Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

If I were to attempt to identify the single most important area of Christian Theology for my life and ministry it would have to be that of Sacramentology. That's a great, big, jaw-breaking word, but it deals with a very simple yet important area of theological understanding: grace. What is grace? How does grace function in the Christian life? And, most critically, how is grace received? These questions are central to the field of "Sacramentology," and since I am a Sacramental Theologian, they are also central to me.

Grace is God's unearned, undeserved, and unmerited love and favor. Without grace, we would be lost; without grace, we would lack the fire of God's Holy Spirit; without grace, we would lack any ability to serve the last, the least, and the lost of this world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Grace is the love, life, and Real Presence of Jesus moving in and through us, transforming our self-centered and spiritually dead souls and infusing us with the eternal life that God desires for us. In short, grace is fuel for Christian living.

How do we "fill up" on this grace? How do we, to quote Hebrews, "approach the throne of grace" and "find grace to help in time of need?" There are many ways that have been identified and practiced by Christians down through the centuries for receiving grace. Grace comes to us through many means, and they all should be tapped if our Christian living is to be whole and "fully powered." Among the most-often cited are: prayer, worship, the reading and study of scripture, preaching, the fellowship of Christians together, giving, serving, fasting, and the historic sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. Through all of these instruments of grace - and especially through the sacraments - Christians have access to the unmerited favor of God which enables us to live according to God's Will. This understanding of the means of grace in general, and of the sacraments in particular, is the precise focus of the theological field of Sacramentology.

My doctoral dissertation was on Sacramentology, and specifically on the United Methodist understanding and practice of Holy Communion. While we may correctly speak about this sacrament in many different ways, suffice it to say that through Holy Communion (also known as the Lord's Supper or the Eucharist), Christians receive continual infusions of the Real Presence of Jesus which enables us to walk in Christ and grow in Christian love and faith. While the sacrament of Baptism is the outward and visible sign of the inward and spiritual grace of God drawing us to God and into Christ, Holy Communion is the outward and visible sign of the inward and spiritual grace of God empowering us for Christian living, guiding us in our actions, and communicating to us the assurance of knowing that we are living in God's Will. Holy Communion is, essentially, the sacramental embodiment of God's sanctifying grace, for in and through its reception we are transformed into greater and greater likenesses of the image of Christ. We hear about Jesus when we listen to sermons or read the scriptures, we pray to Jesus in our prayers, we sing about Jesus in our hymns, we give a cup of water in Jesus' name in our service, and we praise Jesus in our worship; and, in the sacrament of Holy Communion, we receive Jesus, anew, into our lives by faith. This makes the sacrament of the Lord's Supper critically important; if we expect to grow in grace and be the Church of Jesus Christ, we must receive our Lord's Presence at the Table.

"But I'm not worthy to receive!" This objection is a common one, and one which I entirely understand. To put this simply, no one is worthy to receive. Not a single one of us. We are all unworthy, regardless of who we are or how long we have been a Christian, to receive the sacrament. Indeed, there is nothing that we can do to make ourselves worthy! The only thing that we can do, according to the Apostle Paul, is receive the sacrament with our faith discerning the presence of Jesus; if we do this, even though we ourselves are unworthy, we will be receiving the sacrament in a worthy manner.

"But this seems like empty ritual to me." Yes, sometimes the means of grace can become empty for us. If we are lazy, if we are focused upon ourselves, or upon a minister we dislike, or upon church members or other fellow believers who bug us, or upon that jerk that cut us off in traffic yesterday, the sacrament can become empty for us. In such circumstances, our faith and focus is not upon Christ. For any act of worship, for any means of grace, for any prayer, for any act of service to be anything more than empty ritual or obligation, it must have Christ at its center. The Holy Eucharist is always a Christ-centered event; regardless of how it is celebrated, or where, or by whom, the reception of Jesus should always be our focus.

"I don't understand how Jesus can be present in the sacrament, so I shouldn't receive it." Indeed? I have a doctorate in the theology of Holy Communion and I still don't understand how Jesus is really present in the Eucharist; I simply accept, by faith, that He is and receive Him anyway. This is all any of us can do. God is offering us "fuel for Christian living" in this blessed, Holy Sacrament: by faith we should prayerfully receive it and, through receiving it, receive Christ anew.

Rev. Greg Neal

Walk #97

Table of Luke

Community Spiritual Director

It's that time of year again: the holidays are upon us, first Halloween and then Christmas, or so it seems when you enter your favorite stores and see their very prominent and colorful displays. Brightly colored costumes and enticing bags of candy are everywhere, and are then whisked away to be quickly followed by a new season's worth of decorations. Orange, black and purple give way to red, green and gold. There are Christmas trees that seem to get taller every year with rows and rows of wrapping paper, wreaths and glittery ornaments, and the songs of the season greet you as you cross the thresholds of your favorite stores. Merchandisers aggressively ply their wares, trying to convince us all that we must have whatever they are selling. Although I am a happy participant of such, in recent years I have begun to mourn the loss of another favorite holiday that sometimes seems to be slipping away: Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving - the day that we stop to remember our country's heritage, how blessed we are and have always been as a nation. Thanksgiving - a day to be with family and close friends and celebrate the ties that bind us. Thanksgiving - the day we can individually remember the many blessings our generous God has showered upon us. Thanksgiving - a time of reflection and peace.

About 5-6 years ago, my family began a new Thanksgiving tradition, along with consuming mass quantities of turkey, cornbread dressing and all the rest of the fixings. After our wonderful main meal and possibly a nap, and before anyone can eat their favorite dessert, we all take a few moments to write down in our family album what we are thankful for. That's right, no one gets dessert until after they have shared their thoughts. There's been a little grumbling at times, mostly by those ready for their pie, but it's also become something special in our family. Last year, even my 3 year old grandson wanted to share, and his entry was priceless. He wanted to say thanks for cupcakes, toys, choo-choo trains, and for his new baby sister. (Won't it be fun to go back and read that in about 10 years?) Each year, when I bring out our Thanksgiving album, I take a few minutes to read what was written in years past and say a quick prayer of thanks to the One who so generously blesses and provides.

As I was thinking about what I wanted to share, the Holy Spirit brought to mind a worship song by Don Moen called "Give Thanks". It can be easily found on Google if you are unfamiliar with it. I love the words because they remind me of the most important gift I have to be thankful for, Jesus Christ. I pray the same is true for you. The words are as follows:

Give thanks

With a grateful heart

Give thanks

To the Holy One

Give thanks

For He's given

Jesus Christ, His Son

Happy Thanksgiving!

De Colores!

Melinda Propes

Walk #133

Table of Rachel

DEC Communications Chair