Christ chose the Passover to reveal to his disciples that he was the Messiah and the law and the words of the prophets were fulfilled in him.  He was given in sacrifice for us and he commanded that we “do this” in remembrance of him.  Once again, the Greek word for “remembrance” is “anamnesis“.  This is not a simple act of recalling the words and acts of Jesus, but a communal reenactment of what he did that brings Christ’s presence “among us” — both his presence in sacrificial giving and his presence in future glory.

In recent years there has been increased attention paid in the United Methodist Church (and other liturgical denominations) to the Eucharist, drawing on a renewed understanding of the way in which this sacrament was observed in the first and second century Church.  In developing the versions of ”A Service of Word and Table” contained in the United Methodist Book of Worship and the United Methodist Hymnal, the General Board of Discipline relied on references to the Eucharist in the New Testament, early church documents such as the Didache, and the writing of church fathers such as Justin Martyr and Hippolytus of Rome.

The manner in which we observe the Eucharist today can be traced back directly to as early as the beginning of the second century Anaphora of Hippolytus, which arguably was an accurate account of the manner in which the Lord’s Supper was observed by the first Christians.  And so, we join with Christians through the ages in celebrating His gift to the Church.

Because the earliest Christians were predominantly Jewish, it is likely that they continued to worship in the synagogue, while also celebrating the Eucharist separately.  Ultimately, when they were expelled from the synagogue, it is thought that the service of the word was combined with the Eucharist, or service of the table.  We know from the writings of Justin Martyr in the middle of the second century that word and sacrament were both observed in worship:

“And on the day called Sunday there is a meeting in one place of those who live in cities or the country, and the memoirs of the apostles or writings of the prophets are read as long as time permits.  When the reader has finished, the president in a discourse urges and invites [us] to the imitation of these noble things.  Then we all stand up together and offer prayers.  And, as said before, when we have finished the prayer, bread is brought, and wine and water.”

In the first four to five centuries of Christian worship the catechumens (those not yet baptized) were dismissed at the conclusion of the service of the word.  In the Eastern church, this tradition continues and, during the season of Lent, it is observed in some Roman Catholic churches.

Originally, readings from the Psalms, the Old Testament, one of the Epistles and one of the Gospels were all included in the service of the Word.  By the end of the fourth century, the Old Testament lection had been dropped.  Prayers of penitence came to hold a more significant place in worship throughout the Middle Ages.  At the time of the reformation, this emphasis continued and the service of the Word slowly came to constitute the whole of the worship experience, with the Eucharist becoming an occasional sacrament.  The sermon became more central to this service, with scriptural readings often consisting of no more than a few verses to introduce the theme of the sermon.

In the late twentieth century, the United Methodist Church, along with other denominations in the West, began to reconnect with the first six centuries of Christian worship.  Different denominations may differ in particulars, but they all share an emphasis on psalms and scripture sung or spoken aloud and central to the lesson or theme of the sermon.  The reunion of the Eucharist is also emphasized, with many churches including the service of the table in weekly worship.

The part the Lectionary plays in this is more than a minor role.  By using a common lectionary the universal nature of the Church is emphasized, as opposed to a local canon.  Through this emphasis we seek to conjoin Time (bringing the past into the present and anticipating the coming Kingdom now) and Space (worship in communion with one holy, catholic and apostolic church).

“We begin the seasons of the church year with anticipation, and we end the seasons of the church year declaring a certainty.  In Advent we waited for the needed and longed for definitive and ultimate self-disclosure of God in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.  On Reign of Christ Sunday we celebrate the fulfillment of the biblical revelation of God in Christ.

“Once again the church has listened to, reflected upon, rehearsed in worship, and tried to live in daily experience the redemption story.  We come away from the last Sunday of the church year soaked to the core in the revelation of God in Christ.  For us, as for those first disciples, there can be no turning back.  Here in the light of Christ’s triumphant presence we find our voice and declare once again, Jesus Christ is Lord of all and shall reign as Lord in my life.  So committed, we are ready to face every eventually of life because we now know the One in whom our life is found, redeemed and kept secure.  Our radical trust is in the One who is completely trustworthy (2 Timothy 1:12).  Life in Christ is good and complete.”

On this Thanksgiving Day, I wish each of you many blessings and I thank the precious Lord for all of the blessings that He has given to me.  Indeed, life in Christ is good and complete!

Dale

Methodists — indeed just about any liturgical denomination — now use these terms in a broader sense in referring to worship styles that are more ordered and formal versus those which are more casual and open.  At one end of the spectrum, vestments are more ornate, symbolism is based on tradition and (in some churches) incense may play a part in worship.  At the other end of the spectrum, vestments may discarded altogether for casual clothing and symbolism may draw from current society.

One author has likened effective liturgy as a type of Bethel experience.  You’ll recall that Bethel (literally, “House of God”) was the place where Jacob dreamed of the ladder, or stairway, to Heaven, and God appeared to him and made his covenant with Jacob.  The next morning, Jacob set up as a pillar the stone on which he had laid his head while he slept and anointed it with oil.  Even this early we see the use of ritual as a means of re-creating communication with the Divine.

Whether you’re talking about High Church, Low Church or Emerging Church worship (more about the latter tomorrow), you’re talking about ritual.  One question is where these rituals are drawn from.  Another is whether they take into account that what we are about is sacred.  God is both completely “other” than us and yet, by the grace of the incarnation and the Spirit, accessible to us.  How then, do we go about achieving both a sense of awe at the mystery of the eternal and awesome nature of God, while also invoking a sense of His mercy and immediate presence?

For those who’ve been attending class the past few Sundays, you’ve heard the terms anamnesis and prolepsis more than once.  One of the things we try to achieve in worship is to recall the past into the present and to anticipate now the future of Christ’s reign.  We don’t let ourselves fall into the very human trap of boxing in the past, present and future, but attempt — as best humans can attempt — to intersect our world with God’s eternal world.  One of the ways we can do this is to recognize that the Church — not the individual — is (as Prof. Stookey puts it) the irreducible unit of Christianity; and the Church consists of the past, present and the future.

Can we do this without taking into account the rituals and symbols of centuries of worship by those who have gone before us?  Can we do this without also taking into account the needs of the present and the people who Christ directs us to in ministry — both physical and spiritual?  And how do we anticipate the reign of Christ the King while observing the other two?

Hey, I’m asking the questions here, you folks need to be getting your answers ready.