If you were to ask me what the most common observation people make when they visit Providence Church (CREC) in Pensacola,FL, there would be several candidate observations, but undoubtedly in the top Nobel Prize option would be that our “Lord’s Supper is joyful.” Of course, this is not something we came up with, though I do confess it is uncommon in most traditions.
Most theological eucharistic practices ranging from Roman Catholic to the local megachurch treat the Lord’s Supper through the lens of the death of Jesus. Christ died, therefore, we bow our heads and meditate on his death Whether, through a classic Memorialist view or the Transubstantiation view, there is an element of sadness that pervades these services.
Now, in our congregation, we don’t make the death of Jesus secondary, which is why we confess his death and his atonement for our sins when we confess our sins together at the beginning of the service. If we were to confess our sins again at the Lord’s Supper, it would be a kind of insult to Jesus. After all, he has forgiven us already. The Lord’s Supper should not be treated as a recapitulation of our sins, but a pointer beyond our sins to the blessings of Christ’s resurrection. In other words, the Lord’s Supper is bread and cup of blessing (I Cor. 11:24), not of sorrow. It is a full blessing; a total blessing; an exuberant blessing. We partake in it, precisely because Christ is no longer dead, but risen from the dead and vindicated.
The Supper embraces the joy of the disciples who ate with Jesus after the resurrection (Jn. 21). It’s loud, talkative, and festive. It’s a moment of glory for people who are rooted in the Word of God and who allow the Word to bear fruit in us. Behold, the fruit of the vine is here (Jn. 15), offered at this table, Jesus himself. We are fruitful ones eating of the great fruitful Christ, who became the first fruits of all those who trust in him (I Cor. 15). We eat and drink together not as those who weep, but as those who are blessed by the fruitful Word. Rejoice, pass the peace, and trust in the vindicated Word made flesh.
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“Once more, the joyful character of the eucharistic gathering must be stressed. The medieval emphasis on the cross, while not a wrong one, is certainly one-sided. The liturgy is, before everything else, the joyous gathering of those who are to meet the risen Lord and to enter with him into the bridal chamber. And it is this joy of expectation and this expectation of joy that is expressed in singing and ritual….in that whole ‘beauty’ of the liturgy which has so often been denounced as unnecessary and even sinful.”~Alexander Schmemann
