Customer Reviews

Holy Meal, A: The Lord's Supper in the Life of the Church

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This academic treatise on the concept of communion is both exciting and enthralling. If you are a person of faith, the book will grab you and help draw you into a deeper understanding of your own approach to this table, and those who come to it beside you. It begins with a tour through the Old Testament. "The first human parents were invited to eat, with the proviso that their eating was to be an expression of thankfulness, obedience, and dependence on God. Alas, it was in their eating that they chose to disobey." (p.11) From this example in the beginning, to the meal with Abraham, through the manna in the desert, Gordon shows us the importance of eating, and the importance of the fellowship meal through the whole history of God and God's peoples.

From there, Smith proceeds to examine the different interpretations of signs, sacraments and symbols. Through such, a reader will grow in understanding of others who draw near to God through this event. Then he goes on to examine the holy meal in light of seven words: remembrance, communion, forgiveness, covenant, nourishment, anticipation and Eucharist. "The biblical perspective, however; allows the past to shape, inform and transform our present and give significance to our lives, our relationships and our work." (p.38) Then from that perspective, he takes us on a tour of force through the seven terms and their meaning, through scriptures and community and breaking of bread and how the three become one in sustaining our faith, our hope and our life.

Smith draws this conclusion "The Lord's Supper is the meal of the church and together with the Word and prayer, the event that enables the community of faith to be a dynamic living body, drawing energy and grace from the fountainhead of life, Jesus Christ." (p.121) Yet throughout all of his examinations he maintains a respect and reverence for traditions other than his own, and through this book we may come to appreciate others' approaches to this holy meal. Smith makes it clear that we each have different lingo and understanding of this event. "There is, though, a certain irony when it comes to the nomenclature used for this meal. Roman Catholics speak of the Eucharist, Anglicans often call it Holy Communion, and most Protestants call it the Lord's Supper. Yet it is interesting that most evangelical Protestants are a bit uncomfortable with the idea that this is actually a meal. The idea that we `feed on Christ in our hearts' is overlooked in most evangelical contexts." (p.83) Each tradition brings something from which the others can learn, and with Smith as our guide, that will happen.

The author Gordon T. Smith is a former dean at Regent College, with a PhD from Loyola. I don't know what theological camp he belongs to (other tahn Evangelical), and he tries hard to be very ecumenical in this work. The fact that he quotes Tozer and A.B. Simpson 3 or 4 times (inferior sources to the others he quotes - Calvin, Wainwright, Schmemann, C.H. Dodd, Berkouwer, etc.) makes me think he might have a CMA-ish or Wesleyan background. I read a book he did on calling a few years ago, and it struck me as competent but unoriginal (a flatter Eugene Petersen-esque sort of book), and not as helpful as Os Guiness, The Call or James Petty Step by Step (1999).

Anyway, this new book on the Supper is VERY helpful. Very concise -- just 114pp. of joy. Part I (30pp.) is a little cliched and dry, but Part 2 is really amazing. In seven small chapters he highlights different Biblical aspects of the meal. 1. Remembrance (its not only a memorial, but it is a memorial); 2. Communion (fellowship); 3. Forgiveness (Table of mercy); 4. Covenant (renewal of bpatismal vows); 5. Nourishment (bread from Heaven); 6. Anticipation (declaration of hope); 7. Eucharist (joyous thanksgiving).

Reminds me alot of Peter Leithart's chapters in Blessed are the Hungry, but more tightly organized, less speculative, and more concise. I disagree with Smith sometimes, but these are generally good. He tries to stick with a Mere Christianity approach and is good at avoiding marking his theological boundaries or entering into the conflicts. He has a way of stating each of these 7 aspects positively and biblically so that a Calvinist, Catholic and Zwinglian could all take something away from it.

A few examples of things I liked:

From part I: Discusses eating as spiritual practice; a meal in which we celebrate the reign of God and communicate that we are a people who live in this reign. (p.9). "Our social context encourages us to make our own choices, live our own lives, and engage with others only when we think they have something to offer us. This is not a Christian spirituality. (p.10-11). I John 1:3-4 reminds us that joy is made complete when we are in fellowship with God and one another.

"As Alexander Schmemann [Orthodox] has observed, the origianl sin of Genesis 3 is not so much that Adam and Eve acted willfully but that they were no longer hungry for God and looking to God for 'life' Their eating was a violation of life because they ate in disobedience but ALSO because they ignored God in their eating." (p. 16).

Part II random notes:

p. 48 Richard Baxter (not as low sacramentology as other Puritans): "on where is God so near to man as in Jesus Christ, and NOWHERE IS CHRIST SO FAMILIARLY REPRESENTED TO US AS IN HIS HOLY SACRAMENT."

