It is called, “The Lord’s Supper.” Some refer to it as “Eucharist.” Perhaps more people use the term “Communion.” To John Wesley, this sacrament is significant for three reasons:
1. It is a memorial or remembrance.
2. It is a means for God to convey grace.
3. It is a pledge that confirms God’s offer of salvation in Christ.
United Methodists usually celebrate this Sacrament once a month or four times a year. John Wesley would have been mystified by this. After all, he communed on average every four to five days during his adult life and advocated what he called “Constant Communion.” He claimed that the Lord’s Supper was absolutely indispensable in the Christian life.
Though not intended, communion also became an important issue leading to the separation of the Methodists from The Church of England.
Wesley historian Richard Heitzenrater reminds us that a sentiment for separation from the Church of England was rising among the Methodist lay people in 1752. Their identity as a people was becoming clearer with the establishment of “preaching houses” and regular circuits. Furthermore, members of the societies did not like having to go to the Church for communion for several reasons:
1. Some complained the priests were ungodly.
2. Many Methodists were a great distance from the parish church. Some walked 10 miles to be able to take communion.
3. Those who did attend communion at Church were mostly Methodists anyway.
John Wesley had consistently insisted that unordained Methodist preachers should not administer the Sacrament. But privately he was considering the day when he might have to ordain his lay preachers himself. He had concluded that a bishop in the Church of England was different from an elder only in their administrative function. However, for now, he was not ready to take that step.
Even so, separation from the Church of England was on the horizon. The sacrament of communion, usually considered a unifying event in the life of individuals and the church, was central to the movement toward separation from the Church of England.
Craven E. Williams
President
Greensboro College
Greensboro, N.C.
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Dr. Williams Profiled in "In the Spotlight" Magazine
