Who is Worthy?

“Men often take their imagination for their heart, and often believe they are
converted as soon as they start thinking of being converted.”

– Peter Kreeft, Christianity for Modern Pagans

+++

Who is worthy to receive Holy Communion?

A while back I thought I knew a man who was. He was just plain good. Holy even. Before he died he was humble, gentle, and had the deepest faith of anyone I had ever met. People, including me, came from all over to drink from him the deep, deep love of God. Newt Hayes died of ALS, but up until the end he spoke kindly and deeply about our union with God in Christ.

But if anyone waits until they are righteous enough to receive the grace God offers in the Lord’s Super, he will be waiting until Democrats and Republicans speak to each other with respect and decency. No one will ever receive! St. Paul declares this: None is righteous, not even one, and, all have sinned and fall short. In our Anglican liturgy we declare the same thing every Sunday, “We do not presume to come to this thy table trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies.” Paul, in his epistle to the Philippians says that, according to the law, he was absolutely and utterly perfect, but then he went on to say that all of that is crap (his word!) compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ.

Please be clear, righteousness is required for anyone to receive the Body and Blood of our Lord and his transforming grace. A perfectly holy God would have nothing less; he can’t be united with anything or anyone who is unholy. But I just said that our righteousness is like filthy rags. So where’s the hope? In a righteousness beyond self-righteousness. In an “alien” righteousness, as Martin Luther put it, based on God’s righteousness credited to our account – because he loves us.

St. Paul again says this clearly: “Not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:9).

So, who is worthy? No one! Except that Jesus stepped in between us and God to satisfy the requirements of the law and holiness, to put in the accounting books under our name his holiness. He fulfilled the law as our substitute and he took the punishment of the cross for the punishment we deserve for our sins.

The 16th century Reformers had a saying, simul justus et peccator – at the same time justified and sinner. None are righteous and all are sinners. But, in Christ, we are declared righteous by God’s righteousness, although we continue to wrestle with sin, as we will the rest of our lives. It’s in the sacrament that we receive strength and grace to win daily and weekly battles over our sinful leanings. In the sacrament we reestablish communion (that is, union) with the One who is stronger than our default self-righteous tendencies. Come this Sunday with the expectation that you will meet Jesus in the bread and wine, be restored in your relationship with him, and be strengthened by his love.

“Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”

In Christ,

Chuck

Artwork: “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1495-1498, tempera on gesso, pitch, and mastic, Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan