Here chiefly, Lord, we feed on Thee,
And drink Thy precious blood.

54:5.  Communion closer far I feel
And deeper drink the' atoning blood;
The joy is more unspeakable,
And yields me larger draughts of God,
Till nature faints beneath the power,
And faith fill'd up can hold no more.

The Eucharistic Hymns of the Wesley's, and Receiving the Body and Blood of Christ: Part 1

 Currently, during Morning and Evening Prayer, I am, once again, singing through The Eucharistic Hymns of John & Charles Wesley (also known as Hymns on the Lord's Supper).  This time, as a personal project (prompted by two different sources), I have been noting verses which speak specifically about our receiving the body and blood of Christ.  

To be clear, there are plenty of places in the hymns that speak of the sacrament as a means of grace, and there are plenty that speak about Christ's real presence.  There are also hymns that speak about the sacrament pointing us to the body and blood of Christ.  However, I am watching for those that talk about our eating Christ's body and drinking His blood.  

After I finish singing through these hymns, I will go back and look at other statements that John Wesley makes concerning what manner the bread and cup convey to us the body and blood of Christ.

I have been singing through these hymns for nearly a month, now.  In fact, I am up to hymn number 76, but it finally dawned on me; I should be making notes about these verses on my blog!  So, here I am!

Now, most of the time, I will just be presenting particular verses from the various hymns.  However, there will be times when the entire hymn is closely connected to this specific focus.  The latter is the case with two of the hymns from today's Morning and Evening Prayer.  -  So, I will begin this ongoing series by reproducing hymns 71 and 73, below.  -  I will go back to cover verses from previous hymns, as the series continues.

My hope is that this will be thought provoking and helpful in deepening the sacramental awareness of those within the Wesleyan tradition.  I also hope that it might give some insight for those looking in from outside of Wesleyanism.

71:1.  Draw near, ye blood-besprinkled race.

And take what God vouchsafes to give;

The outward sign of inward grace,

Ordain'd by Christ Himself, receive:

The sign transmits the signified,

The grace is by the means applied.

2.  Sure pledges of His dying love,

Receive the sacramental meat,

And feel the virtue from above,

The mystic flesh of Jesus eat,

Drink with the wine His healing blood,

And feast on th' Incarnate God.

3.  Gross misconceit be far away!

Through faith we on His body feed

Faith only cloth the Spirit convey,

And fills our souls with living bread,

Th' effects of Jesu's death imparts,

And pours His blood into our hearts.

73:1.  Is not the cup of blessing, blest

By us, the sacred means t' impart

Our Saviour's blood, with power imprest

And pardon to the faithful heart?

2.  Is not the hallow'd broken bread

A sure communicating sign,

An instrument ordain'd to feed

Our souls with mystic flesh Divine?

3.  Th' effects of His atoning blood,

His body offer'd on the tree,
Are with the awful types bestow'd

On me, the pardon'd rebel, me;

4.  On all who at HIs word draw near,

In faith the outward veil look through:

Sinners, believe, and find Him here;

Believe, and feel He died for you.

5.  In memory of your dying God,
The symbols faithfully receive,

And eat the flesh and drink the blood

Of Jesus, and for ever live.

A Wesleyan Understanding of the Real Presence

I just finished shooting a video for my YouTube channel on the topic of a Wesleyan understanding of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  -  I am trying to get the hang of how to do YouTube!  -  Anyway, I want to encourage you to take a look using the W/A YouTube link in the sidebar (though I am going to go ahead and embed the video, here).  -  If you do take a look via YouTube, be sure to hit the like button!

In the video, I reference one of the Wesley Eucharistic Hymns, and I have printed it out, for your convenience, below the video.  In the United Methodist Hymnal, the tune is "Stookey," and the alternate tune is "Amsterdam." The latter is the tune used for "Celebrate Immanuel's Name."

