"The Presence of Christ
Principle:
God, who has given the sacraments to the church, acts in and through
Holy Communion. Jesus Christ is really and truly present in Holy
Communion through the word proclaimed and enacted, through the
elements of bread and wine (1 Corinthians 11:23-26), and through the
gathered community of faith (Luke 22:14-20). Exactly how Christ is
present is a mystery. The divine presence is an immediate reality, not
simply a remembrance of something past. Through Jesus Christ and in
the power of the Holy Spirit, God meets us at the table."

The premise that "God has given this sacrament to the church" first of all is based on
the fact that the church quickly claimed all rights to this gift of grace from the one who
was about to go to a cruel cross at Golgotha. The invitation that Jesus gave was so
grace filled and so simple - - "as often as you do this, do it in remembrance of me"

"Invitation to the Lord's Table
Principle:
The invitation to the table comes from the risen and present Christ. Christ
invites to his table those who love him, repent of sin, and seek to live as
Christian disciples. Holy Communion is a gift of God to the church and an
act of the community of faith. By responding to that invitation we affirm
and deepen our personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ and
our commitment to membership, and mission in the body of Christ."

A simple act of grace given during a meal of remembrance of another event that was
long in the memory of the Jewish people.

The "church" has taken over and claimed ownership of this act of love and graceful
invitation on the part of our Savior. It is Jesus who invites - - not the church. Jesus did
not say "do this in remembrance of me" only in the church - - only on the first Sunday - -
only at the altar - - only if you are a born again Christian. He said take and eat, take
and drink and remember what I have done for you.

"The Wesleyan tradition has always recognized that Holy Communion
may be an occasion for the reception of converting, justifying, and
sanctifying grace" ("By Water and the Spirit," BOD p. 814).
John Wesley's mention of the sacrament as "a converting ordinance" is
subject to misunderstanding by some United Methodists today. In
Wesley's time and situation, he was addressing persons who, although
baptized as infants and possessing some degree of faith, had not yet
experienced spiritual rebirth. In eighteenth century England, almost all
persons were baptized in infancy. Therefore, the conversion Wesley
spoke of was a transformation of those already baptized."

One of the hallmarks of United Methodism is that our founder, John Wesley, had a
deep and abiding passion for "lost souls" - - of that there is no denial. I am convinced
that Wesley was convicted that Holy Communion "was" an "occasion for the reception
of converting, justifying and sanctifying grace". Why else would he have communed so
often himself if he did not believe this to the core of his being.

I do not think that there was any misunderstanding of Wesley that Holy Communion
was a converting grace for non-believers. Of course he was an Anglican Priest and of
course he followed "the rules" - - because following rules was in the English ethic. You
know keeping a "stiff upper lip" and all that! But I will always believe that in his heart he
knew different. Why else would he always try to assure that someone was "authorized"
to serve Holy Communion to his converts.

"John Wesley drew a sharp distinction between the preaching ministry,
which was open to lay men and women, and the priestly ministry of
administering the sacraments, which was to be exercised only by those
ordained as priests / elders. Recounting the 1744 preachers' conference,
Wesley wrote, "None of them dreamed, that the being called to preach
gave them any right to administer sacraments."

You are to do that part of the work which we appoint." But what work was
this? Did we ever appoint you to administer sacraments; to exercise the
priestly office? Such a design never entered into our mind; it was the
farthest from our thoughts" (The Ministerial Office). Wesley insisted that
there could be no sacramental ministry without ordination. This conviction
ultimately determined his decision to perform "extraordinary" ordinations
himself."

Dare I say it - - Wesley was wrong! Again this comes from his strong Anglican
background and beliefs. Watch how he later did everything he could to "get around"
the Anglican church by even recruiting a Greek Orthodox Bishop to ordain some of his
"boys" so they could serve communion. It failed, but he was willing to try!

This has been the "stinking thinking" that has been perpetuated in the Methodist
movement ever since - - and the study about to be presented to the General
Conference does not change that.

It is time for a new paradigm to emerge in the United Methodist Church. One that
empowers the people of the church to be the people that God calls them out to be. In
Wesley=s day the laity had no vote on church matters. We continued that into the
American version and only in our recent history have laity had equal voice and equal
vote in the General Conference - - and then we denied women and minorities that
privilege until very recent history. Would we want to go back in history to where we
were - - well of course not.

