I've been thinking quite a bit lately on the way in which the Eucharist -- the holy meal, holy communion, the Lord's supper, whatever you'd like to call it -- has been practiced in the local church which Kendra and I attend. These reflections grow out of that experience, as well as the experience of being a local parish priest for a long time.
Contrary to popular opinion, the Christian faith isn't a head trip. The Christian faith is proved in its performance. This faith is not so much a set of beliefs or propositions, but a way of life, something we do, a way we walk, a set of embodied practices. A Christian is someone who not only talks like Jesus but also walks like Jesus.
And eats like Jesus -- that especially.
I wonder if folks appreciate the meaning of Maundy Thursday. It seems rather typical of the Jesus of the gospels to end his life with friends gathered around a table. And while there, he didn't say, "believe this" but "do this". Promising, all the while, that as we do it -- eating around a table together -- he will be there with us.
So it seems to me that the first step in Eucharistic renewal is simply to do what Jesus said to do -- the regular, weekly practice of gathering the faithful around a table to share in that meal.
The first class I ever taught as a graduate student was a course in liturgics. The class -- "The Church at Worship" -- was intended for DMin candidates to explore not only the why of worship, but the what. So one of the things I did in that class was to teach them how to set a good table, recipes for baking bread, that kind of thing.
It was a bit odd at first. That's not the way seminarians think about their worship class. But, as I insisted, until we experience the joy of setting a good table, we'll never know what Jesus was doing in the Upper Room. What's more, until you appreciate a good wine, you can't understand entire swaths of the gospel of John.
That experience teaching worship to pastors taught me what I call "the Eucharistic Principle": How you do Communion makes all the difference. The food at a fast-food joint or a fancy French restaurant may be equally nutritious, but the experience is totally different. One makes you feel like a cow moving through a feed trough, and the other makes you feel like an honored human being. It's all in how you do it.
Pastors will regularly ask me: What can we do to increase an understanding about "This Holy Mystery" among our congregations? My answer is fairly clear and direct: How you do the Eucharist makes all the difference. It's not in what a congregation knows or believes. It's in what they actually do. You do it as you believe it. As if you expect something to happen, Someone to show up and feed the hungry.
To that end, here are some suggestions for pastors.
First, look for ways to provide warmth and hospitality at the Meal. Fire ushers. Keep pastoral direction to a minimum.
Yes, I'm serious. We tend to make observance of a Meal with Jesus a formal affair. (Black tie and all.) But you're inviting people to a banquet, not a military drill. A gracious "Come to the Table!" is enough.
Second, invite the congregation to sing during the Meal. This isn't a funeral or a wake for "poor dead Jesus". This is a celebration of Jesus Christ and his resurrection for resurrection people. If you're singing a funeral dirge, you've gotten it all wrong.
I learned this lesson from the Black church. Sing upbeat, familiar hymns. This is not the time for the organ to play softly and reverently. (As if mournfully.) You can totally change the way people experience the Meal just by the music you sing (oh, and don't just use instrumentals, either). (Putting it this way makes me realize just how much influence John Wesley has had on my practice as a pastor -- which ought to make my Methodist friends smile.)
Third, use bread that looks like bread -- preferably baked by members of the congregation the day before. And use quantities of bread that speak to grace.
God isn't stingy. So don't be stingy with how the people are fed. It's really that simple.
Fourth, folks should receive this meal standing up. Eyes open. Hands outstretched. This is an Easter meal, not a funeral one. Then encourage them to kneel and pray at the rail if they like.
This gives flexibility and freedom to the congregation's expressions of spirituality. Again, it's a banquet, not a military drill.
Fifth, for heaven's sake, use the Great Thanksgiving. It's theologically formed, while encouraging that flexibility and freedom. But here's the thing: If your congregation is unaccustomed to reading from a book, you can simply bid the service through. You can help them learn the responses without being a slave to a book. Yes, that will take work. But it's a lot better than a whole family sticking its noses in a book at mealtime.