O the Depth of Love Divine

 

1. O the depth of love divine,
the unfathomable grace!
Who shall say how bread and wine
God into us conveys!
How the bread his flesh imparts,
how the wine transmits his blood,
fills his faithful people's hearts
with all the life of God!

2. Let the wisest mortals show
how we the grace receive;
feeble elements bestow
a power not theirs to give.
Who explains the wondrous way,
how through these the virtue came?
These the virtue did convey,
yet still remain the same.

3. How can spirits heavenward rise,
by earthly matter fed,
drink here with divine supplies
and eat immortal bread?
Ask the Father's wisdom how:
Christ who did the means ordain;
angels round our altars bow
to search it out, in vain.

4. Sure and real is the grace,
the manner be unknown;
only meet us in thy ways
and perfect us in one.
Let us taste the heavenly powers,
Lord, we ask for nothing more.
Thine to bless, 'tis only ours
to wonder and adore.

The Significance of Baptism & Communion: A Biblical & Sacramental Challenge

I have been reading the second edition of Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail: Why Evangelicals Are Attracted to the Liturgical Church, by Robert Webber & Lester Ruth.  -  I have read Webber's original volume at least twice and resonated with it greatly.  In fact, I have often identified myself using this very title.  I am an "Evangelical on the Canterbury Trail."  -  Well, that has to be defined a bit, of course.  I really prefer "Wesleyan" to "Evangelical," but most of us in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition have identified with the larger Evangelical sub-culture.  And, then, to be on the "Canterbury Trail," for me, has not meant that I have migrated to a different, Anglican denomination.  Rather, while I have explored many Anglican jurisdictions and, in many ways, feel home in them, nevertheless, I have worked to help my own Wesleyan denomination discover and own John Wesley's "Anglicanism" for themselves.

Well, after discovering that Lester Ruth revised Webber's book (why it wasn't on my radar earlier, I don't know!), I purchased the second edition.  I was interested to see what Lester did with it, since he was my mentor and primary professor during my doctoral studies at Asbury Theological Seminary.  -  I finally got around to reading it!

What I discovered is that the first section, Webber's story, did not involve much of any changes.  However, the middle section, which includes the "stories of other pilgrims," was completely new.  That is to say, all of the old stories were jettisoned, and new stories from new "pilgrims" were added.

Perhaps it was because I made such a connection with the original edition, but, by and large, I have been disappointed with the replacements.  Now, that is not to say that I haven't gained some good insights, or that there haven't been a number of quote worthy lines and paragraphs.  In fact, this blog comes from one of those stories, as you will see in my challenge, below.  -  Still, I have to admit, the first edition struck home for me in a way that this one has not.  (Though, it was good to hear from a former Methodist from Asbury!)

I have not yet begun the third section of the book.  This section is new to this edition as well.  It is called, "The Canterbury Trail and Today's Churches."  I am really hopeful for this section.  I suspect, this third section of the book will determine whether I would conduct a future small group study using the second edition or stick to the first one.

Having said all of that, I found a part of the story of Bill & Linda Richardson to be . . . well, obvious!  And yet, not so obvious for me to have come up with this challenge, before!  That is, I have alluded to this kind of thing, but I have never simply challenged people to take up a simple study like Linda did, concerning the Lord's Supper.

She wrote that, in her Baptist background, she had always been taught that "the Lord's Supper was simply a remembrance of what Jesus had done on the cross."  -  My guess is that many Nazarenes (and others in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition) have, unfortunately, been taught the same thing.  But during a Bible study, a friend shared a very different perspective on the Holy Communion.  -  She continued:

That led me to do a personal study from scripture that was really quite simple.  I took a yellow tablet and drew a line down the center.  One side was titled "A remembrance" and the other side "More."  I proceeded to read through the New Testament; on the left I listed scriptures that pointed to communion being simply a remembrance, and on the right I wrote down those scriptures that seemed to indicate that communion was "more."

