Thursday, May 27, 2004 AD
The Lord's Supper and the Hiddenness of God
Another point we were discussing with our pastor last night was the question of "what about all the times we have taken part in the Lord's Supper churches where the Real Presence is denied? What about all those Christians who do not believe in the Real Presence, or whose churches do not even use the words of institution?"
Our pastor pointed out that in a sense, it is not really our concern what the answers to those questions are (though one point he did make was that where the words of institution are said, by that Word the bread and wine become Christ's body and blood even if no-one present actually realises or believes that). We know that God gives us forgiveness, life and salvation in the Lord's Supper, by the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ given and shed for us for the forgiveness of our sins. Our concern is to believe what God has promised and to seek Him where He has promised to be found.
He then made the striking point that the real issue is the hiddenness of God. God is mysterious, and hidden from us, alien to us - except where He has revealed Himself to us, where He makes Himself available to us. He has revealed Himself in the Gospel and gives Himself to us in the Sacraments. Beyond that, it is not for us to speculate, though we know that God is merciful, faithful and just. (Of course, one of the things that God has revealed to us is that every human being stands condemned by God's Law, and that the only name given under heaven by which they may be saved is that of Jesus Christ, proclaimed by the church in Word and Sacrament; so this perspective is no cause for complacency about those who die ignorant of Christ).
While I was aware of the "hiddenness of God" as a theological concept - a "Lutheran distinctive", no less - our pastor's comments brought the hiddenness of God as a reality home to me with new force and clarity. God is hidden; He is beyond our speculation and questions; all we can do is believe and receive Him and where He reveals and gives Himself.
As our pastor pointed out, the hiddenness of God is frustrating. Indeed, the Bible is frustrating: it answers so few of our questions! Always it points us to the salvation won for us in Christ and calls us to faith in Him, while refusing to indulge us in our speculative questions of "what if this?" and "what if that?"
Coming from an evangelical/Reformed background, it's easy to see mystery, uncertainty and hiddenness as being in some way "suspect". This is illustrated quite well by an incident at the Anglican "evangelical" church we attended until a few years ago. When the Church of England introduced the "Common Worship" liturgy, one change it made was to add the introductory words, "Great is the mystery of faith", before the congregational affirmation, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again". In our own service books, we changed this introduction from "Great is the mystery of faith" to "Salvation comes through Jesus Christ". "We don't do mystery", was the general feeling.
But when we appreciate more fully what it means for God to be hidden from us except where He has revealed Himself, we can then understand more fully what St Peter was driving at when he said (in 2 Peter 1:19, emphasis added):
Our pastor pointed out that in a sense, it is not really our concern what the answers to those questions are (though one point he did make was that where the words of institution are said, by that Word the bread and wine become Christ's body and blood even if no-one present actually realises or believes that). We know that God gives us forgiveness, life and salvation in the Lord's Supper, by the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ given and shed for us for the forgiveness of our sins. Our concern is to believe what God has promised and to seek Him where He has promised to be found.
He then made the striking point that the real issue is the hiddenness of God. God is mysterious, and hidden from us, alien to us - except where He has revealed Himself to us, where He makes Himself available to us. He has revealed Himself in the Gospel and gives Himself to us in the Sacraments. Beyond that, it is not for us to speculate, though we know that God is merciful, faithful and just. (Of course, one of the things that God has revealed to us is that every human being stands condemned by God's Law, and that the only name given under heaven by which they may be saved is that of Jesus Christ, proclaimed by the church in Word and Sacrament; so this perspective is no cause for complacency about those who die ignorant of Christ).
While I was aware of the "hiddenness of God" as a theological concept - a "Lutheran distinctive", no less - our pastor's comments brought the hiddenness of God as a reality home to me with new force and clarity. God is hidden; He is beyond our speculation and questions; all we can do is believe and receive Him and where He reveals and gives Himself.
As our pastor pointed out, the hiddenness of God is frustrating. Indeed, the Bible is frustrating: it answers so few of our questions! Always it points us to the salvation won for us in Christ and calls us to faith in Him, while refusing to indulge us in our speculative questions of "what if this?" and "what if that?"
Coming from an evangelical/Reformed background, it's easy to see mystery, uncertainty and hiddenness as being in some way "suspect". This is illustrated quite well by an incident at the Anglican "evangelical" church we attended until a few years ago. When the Church of England introduced the "Common Worship" liturgy, one change it made was to add the introductory words, "Great is the mystery of faith", before the congregational affirmation, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again". In our own service books, we changed this introduction from "Great is the mystery of faith" to "Salvation comes through Jesus Christ". "We don't do mystery", was the general feeling.
But when we appreciate more fully what it means for God to be hidden from us except where He has revealed Himself, we can then understand more fully what St Peter was driving at when he said (in 2 Peter 1:19, emphasis added):
[W]e have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.God is hidden, the world is dark: but the Word and Sacraments are lamps shining in that dark place "for us men and for our salvation".
