This is a sample chapter from my Systematic Theology project "Theology for Thriving". 📎MORE TO THE STORY notes are not part of the main text of the book, but additional resources, charts, or other materials from Biblical Theology class resources.
1 Corinthians 10.16-17, 11.23-28 16] The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? [17] Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread... [23] For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, [24] and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” [25] In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” [26] For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. [27] Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. [28] Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
🗝️ Key Concept: Sacrament
How does an infinite, invisible God connect with us finite, physical beings? How does the healing power of Christ, who lived 2,000 years ago, become a present reality in our lives today? The Christian community, from its earliest days, has experienced this connection through powerful, tangible, and deeply meaningful rituals we call the Sacraments.
The classic definition from the Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer (BCP) provides a perfect map: "The sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive that grace". Let’s unpack that:
Outward and visible signs: Sacraments are "sacred signs" that involve ordinary, physical stuff you can see, touch, taste, and feel: Things like water, bread, wine, oil, and human touch.
Of inward and spiritual grace: These physical signs point to and focus the invisible reality of God's grace, presence, and healing.
Given by Christ: These aren't rituals we invented. They are gifts that flow directly from the life and command of Jesus himself.
As sure and certain means by which we receive that grace: This is key. Sacraments are not just symbols. They are effective channels, reliable ways in which God has promised to meet us and share grace with us.
Some Christian traditions, in a noble attempt to avoid any hint of magic or superstition, prefer to call these actions "ordinances": They are simply commands we are "ordered" to obey as ways to remember Jesus. But understanding them as mere ordinances can strip them of their power. The historic Christian view is that sacraments are true means of grace. They are not magic tricks we perform to manipulate God, but they are also more than mere memorials.
Perhaps the best way to understand this is with an analogy. Think of God’s immanent presence as being like sunlight, filling the entire world, always available. A sacrament is like a magnifying glass. It doesn't create the sunlight, but it gathers the diffuse, gentle rays and focuses them into a concentrated, white-hot point of power. In the same way, sacraments are sacred signs that the Holy Spirit uses to focus the ever-present reality of Christ— the "Son Light"— into a specific, intense, and transformative encounter for our healing and empowerment. Or to put it another way: The entire universe is a sacrament of God's presence, and our specific sacraments magnify that Divine Light.
📎MORE TO THE STORY: See this chart on the Sacraments of the Church, as well as how these fit into the Seasons of the Church Year.
📖 Scriptural Reflection: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:23-28
The Apostle Paul’s instructions to the Corinthian Ekklesia show us exactly how this sacramental focusing works. He asks a rhetorical question: "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?". The Greek word for "sharing" here is koinonia: The same word used for fellowship and intimate partnership. Paul isn't talking about a vague memory, but a real participation in the very life and self-sacrifice of Jesus.
The outward signs— blessing, breaking, eating, drinking— become the lens that focuses an inward grace. The result is transformative: "Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread". The physical act of sharing a single loaf focuses God's grace to create a new spiritual reality: A fragmented collection of individuals becomes the unified Body of Christ. The ritual makes the community what it is.
Jesus himself gave us this practice "in remembrance of me". But this "remembrance" is not a simple mental recollection, like remembering a historical fact. In the Jewish worldview, to "remember" is to make a past event so powerfully present that it becomes real and effective again. We "re-member" as we bring separated members back together again, uniting to each other, and to the Divine Love that is our Source. When we share this meal, we "proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes," making his saving act a present reality in our midst.
This is why Paul warns them to "examine yourselves" before partaking. This isn't about being morally perfect, which is impossible. It is about approaching this focused point of grace with intentionality and self-awareness. It's like preparing to look through a powerful telescope. You first have to open your eyes, and adjust your focus, to be able to receive the view.
🔎 What is Baptism, and how is Christ at work in it?
While there are many sacramental acts, all Christian traditions agree that two were given by Christ as essential for all his followers: Baptism and the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the sacrament of our ongoing nourishment and healing, but Baptism is the fundamental sacrament of our identity.
Baptism's roots are deep in the Hebrew tradition of circumcision as a sign of covenant, with ritual washings for purification. Paul explicitly connects these, calling Baptism a "spiritual circumcision" (Colossians 2). Jesus himself sets the example by being baptized, and then commissions his followers to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28).
Through the outward sign of water, we receive the inward grace of a new identity. We are buried with Christ in his death and raised with him to a new life (Romans 6). We "clothe ourselves with Christ," taking on his identity as our own (Galatians 3). Through this powerful act, we are formally grafted into the Ekklesia, the Body of Christ, and officially adopted as members of his family. It is the adoption ceremony of our birth into the new family of the Church!