He conclusion?  "I had only two scriptures listed on the left side and a full column on the right.  It was the beginning of a shift in my thinking about the Lord's Supper toward a more sacramental view . . ."

How simple! 

And, so, that's my challenge!  Except I want to expand it to include both sacraments.  You see, not only have many been taught that the Holy Communion is "simply a remembrance of what Jesus had done on the cross," but I think that most of those folks have also been taught that baptism is simply our testimony of what God has already done in our lives by faith.  -  So, I want to put forth the challenge that Linda Richardson took up.  -  Take a paper (it doesn't have to be yellow!), and list in one column all of the scripture texts you can find in the New Testament that point to Communion as being "simply a remembrance."  In a second column, list all of the texts that you can find in the New Testament that seem to indicate that there is "more."

Do the same for baptism.  (For this, I mean, Christian baptism; not John the Baptist's baptism).  In one column, list all of the scriptures that indicate that baptism is "simply our testimony" of what God has already done by faith, prior to our being baptized.  In a second column, list all of the texts that you can find that seem to indicate that there is "more" going on in baptism.

May God's Spirit speak to you through the Word, as you take up this challenge!  -  And I would love to hear your results, so consider posting a comment, below!

Maundy Thursday

Today is Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday.  The term Maundy comes from the Latin, mandatum novarum, which means, "a new commandment."  It is a reference to John 13:34-35, where Jesus says to His disciples, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (NRSV)  -  This, of course, takes place on the Thursday prior to Jesus' crucifixion.  It is in the larger context of Jesus washing the disciples' feet.

This is also the time when our Lord instituted the holy sacrament of the Lord's Supper.  This sacrament is known by a number of names emphasizing various aspects of the sacrament. 

It is referred to as Holy Communion.  The Greek word, here, is koinonia.  It is a word that speaks of fellowship, communion, participation and sharing.  In connection with the sacrament we find it in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, where St. Paul says, "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing (NRSV) / participation (NIV) / communion (KJV) in the blood of Christ?  The bread that we break, is it not a sharing 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."  -  And so, in the sacrament, more than just remembering what Christ has done (though we certainly do that), we really and truly commune with the blood and body of Christ.  -  Verse 17 indicates we also have fellowship around the Table with our sisters and brothers in Christ.  As the invitation in the Nazarene ritual indicates, ". . . we are one, at one table with the Lord."

The sacrament is also often referred to as the Eucharist.  This term will be familiar to most who read this blog, but for many in evangelical circles, this is often an unfamiliar term.  It is, therefore, treated with suspicion by some and outright condemnation by still others!  Nevertheless, such suspicions (and certainly condemnations!) can be put aside when we realize that this term, unlike the others, is actually found in all four New Testament accounts of the Last Supper (Matt. 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:14-20; and 1 Cor. 11:23-26).  You see, the Greek word eucharistein simply means "to be thankful."  The sacrament, and the major prayer for it in the liturgy is understood as "the Great Thanksgiving."  -  Jesus took, gave thanks, (broke the bread), and gave the sacramental elements to the disciples.

The New Testament also refers to the sacrament by simply speaking of "the breaking of the bread."  For example, in Acts 2:42 we hear those famous words, "(The disciples) devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the prayers."  -  Unfortunately, many have misunderstood this to mean nothing more than the disciples committing themselves to having pot luck meals together, when, instead, what is being referred to is the holy sacrament.

This raises the point that the New Testament Church was committed to the sacrament of Holy Communion.  "Day by day," Luke tells us (in Acts 2:46), ". . . they spent much time together in the temple . . ." (Service of the Word), and ". . . they broke bread from house to house . . ." (Service of the Table).  St. Paul chastises the Church at Corinth when he says, "When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord's supper" (1 Cor. 11:20).  In other words, when they come together it was supposed to be to eat the Lord's Supper.  -  Such seems to be the apostle's understanding of Jesus' instructions.  Such is the pattern of the New Testament Church.  It is the pattern of the Early Church.  It is the pattern of the Church throughout the ages.  And, for us Wesleyans, it was our spiritual forefather's instruction that we should celebrate the sacrament every Lord's Day.

Why?  -  Is it because of some legalistic command?  Do we have to do it like that?  Won't it lose it's specialness?  -  No, no, no!  That's missing the point altogether!  -  Instead, we gather at the Table of the Lord, when we gather together in the name of the Lord, because He has explicitly promised to meet us at the Table!  It is at the Table that we have the explicit promise of communing/sharing/participating in the body and blood of our Lord!  God's grace is poured out to us through this holy gift!  -  Thanks be to God!

"Listen" to the wonderful words of this Wesley Eucharistic Hymn:

1. Glory to Him who freely spent

His blood, that we might live,

And through this choicest instrument

Doth all His blessings give.

 

2. Fasting He doth, and hearing bless,

And prayer can much avail,

Good vessels all to draw the grace

Out of salvation's well.

 

3. But none, like this mysterious rite

Which dying mercy gave,

Can draw forth all His promised might

And all His will to save.

 

4. This is the richest legacy

Thou hast on man bestow'd:

Here chiefly, Lord, we feed on Thee,

And drink Thy precious blood.

 

5. Here all Thy blessings we receive,

Here all Thy gifts are given,

To those that would in Thee believe,

Pardon, and grace, and heaven.

 

6. Thus may we still in Thee be blest,

Till all from earth remove,

And share with Thee the marriage feast,

And drink the wine above.

Thanks be to our God!

 

___________________________________

(This article originally appeared in 2012)

An Article on the Eucharistic Presence of Christ

I like to try to point readers of this blog toward good articles covering liturgical/sacramental or Wesleyan topics.  Recently, on the Wesleyan/Anglican Facebook page, Matt O'Reilly drew our attention to an article that he posted on his blog.  His article is titled, "Eucharist and Presence: Embracing Mystery, Finding Joy," and it can be found, here.

I recommend the article as expressing a Wesleyan approach to . . . Eucharist and presence!

One Way of Moving to a Weekly Celebration of the Sacrament

Teddy Ray has posted an article on his site presenting a way to move a congregation to a weekly celebration of the Eucharistic sacrament. 

I have pointed out that his article is United Methodist specific in a couple of ways, especially when it comes to what to do if the congregation does not end up "on board."  First, it assumes a certain pastoral authority when it comes to ordering worship.  While some in other Methodist traditions (e.g., The Wesleyan Church or the Church of the Nazarene) may agree, theologically (or not), the fact is The Book of Discipline gives United Methodist pastors such authority.  The Nazarene Manual (and I believe it is the case with the Wesleyan Discipline) is less explicit in this matter.  Second, he assumes an assured appointment system.  This is not the case for those in a call system.  So, for those in a call system, the "fall out" for moving ahead if the congregation is not "on board" can be much greater.

Still, I think that the article is a good read for all of those who see the move to a weekly celebration of the sacrament as of vital importance in the life of the Church.

The article can be found, here. 

Maundy Thursday

Today is Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday.  The term Maundy comes from the Latin, mandatum novarum, which means, "a new commandment."  It is a reference to John 13:34-35, where Jesus says to His disciples, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (NRSV)  -  This, of course, takes place on the Thursday prior to Jesus' crucifixion.  It is in the larger context of Jesus washing the disciples' feet.

This is also the time when our Lord instituted the holy sacrament of the Lord's Supper.  This sacrament is known by a number of names emphasizing various aspects of the sacrament. 