Always remember that Holy Communion is much more than the right words being said. (If you'd don't know the tradition of where we came up with the magic words "hocus pocus", check this out. You'll be shocked.) Communion is something done, not simply something said. What's more: It's something seen and experienced. A congregation that has forgotten that sees this meal as a wake, or worse -- as a magic trick.
Sixth, celebrate the Meal more frequently!
I can't say this enough. Holy Communion is normal food for Christians who are people on the way -- actually following Jesus in the world. Congregations that celebrate more frequently -- even weekly! -- appreciate it more, not less. (I learned this from the Disciples of Christ/Christian Church.)
Seventh, if time is the issue, preach less.
I mean it. The Holy Meal can preach better and more consistently than we preachers can.
But let's be honest: The things that usually take up the most time can be planned better. This typically requires the laity to take a more active role in worship. So if you're worried about time -- start there.
Eighth, use lay eucharistic ministers. Train them. Train them how to look people in the eye, call them by name, make the experience of the Meal intense and personal. Teach them how to handle bread with respect, how to serve with intention. Eucharistic ministers make this Meal a family affair. Otherwise, it's just another thing we pay the pastor -- as the religious professional -- to do. (Oh, and by the way, these folks are absolutely essential for developing a eucharistic ministry for the homebound and hospitalized!)
Ninth, lead the entire service with conviction. If you expect Jesus to show up, you'll be surprised all the ways you'll see him there. Be robust. Be expectant. As a pastor, understand all the ways that the entire Sunday worship service holds together, and teach your lay leaders the same thing. Once the leadership understands that, it transforms what you say and do during the service.
If you're uncomfortable or inexperienced, then practice. Serving as Christ's representative among the people makes all the difference in what they see and experience and do.
Tenth -- and, yes, this will seem like a contradiction to number seven above -- preach a full sermon. None of this "communion meditation" crap that was so popular when I was a student. The Sunday Service has always been a combination of Word and Table. They belong together. The word preached at the pulpit and the faith enacted at the Table are the same thing! (This is why I think Communion preaches far more than pastors realize.)
"Do this in remembrance of me", Jesus said. So let's do it. Let's enjoy Jesus and Jesus' presence with us. Give thanks that of all the gifts he has given a good world, like bread and wine, the gifts that matter most are the ones we celebrate at the Table -- the gifts of his body and blood.
Contrary to popular opinion, the Christian faith isn't a head trip. The Christian faith is proved in its performance. This faith is not so much a set of beliefs or propositions, but a way of life, something we do, a way we walk, a set of embodied practices. A Christian is someone who not only talks like Jesus but also walks like Jesus.
And eats like Jesus -- that especially.
I wonder if folks appreciate the meaning of Maundy Thursday. It seems rather typical of the Jesus of the gospels to end his life with friends gathered around a table. And while there, he didn't say, "believe this" but "do this". Promising, all the while, that as we do it -- eating around a table together -- he will be there with us.
So it seems to me that the first step in Eucharistic renewal is simply to do what Jesus said to do -- the regular, weekly practice of gathering the faithful around a table to share in that meal.
The first class I ever taught as a graduate student was a course in liturgics. The class -- "The Church at Worship" -- was intended for DMin candidates to explore not only the why of worship, but the what. So one of the things I did in that class was to teach them how to set a good table, recipes for baking bread, that kind of thing.
It was a bit odd at first. That's not the way seminarians think about their worship class. But, as I insisted, until we experience the joy of setting a good table, we'll never know what Jesus was doing in the Upper Room. What's more, until you appreciate a good wine, you can't understand entire swaths of the gospel of John.
That experience teaching worship to pastors taught me what I call "the Eucharistic Principle": How you do Communion makes all the difference. The food at a fast-food joint or a fancy French restaurant may be equally nutritious, but the experience is totally different. One makes you feel like a cow moving through a feed trough, and the other makes you feel like an honored human being. It's all in how you do it.
Pastors will regularly ask me: What can we do to increase an understanding about "This Holy Mystery" among our congregations? My answer is fairly clear and direct: How you do the Eucharist makes all the difference. It's not in what a congregation knows or believes. It's in what they actually do. You do it as you believe it. As if you expect something to happen, Someone to show up and feed the hungry.
