Preparing for Eucharist

In Alister McGrath’s newest book, The Passionate Intellect: Christian Faith and the Discipleship of the Mind, four themes connected to eucharist are explored briefly, and I want to reflect on each one over the next four weeks. Today is our third theme.

Faith. At the Table of our Lord we take as individuals (we’ll look at the community next week for those who are a little nervous about the word “individuals”). When we do this we personally act in faith, we personally embody our faith, and we personally commit ourselves to what this all means.

We see Jesus as the Lamb of God. We see Jesus as the Lamb who gave himself and his blood — for our sins and for the forgiveness of sins. Which means as we eat and drink we absorb grace — we take it in order to accept forgiveness and grace.

We personally act. I cannot do this for you, and you cannot do this for me: I must stand alone, before God, as an individual, and confess and ingest this meal as the meal of grace.

Take, eat and drink of this grace.