It is referred to as Holy Communion.  The Greek word, here, is koinonia.  It is a word that speaks of fellowship, communion, participation and sharing.  In connection with the sacrament we find it in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, where St. Paul says, "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing (NRSV) / participation (NIV) / communion (KJV) in the blood of Christ?  The bread that we break, is it not a sharing 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."  -  And so, in the sacrament, more than just remembering what Christ has done (though we certainly do that), we really and truly commune with the blood and body of Christ.  -  Verse 17 indicates we also have fellowship around the Table with our sisters and brothers in Christ.  As the invitation in the Nazarene ritual indicates, ". . . we are one, at one table with the Lord."

The sacrament is also often referred to as the Eucharist.  This term will be familiar to most who read this blog, but for many in evangelical circles, this is often an unfamiliar term.  It is, therefore, treated with suspicion by some and outright condemnation by still others!  Nevertheless, such suspicions (and certainly condemnations!) can be put aside when we realize that this term, unlike the others, is actually found in all four New Testament accounts of the Last Supper (Matt. 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:14-20; and 1 Cor. 11:23-26).  You see, the Greek word eucharistein simply means "to be thankful."  The sacrament, and the major prayer for it in the liturgy is understood as "the Great Thanksgiving."  -  Jesus took, gave thanks, (broke the bread), and gave the sacramental elements to the disciples.

The New Testament also refers to the sacrament by simply speaking of "the breaking of the bread."  For example, in Acts 2:42 we hear those famous words, "(The disciples) devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the prayers."  -  Unfortunately, many have misunderstood this to mean nothing more than the disciples committing themselves to having pot luck meals together, when, instead, what is being referred to is the holy sacrament.

This raises the point that the New Testament Church was committed to the sacrament of Holy Communion.  "Day by day," Luke tells us (in Acts 2:46), ". . . they spent much time together in the temple . . ." (Service of the Word), and ". . . they broke bread from house to house . . ." (Service of the Table).  St. Paul chastises the Church at Corinth when he says, "When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord's supper" (1 Cor. 11:20).  In other words, when they come together it was supposed to be to eat the Lord's Supper.  -  Such seems to be the apostle's understanding of Jesus' instructions.  Such is the pattern of the New Testament Church.  It is the pattern of the Early Church.  It is the pattern of the Church throughout the ages.  And, for us Wesleyans, it was our spiritual forefather's instruction that we should celebrate the sacrament every Lord's Day.

Why?  -  Is it because of some legalistic command?  Do we have to do it like that?  Won't it lose it's specialness?  -  No, no, no!  That's missing the point altogether!  -  Instead, we gather at the Table of the Lord, when we gather together in the name of the Lord, because He has explicitly promised to meet us at the Table!  It is at the Table that we have the explicit promise of communing/sharing/participating in the body and blood of our Lord!  God's grace is poured out to us through this holy gift!  -  Thanks be to God!

"Listen" to the wonderful words of this Wesley Eucharistic Hymn:

1. Glory to Him who freely spent

His blood, that we might live,

And through this choicest instrument

Doth all His blessings give.

2. Fasting He doth, and hearing bless,

And prayer can much avail,

Good vessels all to draw the grace

Out of salvation's well.

3. But none, like this mysterious rite

Which dying mercy gave,

Can draw forth all His promised might

And all His will to save.

4. This is the richest legacy

Thou hast on man bestow'd:

Here chiefly, Lord, we feed on Thee,

And drink Thy precious blood.

5. Here all Thy blessings we receive,

Here all Thy gifts are given,

To those that would in Thee believe,

Pardon, and grace, and heaven.

6. Thus may we still in Thee be blest,

Till all from earth remove,

And share with Thee the marriage feast,

And drink the wine above.

Thanks be to our God!

God's Presence and Grace in the Eucharist

When we come to the Table of the Lord to receive the Holy Sacrament known as the Eucharist (or the Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion), we are called to partake of the body and blood of Christ our Savior and Lord.  In the West, in particular, the Church over the centuries has tried to specify how, exactly, the partaking of the the bread and cup are a partaking of the body and blood of Christ.  (The East has not been so interested in such determinations.) 

There have been four primary understandings concerning this issue.