"Deacons are ordained to the ministry of word and service, (BOD, & 320)
and charged to "give leadership in the church's life. . . in [among other
ways] assisting the elders in the administration of the sacraments. . .,
[and] in the congregation=s mission to the world. . . "(BOD 319). This
ordination is to a life of linking the church=s worship to Christ=s service in
the world. In worship it is appropriate for deacons to lead, or recruit and
support others to lead, those parts of the liturgy/service that manifest the
connection between our worship and Christian witness in daily life."

The idea that only Elders (and some Local Pastors) - - "the priestly ministry" - - are the
only ones "authorized" by the church to serve communion is preposterous. First is not
the church who invites and authorizes - - - it is Jesus Christ. Aren't we all priests? The
church is the enabler and encourager of this ministry.

"Practice:
Lay persons assist in preparing the table and the elements for Holy
Communion. At the appropriate point in the service, representatives of the
laity may bring the elements forward to the table as a part of the offering.
The entire congregation responds in unison as indicated throughout the
ritual. Lay persons may distribute the consecrated elements to worshipers
and take them to members who are unavoidably absent from the
congregational celebration.

Lay persons deserve conscientious instruction and training for these tasks
from elders and deacons."

We lowly lay folks, unwashed and untrained as we are - - cannot be trained, authorized and trusted to offer bread to a dying world and drink to a starving world?!?!

Dear ones that is not who we are and who we want to be as a people called United
Methodist!

Well enough is enough!

I say, out with the cob-weby hierarchical Anglican ways and in with a new wind of
God=s Holy Spirit blowing across our church.

Let me quote from my Laity Address to the 1996 General Conference: "Imagine for just
a moment that this great United Methodist Church of ours is one of the fine "tall sailing
ships" with all of its sails billowing in the wind. We have turned and trimmed those sails
so that the Wind - - the Wind of God's Holy Spirit - is blowing at our backs and we are
speeding across the water. Wait! - - there's troublesome times ahead, the water is
getting choppy, the wind is beginning to shift, the sails need re-trimming, and there is a
rocky shoal ahead. All of us, who are called United Methodists, have our hands on the
wheel. Will it be shipwreck - - or sailing on to ports of ministry? If you push and I pull,
we are going to run our ship onto the rocks and just look longingly for the missed ports
of ministry where God's people are. We must, all in one spirit, very quickly decide which
way to turn this ship we call the United Methodist Church, to keep in on course."

Well what will it be - - "crashing on the rocky shoal" or sailing on to ports of ministry?

The report coming to the 2004 General Conference is called "This Holy Mystery: A
United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion"

Mystery? Mystery! I don't think so. Maybe that is part of the problem. Just maybe we
still look upon this act of Divine Love as a mystery - - when in reality it is abounding,
unmerited, amazing Grace - - for all.



A Jim Lane Commentary
May 3, 2003

#########

I have submitted the following Petition to the 2004 General Conference:

Petition to
the 2004 General Conference
of
The United Methodist Church

I hereby Petition the 2004 General Conference of The United Methodist Church as follows:

Amend ¶331 as follows:

Section VII. Appointments to Various Ministries

¶ 331. Performance Evaluations

b) To administer the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper and all the other means of grace. It shall be the duty of all appointed pastors, before baptizing infants or children, to prepare the parents and sponsors by instructing them concerning the significance of Holy Baptism, the responsibilities of the parents and the sponsor(s) for the Christian training of the baptized child, and how these obligations may be properly discharged (see 225.1). All appointed pastors may select and train lay members with appropriate words and actions to immediately deliver the consecrated and serve communion elements to members confined at home, in a nursing home, or in a hospital, or in other settings where required.

Add new paragraph:
Training of Selected Lay Persons to Consecrate and Serve Communion: All lay persons selected by their pastor to consecrate and serve communion shall complete an approved course to be developed by the General Board of Discipleship. This course may be offered to Certified Lay Speakers as a part of their continuing education or offered in local church or other settings to other selected lay persons.


Jim Lane
James W. (Jim) Lane, Church Lay Leader
Levy United Methodist Church
Conway District, Arkansas Conference
508 Brent Drive
Sherwood, AR 72120-6057
VOICE: 501-834-9492
CELLULAR: 501-350-0463
PAGER 1-800-618-1204
E-MAIL: jim@jimlane.org
WEBSITE: www.jimlane.org