A Wesleyan View of Communion March 15, 2011 Ryan Gear ryangear.com Until I was six years of age, I was part of the local United Methodist Church in which my grandmother served as a layspeaker. Being so young, I do not remember exactly how often the congregation observed the Communion (it was probably quarterly), but it seemed like yearly. I have very few memories of receiving Communion as a child, but those I do have, are associated with a very somber, funeral-like experience. Located in the Appalachian region of southeastern Ohio, the small congregation was influenced by American frontier religion, and they seemed to reverence Communion so much that they hardly ever observed it. Incidentally, I was also not baptized as an infant, because the local congregation practiced only believer s Baptism. Reading the sermons of John Wesley and United Methodist resources such as This Holy Mystery and others regarding Communion is a revelation. I have been pleasantly surprised by Wesley s love for and emphasis on Communion and have enjoyed thinking in new ways about this sacrament also referred to in This Holy Mystery as Holy Communion, Communion, the Holy Meal, the Mass, The Divine Liturgy, and the Lord s Supper. 1 I use most of these terms interchangeably in this paper. In light of these resources, I will present my view of the meaning and significance of Communion citing pertinent biblical sources, John Wesley s sermons, Wesley s Anglican context, and current United Methodist doctrine and trends regarding the Eucharist. The synoptic Gospels and 1 Corinthians 11 present similar formulas for the institution of the Eucharist, although in Luke, Jesus passes an additional cup before instituting the Eucharist. 1 Felton, Gayle Carlton. This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion, Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 2005, 9 10.
1 These sources report that Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. He then took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it his disciples. This forms the four act pattern of the Eucharist. 2 The context of the institution appears to be the Jewish Passover Seder, and the Eucharist is inextricably bound to the Jewish culture of sharing meals as a holy event. 3 Elsewhere, the concept of the Eucharist and narrative reports of its practice appear. The Gospel of John does not contain the words of institution, but does seem to allude to Communion in chapter six in which Jesus offends many in the crowd by telling them that they must east his flesh and drink his blood. Acts 2:42 almost certainly refers the observance of the Eucharist with the phrase breaking of bread, and Acts 2:46 repeats the report of its practice. 4 Acts 20:7, 11 tells of believers coming together and breaking bread on the first day of the week. Finally, in 1 Corinthians 10:16, 17, Paul refers to the sharing of the bread and cup in support of an argument for unity in the Corinthian church. Holy Communion is a sacrament and must be considered the central act of worship in the history of Christianity. It dramatizes with tangible elements the self-giving of Jesus body and blood in the crucifixion. The writer of Hebrews, in 9:26, articulates a theology of sacrifice behind Jesus offering of himself. As the high priest made atonement for the sins of the people shedding the blood of sacrificed animals, so Christ removes sin with his self-sacrifice and shed blood. Referring to Christ s blood, the words of institution in Matthew, Mark, and Luke contain the phrases poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins, poured out for many, and 2 (Felton 2005, 10) 3 White, James F. Introduction to Christian Worship, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000, 231. 4 Acts 2:42, NRSV
2 poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 5 Wesley expresses this theology of the Eucharist in his sermon The Means of Grace by arguing that Communion is an ordinary stated means of receiving the grace of God that was purchased by Christ s sacrifice. 6 Of course, Christ s sacrifice not only includes the cross but also the joy, power and victory of the Resurrection. As a sacrament, Wesley understood Holy Communion to be an outward sign of an inward grace and the chief actual means actual grace and indispensable. 7 Charles Wesley shared John s love of the Eucharist, and they composed 166 hymns to be sung during the celebration of the Lord s Supper. 8 As a sacrament, the Eucharist was instituted by Christ just prior to his betrayal, crucifixion, and resurrection. In his sermon The Duty of Constant Communion, Wesley reasons from Jesus command to Do this in remembrance of me in Luke 22:19 that partaking in Communion is a command of God and must be obeyed. 9 His second reason for observing the Eucharist is that its benefits are too great to be disregarded. 10 He then addresses common objections to the, not frequent, but constant, observance of the Lord s Supper, to which he refers as communicating. These objections include I am unworthy, I cannot live up to it, busyness that precludes constant communing, reduced reverence for the sacrament resulting from constant observance, 5 Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24, Luke 22:20, NRSV 6 Outler, Albert C. and Richard P. Heitzenrater. John Wesley s Sermons: An Anthology, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991, 165. 7 Outler, Albert C., ed. John Wesley, New York: Oxford University Press, 1964, 333. 8 (Felton 2005, 11) 9 (Outler 1964, 334) 10 Ibid. 335
