MERE RITUAL OR MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIP?

Every New Years Eve, it has become the practice of United Methodist Churches in Quezon City to have Holy Communion in addition to the Covenant Renewal Service. I put the phrase in addition in quotes because Holy Communion is not really seen as integral to a Covenant Renewal Service, i.e., the celebration of the Eucharist is seen as an optional thing. And yet nothing more could be more appropriate. Rev. Olonan, in his New Years Eve sermon, spoke about the Hebrew word for covenant, bryth, whose root word barah means to share bread (actually means to eat or to distribute food). This refers to the ancient custom of Semitic tribes of sealing a covenant by breaking bread together. It can be seen from Old Testament examples that most covenants (if not all) involved the breaking or bread. Therefore, Rev. Olonan says, the institution of the Lords Supper is connected with the making of a New Covenant as prophesied by Jeremiah (31:3134). This is not all, of course. The family observance of the Sabbath, wherein bread is symbolically broken after the cup of blessing, is actually considered an extension of the celebration of Passover, for the Jewish celebration of the Sabbath is tied more with the version of the Fourth Commandment found in Deuteronomy: Deuteronomy 5:15 And thou shalt remember that thou was a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God brought thee out thence by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day. The early Christians, who were originally predominantly Jewish, brought this understanding of the Sabbath breaking of bread as an extension of the Passover celebration into their observance of the Eucharist. Thus, the weekly to daily celebration of the Eucharist (Acts 2:42, 46-47; 20:7, 11) was seen as an extension of celebrating Christ as our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7). Therefore, the an understanding of the Jewish Passover as a covenant whose celebration was not remembered once a year but at least every week on the Eve of the Sabbath would explain why the early Christians even to at least to the 2 nd century CE would celebrate weekly Eucharist. Both the early 2 nd century Didache and Justin Martyrs description of Christian worship both confirm the New Testament practice of Constant Communion. And yet despite these historical and cultural facts, many still argue against the weekly celebration of Holy Communion. They argue that Holy Communion is not at all essential to true worship which, according to them, is purely spiritual (which could either mean primarily mental or emotional). Some even told me that Holy Communion cannot really be an important aspect of worship since the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). So, I am told, worship is more of allowing the word of Christ to dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Colossians 3:16). Thus, growing in grace means, as one put it as, frequenting the dwelling of sanctity. To the assertion that the Eucharist brings Christs presence to the communicant, some told me that food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do (1 Corinthians 8:8), and so, they tell me, Holy Communion does not bring us near to God, and one is no worse if one does not

partake of the Lords Supper, and nor are those who do partake of the Eucharist any better than those who do not. At best, I was told, is that Holy Communion is just merely a ritual symbolizing our love for Christ and our unity as the body of Christ. As the 18 th century Baptist writer John Gill wrote in his commentary to 1 Corinthians 10:17, as bread consists of many grains of corn which have been ground and kneaded together, and make up one loaf; and as the members of an human body are many, and make up one body; so believers, though they are many, yet are one body, of which Christ is the head; one in union with him and one another, and one in their communion together at the Lord's table; The application designed is this, that as believers, by partaking of the same bread, appear to be the same body, and of the same mass and lump with one another; so such as eat things sacrificed unto idols, appear to be of the same mass and lump with Heathen idolaters: that if it were customary among the Israelites, to join together in one political or economical body, by the eating of many loaves collected from this, and that, and the other man; we are much more associated together into one body, by eating one and the same bread, appointed us by our Saviour. Thus, the value of the Lords Supper is more as an acted out illustration, a visual aid, so to speak, whose primary purpose is as a didactic tool to teach the members of the Church how they are united into one body. So the Lords Supper is not a means for achieving that unity in the Body of Christ, but merely an illustration by simile of the ideal of the unity of the Body of Christ. They reason then that, as with all good visual aids, overuse would be detrimental to its didactic value, and will be more effective as an illustration of Church unity if done occasionally. One even told me that he believed that, just like the Jewish Passover, Holy Communion ought only to be observed once a year so as to preserve the force of its meaning, that is, as a symbol of Christs death. Thus, to have Holy Communion done more frequently than once a month would make its observance ritualistic with its meaning blunted by repetitiousness, applying that pat idiom, familiarity breeds contempt. And yet the language of 1 Corinthians 10:17 does not suggest that Holy Communion was not regarded by S. Paul as a mere ritual designed for illustrative purposes but as THE means for uniting believers together as the body of Christ. That is, according to S. Paul, the very act of breaking bread together, and eating together, was the means by which we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. The Greek word for for used in the verse is gar, which means because. The verse then literally says, we who are many are one body, BECAUSE we all partake of the one bread. In other words, the Eucharist was regarded, not as an illustration of church unity, but as the meansthe toolthat brings about church unity. As John Wesley observed in his commentary to the same verse: FOR IT IS THIS COMMUNION WHICH MAKES US ALL ONE. We being many are yet, as it were, but different parts of one and the same broken bread, which we receive to unite us in one body. And not only the is relationship of believers as the body of Christ created by the act of breaking bread together, for "we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:17), it is also the relationship of the

