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go here to buy my stock photography Alan Creech
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The whole idea of union with Christ is, for me, the center of Christianity. I think the concept is often talked about too simplistically. Some Christians don't talk about it at all. Their notion of what a Christian is has more to do with an external statement of faith or merely an assent to a catalog of beliefs. They have no theology of union, of a mingling of Life and life. This is unfortunate. I certainly wouldn't say this makes them not genuinely Christian. It may, though, hinder their ability to tap into certain aspects of our union with God in Christ. Another thing that might make this discussion a little more difficult between those of different traditions is this: thinking of union as either an either-or situation or one in which a person is initially connected and then grows, progressively, in a deeper and deeper union with God in and through Christ and the action of His Holy Spirit. If one's view tends toward the either-or - either you're in union or not, I can understand having philosophical difficulty if we start talking about how, for instance, Sacraments such as the Eucharist are said to help bring us into a greater union with God in Christ. If, on the other hand, you think more in my neighborhood - that there is, yes, an initial connection (justification, union) but there is then a growing union with God, a progressive union. In this view, we may well be connected to God but our union with Him is not yet complete. A lot of things can and do contribute to this growing union. Sacraments are some of the chief ways we can tap into the fullness of God's Life (God's Grace - the actual "stuff" of Grace). And the Eucharist is the prima Sacrament I suppose, in which we are given an opportunity to tap into (I like to say it like that) the ever-flowing river of His sacrificial Grace in the heavenly dimension. Can one be in union with Christ, be a Christian, be born from above, belong to God, be "in Christ" without ever receiving the Eucharist as Sacrament? Yes. Are there many ways (in my view of progressive union) that Christians can deepen or increase their union with God in Christ? Again, yes and this gets to this business about having "more of Christ." It's not really about someone saying, "nya nya, we've got more Christ than yoooouu dooo" - I hope it's not. It's about a certain view of a growing union with Him that produces real transformation of our being. And it's not just mechanical; i.e., you go up and receive Communion and boom, you're more unified. The proverbial Sacramental "wormhole" may have been opened up but your inward, participatory faith is a key element in how efficacious this Sacrament is for you. It's much like "mixing faith" with the hearing of or reading of the Scriptures - faith mixed and change happens - faith not mixed and you have heard words but they don't do much. There is a definite cooperation element which is key in this life of progressive union with God. Some of the old mystics and monks used to (still do I guess) talk about what they called the unitive way - the way in which we walk in order to participate in a furthering of our union with God. And I'm not talking about us doing some kind of "works" and God rewarding us with more union. I'm talking about tapping into the Way, which as we are concerned does involve practices, things we do in order to put ourselves under the proverbial water fall of His Grace. So, if you have an understanding of our union with God as growing and progressive then there's really no disconnect with the idea that a Sacrament like the Eucharist or the Lord's Supper could be a conduit for increasing or deepening that union. And I'm not saying that this union is only to be had through the Sacraments, and not only to be facilitated by them. They are conduits given by God for a broken humanity. One day the Church (in any expression) won’t be necessary. One day Sacraments will fade away in the blinding light of our complete and unbroken union with God through and in Christ by the Holy Spirit. Right now we’re talking about a God who works through His People, through the Body of His Son both in and, in a way, through the context He has created us to live, the world. But, of course, the more technically we try to nail these things down and define them, the more trouble we get in, for God won’t hold a nail. Well, He did once for a little bit, but you know what I mean. His mystical Reality is not bound by our understanding of the Sacraments or even how He might have intended them to work for us in our present state of existence. Here are some links to a few older posts I've done concerning the subject of union with God. This list is probably not complete. I did some looking around today and these are what I found. I'll start the list with probably one of the most comprehensive and pointed posts on the subject. I read it again this morning and it really does get to the heart of the matter for me. The rest will be in chronological order...
technorati tags > union with god, christian mysticism, soteriology Labels: sacraments, spiritual formation, theology :::
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three quotes |:: "Then, if we cannot as yet think alike in all things, at least we may love alike. Herein we cannot possibly do amiss." "Keep your eyes on the crucifix, for Jesus without the cross
is a man without a mission, and the cross without Jesus
is a burden without a reliever." "...I am deeply convinced that the Christian leader of the future is called to be
completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self."
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