Pastor John Wright of Church of the Nazarene in Mid-City (San Diego, CA) has written an exceptional reflection on eating bread. Following theologians like Henri de Lubac and John Zizioulas, Pastor John reminds us that
...the church does not make the Eucharist; the Eucharist makes the Church. As Christians, grace comes before works, and works flow out of what the grace has already accomplished. The Eucharist represents the "already" as we live towards its full reality in the "not yet." Christ's presence in the Eucharist is real by the descent if the Spirit on the Bread and Cup in the Eucharistic prayer lead by the elder at the altar. As we participate in the One Body that is Christ's presence in the Bread, we then go out to live what we read in Deuteronomy and Ephesians -- now with no reason to not do so, because it is only by God's grace, not our merit or worth, that we have been made participatants in Christ's body.
And all God's people said, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment