Gift and Promise

What would happen if the liturgy for the Lord’s Supper started with the images in the New Testament rather than the divisions of our past? It would be like going through an open door into a new world. There we would find a new Passover celebration, a new covenant, and remembrance and proclamation of Jesus’ death and resurrection--all in the context of the kingdom of God. It would be an evangelical Lord’s Supper. This is a high-risk operation, given the reliance by many on transactional sacrifice and the tendency to reduce the Supper to a sacrament of penance for individuals. Ideas rejected by Luther and Calvin now reappear even among Protestants. The goal cannot be reached by subtracting a few things and adding references to eschatology and joy. The good news is that many churches have already taken steps to reform their liturgies. To support that process, here is a clear and consistent evangelical perspective, based on the theology and biblical considerations that have formed our faith and practice. ''Peter Schmiechen’s volume on eucharstic theology boldly integrates disciplines that are usually kept apart. By synthesizing insights from biblical studies, the history of sacramental theology, and contemporary ecumenical reflection, Schmiechen articulates an understanding of the Lord’s Supper that moves beyond its traditional links to atonement theories of penal substitution. With rare deftness and insight, Schmiechen recovers a sense of the Supper as communicating new life in Christ and offering hope for a troubled world.''--Lee C. Barrett, Henry and Mary Stager Professor of Theology, Lancaster Theological Seminary''This is theology at its best! Peter Schmiechen develops in this book ways for a common understanding of the Lord’s Supper. This is done from a true evangelical perspective. Not underestimating ages of differences and conflicts, this book exposes the basic elements of an evangelical celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Gift and Promise will be of great help for the ongoing ecumenical dialogues and their search for Church unity.''--Douwe Visser, Executive Secretary for Theology, World Communion of Reformed Churches, Hanover, GermanyPeter Schmiechen is President Emeritus and Professor of Theology at Lancaster Seminary.