In the Nourishment chapter (pp.81ff.) Smith rightly gives Calvinists credit for emphasizing this aspect of the meal (bread of Heaven, means of grace). But he also notes that it is a strong image in Wesley too (something to like about Wesley for a change). He footnotes a paper by Leanne Van Dyke "Reformed Sacramental Theology" a 2002 paper given at AAR that I want to get ahold of that. She is a conservative Barthian, a very good scholar, and Reformationally oriented.

In the Anticipation he gives some more interetsing stuff on Schmemann. "Schmemann...stresses that the L S is an event in space and time, in THIS space and time, in the here and now, in the uncertainities and discouragemnet of this time. In other words, the LS is not an escape from our time or place. ...On the contrary, this event is very much one in which we participate as those who are unavoidably in this world....when..we enter into thsi meal...we participate in what we HOPE for, the future renewal of creation....The LS cuts the cord of cynicism and defeatism....." (p. 95).

George Herbert on p.114.

Our Bible study group chose to read this book during Lent, in part because two of our members (both men, one 26 and one 34) did not understand the importance of communion. One grew up in a home church and viewed it as ritualistic and the other did not grow up in the church at all and viewed it merely as a way to eat during church. After this study both men understood the importance of communion as a Christ-given privilege, and everyone else felt much more impacted by the incredible truths and information in the book. I cannot recommend this book enough, especially for a group study.

I contacted the author and asked if he had any ideas on how to approach his book with a Bible study and here is exactly what he said to me (copied directly from his email to me on 3/6/09):

If a small group were meeting weekly through Lent . . . perhaps 7 times, to reflect on the meaning of the Lord's Supper, one word at a time. The weekly gathering could perhaps be structured like this:

(1) Scripture reading -- reading the text that is the focus for the word. Each chapter on the seven words references a text of Scripture that highlights that meaning of the Lord's Supper

(2) Invite folks who have read the chapter in advance to comment on (a) what caught their attention and impressed them -- either a new learning or a good reminder (in that chapter); and (b) what perhaps, if anything, furrowed their brow . . . maybe they did not understand or disagreed with something or perhaps something in the chapter raised a question for them.

(3) Very important to reflect out of one's own experience of the Lord's Supper and so for each word invite participants to tell how they have experienced (if they have) that dimension of meaning. Not all will have something to offer each week; but if one or two in the group can speak of the theme of remembrance . . . or communion . . .or anticipation . . . was meaningful to them of late or at some point in their own journey of faith, this would illumine this meaning for all around the table.

I found this to be an excellent reading on the Biblical meaning of the Lord's Supper. The writing is not shallow, but neither is it overly academic. Often one's view of the Lord's Supper is skewed by the particular emphasis of our particular Christian tradition. Dr. Smith opens with discussion of the meaning of eating, symbol, and sacrament. He then looks at the Lord's Supper as described by the following seven chapter headings:

Remembrance: The Lord's Supper as a Memorial

Communion: The Lord's Supper as Fellowship with Christ and with One Another

Forgiveness: The Lord's Supper as a Table of Mercy

Covenant: The Lord's Supper as a Renewal of Baptismal Vows

Nourishment: The Lord's Supper as Bread from Heaven

Anticipation: The Lord's Supper as a Declaration of Hope

Eucharist: The Lord's Supper as a Joyous Thanksgiving Celebration

In my own church background and circles the historic emphasis has been on the Lord's Supper as a memorial. As Smith rightly points out, the Lord's Supper is indeed a memorial, but it is not just a memorial. This realization makes the Table even more meaningful and personal.

Smith does not separate the Supper from the Word or the working of the Holy Spirit. It is the Word that gives us the context and informs us of the meaning and purpose of the Supper. It is the Holy Spirit that makes the meaning and purpose of the Supper real to us in our corporate church life as well as in the individual lives of each believer participating. The author also understands there is a certain mystery to the Lord's Supper that our intellect will not fully comprehend, but it is also that same intellect that informs our humble obedience in observing the Supper.

The reader may come across a statement or two in this book that may cause there eyebrows to raise in question or disagreement. Dr. Smith's own view of the Lord's Supper has roots that go back through John Calvin, and as such reflects an overall view of the Table that I am personally sympathetic to. Whatever few statements raised my eyebrows were far out weighed by the positive contribution Dr. Smith has made to the church's understanding of the Lord's Supper.

If you are sensing that there is more to the Lord's Supper then your tradition's peculiar emphasis; that perhaps there is something about the meaning and purpose of the Lord's Supper that you are missing, this will be a helpful book to read.

More than met my expectations. The author, who is very much an intellectual, manages to write in a style that engages the average reader without seeming to "talk down". His love for the Eucharist and fascination with all he learned in studying its various celebrations is interesting and, for me, makes the experience much more meaningful.