Doing What Our Communion Prayers Say That We Do

To paraphrase Prof. Scott Haldeman, what we do in worship matters more than what we say that we do.

This recent blog post by Rachel Held Evans, along with the embedded video by Rev. Michael Curry, emphasize the reconciling nature of Holy Communion.

In the church we are fond of saying that Holy Communion is “inherently moral,” inherently reconciling, that it automatically does what we keep saying in our prayers that it does.  Unfortunately, this often obscures our responsibility to help make these practices moral and reconciling, rather than immoral and divisive.  It may even obscure the necessity of our engaging actual reconciling practices for the sacramental character of the meal.

There is much that is right and important in the blog post and embedded video.  For me these days, the challenge to these views is the desperate need for the church to do what our eucharistic prayers say we are doing, rather than praying as if reconciliation and community were a fait accompli.

If you’d like to read more of my thoughts on the subject, check out the article “A Table in the Midst of My Enemies?  Power, Abuse, and the Possibilities for Reconciliation at Holy Communion.” Thanks to Rachel Held Evans for the post.     Photo by Ron Cogswell