Ecumenical Relations - Being Transformed (Week of Prayer for Christian Unity)
January 15, 2012 | Anita Retzlaff | 1 Corinthians 15: 51-58

Twenty years ago I was on fire about ecumenism. There were several reasons. I was a beginning student at seminary and it wasn’t a Mennonite seminary. I was studying in a Lutheran institution. Working in this congregation part time I was also being introduced to churches and pastors in this neighbourhood of Nutana Park. It was an exciting thing for me to get to know the priests at St. Philip Neri Roman Catholic Church and St. Timothy’s Anglican and other pastors in the wider community. Many of you might remember Bishop James Mahoney who came to speak here once. He wore his bright red robe, made fun of Vern Ratzlaff’s story with the children and told us that that he had been named after a school on the north side of town. These were times of growth for me and I think for us as a congregation. Some of the stereotypes that we held about other denominations were changing rather quickly. I made friends with people in the churches that belonged to the Nutana Park Ecumenical Committee; United, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Catholic and Anglican. Suddenly it all seemed so easy. Yes of course, we can all be Christians together.

But then came some of the hard questions – and there were and still are, two in particular. What do we do about baptism; there are some rather big differences between infant baptism and adult baptism. And what about communion? How do we reconcile our beliefs about communion with some of our Christian friends who believe in “the real presence” of Christ in the bread and the wine? Aren’t these after all differences that send some people to hell and others to heaven? How can we know the right way?

As I met more people in an ecumenical setting I began to see that these might be the wrong questions. Maybe there isn’t only one right way of expressing our Christian faith? I had great respect for some of these people who over time became friends, authentic human beings and good Christian individuals whose beliefs on several key faith practices were quite different than mine. In years gone by my former colleague and Nutana’s pastor, Vern Ratzlaff, began a tradition of inviting speakers from other denominations to preach here at least once a year. And so we at Nutana Park became friends with Catholics, Presbyterians, United Church people, Anglicans and others. And besides all of this we have fellow members in our congregation who grew up in other denominations, were baptized as infants and we all work and worship together. It became important for me in the midst of all of this to try to figure out how to reconcile and to explain some of our different perspectives on communion and baptism. 

I think the generations who come after me have some insight. Our young people today assume that we are ecumenical; that all denominations have respect for each other and willingly work together in God’s Kingdom. But 20 years ago for me and even today for some of us it isn’t clear exactly how to reconcile the differences in belief that we hold as Christians. Well, in the process of trying to understand how to live with difference I was rescued by a small document. In 1982 the World Council of Churches published a booklet entitled, “Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry” the result of 50 years of study that began in 1927. Think about that. For 50 years in many countries of our world Christians got together to figure out how they could become united as churches: not become the same but be in good relationship with each other, understanding each other without condemnation. That’s a tall order but they did it.

So, as far as baptism is concerned there were three statements that stood out for me. “All baptism is rooted in and declares Christ’s faithfulness.” “At every baptism the whole congregation reaffirms its faith in God.” Third, “both forms of baptism require a similar and responsible attitude towards Christian nurture.” That was good enough for me. That made sense. Let’s find the things that we agree upon and where we do not agree, let’s accept the fact that many things of the faith are imbued with a degree of mystery. 

Baptism is a declaration of Christ’s faithfulness and it is a constant reminder to each of us that our baptism calls us into the task of Christian nurture; for our own and for the world. I believe that we can state with authority that the way in which we choose to baptize in the Mennonite tradition makes good sense and is a faithful response to God’s invitation. Infant baptism is also a legitimate expression and with it comes a slightly different schedule of faith moments. So when I interact with friends at St. Martins United Church I do not have to think that they are somehow doing something wrong. Keith and Michael in their ministry there have been called to baptize and nurture their children in a way that is faithful to the United Church tradition. What do you think Jesus would say about this?

And communion; what about our differing beliefs about the way in which Jesus is present in the meal? Many of us grew up experiencing communion as a twice-yearly and somber event, one that was taken with the utmost of seriousness and respect. That is good. But communion has other dimensions as well. The little ecumenical booklet again describes the Eucharist or communion as: “thanksgiving to [God], [also as a] memorial in Christ, invocation of the Spirit, communion of the faithful and a meal of the Kingdom.” Yes, it is all those things and we at Nutana Park experience these dimensions of communion throughout the church year and depending upon what kind of head space we are in at any given Sunday, we will experience any number of these dimensions at different times. When we have been through a particularly difficult time we might experience a communion service as a memorial that mirrors our losses. If we are particularly joyful and grateful we might experience thanksgiving. Other times we might recognize the value of the persons sitting beside us and the community that is so important in our Christian life. This breadth of the communion experience is a freeing thing not something that should make us feel that we have to find one right way. We have five variations in our bible of the words of institution but beyond that we are not given instructions as to the details. So let’s enjoy the grace of God, exult in our relationships with friends in other faith traditions and trust that Jesus meant for all of us to know him and to partake of his grace. 

And finally to the issue of the real presence of Christ in the bread and the wine I am content to use the documents statements. First, that “the Church confesses Christ’s real, living and active presence,” and we understand that in a variety of ways and on several levels. Second, “The spirit makes the crucified and risen Christ really present to us…” We know and feel the presence of Christ in communion, in worship, as we interact with our ecumenical neighbours, as we work at accepting each other. Because of this, we will all be changed as we await the fulfillment of peace on earth as it is in heaven – this day! AMEN