3 unmet expectation from observance, and the Church of England s instruction to commune at least three times per year. 11 Wesley makes his case with thought-provoking clarity and humor leaving no doubt that he favors observance of the Eucharist by every Christian as often as possible, even several times per week. After Wesley counseled elders to administer Communion every Sunday in 1784, The United Methodist Church trended toward an infrequent observance of the Lord s Supper until the late 20 th century, as now weekly observance is again recommended. 12 Wesley also viewed the Eucharist as a converting ordinance, welcoming to the table those who desire to become Christians. In his journal entries concerning his rift with the Moravians, Wesley cites the Moravians de-emphasis on the means of grace as one reason he parts with the group that had influenced him so powerfully in the past. In support of his own position, Wesley quotes a woman who reportedly experienced the faith that brings salvation while partaking in the Lord s Supper. 13 Wesley reasoned that the ordinary means of grace is not only able to convey grace to those already justified but justifying grace to those desiring to follow Christ. 14 Current United Methodist doctrine affirms this evangelical view of the Eucharist, mandating that Nonbaptized people who respond in faith to the invitation in our liturgy will be welcomed to the Table. 15 Included in the Wesleyan view of the Eucharist is that it is an opportunity for evangelism. All those who respond in repentance and desire to follow Christ are welcomed. No 11 Ibid. 337 343 12 (Felton 2005, 34) 13 (Outler 1964, 355) 14 Ibid. 355 15 (Felton 2005, 28)
4 one meeting the above requirement is excluded regardless of denomination or age. 16 Because of Jesus self-giving for the salvation of others, Holy Communion also empowers and propels the Church to partner with Christ in his mission of evangelism. 17 For Wesleyans, the sacrament is both a converting and confirming ordinance. 18 Excepting this Wesleyan emphasis on Communion as a converting ordinance, the theology of the Eucharist held by The United Methodist Church is largely received from The Church of England. 19 John Wesley only slightly modified the 1662 Eucharistic service from the Book of Common Prayer. 20 At least six conceptions of the Eucharist are found in the New Testament: thanksgiving, fellowship, remembrance, sacrifice, action of the Holy Spirit, and eschatology. 21 As Eucharist, the meal is thanksgiving. 22 Communion is participation in the fellowship of the Church, including all saints in all locations past and present. 23 It is remembrance of Christ s act, but more than simply remembrance, it is anamnesis, Greek for remembering and also re-experiencing Christ s sacrifice in remembering. 24 The Eucharist is a 16 Jones, Scott J. United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2002, 266. 17 (Felton 2005, 56) 18 Langford, Thomas A. Practical Divinity: Theology in the Wesleyan Tradition, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1983, 41. 19 (Felton 2005, 11) 20 (White 2000, 246) 21 Ibid. 17 22 Ibid. 17 23 Ibid. 17 24 Ibid. 17
5 channel of God s grace to participants through the work of the Holy Spirit. 25 Communing is also a pledge of the future second coming and reign of Christ. 26 Following the Eucharistic theology of the Church of England, it is surmised that the Wesleys affirmed the presence of Christ in the Eucharist but not in accordance with the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. 27 Transubstantiation insists on the literal substantive transformation of the Communion elements into the body and blood of Christ. In conclusion, Scripture affirms the high view of the sacrament held by John and Charles Wesley and The United Methodist Church. Jesus instituted Holy Communion as a physical sign of his sacrifice on our behalf, and it has been the central act of Christian worship throughout the history of the Church. John Wesley emphasized the constant observance of the Eucharist, recommending at least a weekly observance on the Lord s Day. His sermon The Duty of Constant Communion, addresses the still-common objections to an at least weekly observance of the Lord s Supper. After observing the Eucharist infrequently, The United Methodist Church has now returned to Wesley s direction. The current United Methodist view of the sacrament as the chief means of grace, calls for a rich understanding and constant practice of Communion as both a converting and confirming ordinance that also empowers the Church to participate in Christ s mission to redeem the world. 25 Ibid. 18 26 ibid. 18 27 (Jones 2002, 264)
6 Bibliography Felton, Gayle Carlton. This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion. Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 2005. Pp. 9-10. Jones, Scott J. United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2002. P. 266. Langford, Thomas A. Practical Divinity: Theology in the Wesleyan Tradition. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1983. P. 41. Outler, Albert C. John Wesley. New York: Oxford University Press, 1964. P. 333. Outler, Albert C. and Richard P. Heitzenrater. John Wesley s Sermons: An Anthology. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991. P. 165. White, James F. Introduction to Christian Worship. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000. P. 231.