" Real Presence"
By Michael Browder Ph.D.
May 2, 2010

I went to an interesting lecture at Randolph-Macon College this week. The subject was what Methodists think about the doctrine of the “Real Presence” of Christ in Holy Communion. This matter has been hotly debated by Christian theologians down through the ages.

The big question is: What really happens at Holy Communion? Have you ever thought about that question? What really happens at Holy Communion? Sure, you come up and have some bread, or a wafer, and some grape juice. But, if that is all there is, what is so holy about it?

As I mentioned, there is another question which theologians have asked. (Theologians are the people who study God and the things about God.) The other big question is: How is Christ present in Holy Communion? Or, to take it further: When Jesus takes the bread and says, “This is my body,” and when he takes the cup and says, “This is my blood,” exactly what does he mean?

The Roman Catholic Church has traditionally taken this scripture very literally. Medieval theologians said that when the priest utters the words, “This is my body,” and “This is my blood,” the bread and the wine actually become the physical body and blood of Christ. They may still look like bread and wine, but that is just an illusion. As a divine mystery, they have become flesh and blood. This is called the doctrine of Transubstantiation.

So, it was a high holy moment when the priest lifted up the host, as the bread is called, and he pronounced the Latin words, Hoc est corpus meum, “This is my body.” By the way, the superstitious people of the Middle Ages thought that these were magic words. The Latin words of the priest, Hoc est corpus, are where we get the English phrase hocus-pocus.

Would you like to know a little more trivia? [This is totally off the topic.] I’ll tell you where we get the word abracadabra. The illiterate people of ancient times thought that the letters of the alphabet, which could form words, had magic power. At Christmas, we talked about how the word Magi is related to the words magic and magician, and we said that the Magi were from Babylon. The first four letters of the Aramaic alphabet, used in Babylon, were a, ba, ga. Abracadabra means “a, b, c is the magic word.”

So, back to Communion: The medieval Catholic Church believed that the bread and wine actually became the body and blood of Christ. If you have a Catholic friend, you might ask them what they believe about this.

When the Protestant Reformation came, in the 1500’s, Martin Luther did not agree with the doctrine of Transubstantiation. Luther offered his own view. He said that Christ is really present in the elements, but the bread and wine do not change their nature. They continue to be real bread and wine. Luther said that Christ is really present in the bread and wine, but he is unseen, like a sword inside a sheath. This is called the doctrine of Consubstantiation. It is not only the traditional view of Lutherans, but I think it is what many Catholics actually believe today.

Other theologians of the Reformation, took a more radical view. For instance, Ulrich Zwingli said that the bread and the wine are just a memorial of Jesus and his crucifixion. Christ does not have any real presence in the bread and wine, but his Holy Spirit is present in the midst of the people as they worship God and give thanks to remember the salvation of Jesus and what he has done for us. This is what most Baptists believe today. From that perspective, Communion is usually called The Lord’s Supper.

During the Reformation, Luther and Zwingli met at Marburg, Germany, to see if they could come to a compromise and find common ground for their doctrine of Communion. The meeting did not go well. Luther began by writing on the table: Hoc est corpus meum, “This is my body.” And Luther, in an oft-remembered quote, said: “Is is is.” (Maybe Bill Clinton should have listened to Luther!)

What Luther is saying is that we must take the Bible literally here. Since Jesus says, “This is my body,” he means that the bread really is his body. He doesn’t mean the bread simply represents his body, or is a memorial to his body. We must say it is his body, because Jesus says, “is.”

I would like to offer a correction to Luther, something which he apparently did not realize. In the Aramaic language, which Jesus spoke, there is no word for is. The idea of is, are and to be is always implied, without using a word. So, what Jesus actually said was, Hana pagray, “This: my body.”

How are we to make sense of all this today? Is there a real presence of Jesus Christ in the bread and the cup of the communion table? How would we describe that presence?

From my perspective, I would want us to emphasize the real presence of Christ in Holy Communion. I don’t think it is just bread, juice and some distant memories. How is Christ present? In the Holy Spirit.

In Methodist theology, it is always about grace. We point to the “Means of Grace.” Grace is what God has done. What we cannot do for ourselves. The Lord has saved us. Christ has died for us on the cross. In his Last Supper, with all the symbolism of Passover, he reminded us how much he loves us. The “Means of Grace” are outward, physical things, which touch us with God’s presence and remind us of God’s amazing grace.

If we eat the bread, and drink the cup, with faith and repentance, these physical things touch our hearts with God’s Holy Spirit and the real presence of Jesus Christ. Because we are transformed by the death and resurrection of Jesus, that transformation is renewed by participating in Holy Communion. Therefore, we should cherish Communion and celebrate it often.

So, that is a word about the Real Presence of Christ in the bread and the cup. Now, I want to talk about the Real Presence of Christ in two other places.

First, I want to remind us of the Real Presence of Christ in the midst of the congregation. Not only does Jesus call the bread his body, he also calls us who are the church his body. The word “member,” which we use for church member, did not originally refer to someone who belongs to a club. It meant an organ of the body. Jesus said that each of us is a part of the church, just as an organ is part of the human body. Think about that!

The church is a “Means of Grace.” Our relationship with each other in the church, and the love we share for one another, also touches us with the grace and the love of Jesus Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, we experience the Real Presence of Christ, when we are joined with one another in the church. This is especially true when we come together to receive Holy Communion. There is no other time when we are more closely joined together as the Body of Christ. I think it is a very powerful thing that our custom in this congregation is to join hands in prayer after we receive Communion. We are touched by the presence of Christ as we touch one another. This is truly a Means of Grace.

Finally, I want to say that you experience the Real Presence of Christ because he is present in your heart. A couple of weeks ago, we sang the hymn which says, “You ask me how I know he lives. He lives within my heart!” Christ lives in my heart. He lives in yours. The problem is that we so often forget him. We forget that he is present right there. We need something to remind us. That’s what Holy Communion is all about. When we receive the bread and the cup, our Savior touches us and reminds us: “I am here. As near as your heart. Let this bread remind you that I am still with you. I still love you. Do you still love me?”

Let us pray. Lord Jesus, we thank you that you are present in a very real way right here with us. Touch us, Lord, with your Holy Spirit, and let us know that you are near. May we find your presence, dear Savior,

in the bread and the cup, which remind us of your love, and how you sacrificed your precious body and blood for our salvation. May we find your real presence in the midst of our congregation, as we love one another and encourage one another in worship. And finally, O God, may we find the very real presence of your Holy Spirit in our hearts. Let it cause us to be overflowing with love for you. Lord, you are with us now. We worship you. We praise you. We adore you. Amen.