The Eucharist

I wrote the following “perspective” on Tuesday afternoon, January 14, 2003:

Dear Fellow Travelers,

About an hour and a half ago, ten believers gathered for our regular “Tuesday Noon Eucharist.” What an incredible experience! In my opinion, there is nothing quite like the experience of a group of believers gathering for the sole purpose of celebrating the Eucharist—eating the bread and drinking the wine, both signs of something signified; namely, the body and blood of Jesus. In doing so, the participants are spiritually nourished, and today was no exception. Ten of us walked away from the table having received a miracle. Through a work of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine became the Person of Jesus in us, our perception of our union with Him was clarified, and our desire to honor him was intensified.

It is becoming increasingly more obvious to me that our Lord takes great delight in our celebrating the Eucharist. This is evidenced by what we have seen happen in our lives since we determined to make The Supper a regular part of our worship experience. As a result, I am committed to celebrating The Eucharist with you, and I am committed to celebrating it as often as the Word is proclaimed. I am so committed because I truly see “the proclamation of the Word” followed by “the eating of the bread and the drinking of the wine” as being genuine spiritual nourishment for our hungry, thirsty souls.

MY PERSPECTIVE: We need to pay very careful attention to these words of Jesus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in Him” (John 6:53-56).

As you can see, more than four years have come and gone since I penned those thoughts about the Eucharist, and to the best of my knowledge this small group of believers has celebrated this incredible supper at least twice per week ever since. From what I can observe, even after almost 52 months, it is the highlight of every service. I continue to believe that the Triune Godhead holds this supper in very high esteem.

Over the years, I have watched the church “water down” this supper, so much so, that it is seldom even celebrated, and certainly no longer appreciated—at least by most. In my opinion, this is a tragedy.

For some reason, I cannot get these words of Jesus out of my mind: “And while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins’” (Matthew 26:26b-28; emphasis added).

No, I do not accept as truth the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation; however, I do accept as truth these very clear words of Jesus. I will probably never understand them (this side of Heaven) but my lack of understanding does not diminish my faith in His words; consequently, I will be faithful not only to “eat & drink” myself, but also to offer the privilege to others.

MY PERSPECTIVE: There needs to be a “revival of love for the Eucharist” within the church; after all, we are His bride.