Eucharist
God effects miracles to provide for our salvation.
Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Communion as a means of our salvation, the Meal which nourishes the Church as the earthly Body of Christ and each of its individual members.
During the Eucharistic Celebration, the spiritual nature (substance) of the eucharistic bread becomes that of the Body of Christ, and the substance of the wine becomes that of the Blood of Christ. This is properly termed "transubstantiation" when we realize that the Latin word substantia means "essential nature" rather than "chemical makeup" as is often implied by the modern English use of the term.
At each celebration of the Eucharist, the Sacrifice of Jesus which occurred uniquely at the Cross on Good Friday is brought into present reality by the Holy Spirit. This is possible because God exists outside of the universe, external to our physical perceptions of space and time. From the perspective of heaven, the events of Calvary itself and each and every celebration of the Eucharist can be seen as one related activity tied together by a mystery of faith. This allows us to participate in Jesus' Sacrifice in the same way that Mary and John participated at the foot of the Cross: We are there in loving support to receive the Grace which Jesus emanates. It does not mean that our presentation of a small amount of bread and wine in some way make us justified before God, but rather that these trivial offerings are reminders us of God's infinite Love.
It is the Holy Spirit (not the minister) Who effects the change of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.
When we receive the Body and Blood in the form of Bread and Wine, the Holy Spirit also continues to make us the Body and Blood of Christ. This is both an individual and a corporate action. It is an individual renewal of our incorporation into the Body through Baptism and the grace through which we can appear as Jesus to others. Furthermore, it is the act by which the Church is continually renewed to be the Body of Christ on earth. Without the Eucharist, therefore, there would be no Church and no Christians.
The Eucharist is a memorial in which we remember the great things that Jesus did for us. It is also an ordinance which Jesus commanded us to repeat. These aspects, however, are not the primary focus and must not detract from the basic truth that the Eucharist is a sacrament through which God's Sacrifice is made real for us and our salvation is achieved. Communion is not just a reminder of Jesus' death, but the means by which we are spiritually present at the Cross. Likewise it is not just a reminder of our salvation, but the means by which that salvation is brought to us on a continuing basis. It is our Spiritual Meal. As physical food is not just a reminder of our physical life, but the means by which it is sustained, so Communion is the very means by which our spiritual Life is sustained while on earth. Baptism is the only prerequisite to Communion's ability to sustain spiritual Life. In Baptism we are born (again) into this spiritual dimension, thus being alive to be nourished. Baptism is an indelible act that can never be erased, so just as surely as Communion is appropriate for only the baptized, so likewise it is appropriate for all of the baptized.
Because through the Eucharist we participate in a unique way in the Sacrifice of the Cross, so receiving Communion in a unique way imparts forgiveness of sins. As in Baptism we are washed clean of all prior sins, including original sin, so as we receive the Body and Blood of Christ we are forgiven of sins after our Baptism. The two sacraments go hand-in-hand, therefore.As Baptism is the time when we are born again and become Christians, so it is that in Communion we "receive Christ" again and again in our lives.
Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Communion as a means of our salvation, the Meal which nourishes the Church as the earthly Body of Christ and each of its individual members.
During the Eucharistic Celebration, the spiritual nature (substance) of the eucharistic bread becomes that of the Body of Christ, and the substance of the wine becomes that of the Blood of Christ. This is properly termed "transubstantiation" when we realize that the Latin word substantia means "essential nature" rather than "chemical makeup" as is often implied by the modern English use of the term.
At each celebration of the Eucharist, the Sacrifice of Jesus which occurred uniquely at the Cross on Good Friday is brought into present reality by the Holy Spirit. This is possible because God exists outside of the universe, external to our physical perceptions of space and time. From the perspective of heaven, the events of Calvary itself and each and every celebration of the Eucharist can be seen as one related activity tied together by a mystery of faith. This allows us to participate in Jesus' Sacrifice in the same way that Mary and John participated at the foot of the Cross: We are there in loving support to receive the Grace which Jesus emanates. It does not mean that our presentation of a small amount of bread and wine in some way make us justified before God, but rather that these trivial offerings are reminders us of God's infinite Love.
It is the Holy Spirit (not the minister) Who effects the change of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.
When we receive the Body and Blood in the form of Bread and Wine, the Holy Spirit also continues to make us the Body and Blood of Christ. This is both an individual and a corporate action. It is an individual renewal of our incorporation into the Body through Baptism and the grace through which we can appear as Jesus to others. Furthermore, it is the act by which the Church is continually renewed to be the Body of Christ on earth. Without the Eucharist, therefore, there would be no Church and no Christians.
The Eucharist is a memorial in which we remember the great things that Jesus did for us. It is also an ordinance which Jesus commanded us to repeat. These aspects, however, are not the primary focus and must not detract from the basic truth that the Eucharist is a sacrament through which God's Sacrifice is made real for us and our salvation is achieved. Communion is not just a reminder of Jesus' death, but the means by which we are spiritually present at the Cross. Likewise it is not just a reminder of our salvation, but the means by which that salvation is brought to us on a continuing basis. It is our Spiritual Meal. As physical food is not just a reminder of our physical life, but the means by which it is sustained, so Communion is the very means by which our spiritual Life is sustained while on earth. Baptism is the only prerequisite to Communion's ability to sustain spiritual Life. In Baptism we are born (again) into this spiritual dimension, thus being alive to be nourished. Baptism is an indelible act that can never be erased, so just as surely as Communion is appropriate for only the baptized, so likewise it is appropriate for all of the baptized.
Because through the Eucharist we participate in a unique way in the Sacrifice of the Cross, so receiving Communion in a unique way imparts forgiveness of sins. As in Baptism we are washed clean of all prior sins, including original sin, so as we receive the Body and Blood of Christ we are forgiven of sins after our Baptism. The two sacraments go hand-in-hand, therefore.As Baptism is the time when we are born again and become Christians, so it is that in Communion we "receive Christ" again and again in our lives.
No one will be turned away
The Holy Eucharist is the sacrament through which the baptized are fed with the real and substantial Body and Blood of Christ. This sacrament constitutes the essence of the worship of this church, and all celebrations of the Eucharist are open to all who are baptized, confess the Creedal Faith, and believe that they are receiving the true Body and Blood of Christ. Inability to confess or believe because of age, mental capacity, or other physical reason are not held as barriers to Communion.
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All are welcomed
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