Before we move to specific reforms in Eucharistic practice, we must devote more words than I would like to an elephant in the room. United Methodist worship takes place in an environment of open Communion. Open Communion relieves the pastor and congregation of certain burdens, but it also brings additional burdens. A rite that is used before listeners who are barely familiar with the Christian faith, if at all, needs to be a clearer guide, more precise, and more catechetical–not less. Many denominations practice open communion, but in United Methodist practice the term is too often synonymous with indiscriminate Communion.

“We have failed to be an obedient church…”

I agree. In as much as we have accepted the ecumenical rites and have promulgated them among our congregations, we have failed to be an obedient Church.

“Christ our Lord invites to his table…”

No. He does not.

Christ does not invite. He calls. He commands. There is no common sense of the word by which we may say that any person of the Trinity “invites.” God does not invite, and that is a good thing.

From my childhood I remember the story of a counterfeiter who went undetected for years—not because his bills looked so authentic but because he found a way to make them look very old. He noticed that when people receive a new bill they examine it closely, but if the bill looks old—like it has been accepted by many people before—they barely glance at it. The same is true with ideas. If a concept looks new, then we study it carefully. If it sounds like it has been around a while and used by many others, then we accept it and pass it along.

As a pastor I know that we can sometimes become too familiar with a passage of Scripture or the observance of a Holy Day. We can fall into the error of over analyzing or the converse error of assuming the congregation already knows this stuff and they require no analysis. It is helpful to hear how others have treated a subject. I make this offering of meditations on the seven last words of Christ not with expectation that others will duplicate it, but that others will build on it and make it better.

Update: On 22 March the Council of Bishops rescinded their call for a 2021 General Conference. I expected they would have challenged the 2022 GC. At least one of the two was going away. In my informed opinion, and consistent with the ongoing conduct of the Council of Bishops, it is still just as likely that 2022 will be canceled. The Commission which set the date included caveats that might postpone it, and there are possible Disciplinary challenges as to whether the Commission has the authority to set an off-year date or if that is the sole jurisdiction of the Council of Bishops.

This 1983 publication is back in print…and for only $7.95. A few years ago I published excerpts from the book after being unable to get any reply from the last known publisher. Since the book is now available (and at a ridiculously low price) I have removed those posts. Here is how I introduced At Noon on Friday at that time.

There are saints of the Church whose life and words have healed many wounded souls and guided multitudes safely to heaven’s shore. Perhaps in the world to come they are the equivalent of Medal of Honor winners in spiritual warfare or Nobel Prize recipients for eternal peacemaking. Too often, however, in this world their good name and inspirational words are interred with their bones. This ought not be the case — especially for Rev. Hoefler.

Continue reading “At Noon on Friday, Dr Carl Hoefler” →