believers with God that is established. For the passage in 1 Corinthians 10 speaks of Holy Communion in the same language as one would use for marriage. For when S. Paul writes, 1Corinthians 10:2122 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? That the drinking of the cup of devils fills the Lord with jealousy shows that the Eucharist was more than just a mere ritual but indicative of a mutual relationship between the communicants and God himself, so that the participation in any similar ritual in a pagan temple as akin to adultery. This also mirrors the prophet Jeremiahs words concerning the new covenant: Jeremiah 31:3132 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; forasmuch as they broke My covenant, although I was a husband over them, saith the LORD. Ephesians 5:2232 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. To say that Holy Communion is just a mere ritual with at best subjective meanings and is not necessary for having a relationship with God is like saying that marriage is not really necessary for a couple to have a meaningful and intimate relationship. Indeed, many who criticize the need for marriage believe that all that is important is mutual love and commitment. Marriage, they say, is too formal, too ritualistic, whereas simple cohabitation is honestly informal, and therefore more desirable than all those bothersome vows. Some, while not rejecting the need for marriage, see it as a mere wedding, done only once, and commemorated only annually. The wedding ritual is all that marriage is, and there is no need (they say) for the bride and groom to make their wedding vows weekly, and just over the top to have them made daily. Or is it? In a Jewish wedding, blessings are made over a cup of wine. Then the bride and the groom share this cup of wine. Afterwards, throughout their married lives, the husband will praise his wife every Sabbath Eve, starting with the words of

Proverbs 31:10f, and afterwards will pronounce the same blessing made at their wedding over a cup of wine before he ritually breaks bread. In this sense, the Jewish husband renews his betrothal to his wife every week. Christ betrothed himself to his Church when he on the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new covenant/testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come, for the actual wedding of the Lamb and the Church. Thus, the Lords Supper is not merely a ritual, but a means for establishing an intimate relationship with Christ. And the most important reason the Eucharist should not be regarded as a mere ritual but as means for a more meaningful and deeper relationship with Jesus Christ is because our Lord Jesus said that if we love him, we will obey his commandments (John 14:15). This was said immediately after the Last Supper, so the command to break bread and bless the cup in memory of him is included among the commands we need to obey if we really love Christ. And so our obedience to the command to eat bread and drink from the cup in memory of him is indicative of our loving relationship with Christ. One cannot have a loving and intimate relationship with Christ without obeying his commandments, especially his command to remember him through very specific means, the breaking of bread and the blessing over the cup. But how often, and how frequent should this be done? The early believers, as early as just after the Pentecost event, interpreted Christs command to break bread and bless the cup in memory of him as a daily duty! Acts 2:42, 46-47, and they were continuing steadfastly in the teaching of the apostles, and the fellowship, and the breaking of the bread, and the prayers. Daily also continuing with one accord in the temple, breaking bread also at every house, they were partaking of food in gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people, and the Lord was adding those being saved every day to the church. That the New Testament church celebrated the Eucharist every day, as well as the ancient connection of the Lords Prayer with Eucharistic celebrations shows that the early believers took the words, Give us this day our daily bread, LITERALLY, that is, the bread of heaven ought to be asked and received daily. Also, that our Lord Jesus said that if we love him, we will obey his commandments (John 14:15), and our obedience to the command to eat bread and drink from the cup in memory of him is indicative of our loving and intimate relationship with Christ is consistent with what his conclusion to his Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 7:2427 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods

came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. A loving and intimate relationship with Christ cannot survive without obedience to Christs commandments. Every one who hears Christs words, Take and eat, drink ye all of this, in remembrance of me and does not do what Christ asks and doeth them not shall fall, and great shall be the fall. How often, then is one supposed to obey Christ? Once a month? How often do temptations rain upon a believer, where they may flood one and be beaten by the winds of false doctrine? How many fall because they do not walk in close communion with Christ through the means he instituted? Also, those who hold that Holy Communion is just merely a ritual symbolizing our love for Christ and our unity as the body of Christ say so because: a) the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17), and, b) food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do (1 Corinthians 8:8), have taken the verses concerned out of context. The context in each of these passages is talking about the Jewish Kosher laws. To say that the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, is on the same level as saying thou [God] desirest not sacrifice thou delightest not in burnt offering, for surely it is true that Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in hearkening to the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. Yet we do therefore conclude that Christs sacrificial death was unnecessary? God forbid! To say that food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do, is also on the same level as saying it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins, And yet do we then conclude that the statement without shedding of blood is no remission is untrue? Just because animal blood cannot cleanse us from sin does not mean that Christs blood cannot. For the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin and that because Christ loved us he washed us from our sins in his own blood. In the same way, ordinary kosher food may not bring us near to God, yes, but eating the flesh of Christ and drinking his blood does bring us near to God. For it was Jesus Christ himself who said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. Yes the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking kosher food (as many Jehovahs Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists pretend it to be) but the eating of Christs spiritual flesh and drinking his spiritual blood. Kosher food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat kosher, and no better if we do eat kosher; if we REALLY believe in Christs words, eating his spiritual flesh and drinking his spiritual blood really does bring us near God the