  The Roman Catholic position is called transubstantiation.  While there has been some relatively recent reinterpretation of how to talk about transubstantiation by contemporary Catholic theologians, the position basically means that the substance of the bread and wine are changed into the substance of the physical body and blood of Christ during the prayer, while the "accidents" remain those of bread and wine.  This view relies on Aristotle's distinction between substance and attributes, though, as I indicated, some more recent Catholic theologians have begun to reinterpret this doctrine along relational and personalistic lines, rather than Aristotilean lines).

The Lutheran position is called consubstantiation.  In this understanding, the bread and wine do not miraculously become the body and blood of Christ.  They remain bread and wine, but the presence of Christ is said to be "in, with, and under the elements."  Therefore, in receiving the bread and wine, one also receives the body and blood of Christ.

Ulrich Zwingli's view (taken up by many Evangelical churches) is called the memorialist view.  For Zwingli, the bread and wine signify  Christ's body and blood.  The sacrament (or ordinance) does not convey salvific grace, but rather it is a sign of grace that has already been received by faith.  The Table, then reminds us of the redemption won by the death of Christ.  However, to be fair (and many who hold this position do not understand this aspect), it is not simply a "mental" remembering.  Rather, it is a remembrance by reenactment.  (In reality, all of the positions would agree that the Sacrament is a memorial.  The other positions would say, however, that it is much more than just a memorial.)

Calvin's position is called spiritual presence.  Calvin's position rejects the Roman and Lutheran position, on the one hand, and Zwingli's position on the other hand.  Like the Roman and Lutheran positions, Calvin held that Christ is truly present and actually feeds believers with His body and blood.  At issue is how this happens.  Since it is believed that Christ is bodily present in heaven, He is seen to be spiritually present by the Holy Spirit, so that the Supper is a true communion with Christ, who feeds us with His body and His blood.  Rob Staples quotes Calvin as saying, "Now, if anyone should ask me how this takes place, I shall not be ashamed to confess that it is a secret too lofty for either my mind to comprehend or my words to declare.  And, to speak more plainly, I rather experience than understand it."  (Emphasis mine.  And it should be said that for all of this, I am relying heavily upon Rob Staples, cf. below.)

Of these four positions, the Wesleyan view is most similar to that of Calvin's, though there are some differences.  (Some Wesleyan denominations, particularly the Church of the Nazarene, may, unfortunately, sound Zwinglian in their Articles of Faith, but one must view terms like "sacrament" within a self-professed Wesleyan context, and one must take into consideration other statements and the ritual, itself, which affirms that the position is not merely Zwinglian.)  Wesley rejected the other three positions and held to a real, spiritual presence of Christ in the sacrament.  However, Calvin talks about Christ's body being present in terms of "power," mediated by the Holy Spirit, while Wesley speaks of the presence of Christ in terms of His divinity.

Like Calvin, Wesley was not so concerned as to explain the how of Christ's presence.  Instead, he was concerned that the faithful experience the reality of Christ's presence.  -  Such an emphasis is expressed in the following two Wesley hymns taken from J. Ernest Rattenbury's, The Eucharistic Hymns of John and Charles Wesley:

57

1. O the depth of love Divine,

Th' unfathomable grace!

Who shall say how bread and wine

God into man conveys!

How the bread His flesh impart,

How the wine transmits His blood,

Fills His faithful people's hearts

With all the life of God!

2. Let the wisest mortal show

How we the grace receive,

Feeble elements bestow

A power not theirs to give.

Who explains the wondrous way,

How through these the virtue came?

These the virtue did convey,

Yet still remain the same.

3. How can heavenly spirits rise,

By earthly matter fed,

Drink herewith Divine supplies,

And eat immortal bread?

Ask the Father's Wisdom how;

Him that did the means ordain!

Angels round our altars bow

To search it out in vain.

4. Sure and real is the grace,

The manner be unknown;

Only meet us in Thy ways,

And perfect us in one.

