A Charismatic Communion

(Below are some initial thoughts on 'Towards A Charismatic Eucharistic Theology', my broad subject area for my MA Thesis.)

A Charismatic communion is one which is truly a gift of the Holy Spirit, in that it is has its very being in the ‘gift’ness of the local expression of the body of Christ drawn into communion by the Spirit’s power. In this way, a Charismatic communion denies in its very being the work of human agency that is independent from the Spirit’s guidance in drawing together a congregation in the name of Jesus Christ. Thus, ecclesial gatherings whose common bond is expressed in sociological or demographic terms alone – be that in age, class, cultural preferences or denominational identity – are antithetical to the re-membering work of the Spirit in drawing us together in our Eucharistic feast. This is not to say that the Spirit may not work with and through these aspects of sociological identity, and thus denominational identity and worshipping preferences are not unimportant, but rather that the Spirit’s work finds its foundation on alternative ground – that of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

St Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, articulates for us this radically alternative ground:
‘There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.’ (Ephesians 4:4-6)
‘There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.’ (Galatians 3:28)

Thus, our Spirit-filled and Spirit-given communion must first be expressed on the solid ground of the gospel. Therefore it is by our common baptism into Jesus Christ, and our submission to his Lordship that we are gathered, not upon the shifting sands of human cultural device or movement. If in our ecclesial communities we find ourselves unable to worship alongside our neighbouring Christian fellowships, and to praise God for their Spirit-giveness, then we must avoid casting judgement upon their speck and focus rather on the log in our eyes. ‘For though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.’ These words challenge us to look beyond simply the aggregation of individuals in a congregation, but to embrace a vision which encompasses all congregations in a church, and all churches in the one mystical body of Christ.

For as the scriptures direct us, all who share the Lordship of Christ by baptism and by Eucharistic celebration, and all who by the Charismatic gifts of the Spirit are being called ever onwards towards his kingdom, are in their fundamental (and ontological) nature, unified as one in Christ. Our Eucharistic celebration is not simply a recollection of events past, upon which our present identity is based, as Zwingli would have it, but rather a re-membering of Christ in the sense which is the very opposite of dismembering. That is to say that our Eucharistic celebration is an event which, as we recall Christ’s death and resurrection, we discover anew the fundamental unity that he has given to all who are baptised into him. (This, of course, could lead into fertile discussions about the relationship between baptism and communion in relation to children and infants.) We do not by our Eucharistic feast create a bond of unity between us, but recognise that bond which the Spirit has given to us, expressed in the local congregation.

We do, in the course of our celebration, repent of those things we think and do which dismember our fellowship, and this repentance is expressed in the Peace. In our repentance, and our making peace with one another in the local congregation, we recognise that this is radically different from a simple expression of ‘tolerance’ of the other, or simply a gesture of friendship. As Jesus says, ‘My peace I give to you – not as the world gives.’ The peace which comes from Jesus Christ, is one which is effective by the work of the Spirit in calling all believer to express their common bond of love by their union in Christ. Therefore, we are not simply making peace with those with whom we shake hands or hug, but are rather expressing the bond of peace which flows between all baptised believers, with whom we are knit together as one in the body of Christ. We cannot say to our neighbour in our local congregation ‘Peace be with you’ if we are unable to recognise and articulate the reality that the same peace in-dwells our relationship with our neighbouring congregations – however far removed they be from us in their cultural, worshipping style. (There is neither ‘High’ nor ‘Low’, ‘Radical’ nor ‘Traditional’, ‘Conservative’ nor ‘Catholic’ – all are one in the peace of Christ.)

(More to follow soon about eucharist and eschatology; eucharist and mission; eucharist and worship; and charismatic sacramentology...)