Holy Communion is one of the two sacraments recognized by the United Methodist church. Holy Baptism is the other. The Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion) reminds us that Jesus Christ is the host and that we participate at Christ’s invitation. This title suggests the eating of a meal and makes us think of the meals that Jesus ate with various people both before his death and after his resurrection. The term the Last Supper is not appropriately used for the sacrament, but it does encourage us to remember the supper that Jesus ate with his disciples on the night when he was arrested. This emphasis is especially meaningful around Maundy Thursday
The term Holy Communion invites us to focus on the self-giving of the Holy God, which makes the sacrament an occasion of grace, and on the holiness of our communion with God and one another. Eucharist, from the Greek word for thanksgiving, reminds us that the sacrament is thanks-giving to God for the gifts of creation and salvation.
The Meaning and Role of Baptism
United Methodists recognize that baptism is, first and foremost, about God's action, what God does for us. Baptism is a sacrament and means of God's grace. Sacraments are effective means of God's presence mediated through the created world. God becoming incarnate in Jesus Christ is the supreme instance of this kind of divine action. Wesley viewed the sacraments as crucial means of grace and affirmed the Anglican teaching "that a sacrament is 'an outward sign of inward grace, and a means whereby we receive the same.'" Combining words, actions, and physical elements, sacraments are sign-acts which both express and convey God's grace and love.[1]
By Water and the Spirit explains the benefits of baptism. Regarding entrance into the household of faith. The United Methodist Church therefore, regard.baptism as an act of repentance and inner cleansing from sin, By Water and the Spirit reads:
In baptism God offers and we accept the forgiveness of our sin (Acts 2:38). With the pardoning of sin which has separated us from God, we are justified — freed from the guilt and penalty of sin and restored to right relationship with God. This reconciliation is made possible through the atonement of Christ and made real in our lives by the work of the Holy Spirit. We respond by confessing and repenting of our sin, and affirming our faith that Jesus Christ has accomplished all that is necessary for our salvation.
By Water and the Spirit addresses baptism as a new birth and a mark of Christian discipleship by stating:
Baptism is the sacramental sign of new life through and in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Variously identified as regeneration, new birth, and being born again, this work of grace makes us into new spiritual creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17). We die to our old nature which was dominated by sin and enter into the very life of Christ who transforms us. Baptism is the means of entry into new life in Christ (John 3:5; Titus 3:5). New birth into life in Christ, which is signified by baptism, is the beginning of that process of growth in grace and holiness through which God brings us into closer relationship with Jesus Christ, and shapes our lives increasingly into conformity with the divine will.
Here again is a heavy emphasis on God's action in baptism, on grace that elicits our response. We can die to the old self to begin a new life with Christ because Christ died for us. Baptism is the mark of our calling to holy living, and our holy living is a response to the work that God has initiated and made possible in our lives.
Because of the emphasis in our United Methodist theology on the primacy of God's action in the sacrament of baptism and on the need of all human beings to be cleansed and saved by the grace of God, By Water and the Spirit declares that people of all ages may be baptized:
In the New Testament, at least six major ideas about Holy Communion are present: thanksgiving, fellowship, remembrance, sacrifice, action of the Holy Spirit, and eschatology. A brief look at each of these will help us better comprehend the meaning of the sacrament
The Meaning of Holy Communion
Holy Communion is Eucharist, an act of thanksgiving. As we commune, we express joyful thanks for God’s mighty acts throughout history – for creation, covenant, redemption, and sanctification. “The Great Thanksgiving” portion of our liturgy conveys our gratitude for the goodness of God and God’s unconditional love for us
Holy Communion is the communion of the church – the gathered community of the faithful, both local and universal. While deeply meaningful to the individuals participating, the sacrament is much more than a personal event. The first person pronouns throughout the ritual are consistently plural – we, us, our. The sharing and bonding experienced at the Table exemplify the nature of the church and model the world as God would have it be.
Holy Communion is remembrance, commemoration, and memorial, but this remembrance is much more than simple intellectual recalling. Doing “this in remembrance of me” is a dynamic action that becomes re-presentation of past gracious acts of God in the present, so powerfully as to make them truly present now. Christ is risen and is alive here and now, not just remembered for what was done in the past. Holy Communion is a type of sacrifice. It is a re-presentation, not a repetition, of the sacrifice of Christ. We also present ourselves as sacrifice in union with Christ. Holy Communion is a vehicle of God’s grace through the action of the Holy Spirit. The epiclesis (biblical Greek meaning calling upon) is the part of the Great Thanksgiving that calls the Spirit: “Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine.” The church asks God “By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world . . .” (UMH; page 10).
Holy Communion is eschatological, meaning that it has to do with the end of history, the outcome of God’s purpose for the world – “Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again” (UMH; page 10). We commune not only with the faithful who are physically present but with the saints of the past who join us in the sacrament. To participate is to receive a foretaste of the future, a pledge of heaven, “until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet” (UMH; page 10). When we eat and drink at the Table, we become partakers of the divine nature in this life and for life eternal. We are anticipating the heavenly banquet celebrating God’s victory over sin, evil, and death. In the midst of the personal and systemic brokenness in which we live, we yearn for everlasting fellowship with Christ and ultimate fulfillment of the divine plan. Nourished by sacramental grace, we strive to be formed into the image of Christ and to be made instruments for transformation in the world.
