Dear Friends in Christ,
One of the important reforms instituted by Martin Luther, though not one widely mentioned, was his reassertion of the importance of Holy Communion. In the medieval church, Mass was celebrated every Sunday, indeed, every day, but people rarely partook of Holy Communion–they just watched the priest commune. The situation got so bad that the Roman Church instituted the Easter rule, which required that people commune at least once a year. In the Augsburg Confession, Melanchton gives the Lutheran position:
We are unjustly accused of having abolished the Mass. Without
boasting, it is manifest that the Mass is observed among us with
greater devotion and more earnestness than among our opponents.
Moreover, the people are instructed often and with great diligence
concerning the holy sacrament…in order that people may be drawn
to the Communion and Mass.
So it is tragic that during the 18th century Enlightenment, Lutherans (in order to distinguish themselves from Romans) did de-emphasize the Mass and the weekly Eucharist pretty much disappeared from Lutheran churches of every ilk. And it was one of the great accomplishments of recent decades that a eucharistically-centered worship practice was restored (although there are still parishes, especially in the Midwest, that haven’t gotten the memo).
Why is it so important? Why is this sacrament, in fact, the central act of Christian life? A Roman Catholic nun, Sr. Rosemarie Cameron, puts it very well:
Christ once held up, before a dark world starving for redemption, bread to
be broken and wine to be poured out, that we might know he would always
be present, to feed and nourish, strengthen and comfort. Shining through
the darkness of his passion and death, his resurrection made all things new.
The broken bread of his body and the poured-out wine of his blood is our food,
and a loving union with him and each other along the way, a presence that
continually transforms us into his own body. Humanity, clothed with Christ, is
broken and poured out in this cosmic eucharist embraced and transformed by
its eucharistic Lord; a constantly renewed “paschal mystery.” He has never
withdrawn his loving gaze from us, nor will he.
The Human Race has been fractured, fragmented, alienated by sin and selfishness. The crucial issue is the restoration of communion with God and community among all God’s children. Holy Communion is the sacrament of unity. It is not, as Roman Catholics still teach, the prize we can share once we have reunited It is the gift of unity, in spite of all our differences and disagreements. Living in that holy communion/holy community, we are then able to live it out. We learn that unity is about loving one another, not about agreeing with one another. This is the fundamental Christian proposal for renewing the world–whether we agree or disagree is about uniformity, love is about unity. The reason we gather around the altar every Sunday is to reach that deepest level of community we humans are capable of. It is truly our greatest gift.
Yours in Christ,
–Pastor Bastien
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