This Holy Mystery

1 this holy Mystery : A United Methodist Understanding of holy Communion was adopted by the 2004 GeneralConference of The United Methodist church . Copyright 2003, 2004 The General Board of Discipleship of TheUnited Methodist church , PO Box 340003, Nashville TN 37203-0003. this paper may be printed, copied,distributed, or otherwise used for nonprofit education by individuals, local congregations, and agencies of TheUnited Methodist church with the inclusion of the copyright citation. It may not be used for profit orrepublication without prior holy Mystery :A United Methodist Understanding of holy CommunionTable of ContentsNote: The Table of Contents was not part of the paper adopted by The General Conference, but is added for ONE: THERE IS MORE TO THE Mystery 2 Names of the Sacrament3 Background4 United Methodist Heritage5 Early Methodism5 Evangelical and United Brethren5 American Methodism5 Grace and the Means of Grace6 The Theology of the Sacraments7 The Meaning of holy Communion8 Toward a Richer Sacramental Life9 PART TWO.

2 CHRIST IS HERE EXPERIENCING THE MYSTERY11 The Presence of Christ11 Christ Is Calling You13 Invitation to the Lord s Table13 The Issue of Unworthiness 17 The Basic Pattern of Worship: A Service of Word and Table18 The Gathered Community20 The Whole Assembly20 The Prayer of Great Thanksgiving20 The Community Extends Itself22 The Ritual of the Church23 Servants at the Table25 Presiding Ministers: Elders and Licensed Local Pastors 25 Assisting Ministers: Deacons and Laity27 Setting the Table28 The holy Communion Table28 The Communion Elements29 Hygiene and Table Setting32 Extending the Table33 holy Communion and Evangelism33 holy Communion and Ethical Christian Discipleship35 holy Communion and the Unity of the Church36 APPENDICESC ommittee Members40 Notes About the Document40 The Petition to Adopt this holy Mystery41 this holy Mystery : A United Methodist Understanding of holy Communion was adopted by the 2004 GeneralConference of The United Methodist church .

3 Copyright 2003, 2004 The General Board of Discipleship of TheUnited Methodist church , PO Box 340003, Nashville TN 37203-0003. this paper may be printed, copied,distributed, or otherwise used for nonprofit education by individuals, local congregations, and agencies of TheUnited Methodist church with the inclusion of the copyright citation. It may not be used for profit orrepublication without prior ONE: THERE IS MORE TO THE MYSTERYThe story is told of a little girl whose parents had taken her forward to receiveHoly Communion. Disappointed with the small piece of bread she was given todip in the cup, the child cried loudly, I want more!

4 I want more! Whileembarrassing to her parents and amusing to the pastor and congregation, this littlegirl s cry accurately expresses the feelings of many contemporary UnitedMethodist people. We want more! We want more than we are receiving from thesacrament of holy Communion as it is practiced in our to the results of a survey conducted by the General Board ofDiscipleship prior to the 2000 General Conference, there is a strong sense of theimportance of holy Communion in the life of individual Christians and of thechurch. Unfortunately, there is at least an equally strong sense of the absence ofany meaningful understanding of Eucharistic theology and practice.

5 UnitedMethodists recognize that grace and spiritual power are available to them in thesacrament, but too often they do not feel enabled to receive these gifts and applythem in their lives. Many laypeople complain of sloppy practice, questionabletheology, and lack of teaching and guidance. Both clergy and laity recognize thecrucial need for better education of pastors in sacramental theology and concern for improved education is coupled with a call for , district superintendents, and other annual conference and general churchauthorities are urged to prepare their pastors better and to hold them accountablefor their sacramental theology, practice, and teaching.

6 Many of the peoplesurveyed are plainly resentful of the lack of leadership they believe they arereceiving in these areas. These results are troubling and must provoke the churchto reexamination and results are also exciting and challenging! They reveal a deep hunger forthe riches of divine grace made available to us through holy Communion, for realcommunion with Jesus Christ and with Christian people. They show that UnitedMethodists want our faith to be enlivened and made more relevant to our dailylives. How can our church best respond to the wonderful hunger of its people for this holy Mystery ( A Service of Word and Table I, BOW; page 39)?

7 United Methodists share with many other Christians an increased interest in thestudy and celebration of the sacraments. For the last several decades we have beenactively seeking to recover and revitalize appreciation of holy Baptism and HolyCommunion. Our current services of the Baptismal Covenant and Word and Tableare the fruit of a long process of development that began in the 1960 s andculminated in their adoption by the 1984 General Conference and publication inThe United Methodist Hymnal approved in 1988. The change in location of thesesacramental rituals from the back to the front of the Hymnal is an intentionalexpression of their significance in the life of the community of faith.

8 In 1996 theGeneral Conference approved By Water and the Spirit: A United MethodistUnderstanding of Baptism as an official interpretive and teaching document forThis holy Mystery : A United Methodist Understanding of holy Communion was adopted by the 2004 GeneralConference of The United Methodist church . Copyright 2003, 2004 The General Board of Discipleship of TheUnited Methodist church , PO Box 340003, Nashville TN 37203-0003. this paper may be printed, copied,distributed, or otherwise used for nonprofit education by individuals, local congregations, and agencies of TheUnited Methodist church with the inclusion of the copyright citation.

9 It may not be used for profit orrepublication without prior church . this holy Mystery : A United Methodist Understanding of HolyCommunion is submitted to the 2004 General Conference with the same of these documents reflect United Methodism s efforts to reclaim itssacramental heritage and to be in accord with ecumenical movements insacramental theology and holy Mystery is characterized by the effort to avoid rigidity on the onehand and indifference on the other. Neither extreme is true to our heritage norfaithful to the Spirit who leads the church forward in the work of making disciplesliving toward the new creation. The document is made up of two main parts.

10 Theexpository introduction titled Part One: There Is More to the Mystery describesthe document s development and provides grounding in historical tradition andsacramental theology. Part Two: Christ Is Here: Experiencing the Mystery isorganized by principles. Under each principle, Background provides anexplanation for the principle, while Practice provides guidelines for applyingthe principle. The principles make assertions that are truthful and doctrinallyclear. They honor the historic and ecumenical center of the Christian church stheology and practice. The committee has endeavored to explain in the Background sections how the principles are rooted in the theology and practiceof Christians past and present, particularly United Methodist Christians.