[1] The 1996 General Conference adopted as an official interpretive statement By Water and the Spirit: A United Methodist Understanding of Baptism,
The term Holy Communion invites us to focus on the self-giving of the Holy God, which makes the sacrament an occasion of grace, and on the holiness of our communion with God and one another. Eucharist, from the Greek word for thanksgiving, reminds us that the sacrament is thanks-giving to God for the gifts of creation and salvation.
The Meaning and Role of Baptism
United Methodists recognize that baptism is, first and foremost, about God's action, what God does for us. Baptism is a sacrament and means of God's grace. Sacraments are effective means of God's presence mediated through the created world. God becoming incarnate in Jesus Christ is the supreme instance of this kind of divine action. Wesley viewed the sacraments as crucial means of grace and affirmed the Anglican teaching "that a sacrament is 'an outward sign of inward grace, and a means whereby we receive the same.'" Combining words, actions, and physical elements, sacraments are sign-acts which both express and convey God's grace and love.[1]
By Water and the Spirit explains the benefits of baptism. Regarding entrance into the household of faith. The United Methodist Church therefore, regard.baptism as an act of repentance and inner cleansing from sin, By Water and the Spirit reads:
In baptism God offers and we accept the forgiveness of our sin (Acts 2:38). With the pardoning of sin which has separated us from God, we are justified — freed from the guilt and penalty of sin and restored to right relationship with God. This reconciliation is made possible through the atonement of Christ and made real in our lives by the work of the Holy Spirit. We respond by confessing and repenting of our sin, and affirming our faith that Jesus Christ has accomplished all that is necessary for our salvation.
By Water and the Spirit addresses baptism as a new birth and a mark of Christian discipleship by stating:
Baptism is the sacramental sign of new life through and in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Variously identified as regeneration, new birth, and being born again, this work of grace makes us into new spiritual creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17). We die to our old nature which was dominated by sin and enter into the very life of Christ who transforms us. Baptism is the means of entry into new life in Christ (John 3:5; Titus 3:5). New birth into life in Christ, which is signified by baptism, is the beginning of that process of growth in grace and holiness through which God brings us into closer relationship with Jesus Christ, and shapes our lives increasingly into conformity with the divine will.
Here again is a heavy emphasis on God's action in baptism, on grace that elicits our response. We can die to the old self to begin a new life with Christ because Christ died for us. Baptism is the mark of our calling to holy living, and our holy living is a response to the work that God has initiated and made possible in our lives.
Because of the emphasis in our United Methodist theology on the primacy of God's action in the sacrament of baptism and on the need of all human beings to be cleansed and saved by the grace of God, By Water and the Spirit declares that people of all ages may be baptized:
In the New Testament, at least six major ideas about Holy Communion are present: thanksgiving, fellowship, remembrance, sacrifice, action of the Holy Spirit, and eschatology. A brief look at each of these will help us better comprehend the meaning of the sacrament
The Meaning of Holy Communion
Holy Communion is Eucharist, an act of thanksgiving. As we commune, we express joyful thanks for God’s mighty acts throughout history – for creation, covenant, redemption, and sanctification. “The Great Thanksgiving” portion of our liturgy conveys our gratitude for the goodness of God and God’s unconditional love for us
Holy Communion is the communion of the church – the gathered community of the faithful, both local and universal. While deeply meaningful to the individuals participating, the sacrament is much more than a personal event. The first person pronouns throughout the ritual are consistently plural – we, us, our. The sharing and bonding experienced at the Table exemplify the nature of the church and model the world as God would have it be.
Holy Communion is remembrance, commemoration, and memorial, but this remembrance is much more than simple intellectual recalling. Doing “this in remembrance of me” is a dynamic action that becomes re-presentation of past gracious acts of God in the present, so powerfully as to make them truly present now. Christ is risen and is alive here and now, not just remembered for what was done in the past. Holy Communion is a type of sacrifice. It is a re-presentation, not a repetition, of the sacrifice of Christ. We also present ourselves as sacrifice in union with Christ. Holy Communion is a vehicle of God’s grace through the action of the Holy Spirit. The epiclesis (biblical Greek meaning calling upon) is the part of the Great Thanksgiving that calls the Spirit: “Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine.” The church asks God “By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world . . .” (UMH; page 10).
Holy Communion is eschatological, meaning that it has to do with the end of history, the outcome of God’s purpose for the world – “Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again” (UMH; page 10). We commune not only with the faithful who are physically present but with the saints of the past who join us in the sacrament. To participate is to receive a foretaste of the future, a pledge of heaven, “until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet” (UMH; page 10). When we eat and drink at the Table, we become partakers of the divine nature in this life and for life eternal. We are anticipating the heavenly banquet celebrating God’s victory over sin, evil, and death. In the midst of the personal and systemic brokenness in which we live, we yearn for everlasting fellowship with Christ and ultimate fulfillment of the divine plan. Nourished by sacramental grace, we strive to be formed into the image of Christ and to be made instruments for transformation in the world.
[1] The 1996 General Conference adopted as an official interpretive statement By Water and the Spirit: A United Methodist Understanding of Baptism,
