Back on Maundy Thursday, the day in the church calendar when
we remember Jesus’ final meal with his disciples, I was struck by the idea that
what we are really celebrating is a Marriage Feast. Of course the real Marriage
Supper of the Lamb will be in the final resurrection as outlined in Revelation,
but each time we celebrate a Communion service, we get a foretaste of that
Banquet.
In the words of the service we are invited to remember what
happened that night 2000 years ago. I esp. like the wording from the Episcopal
Book of Common Prayer, Eucharistic Prayer D:
When the hour had come
for him to be glorified by you, his heavenly Father, having loved his own who
were in the world, he loved them to the end; at supper with them he took bread,
and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples,
and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for
the remembrance of me."
After supper he took
the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said,
"Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is
shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it,
do this for the remembrance of me."
Father, we now
celebrate this memorial of our redemption. Recalling Christ's death and his
descent among the dead, proclaiming his resurrection and ascension to your
right hand, awaiting his coming in glory; and offering to you, from the gifts
you have given us, this bread and this cup, we praise you and we bless you.
Lord, we pray that in
your goodness and mercy your Holy Spirit
may descend upon us, and upon these gifts, sanctifying them and showing them to
be holy gifts for your holy people, the bread of life and the cup of salvation,
the Body and Blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Grant that all who share this
bread and cup may become one body and one spirit, a living sacrifice in Christ,
to the praise of your Name.
An ancient form, “The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles,” that I ran across (on Facebook of all places) gives these instructions: Celebrate the Eucharist as follows: Say over the cup: “we give you thanks, Father, for the holy vine of David, your servant, which you made known to us through Jesus your servant. To you be glory for ever.”
Over the broken bread say: “we give you thanks,
Father, for the life and the knowledge which you have revealed to us through
Jesus your servant. To you be glory for ever. As this broken bread scattered on
the mountains was gathered and became one, so too, may your Church be gathered
together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom. For glory and power are
yours through Jesus Christ for ever.”
When you finish the meal, offer thanks in this
manner: “We thank you, holy Father, for your name which you enshrined in our
hearts. We thank you for the knowledge and faith and immortality which you
revealed to us through your servant Jesus. To you be glory for ever. Almighty
ruler, you created all things for the sake of your name; you gave men food and
drink to enjoy so that they might give you thanks. Now you have favored us
through Jesus your servant with spiritual food and drink as well as with
eternal life. Above all we thank you because you are mighty. To you be glory
for ever.
“Remember, Lord, your Church and deliver her from
all evil. Perfect her in your love; and, once she has been sanctified, gather
her together from the four winds into the kingdom which you have prepared for
her. For power and glory are yours for ever. May grace come and this world pass away! Hosanna to
the God of David. If anyone is holy, let him come. If anyone is not, let him
repent. Maranatha. Amen.”
There are also some warnings in this old version: “Do not let anyone eat
or drink of your Eucharist except those who have been baptized in the name of
the Lord. For the statement of the Lord applies here also: Do not give to dogs
what is holy. On the Lord’s day, when you have been gathered together, break
bread and celebrate the Eucharist. But first confess your sins so that your
offering may be pure. If anyone has a quarrel with his neighbor, that person
should not join you until he has been reconciled. Your sacrifice must not be
defiled. In this regard, the Lord has said: In every place and time offer me a
pure sacrifice. I am a great king, says the Lord, and my name is great among
the nations.”
In all current forms of the Communion prayer we are
commanded to do this in “remembrance of [Christ]”. In the Jewish culture
remember has a deeper connotation than just thinking back on an experience.
Instead, like in the Passover, the actual historical event is brought present
each time the ceremony is enacted. In the same way, we are present with Christ
and the 12 each time we come to Communion. We are present with the saints and
sinners throughout the ages who have shared the Supper in many times and
places. We are sharing the Bread and Wine with St. Paul and St. Francis, with
Constantine and with a humble peasant. We are sharing the Body of Christ with
martyrs and with persecutors, with slave and free men (and women). We are in
the great cloud of witnesses throughout the ages as we hold the Bread in our
hands, whether it is a wafer or a piece of a loaf of bread. We are in the
company of great and small at the Banqueting table when we consume the Blood of
Christ, be it as wine or grape juice, from a chalice or in a cup. It doesn’t
matter if we are worshipping with a thousand or a few, the Holy Bridegroom is
in our midst and we are part of the Holy Banquet stretching from Jerusalem to
the present.
I think that is pretty amazing. If you really think about
it; it can leave you rather breathless and in awe. Thanks be to God who “loved
his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” and gave us the way of
remembering, of coming together to not just reenact but to make alive in our
day and time the Betrothal Feast.
Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll look at the Holy
Bridegroom’s work of redeeming the Bride.