Son, for whosoever eats Christs flesh, and drinks his blood, dwells in Christ, and Christ in the one who does so eat and drink Christ. That the Sacrament of Holy Communion ought not be put on the same level as ordinary common food and drink was S. Pauls entire point in 1 Corinthians 11. In this very chapter we are told that by eating and drinking unworthily is meant, taking the holy sacrament in such a rude and disorderly way, that one was "hungry and another drunken." But what is that to you? Is there any danger of your doing so, of your eating and drinking thus unworthily? However unworthy you are to communicate, there is no fear of your communicating thus. Therefore, whatever the punishment is, of doing it thus unworthily, it does not concern you. You have no more reason from this text to disobey God, than if there was no such text in the Bible. 1 Whosoever shall eat this bread unworthily - That is, in an unworthy, irreverent manner; without regarding either Him that appointed it, or the design of its appointment. Shall be guilty of profaning that which represents the body and blood of the Lord.2 For he that eateth and drinketh so unworthily as those Corinthians did, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself - Temporal judgments of various kinds, 1Cor. 11:30. Not distinguishing the sacred tokens of the Lord's body - From his common food.3 Holy Communion should not be regarded as a mere ritual involving common food but as means for a more meaningful and deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and our fellow believers through what Christ himself called his body and blood. The relationship between believers as the body of Christ is created by the act of breaking bread together, for "we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:17). But most importantly, our Lord Jesus said that if we love him, we will obey his commandments (John 14:15), and so our obedience to the command to eat bread and drink from the cup in memory of him is indicative of our loving relationship with Christ. The Rev. Olonan once wrote: The church has already tried various methods in the past but they failed. With Jesus method, he did not only give us the content, He also gave us the principles that we have to use. Our readiness to obey the said command is an indicator of the level of faith we have as Christian believers. And yet, notwithstanding what is written here so far, people will still consider Holy Communion as an optional add-on to worship. They will still consider the notion that the Eucharist is necessary for eternal life as preposterous, insisting on taking certain verses out of context, all the while ignoring Jesus Christs very wordshis statements regarding the eating his flesh and the drinking of his blood (though not meant literallyChrist definitely was not asking his followers to become cannibals!) as conveying eternal life to the believer, as well as the fact that Christ commanded his disciples to eat bread (that he called his body) and drink wine (which he called his blood) in memory of him.

1 2

John Wesley, Sermon 101: The Duty of Constant Communion, II. 8. John Wesleys Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 11:27n. 3 Ibid., 1 Cor. 11:29n.

Is it any wonder, then, why the many in the United Methodist Church in the Philippines are so divided by politics, and why few members are loyal to either the UMC or Christ himself? Why cherished vows made in marriage and ordination are so easily broken? Covenant relationships made here in the Philippines are not taken seriously, because many lack the grace that truly unites the Church. Many Filipinos have a nasty habit of making New Year resolutions, and then not keeping them. In the same way, many Filipino Methodistsespecially in the Manila Episcopal Areahave no intention of keeping Resolution 8014. This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion of the 2004 General Conference, (which was readopted by the 2012 General Conference, and is considered the official expression of the UMC regarding Holy Communion until 2024.) which recommends the weekly observance of Holy Communion: The complete pattern of Christian worship for the Lords Day is Word and Tablethe gospel is proclaimed in both Word and sacrament. Word and Table are not in competition; rather they complement each other so as to constitute a whole service of worship. Their separation diminishes the fullness of life in the Spirit offered to us through faith in Jesus Christ. Congregations of The United Methodist Church are encouraged to move toward a richer sacramental life, including weekly celebration of the Lords Supper at the services on the Lords Day, as advocated by the general orders of Sunday worship in The United Methodist Hymnal and The United Methodist Book of Worship. The question is asked: Why the necessity of using bread and wine? Can we not remember Christ every day without the ritualistic Holy Communion? The thing is, Christ asked that he be remembered through the breaking of bread and the blessing of the cup: why the resistance to remembering Christ through the means he told his followers he should be remembered? Furthermore, as Hoyt L. Hickman would observe, The word translated remembrance has a meaning stronger than what we ordinarily mean by the word remember. We might better use the word recall in the sense of call backDo this to call me back.4 The point is not just about a purely mental or nostalgic remembrance of Christ, but the kind of remembrance, the epiclesis, that truly invites Christs actual and real presence, when Christ is just as present with us as with his disciples long ago. And the means whereby Christ told us to invoke his actual and real presence is through the blessing of the cup and the breaking of bread. And then, the covenant becomes more than just a mere memory, but a present reality.

Hoyt L. Hickman, Worshipping With United Methodists (Abingdon Press, 1996), p. 33.