6.13.2012

Communion as enthronement to rule

Musing on how the Lord's Supper shows us the suffering and glory of Christ, English minister Arthur Kay says,

"The whole sacrificial system teaches us that, for the sinner, ascension to glory can only be reached through blade and flame.

"Without Christ as our Substitute we would not get beyond the blade. For the church on earth suffering and glory, while distinct, are part of the same complex (e.g. Rom 8:17-18). In heaven the two are conflated and the marks of suffering are made glorious (compare the "Lamb as it had been slain" of Rev 5)....

"From this I think we can see that suffering and glory begin to be brought together in the earthly church not outside of us (by intinction of the elements) but in us (i.e. in the Body of Christ) when we have ingested both broken bread and poured-out wine and go out into the world as His witnesses. (Of course there’s a sense in which wine alone speaks of both suffering and glory too).

"The point I’m labouring to get to is that the table celebrates Christ's resurrection, ascension and enthronement (and ours in Him) as well as His substitutionary death. Wine is given to kings to judge by. The enthroned king's swirling and smelling, sipping and savouring, tasting and evaluating of the wine in his cup of divination speaks of the wisdom, discernment and judgement he brings to his judicial role. (See Matt 26:29; Luke 22:20,30). In doing this “till He come” we celebrate His present reign and the certainty of all creation being filled with His glory."

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