John 6 the Bread of heaven
John 15 the true vine
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Paul experiences the living Jesus in Acts 9
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Paul calls Jesus the ‘image of the invisible God’ and ‘first born of creation’ in Colossians 1,15; Paul also reflects on Jesus’ servanthood in Philippians 2
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Hebrews – the pioneer and perfector of our faith – Hebrews 12, 2
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The early followers of the way experience the risen Christ – Luke 24, 13-35
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He is also the head of the church (Colossians 1, 18)– so the church is the Body of Christ (see Ephesians 4)
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Body of Christ is one of the ‘metaphors’ for the church
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So also is the ‘bride of Christ’ – Jesus uses for many of his ‘advent’ type parables the image of marriage, so the church is waiting for her bridegroom to come
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Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again
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‘Church’ not used much in gospels – nearest is ekklesia in Matthew 16, 13 following and in Matthew 18, 21
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As we know from Session 4 the church spreads quickly – it is a community of faith in Jesus; the Way; and meets in houses (oikia) and has a common life (koinonia)
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They gather to pray, to read scriptures, to break bread – in these way (along with the fellowship experience) they know Jesus personally. He is no longer with them physically – but there is a physicality about how Jesus is known in their midst
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The Eucharist is taking place in some primitive format – Jesus is being made real in their midst through ‘remembrance’ – ‘do this in remembrance of me’ (anamnesis)
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Jesus thus becomes known as a companion (com-panis, one who breaks bread with you) and accompanies us on our journey
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The prayer of the church brings Jesus close to us as well eg the Jesus Prayer; ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner’.
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The church is a pattern of the church in heaven which is perfection. We read in Isaiah 6 of the great vision of what the worship of God is like; and we say in our Eucharist every time we celebrate it ‘therefore with angels and archangels and with all the heavenly host we worship you Father almighty in songs of everlasting praise…’
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The whole of creation proclaims the glory of God as well. We sing many hymns of praise to God in his creation
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So prayer, worship, breaking bread, fellowship, reading scripture all create a living relationship with Jesus as our Lord (See the Supper at Emmaus in Luke 24)
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Because of the Incarnation – Word made flesh (John 1) we have a physical expression of the life of Jesus through his church
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Sacraments – outward visible sign of inward invisible (hidden) grace
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2 are biblical – baptism and eucharist. We call these ‘divinely instituted’
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5 more as the church developed: confirmation, ordination, marriage, reconciliation (formerly called Confession) and Ministry to the dying (formerly called Extreme Unction). Each has an outward sign of the deep movement of Christ in his Church
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Both Baptism and Eucharist will be developed in later sessions as the two main sacraments
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So the Church is the Body of Christ, and within the mystery of her life (as the ‘bride of Christ’) are the administrations of the sacraments
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The church however is not permanent – it is necessary only until ‘the bridegroom consummates’ as it were, and the reign of Christ is complete.
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As one hymn puts it: So, Lord , at length when sacraments shall cease
