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WHAT
PRESBYTERIANS BELIEVE ABOUT
THE LORD’S SUPPER |
The Last Supper1495–1497
Leonardo da Vinci |
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What is the Lord’s Supper?
Presbyterians
believe that the Lord’s Supper is the sign and symbol of
inclusion in God’s grace. It is the sign of inclusion into
the community of faith—the body of Christ—the Church. As a
communal meal, the Lord’s Supper signifies our participation
in Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Lord’s Supper
represents our dying to what separates us from God, and it
represents our being raised to newness of life in Christ.
The Lord’s
Supper is a sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ. In the
New Testament, we read that Jesus ascribes new meaning to
the communal meal of His faithful followers. “My flesh is
true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat . . .
and drink . . . abide in Me, and I in them” (John 6:55-56).
The Lord’s Supper has always been a celebration marked by
the use of bread and wine, and it has always been a rite in
which persons are summoned into a relationship with God and
with each other through the death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ.
We believe that God claims us in the breaking of bread and
in the sharing of the cup. The Lord’s Supper is God's gift
of grace and also God's call to respond to that grace. It
is the outward sign that, in life and in death, we belong to
God.
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Who invites us to participate in the Lord’s Supper?
“We trust in
God the Holy Spirit . . . who . . . feeds us with the bread
of life and the cup of salvation . . .” These words from “A
Brief Statement of Faith” reiterate the importance of the
sacrament of the Lord's Supper for Presbyterians. They
affirm that the initial action of this divine meal begins
with God. God in Jesus Christ offers the bread and the cup
and bids us come.
As the name of
the sacrament implies, this is the Lord’s supper. Jesus
Christ is the host of this meal, and he welcomes all who
accept the invitation to this feast. Under the enabling
power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is made present so
that a bond of unity can exist among those present and those
unseen. |
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Who is invited to participate in the Lord’s Supper?
Presbyterians
believe that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ as
Lord are invited to partake of the Lord’s Supper.
Christ welcomes all who accept the invitation to this divine
meal. We who come need not be concerned about our personal
appearance or aptitude. What matters is that the love, the
grace, and the hospitality of God in Christ create unanimity
among us. This meal is provided, not because we have earned
the right to eat and drink with Jesus, but simply as an act
of divine love.
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Why do we participate in the Lord’s Supper?
Presbyterians
believe that the Lord's Supper is a sacrament of continuous
growth, nourishment, and new life. Just as humans need food
and drink for nurture and sustenance, the Lord’s Supper
God's way of providing for our maintenance during the whole
course of our lives after we have been received into God's
family.
We believe that
the sacrament of the Lord's Supper presupposes, deepens, and
assists our faith. We cannot wait until we think we are
appropriately worthy for such a divine encounter. As we
come before Christ at this sacred feast, we bring with us
our imperfections, our weaknesses, even our sinfulness.
Yet, we come because God has made us worthy. Our worthiness
is found in putting our trust in God and, in faith, relying
upon God's mercy.
Once we
participate in Lord’s Supper, we are empowered by the Holy
Spirit to participate in God's mission to the world. To
limit our love, our fellowship, and our concerns to those
who break bread with us is to limit the very grace of
God—the grace which has reconciled us and the world to God
through Jesus Christ. Such limitation blinds us so that
fail to see the people of God everywhere. Through the
Lord’s Supper, Jesus Christ reminds us that we are to live
as He lived. Just as God reconciled us to Himself through
His Son, we too are compelled to seek reconciliation with
one another. Accepting the invitation to come to the Lord's
Supper demands that we actively seek reconciliation in every
instance of conflict or division between ourselves and our
neighbors. |
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Is the Lord’s Supper known by other names?
The act of
eating and drinking with Jesus has been called by a number
of names: “Holy Communion,” “the Lord's Supper,” “the
Eucharist,” “the Breaking of Bread.” Each name points to a
particular meaning.
The titles
“Breaking of Bread” and “the Lord's Supper” emphasize the
oldest New Testament accounts of the institution of the
sacrament (Mark 14:17-25 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
The Gospels
report Jesus' common eating and drinking with people from
various walks of life, making such events worthy of
remembrance. As far as it can be determined, Jewish meals
always included bread. It was also customary for the host or
head of the house to bless the bread and then break and
share it with those at the table.
On the day of
his resurrection, the risen Jesus made Himself known to his
followers in the breaking of bread. He continued to show
Himself to believers by preparing, serving and sharing
meals. This act continued among the followers of Jesus and
the breaking and sharing of bread became a sacred act of
remembrance, making present God's gracious act in Jesus the
Christ in the special moment of remembering.
The term
“Eucharist,” derived from the Greek word eucharista
(which means "thanksgiving"), is used by Mark, Matthew and
Luke in their accounts of the institution of this holy meal.
In his writings, the apostle Paul emphasized that Jesus
gave thanks before breaking the bread and offering the cup.
The joyous acts of thanksgiving which permeated the
observance of this rite undoubtedly caused the
second-century Christian writers to use the term “Eucharist”
as the standard name for this meal.
The service of
thanksgiving and praise included thanks for God's creation;
for deliverance from sin; for the birth, life, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ; and for the reconciliation of
the world to God.
The term
“Communion” is derived from the practice of early
Christians. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth: "The cup
of blessing that we bless, is it not a koinonia
in the blood of Christ?" ( 1 Corinthians 10:16). The Greek
word koinonia is translated "communion" in
the King James Version and "sharing" in the New Revised
Standard Version. It is also translated "fellowship" or
"partnership," referring to a common sharing or a sense of
communion with Christ and with one another. Communion is
understood as a common participation in a Christian life
which a person lives in Christ, because it is initiated by
Christ. |
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Is Jesus Christ present in the Lord’s Supper?
If asked whether
Jesus Christ is physically present in the elements of the
Lord’s Supper, Presbyterians would answer, “No.”
Presbyterians do not believe that the physical substance of
bread and wine are changed into the physical substance of
Jesus’ body. The bread and wine remain bread and wine.
However,
Presbyterians do believe that this sacrament is more than a
memorial feast. In the Lord’s Supper, Christ is very much
present. Presbyterians affirm that Jesus is spiritually
present. Christ is authentically present as we participate
in the holy meal. Christ is genuinely present to us and not
just in our memories.
Perhaps we have
a hard time understanding this distinction because
ordinarily we suppose physical reality—the stuff that is
made out of atoms—is the only reality there is. Indeed,
physical things are real; but there are other things which
are also real. All physical things were created by God; but
God Himself is not created. God is real, but God is not
physical.
Accordingly, we
Presbyterians reaffirm the reality and presence of Jesus
Christ in our lives and in our communion with one another as
we participate in the Lord’s Supper.
Back to
"What We Believe." |
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