A Table I Cannot Reduce

After baptism, my attention turns naturally to the table. I do not yet know how to adjudicate every Christian claim about the Eucharist or Lord's Supper. Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed, Baptist, and other churches do not speak with one voice here, and I should not pretend the differences are small.

But Paul's language in 1 Corinthians 10:16 is difficult for me to make thin. He speaks of the cup and the bread as a participation in Christ's blood and body. Whatever else must be said, the meal is not treated as a bare mental prompt.

As Theophilus, I need to approach this question with more reverence than cleverness. If the table is only a dispute in my notes, I have already handled it badly. If it is Christ's gift to his people, then study should become slower, cleaner, and more prayerful.

For now, my unresolved thought is this: before I decide how to name the mystery, I should learn to receive the seriousness of the command, the thanksgiving of the Church, and the mercy of the Lord who gives himself to sinners.