This week, we are going to look at another aspect surrounding the question of why go to church. Two posts ago, we explored how each Sunday is essentially a “mini-Easter” and the best way to celebrate what Jesus has done is to gather together and proclaim it. Last week, we discussed how the the church, both as a local body and as a universal worldwide Church, is the body of Christ and that every member has a role and responsibility to play. These last two posts have mostly dealt with why we go to church on a weekly basis; we need community and we are called to worship and proclaim God to the world. This week, we will look at the larger instance of going to church for those events that don’t happen every week, but still require us to be a part of the church.
We are, of course, talking about the sacraments,
particularly Communion and Baptism in the Protestant tradition, but we will
also discuss marriage. I want to start
with Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, because I feel strongly that it should be
celebrated every week and is actually one of the most important reasons we do
gather together on a weekly basis. I base
this on the fact that 1. Jesus gave us no command of how often to do it, 2.
Communion is a means of grace whereby the Lord can meet us, thus we should take
it often to encounter Jesus, and 3. If done properly, it ensures that the
Gospel is proclaimed each week and proclaims that we gather and have life only
because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
This is beside the point, however, since many of us go to local churches where Communion is not celebrated every week. But when we do celebrate it, how do we do it? Do we break the bread and pour the juice and then serve ourselves? If we eat bread and drink grape juice in our dining rooms and say all the words of institutions from the Manual, is it the Lord’s Supper? I would contend not for a number of reasons. The Lord’s Supper requires that we come to the Lord’s Table and the Lord’s Table is found with the body of Christ, the Church. This doesn’t mean that we have to be in a physical church building, but it does mean that we are gathered together as the people of God to proclaim what God has done. Communion also requires an appropriate administer. In different traditions this means different people are qualified, but in general, this means pastors/priests. I am thankful that I at least am part of a tradition where this includes women who are capable of administering the Lord’s Supper. But no matter what tradition you come from, we all hold Communion to be something sacred and special when the church gathers together under an appropriate administer to celebrate, proclaim, and remember what Jesus did for us in his death and resurrection.
Ok, let us move on to Baptism and Christian marriage and
these ideas are related for our purposes.
Both Baptism and marriage require a pastor to perform the act and bless
it in the name of the Triune God. (Of course, in dire circumstances, each can
be done by any follower of Christ.) It
simply isn’t possible to either baptize oneself or to have the marriage vows
said by either the bride or groom. Marriage
also requires at least one witness in the eyes of the State, but it is more
appropriate, and biblical, when it is witnessed to by the whole community and
families of those being married. Likewise,
Baptism is best when it is witnessed by the body of Christ. It isn’t required
that there be witnesses to the actual baptism, but the act itself is a witness
and meant to be shared as a sign that one’s life is now committed to Christ.
Perhaps as a way to wrap-up, a word of reminder about just
what sacraments are in Protestant churches.
Protestant Churches only have two sacraments, the Eucharist and Baptism.
The criteria for a sacrament, drawing from Luther, are: 1. It must have
Christ’s explicit command and authority behind it, 2. A physical, material
element (sign), and 3. The divine word of promise that requires the response of
faith.[i] The
Catholic Church has seven sacraments: Confirmation, Penance, Extreme Unction,
Ordination, Marriage, Eucharist, and Baptism.
In both instances, the sacraments require and demand life in the church
to be administered and witnessed.
The best way to conclude this series on the church is to
exhort us to put this into practice.
None of this makes sense if we are not striving to follow Christ better
each day. If we don’t have the desire to
be better disciples, then we can afford to view the sacraments as
optional. If we aren’t striving to grow
in holiness, then we also don’t have any need for Christian community. And finally, if we don’t wish for the Gospel
to be proclaimed and God to receive the praise due him, then there is
absolutely no reason to wake up each Sunday and go to church. Yet, I hope and pray that this not true and that
we all are seeking to grow in our faith.
Let us continue to “run with perseverance the race
marked out for us.” (Heb. 12:1)
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