Eucharist as the Dawn of the Age to Come

Matthew 26:29, Mark 14:25, Luke 22:18

This essay pertains to the glory of God. For that reason, let us begin with a prayer of thanksgiving.

O living God, we give you all the honor, praise, and glory for the humility by which you humbled yourself to feed us the very life of your beloved Son. Pour out upon us, we pray, your mighty Holy Spirit that our hearts may be lifted to the throne of grace where you reign with the Lamb slain from the foundations of the world. In his name we pray. Amen.

On the night of his betrayal, after Christ had blessed the cup and given it to his disciples, he said these words, "I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom" (Matthew 26:29). Mark and Luke repeat the same phrasing with slight variations, the most notable being that they leave out the words, "with you." It was understood, however, that Christ would not drink of the fruit of the vine alone, but with his disciples since sacred meals were celebrated corporately by the people of God.

As can be seen throughout Scripture, when the people of God ate a sacred meal, they entered into God's presence, the place where God's power and glory became evident. One cannot help but think of Genesis 2:9 where God planted the tree of life in the midst of the garden. This tree represented the life-giving presence of God, so that, if Adam and Eve were to eat of the tree, they would live forever (Genesis 3:22). Of special significance is Exodus 24:9-11 in which Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders, concluded the covenant by ascending the mountain and eating and drinking in the presence of God. As they ate and drank, they saw "the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness" (Exodus 24:10). In Isaiah 55, God invites the nations to come to the holy mountain to form a covenant and celebrate the messianic banquet in his presence. In the parable of Matthew 22:1-14 and Luke 14:16-24, the Kingdom is described as a wedding feast in which God and his people celebrate together. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Luke 15:11-32, the son is welcomed home with a feast, a feast over which God presides.

Principle Two of biblical interpretation, found in the Creeds and Biblical Interpretation, states that "All passages [of Scripture] must be interpreted in light of the whole of the biblical narrative, beginning with creation, centered on Jesus Christ, and culminating with the life of the world to come." In light of this principle, the Passover meal that Jesus celebrated with his disciples on the night of his betrayal was one in a series of meals which extended both backward and forward in time. Looking backward over his earthly life, Jesus ate with sinners, tax-collectors and prostitutes, and this implied that salvation had come to the marginalized and the lost. These meals were the fulfillment of the Old Testament passages listed above, and they in turn pointed to the Passover meal on the night of his betrayal, which, together with the parables mentioned in the previous paragraph, pointed forward to the final eschatological meal, the Marriage Feast of the Lamb of Revelation 19. When Jesus said, "I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom," he was referring to the dawn of the final day, the last day, the day of God's complete and final victory when all God's redeemed children will sit at table with him in his glorious kingdom.

That day dawned with the resurrection. The resurrection was not simply the resurrection of a corpse to ordinary life in this world, although the tomb was empty and his body raised. It was more than that. It was the conquest of sin, the devil, and death. As such, it was the dawn of the final day, an experience of profound joy that enables weakened sinners such as ourselves to be forgiven and to sit with God at table. In the resurrection, heaven was opened because Christ had atoned for sin, and therefore, Jesus' disciples and all of us are forgiven and invited to eat and drink with God.

This can be seen from the fact that when Jesus appeared to his disciples in the resurrection, he, on several occasions, ate a meal with them. Luke 24:30 describes one such resurrection meal as consisting of four actions -- Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. These are the four actions which constitute the Lord's Supper as described in the Formation of the Eucharist. As they ate with him, their eyes were opened and they knew it was the Lord. In John's gospel, Jesus took bread and gave it to his disciples along with broiled fish. Doubtless he also blessed and broke the bread prior to giving it to his disciples. It is quite possible that there were other manifestations of Christ's resurrected presence which entailed eating a meal in the redeemed kingdom. Be that as it may, when Peter was preaching to the household of Cornelius, he proclaimed that Jesus had appeared to those who had been chosen by God as witnesses to the resurrection, those "who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead" (Act 10:41).

Although the resurrected appearances came to an end with the Ascension, the dawn of the final resurrection day is remembered in the Church's eucharistic feasts, where "remembered" is in the strong biblical sense as described In Remembrance of Me. This series of earthly Eucharists, begun on the night of Christ's betrayal, celebrated anew in the Kingdom of the resurrection, remembered in the eucharistic feasts of the church, are consummated in the life to come when Christ will return and defeat the devil and all evil by his mighty resurrected power. The words and images of this great consummation are recorded in the book of Revelation where, according to Revelation 19:6-9, the exultant multitude of the redeemed are invited to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. This final vision is so glorious that it merits quoting at this point.

And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!" And from the throne came a voice saying, "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great." Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure"-- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:4-9).

In this vision the twenty-four elders, quite likely representing the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles, the foundation of the redeemed community, along with the four living creatures, possibly representing the whole of the created world, fall before the throne to worship God. In front of the throne is a great multitude whose voice of rejoicing resounds like the roar of many waters. They rejoice because the marriage of the Lamb and his bride, the church, clothed in her righteous deeds made pure by the blood of the Lamb, is about to begin. Those who come to the feast are blessed forever more. Amen.

Whenever a body of believers celebrates the Holy Eucharist, the Spirit takes the words and images of the Eucharistic feast and enlivens them in the hearts of the believers according to times and seasons, as well as the spiritual needs and hopes of those present. As this happens, the congregation remembers, and when taught the meaning of Eucharist, their hearts are full of the words and images of the great feasts with God. They remember the presence of God in the Garden, the appearance of God on Mount Sinai, the summoning of the nations to the holy mountain, the dark night in the upper room before Gethsemane, the dawn of the resurrection meals, the long history of the Church, and finally, the consummation of the Kingdom, the great multitude before the throne, praising God as they come to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. When the Spirit reveals this final feast, the joy of those present at Eucharist can scarcely be described. The congregation, no matter how great or small, becomes the great multitude, the music becomes the sounds of the mighty throng, the altar or table which holds the bread and wine becomes the altar before the throne (Revelation 8:3), and as they eat and drink they see God, and they hear God for he has invited them to the marriage feast of the Lamb. In this moment they know they will live forever. They know this, for they are, even in this life,

before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:15-17).

This aspect of the eucharistic feast possesses two qualities which transcend all other realities given to human knowing. First, the glory of God is revealed, the One who made heaven and earth, the absolute Lord of all power and all authority. Second, this great, terrible, and holy God who dwells in light unapproachable, at whose presence heaven and earth flee away (Revelation 20:11), breaks his heart with love and humbles himself to take the form of a servant, giving up his very life for those he loves. Nowhere in heaven and earth do such realities come together, searing authority, honor, and might, coupled with heart-wrenching humility revealed as love. Let us see how this occurs in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, using the Liturgy for Eucharist found on this website. First, however, let me make two preliminary observations.

The triune God reveals himself by the Son and the Spirit. Jesus Christ is the Word of God, and he is also the Image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4, Colossians 1:15). In regard to Word and Image, believers need to be taught the full meaning of the Eucharist so that, when they gather to worship God, they will not only have the words and images given to them externally in scripture readings, sermon, song, and liturgy, but internally as well, so that, under the impact of Spirit, the living God will become a present fact as described in Trinity and Incarnation.

In regard to things heard, when enlivened by the Holy Spirit, the words of the worship service take on a different sense. They remain human words, but they become something more. They are authoritative words that impact the soul as words directly spoken by God, conveying the reality of God. In respect to things seen in the worship service, such things as the eucharistic actions, the congregation, the altar or table, these take on a certain radiance so that these visible realities give the sense of being in heaven before the throne. Among many Christians, the significance of sight is less recognized than sound, although strongly attested biblically. The implication is that the place of worship, if possible, needs to be beautiful, for biblical descriptions of God's house emphasize its beauty, a beauty which then reflects the glory of God.