This is why Baptism is done "for the forgiveness of sins," not because the water magically washes away guilt, but because in Baptism we are united with Christ and officially welcomed into the community where forgiveness is lived out. Think of it like receiving presents "for" your birthday. The gifts don't cause the birthday, but they are the tangible celebration of a reality that is already true. We are baptized as a celebration of the forgiveness we have received.
This sacrament is for all kinds of people. The promise is for adult believers and "for your children" (Acts 2). This is why many traditions, in analogy to infant circumcision, baptize the children of believers, welcoming them into the covenant family from the very beginning. In this sacred sign, our old identity, defined by alienation and sin, is washed away, and we are given a new name and a new mission as members of Christ's own Body. We take the Name of the Trinity— Father, Son, and Spirit— as we are adopted by baptism into the Family of God.
📎MORE TO THE STORY: For how Baptism works in the Church, see the 1979 Episcopal Book of Common Prayer service of Baptism, starting on page 299.
🔎 What is the Communion Meal, and how is Christ at work in it?
If Baptism is our one-time entry into the family, the Communion Meal is the regular family dinner that sustains us. It is the fundamental sacrament of our ability and healing. This sacred meal has two ingredients (bread and wine) and five names (each highlighting a facet of its meaning):
Lord’s Supper: Who did it. It is the central meal the Lord Jesus gave us as a Community to "re-member" him.
Last Supper: When he did it. It was the last meal Jesus had with his friends before his death.
Communion: Why we do it. We do it because in it we share intimate union with Christ and each other.
Eucharist: How we do it. From the Greek for "thanksgiving", this "thanksgiving meal" is our great act of gratitude to God for all he has done for us in Christ.
Mass: What it does to us. From the Latin for "sent out", this meal nourishes us to be sent out on our mission to share God's Love.
Using these outward signs of bread and wine, Christ makes himself truly present to us in this meal. But how? Christians have understood this mystery in different ways. Some see it as a beautiful Memorial, an ordinance we do to remember Christ's sacrifice, but which Christ is not truly "present" in except as a memory. Others have developed a Mechanical explanation (sometimes called transubstantiation), where the bread and wine literally cease to be bread and wine and are replaced by the physical presence of Christ through a very specific mechanism defined in Aquinas' philosophy.
A more ancient view is the Mystical understanding. Christ is fully and truly present, but in a way that is beyond our philosophical definitions. Just as Jesus is both fully God and fully human, in Communion the elements are both fully bread and wine and fully the Body and Blood of Christ. By partaking of his life in this meal, we "remain in him, and he in us" (John 15) so we are all "re-membered" in him, as reunited members of his Body. This shares the spiritual nourishment we need to live as his Body in the world. It is a proclamation of his victory over death, and a foretaste of the great heavenly wedding supper we will one day share in the new creation.
📎MORE TO THE STORY: For how Eucharist works in the Church, see the 1979 Episcopal Book of Common Prayer service of Eucharist, starting on page 355.
🔎 What are other sacramental acts, and how is Christ at work in them?
While Baptism and the Eucharist are the two great sacraments, Christians have always recognized that God’s grace is not limited. Any physical act, when done in faith, can become a "means of grace," a magnifying glass that focuses God's Love. Thus the Church has recognized many other such sacramental acts, some of which affirm our identity and roles in Christ, while others strengthen and support our abilities to serve. These sacramental acts include:
Sacramental Acts of Identity are rituals that confirm and strengthen who we are in Christ. These include:
Fellowship: The simple act of sharing our lives and resources is a tangible sign of our unity as God's family. When we break bread together, or offer a helping hand, or simply enjoy times with God's children, we make the spiritual reality of our interconnectedness a visible, physical truth.
Confirmation: A mature, public affirmation of our baptismal vows, where a bishop lays hands on us, focusing the Spirit's grace to strengthen us for mission. This act marks the transition from a faith we inherited to a faith we consciously choose, empowering us for a life of discipleship.
Family: The loving covenant of marriage makes us co-creators with God of a new family, and the raising of children is a living icon of the Trinity's own life-giving love. In these core relationships, we learn the daily, sacrificial practices of love that form our character and witness to the world.
Ordination: When the Church sets apart deacons, priests, and bishops for leadership, it is a visible sign of Christ's ongoing apostolic ministry. This act makes the abstract idea of "church leadership" personal and tangible, incarnating Christ's shepherding care through specific people.
Sacramental Acts of Ability are rituals that heal and empower us to do Christ's work in the world. These include:
Proclamation: When the Scriptures are read and preached, the living Word of God is made present and active to challenge and inspire us. The proclaimed Word acts as a sacrament, making God's ancient story a present-tense reality that re-shapes our own.
