Sacraments
Central Reformed Church offers Communion to every Christian.
Among the greatest treasures of the Christian faith, given to us by God for the noursihment and support of our faith, are the sacraments. The Reformer John Calvin once remarked, “But as our faith is slight and feeble unless it be propped up on all sides and sustained by every means, it trembles, wavers, totters, and at last gives way.” Knowing our incurable frailities, God, like a loving parent, offers us the gifts of the sacraments, Baptism and Holy Communion, gifts that are perfectly suited to us, gifts that will help support us in our weaknesses. Sacraments support and encourage us because they support and encourage the Word of God. In fact, they are united. Through the Holy Spirit, God instructs us by means of both Scripture and sacrament, thus becoming visible promises. God’s promise of salvation engraved with our name.
Together, at Central Reformed, we celebrate our baptismal identity in excellent worship, one of our Constellation of Stars. The baptismal font is a cleary visible focal point of worship each and every week. This is a gentle reminder to us that Baptism clothes us with Christ, and in so doing, gives us a new identity. We who are baptized are to think of ourselves as, “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:12). Just as Christ died, we who are clothed with Christ are to think of ourselves as having received in its place a new and resurrected life. Our deepest identity and our life’s calling are the mystery of the gospel given to us in baptism.
Together, we also celebrate the feast of Christ’s presence in the Lord’s Supper, the first Sunday of every month. It is food for the journey of Christian discipleship. God wishes to nourish us, to feed us regularly, with food that will sustain us throughout our lives. The Lord’s Supper is a celebration and proclamation of Jesus’ real, spiritual presence with us, of the forgiveness offered to us through Christ’s work on the cross. The Lord’s Supper, which is celebrated around the banquet table of God’s grace and mercy, is extended to all Christians, both members and visitors to Central Reformed. Thus, we are reminded of the unity of Christ’s body, the Church, as well as a meal of hope, of anticipating the heavenly feast of Christ’s coming kingdom.
In the Reformed tradition, the proclamation of Scripture and the administration of the sacraments are central to the life of the Church. They call us to a vision of God’s saving purpose that encompasses the whole of our lives and of creation, they bind us to one another in a journey of faith, and in doing so binds us to God in ties of love and grace.
“Come for all things are now ready.”
Comments»
In some Protestant churches in North America, the communion table and the baptismal font are completely absent within the worshiping space of the congregation. This is a terrible loss! We, at Central, fully understand that the sacraments are a form of the Word of God that are given uniquely to our worshiping community. They are placed “front and center” in the Chancel. That’s exactly where they need to be!
Thank you, Pastor Karen for inviting me to share these important words concerning our treasures of the Christian faith!