According to the Liturgy for Eucharist, the eucharistic liturgy begins with hymns or songs of praise which lift the soul to God. This is followed by the opening words of the celebrant, "Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit," and the people respond, "And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever. Amen." These words begin the ascent of Mount Zion where the congregation will meet God. First, however, hearts must be purified, sins cleansed, encouragement and grace must be given. This occurs in the first section of the Eucharist, the Word of God, beginning with a prayer that God would cleanse "the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord." As the service unfolds, the Lord purifies the hearts of the people, culminating in the General Confession by which, through the forgiveness obtained upon the cross, the congregation is made holy and pleasing to God. Once cleansed, they are invited into his presence where they lay their petitions before God in the Prayers of the People. Then the Lord commands them to lift up their hearts, that is, to turn their attention to the one who sits upon the throne. Here is the liturgy at this point.

Celebrant: The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.
Celebrant: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up unto the Lord.
Celebrant: Let us give thanks unto our Lord God.
People: It is meet and right so to do.
Celebrant: It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks to you, O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God.

Here a Proper Preface, is sung or said on all Sundays, and on other occasions as appointed. The proper preface can be found in the Prefaces and Offertory Sentences

The celebrant continues: Therefore with Angels and Archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify Your glorious Name; evermore praising thee, and saying,

Here the celebrant and people say or sing an ancient hymn, the Sanctus.

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts:
Heaven and earth are full of Your glory.
Glory be to thee, O Lord Most High.
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

As the Sanctus, taken from Isaiah 6, is said or sung, the congregation catches glimpses of the Lord, "sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up." Filled with joy at this stupendous sight, they, with the seraphim, the "Angels and Archangels, and with all the company of heaven," sing the praises of the living God who appears before them in glory everlasting. At that moment, by open hearts and the power of the Spirit, the congregation enters into the final consummation of the world, stricken and rejoicing that One so great and terrible would humble himself to die for them. Having received this great honor, they come forward before the throne, invisibly located behind the altar, to drink the new wine in their Father's Kingdom. As they receive, they hear the words, "The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ keep you in everlasting life," and thereby believe that those things they have just seen and heard will remain with them forever. All these things take place before the throne of God, "before your divine Majesty."

The service then ends with a final prayer, asking the Father that the graces just received will result in "all such good works as you have prepared for us to walk in," and this is followed by a blessing and the final songs of praise, often chosen to reflect the glory of God who has just blessed them with his presence.

In John 3:8, Jesus says this of these who have been born again and received the Spirit: "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." In the course of the Christian life, the Spirit applies the revelation of God given in Jesus in many different ways and times. Sometimes when believers celebrate the Eucharist, they experience almost nothing of the presence of God. Nevertheless, God always works in the Eucharist, and the witness of Scripture and the saints is that there are times when God's work is hidden, the dark night of Gethsemane, the absence of God as Christ cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me." Even in the darkness, however, this cry joins believers to Christ, and thereby assures them of an eternal hope, the hope that Christ will come again. "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." (First Corinthians 11:26) On other occasions, other aspects of the eucharistic feast are set forth as a living reality by the Spirit. At such times, the entire congregation can be lifted before the throne and enter directly into the consummation, seated at table with God in an eternity of joy. Whatever aspect of the saving revelation of God is enlivened by the Spirit, the result is always grace -- God's good judgments, his forgiveness, his words of comfort, direction, and guidance, the sight of his face, and the authority to overcome the world and receive eternal life even in this life.

Let us end this essay with the same prayer said at the beginning.

O living God, we give you all the honor, praise, and glory for the humility by which you humbled yourself to feed us the very life of your beloved Son. Pour out upon us, we pray, your mighty Holy Spirit that our hearts may be lifted to the throne of grace where you reign with the Lamb slain from the foundations of the world. In his name we pray. Amen.

Questions for Discussion

1. In what ways have you known the glory of God revealed in the Holy Eucharist?
2. What would you need to do to enable you or the members of the congregation where you worship to receive the glory of God revealed in the Holy Eucharist?
3. In John 16:33 Jesus says, "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." What is there about the Holy Eucharist that would enable this promise to become true?

The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.