The Eucharist, The Core and life of Christianity

Who will walk away…? Who will accept without questioning?

 

The mystery of the Eucharist has always been a test of faith and a reflection of the depth of our relationship with and trust in God’s Word, even for those who walked away from Jesus as spoken of in scripture. This is first attested to in the Bible passage of “John CH6: vs51-66”. However, in its very essence, the Eucharist is the lifeblood of Christianity. Without it there is no New Covenant because the New Covenant is sealed in the Body and Blood of Christ. If we claim to be a Christian and believe in Jesus Christ, it can not be conditional or selective based on what we are willing to accept.

Our Lord was and remains well aware of those who would not trust in His word (John CH6; v64). That is not to say we must understand everything, no one can know the mind of God. But we must accept with trust in faith. As Christians we acknowledge God as the Creator of all things from nothing and Jesus Christ as God incarnate or “in the flesh”, made man. If we say we accept this how difficult can it be for God to consecrate or “set apart” the bread and wine as an extension of His very being; to spiritually take up bread as He took up human flesh or to take up wine as He took up blood, the life force of the body. Both bread and wine, as does man, come from the earth as forms of life. In this case by His word it becomes HIS flesh and HIS Blood and sustenance for our soul.

 

Divinity of Jesus

Jesus expressed His Divine authority over all creation. He did so by His word in the raising of the dead and the healing of the sick just as He raised Lazarus from the dead. We as true Christians accept these things in faith. He made the blind see, the lepers clean and the crippled walk by His word and we accept these things in faith. He commanded the demons to enter the swine and destroyed them, tamed storms, winds, rough seas, and made trees flourish or wither and die by His word. We accept these things in faith without question but we can not and will never comprehend them in our human nature. Jesus also expressed His humanity as in the tears of love and sorrow He shed over Lazarus’ death, His sadness of the sins of man, His affection toward children, His anger in the temple, and His frustration with those who slept during His suffrage in the Garden, and His sacrificing Himself for His love of man.

As Christians we are to accept these things in faith and our expression of that faith is in our trust without questioning His word. Yet there remain some who continue to deny Jesus’ proclamation of the Eucharist with no less justification than any other miracle we claim to accept. The faith of the apostles was confirmed in their unquestioning trust and acceptance of His word when Jesus asked them, “Will you also leave me” (John CH6; vs67-69). Again, we are not required to comprehend all matters of faith, only to accept, trusting in the Word of Christ.

 

One Nation Under God?

"One Nation Under God", but are we still?

Our nation is formed upon the principles of God and Christianity and we as a people claim to be predominantly Christian. Our constitution was formed to protect all religions and especially the faith of our people; the Christian faith. If you doubt it look at the murals in the capitol building and see the depictions including the cross of Christ in them. When our constitution is used by the faithless to infringe on our practice of faith, it is due to our silence to that abuse and our separation from God that allows it to be used in such a manner and it is only by our returning to God that will save this country from the eminent collapse we are facing if we remain absent of his word and morality. For those who spoof this and believe God is only loving and does not demand we live a code of charity and love without infringing on the faith and God given rights of others, they will not change or return to Him until they personally suffer the great losses a life without true faith spawns.... or the loss of the greatest country known to the world now weakened and cripple both morally, financially and in exceptionalism as it was born and previously flourished. One day their children will ask their parents, "what happened that we do not have the same freedom and opportunities that you had?" What will we tell them? We wanted free things in stead of freedom and voted for those who would give to us in exchange for the opportunity to prosper to our greatest desires and potentials?

Thanksgiving Proclamation of Abraham Lincoln

The “Separation of Church and State” as it has been manipulated in recent years is deceptive and abused by those intending to replace God’s own moral values as written in the hearts of all mankind with man’s contrived replacement, “political correctness”. Today we see how “political correctness” is nothing more than an avenue used by some to seek their own personal goals as is evident in its conflict and infringement upon the religious rights provided every American citizen under our Constitution specifically intended to preserve our rights to freely express our acknowledgment of God, whether publicly or privately, no less critical to our freedom than our right to free speech.

God’s intrinsic presence in the foundation and success of our country is made profoundly clear throughout history. Our "Declaration of Independance", our "Constitution of the United States", the first Christian Bible deemed officially acceptable by our government to be used in educating our children within our public schools, the Christian murals painted on the inner walls of our capitol building, and numerous publicly proclaimed prayers and proclamations of past presidents and government officials referencing prayer, God or our Creator, and invoking His intervention.

It is that time of year we publicly give thanks as a nation. In doing so let us give honest recognition to God upon whom our nation was founded, succeeded and without whom we can not recover as a nation.

 

Lincoln wrote the following proclamation on October 3, 1863, which was then enacted. The New York Times within two days published a copy of his proclamation. The idea seemed to catch on, and the northern states celebrated Thanksgiving on the date noted in Lincoln's proclamation, the last Thursday in November, which fell on November 26, 1863.

 

The text of Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving proclamation follows:

October 3, 1863

By the President of the United States
A Proclamation

 

The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

 

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and provoke their aggressions, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict; while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

 

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

 

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that, while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation, and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.

 

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United Stated States to be affixed.

 

Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

 

Abraham Lincoln