Who should commune?

[doulos_tou_kuriou]

To throw in my whole two pennies for whatever they are worth now...
Paul warns agaisnt those who eat of the body of Christ in an "unworthy manner" is guilty of sinning and whoever eats and drinks without "recognizing" the body and blood eats to his/her own damnation.
-The context is rather about Paul scolding the Corinthians for excluding people, that is, taking communion before some people arrives, the real sin he is charging them with is one of not letting people eat/drink, rather than allowing the wrong people to (although one could argue that as well with his prohibition in regards to eating with the sinning brother in chapter 5).
-Another thing to note is that Lutherans believe that no matter what you are eating and drinking Christ's body and blood, believer or not, it is there, this is distinctly different from some whom we are in communion with like the reformed communities who believe only believers partake in communion by the Spirit taking them into a "sweet communion in heaven". The issue in Lutheranism is never did someone eat and drink the body and blood, but what is the efficacy. If you eat and drink to your own damnation, I do not take this to believe that God has revoked a believer's forgiveness because they did not recognize it to be the body and blood truly present, after all nothing seperates us from the love of God. But rather it would seem this is a way in which Paul is making clear that you do not receive the merits of communion ex opere operato.
-The catechism states that he who believes in the words "given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins" is truly ready to come to communion. Notice here how the emphasis is not on the mode/means of presence but on the grace of the sacrament. And it rests truly on trust in God's action in the sacrament. It mirrors quite frankly the Lutheran ideal of faith. A trust grounded in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and all the grace God bestows on his account through faith. What this means, is the issue of who comes to the sacrament works round about to whoever has faith. And we should also note that faith from the Lutheran view is more bent on trust than on intellect. This means that we cannot assume it be complete knowledge of the sacrament to make one worthy of partaking.
-It is also of note that when we admit or deny someone from the table, we are making at least an outward assumption about his/her faith. Now we can go on about how we do not know each others' faiths for sure, which is why Paul puts the ultimate responsibility on the person coming to communion.
-As to the point of not recognizing the body and blood of Christ, the context of the issue makes the point clear, it is not an intellectual understanding of means of presence, otherwise we might all be screwed, who here afterall is bold enough to say they fully understand the means in which Christ is present in our sacrament. While Luther was confident in the presence and its relation to the Word, even he did not assume he could grasp the mystery we partake in. Therefore, let us not think that the perfect understanding of presence or a "close to perfect" is required for one to be worthy, but rather the context of the letter makes it clear that this means recognizing it is not simply bread and wine at a meal that we eat and drink of freely. The context demands that Paul wants to make it clear that the sacrament is a Holy thing and not an ordinary meal, therefore we are not the hosts and do not decide who eats and who drinks. Paul tells them that they should eat before coming and not use the sacrament as a means of filling their tummies.
-In short (which might have been the only thing you wanted from me, apologies) it seems that the words of Paul reflect maintaining the holiness of the sacrament, as a sacrament for all believers, and highlighting the emphasis of faith within it.
I'm all talked out, and you are probably all read out a while ago. But that's my two pennies. Save up!
Peace be with you.

 

[D.W.Washburn]

To throw in my whole two pennies for whatever they are worth now...

Sometimes a mere two cents can be of inestimable value (Mark 12:41 ff).

This is an excellent statement of the ELCA position and as good a defense as I've seen of Open Communion against those who would bar fellow-believers from the Lord's Table.