Brief Statement on the Meaning of the Table or Lord’s Supper
James Thompson of Christianity Today asked for a statement about the Lord’s Supper. This is what I gave him (and it was published in the paper today).
“Table is the dominant metaphor among Churches of Christ. We practice it weekly. Given our Presbyterian roots, both Zwinglian (memorialist) and Calvinian (spiritual presence) perspectives are present. At the Table, we remember. At the same time, God communes with us, and we commune with each other.
While I affirm an authentic spiritual nourishment of the body and blood of Christ through the Spirit’s work (like Calvin), I also emphasize a Table presence where the living Christ is made known in the breaking of the bread (like Eastern Orthodoxy). The Table becomes an epiphany, revelation, or experience of the risen Lord.
At the Table, we give thanks for the gifts of the body and blood, eat with King Jesus as he hosts his Table, and celebrate the hope of the Resurrection in the coming kingdom. I highlight both the reverent nature of the Table as holy space and its festive nature, a joyous and hopeful celebration of the work of God in Christ. It is an eschatological moment when we already participate in the messianic banquet though it is not yet fully actualized.”