To that end, here are some suggestions for pastors.
First, look for ways to provide warmth and hospitality at the Meal. Fire ushers. Keep pastoral direction to a minimum.
Yes, I'm serious. We tend to make observance of a Meal with Jesus a formal affair. (Black tie and all.) But you're inviting people to a banquet, not a military drill. A gracious "Come to the Table!" is enough.
Second, invite the congregation to sing during the Meal. This isn't a funeral or a wake for "poor dead Jesus". This is a celebration of Jesus Christ and his resurrection for resurrection people. If you're singing a funeral dirge, you've gotten it all wrong.
I learned this lesson from the Black church. Sing upbeat, familiar hymns. This is not the time for the organ to play softly and reverently. (As if mournfully.) You can totally change the way people experience the Meal just by the music you sing (oh, and don't just use instrumentals, either). (Putting it this way makes me realize just how much influence John Wesley has had on my practice as a pastor -- which ought to make my Methodist friends smile.)
Third, use bread that looks like bread -- preferably baked by members of the congregation the day before. And use quantities of bread that speak to grace.
God isn't stingy. So don't be stingy with how the people are fed. It's really that simple.
Fourth, folks should receive this meal standing up. Eyes open. Hands outstretched. This is an Easter meal, not a funeral one. Then encourage them to kneel and pray at the rail if they like.
This gives flexibility and freedom to the congregation's expressions of spirituality. Again, it's a banquet, not a military drill.
Fifth, for heaven's sake, use the Great Thanksgiving. It's theologically formed, while encouraging that flexibility and freedom. But here's the thing: If your congregation is unaccustomed to reading from a book, you can simply bid the service through. You can help them learn the responses without being a slave to a book. Yes, that will take work. But it's a lot better than a whole family sticking its noses in a book at mealtime.
Always remember that Holy Communion is much more than the right words being said. (If you'd don't know the tradition of where we came up with the magic words "hocus pocus", check this out. You'll be shocked.) Communion is something done, not simply something said. What's more: It's something seen and experienced. A congregation that has forgotten that sees this meal as a wake, or worse -- as a magic trick.
Sixth, celebrate the Meal more frequently!
I can't say this enough. Holy Communion is normal food for Christians who are people on the way -- actually following Jesus in the world. Congregations that celebrate more frequently -- even weekly! -- appreciate it more, not less. (I learned this from the Disciples of Christ/Christian Church.)
Seventh, if time is the issue, preach less.
I mean it. The Holy Meal can preach better and more consistently than we preachers can.
But let's be honest: The things that usually take up the most time can be planned better. This typically requires the laity to take a more active role in worship. So if you're worried about time -- start there.
Eighth, use lay eucharistic ministers. Train them. Train them how to look people in the eye, call them by name, make the experience of the Meal intense and personal. Teach them how to handle bread with respect, how to serve with intention. Eucharistic ministers make this Meal a family affair. Otherwise, it's just another thing we pay the pastor -- as the religious professional -- to do. (Oh, and by the way, these folks are absolutely essential for developing a eucharistic ministry for the homebound and hospitalized!)
Ninth, lead the entire service with conviction. If you expect Jesus to show up, you'll be surprised all the ways you'll see him there. Be robust. Be expectant. As a pastor, understand all the ways that the entire Sunday worship service holds together, and teach your lay leaders the same thing. Once the leadership understands that, it transforms what you say and do during the service.
If you're uncomfortable or inexperienced, then practice. Serving as Christ's representative among the people makes all the difference in what they see and experience and do.
Tenth -- and, yes, this will seem like a contradiction to number seven above -- preach a full sermon. None of this "communion meditation" crap that was so popular when I was a student. The Sunday Service has always been a combination of Word and Table. They belong together. The word preached at the pulpit and the faith enacted at the Table are the same thing! (This is why I think Communion preaches far more than pastors realize.)
"Do this in remembrance of me", Jesus said. So let's do it. Let's enjoy Jesus and Jesus' presence with us. Give thanks that of all the gifts he has given a good world, like bread and wine, the gifts that matter most are the ones we celebrate at the Table -- the gifts of his body and blood.