http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/370951855

Bridging the gap : Deepening worshippers' understanding of the Lord's Supper through doctrinal preaching

The congregation I serve is part of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and is a midsized church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Worshippers come to John Knox Presbyterian Church from various denominations. Our congregation's understanding of the Lord's Supper, however, is largely informed by the theological views of Huldrych Zwingli. Research indicates that a large number of Presbyterian congregations embrace that view. Prior to this project, our celebration of the Lord's Supper often looked like a flourish that failed to connect scriptures, the sermon, and the sacrament. This result grew out of a failure to articulate clearly how Christ was present in the Lord's Supper or how the sacrament equipped worshippers to function as the body of Christ at work in the world. As a result, our various ministries appeared at times to be "good people doing good things for other people" as opposed to worshippers who were equipped in worship to be the embodiment of Christ that continued the Lord's earthly ministry. Finally, we had neither a plan for articulating the doctrine of the Lord's Supper nor a way of celebrating the sacrament that recognized the theological diversity within our sanctuary during worship. This project demonstrates that it is possible to preach doctrinal sermons that articulate a variety of theological positions that reflect the diversity of our congregation and equip worshippers to claim their identity as the body of Christ when they engage in our congregational ministries of compassion. This project rests primarily on the theological convictions of John Calvin, Martin Luther, and Huldrych Zwingli. In addition, this project reflects the influence of Gordon Lathrop and his conviction that worship depends on sermons that interpret scripture and connect God's scriptural promises through frequent and ecumenical celebration ofthe Lord's Supper. This project addresses the following question: How effectively can preaching a series of doctrinal sermons on select meanings of the Lord's Supper deepen worshippers' understanding of that sacrament? This question reflects the importance of Howard Hageman's observation that "a church that loses the Word must finally lose the sacrament" (115). The project centered on a series of six sermons spread throughout the yearlong project. The project depended on a doctoral project committee of laypersons who evaluated the effectiveness of the sermon series. This project demonstrates that worshippers at John Knox Presbyterian Church increased their understanding of the doctrine of the Lord's Supper through a series of six doctrinal sermons. I wanted to learn if worshippers at John Knox Presbyterian Church who participate in this project could effectively increase their doctrinal understanding of the Lord's Supper through this project's method. I wanted to learn if worshippers at John Knox Presbyterian Church who participate in this project could effectively increase their doctrinal understanding of the Lord's Supper in children's sermons through this project's method. Finally, I wanted to learn if worshippers at John Knox Presbyterian Church who participate in this project would report that they experienced sacred moments through this project's method. These sacred moments might include worshippers feeling close to God, experiencing the movement ofthe Holy Spirit, connecting a sermon and the Lord's Supper with one's personal experience, or having one's consciousness raised by the sermon and the celebration of the Lord's Supper. The project was successful. The results of this project continue to shape the theology, worship practices, and ministries of compassion of John Knox Presbyterian Church.

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