Confession: The act of confessing our sins to God in the presence of a priest or skilled counselor is a powerful sign that focuses God's grace of forgiveness and healing. Hearing the words "you are forgiven" spoken aloud makes the inner reality of God's mercy an audible, concrete experience.
Healing (Unction): The anointing of the sick with oil is a tangible sign of God's presence and a means of grace for physical, emotional, and spiritual wholeness. This act reminds us that God's care extends to our whole selves, bringing comfort and strength to our bodies and spirits in times of distress.
Service: We are called to reach out to serve "the least of these," as Jesus commanded in Matthew 25. Our simple acts of kindness to the least, the last, and the lost become a real encounter with Christ himself, a sacrament of his compassionate presence in a hurting world.
All of these sacraments are embedded in a uniquely Christian way of marking time: The Liturgical calendar. Liturgy is the "work of the people" in serving Christ, and this liturgical service has a rhythm throughout the seasons of each year:
Advent: A season of hopeful waiting and preparation for the coming of Christ, both in his birth and his promised return.
Christmas: The joyful twelve-day celebration of the incarnation, when God became human in the birth of Jesus.
Epiphany: A season focusing on the revelation of Jesus as the Light of God who shines on all, through all that is good and true and beautiful.
Lent: A solemn forty-day period of fasting, repentance, and prayer in preparation for Holy Week and Easter.
Holy Week: The climactic final week of Lent, remembering Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, his last supper, his crucifixion, and his burial.
Easter: The joyous fifty-day season of celebrating Christ's resurrection from the dead and the promise of new and everlasting life for all.
Ordinary Time: The season of growth and mission after Pentecost, where the Church focuses on living out the teachings of Christ in the world.
Ultimately, the seasons and sacraments are not ends in themselves, but the means to a glorious end. They are the magnifying glasses that focus the "Son Light" into our lives. Fueled by this concentrated grace, we, the Ekklesia, are made into the capable hands and feet of Christ on earth. This is how we are equipped to become skilled co-writers in the Theo-Drama, taking up our pen to courageously write the next chapter in God’s grand story of making all things new.
📎MORE TO THE STORY: See this chart on the Sacraments of the Church, as well as how these fit into the Seasons of the Church Year. For how Sacramental Ministry works in the Church, see the 1979 Episcopal Book of Common Prayer services for Confirmation (p. 413), Service (p. 420), Marriage (p. 423), Confession and Reconciliation (p. 447), Ministry to the Sick (p. 453), and Burial of the Dead (p. 469).
📚 Topical Scriptures
Here are some Scripture passages which explore and elaborate on the themes of this chapter. As you look them up and study them, think about how they relate to the Key Concept and Guiding Questions.
Isaiah 55:6-11
This passage uses the analogy of rain and snow to describe the power of God's spoken word. It shows how the sacramental act of Proclamation is not just human speech, but an effective, life-giving force that God sends out to accomplish His purpose.
Acts 2:37-47
In response to Peter's first sermon, the crowd asks what they should do. This passage shows the earliest apostolic call to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, incorporating thousands into the new Ekklesia.
Acts 8:14-17
This text describes the apostles Peter and John laying their hands on new believers so they might receive the Holy Spirit. It provides the biblical foundation for the sacramental act of Confirmation, a focused moment for strengthening and sealing the grace given in baptism.
Romans 6:3-11
This is the foundational text for understanding baptism as a participation in Christ's own story. Look for how Paul describes being "buried with him" in death through baptism so that we might be raised to "walk in newness of life."
Galatians 3:26-28
This passage describes the new identity we receive in baptism. Notice how being "clothed with Christ" erases the social, ethnic, and gender divisions of the world, creating one new, unified family in him.
John 6:53-58
This is one of Jesus's most profound teachings on the Eucharist. Observe the intimate, mystical language he uses, describing how eating his flesh and drinking his blood results in eternal life and a mutual "remaining" in one another.
Luke 24:28-35
In the story of the Road to Emmaus, the disciples do not recognize the risen Jesus until he is at the table with them. Look for how it is in the sacramental actions of taking, blessing, breaking, and giving the bread that their "eyes were opened."
Ephesians 5:25-32
Paul describes the profound mystery of marriage by comparing it to the self-giving love between Christ and the Ekklesia. This passage elevates the family covenant to a living sacrament, a visible sign of the invisible love that binds God to humanity.
Matthew 25:34-40
Jesus describes the final judgment, revealing that acts of service to the "least of these"— the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned— are direct sacramental encounters with Christ himself. This passage shows that compassionate action is a true means of grace.
James 5:13-16
This text provides the biblical basis for the sacramental acts of healing and confession. Notice the combination of prayer, anointing the sick with oil, and confessing sins to one another as tangible means of receiving both physical and spiritual restoration.
No comments:
Post a Comment