Advent thought 8: The Perfect Advent Meal

What is the perfect Advent meal?

Advent looks forward to the coming presence of God to his people in the person of the Messiah.

We need a meal that, like Advent, holds togather the two-phase coming-of-God-in-Christ.

How about the Eucharist?

Here is a meal that looks back to the first advent ("in remembrance of me") and also looks forward to the second ("proclaiming his death until he comes"). It is an anticipation of a coming banquet in the kingdom of God when we shall eat with Jesus.

But it is also, by the Spirit's work, a communion with Jesus now. It is a sacrament that mediates the presence of Christ by the Spirit through the material stuff of bread and wine.

And this reminds of that the coming of the Son of Man at the end of the age, whilst future, can be anticipated in our present experiences. We can know something of his presence now. The presence-in-absence of the one who is to come.

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