Let us taste the heavenly powers;

Lord, we ask for nothing more:

Thine to bless, 'tis only ours

To wonder and adore.

And . . .

59

1. God incomprehensible

Shall man presume to know;

Fully search Him out, or tell

His wondrous ways below?

Him in all His ways we find

How the means transmit the power -

Here He leaves our thoughts behind,

And faith inquires no more.

2. How He did these creatures raise,

And make this bread and wine

Organs to convey His grace

To this poor soul of mine,

I cannot the way descry,

Need not know the mystery;

Only this I know - that I

Was blind, but now I see.

3. Now mine eyes are open'd wide,

To see His pardoning love,

Here I view the God that died

My ruin to remove;

Clay upon mine eyes He laid,

(I at once my sight received,)

Bless'd, and bid me eat the bread,

And lo! my soul believed.

_______________________________

As indicated, above, much of this post has drawn from Rob Staples' Outward Sign and Inward Grace: The Place of Sacraments in Wesleyan Spirituality. Beacon Hill P. Kansas City, MO. 1991.

Two Articles Worth Reading

In recent days I have had the opportunity to "meet" another one of my brothers in the Order of Saint Luke, via our cyber-chapter. His name is Wade Powell, and he serves as the district lay leader of the San Angelo District of the Southwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church.

I would like to commend to you two articles that Br. Wade has written and posted on his website. The first is titled, "What's the Big Deal About Holy Communion?". The second is, "How can a baby be Baptized if it doesn't know what it's doing?". - Though written from within the United Methodist denomination, specifically, they present a perspective that I would commend to all within the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition.

The articles can be viewed by clicking here.

Thanks Br. Wade!

To Such as These Belong the Kingdom of God

This morning, during Morning Prayer, I read the Gospel passage from Mark (in my new Wesley Study Bible!) that included this story:

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

(Mark 10:13-16, NRSV)

I have not yet had the opportunity to post about an incident that took place on the first Sunday of February, but this passage a Scripture gives me a great opportunity to do so, now.

The local Church where I serve has the practice of celebrating the Holy Eucharist on the first Sunday of each month. During the February celebration, when I came to serve the Bread to one family, the mother indicated that her (not quite 18-month old, I think) daughter, Alice, would not be receiving that morning. (I'm not sure why that was the case on that particular morning. I baptized her shortly after she was born, and I have served her at the Lord's Table before. Nevertheless, instead of serving her the Sacrament . . .) I laid my hand on her head and invoked the Lord's blessing upon her and went on.

Well, as it turns out, the little girl's grandmother was in charge of taking care of the remaining Eucharist elements (in the case of the wine, my local Parish uses grape-juice, as do most present-day Wesleyan denominations). Alice came to where here grandmother was taking care of the juice, following worship. Her grandmother thought that she simply wanted a drink of juice, so she gave Alice some juice (apparently in one of the individual Communion cups).

To here surprise, Alice took the cup of juice just outside the room to the altar-rail of the church. Placed it on the altar-rail, and after a moment of (prayer?!), partook of the Blood of Christ our Lord. - And that is, indeed, what I believe to have happened! - Oh, some people may think that such action was simply "cute," but I completely disagree. This was not simply cute; this was Christ taking little Alice in His arms, just as He did the little children in Mark 10.

Oh, such is not to discount the importance of the Words of Institution, the larger Great Thanksgiving prayers, or the priestly role of the celebrant. In fact, I believe, though I'm not sure, that the "juice" was a part of that which was sacramentally consecrated, earlier. (I'll not go into that, at this point.) But whether it was or not, God's grace is in no way limited by even the normal pattern passed on to us by our Lord. God is free to act however God chooses, and it seems to me that this instance with little Alice fits very nicely with Jesus' recorded actions in Mark 10.

To such as these belong the Kingdom of God, and so too, the Kingdom Feast! - Praise be to God!