The realities of this congregation include those discussed in earlier postings in this blog:
- The congregation is diverse, including
- some baptized as adults
- some baptized as infants
- some un-baptized, and yet affiliated with Christian faith
- some un-baptized, who are not Christian
- The congregation includes individuals who parallel the first century, and New Testament, notion of "God-fearers" and the WNMC category of "adherents"
- Diverse religious sensibilities within the congregation are an acknowledged reality, including the inclinations canvassed earlier
- Desire for Divine Blessings and Deliverance
- Pursuing paths of Righteousness
- Seeking Communion with Divinity (mysticism)
- Affirming the Divine Covenant of Community
The congregation of 2063 A.D. claims continuity with both Mennonite tradition and Christianity by pointing to its practices of communion, baptism and foot-washing. A full elaboration may require a future update to this post, but a summary as delivered by power point during the session is as follows.
COMMUNION IN 2063 A.D.
In 2063, the rite or sacrament of communion is considered to be an evangelical act or invitation to all humanity. The congregation accentuates the many occasions in which Jesus invited all and sundry to participate in meals of celebration. The miracle that marked the beginning of his ministry was the transformation of water into wine at a feast; he was known to eat with sinners and outcasts; his parables often recounted feasts and celebrations open to all comers. In addition, the event of the last supper and reference to the body and blood of Christ given to those who participate prefigured Jesus death and resurrection as a gift to all humanity - a gift and invitation to be proclaimed as gospel to all creation in obedience to the Great Commission. The last supper was part of the Jewish Passover and preceded the formation of the Christian Church as recounted in the Book of Acts. The congregation of 2063 A.D. relies on this and Jesus' scriptural command to "do this in remembrance of me", as the basis for its sole requirement for participation on communion. It is an "open communion" in that the only qualification for participation is that the individual does so "in remembrance" of Jesus Christ. This means it is acceptable for youth and adherents and even those who would not otherwise identify themselves as Christian to take part. This is because the offering of the blood and body of Christ is a divine offering to all who are willing to accept the invitation. This open approach is occasionally justified by the observation that even Judas was permitted to participate in the Last Supper.
BAPTISM IN 2063 A.D.
The practice and appearance of baptism would appear familiar to time-travellers from WNMC, but these visitors may notice some difference in the surrounding narrative. The historic Anabaptist reliance on Jesus' assertion with respect to children that the Kingdom of God "belongs to such as these" is the starting point for a preference to baptize adults. The rationale is not that the decision to accept baptism requires some level of maturity, and therefore baptism is for adults, but that all are born into the Kingdom of God, as children, and that at some point in the journey of faith an adult will realize a need or calling to return to that Kingdom by submission to baptism. It is here that the Anabaptist notion of gelassenheit, or yieldedness to the work of God's spirit, plays an important role, and the act of water baptism is seen as a sign of baptism of the spirit poured out by God on the yielding soul. A trend towards baptism by immersion in this congregation is perhaps related to this understanding of baptism as the spiritual and mystical work of God on the human subject. One implication is that the fact that some individuals in the congregation were baptized as infants is not seen as problematic, given that the true baptism of the spirit takes place in God's own time (before or after water baptism). Similarly, and with some parallels to the practice of delayed baptism in the early church, there is less concern that active participants in the congregation may defer water baptism indefinitely, whatever their reason may be.
One result of the 2063 A.D. narrative surrounding baptism, is that while water baptism remains linked to participation in congregational life, it is no longer the sole or necessary marker of that participation (i.e. in the sense of membership), especially as it is more closely tied to conceptions of the mystical, ecumenical and universal unity of the church, as opposed to congregational polity.
FOOT-WASHING IN 2063 A.D.
At present day WNMC, as in many modern Mennonite congregations, foot-washing is a ceremony that is rapidly becoming a practice of the past. In 2063 A.D., it has gained new vigour as a marker of congregational fellowship. Although water baptism is no longer linked as tightly to the notion of congregational membership, these Mennonites in 2063 continue to express much of their faith within the framework of congregational relationships. A welcoming of individuals into the community remains a celebrated annual event in the congregation. Jesus' example and command to his disciples in the Gospel of John to wash each others feet as he washed theirs, is identified as the obvious and pre-eminent New Testament sacrament of congregational membership. At the annual event, those transferring from other Christian congregations or joining the congregation or on the basis of new or renewed faith, are welcomed by having their feet washed by a representative of the congregation, as a pledge of the congregation's commitment to care for them. The service continues with mutual foot-washing among the balance of the members who are present in time honoured Mennonite tradition . Participation in this service specifically does not require that the participant be baptized, as the nature of the fellowship being recognized is honoured wherever and whenever it is practiced in the journey of faith. However, it is expected that those who join the congregation through the ceremony of foot-washing would also be those who have accepted the invitation of communion in remembrance of Jesus Christ.
CONCLUDING QUESTIONS
- Do the rites of communion, baptism and foot-washing as practiced in 2063 A.D. address the issues of congregational diversity and diverse religious sensibilities identified in earlier posts as relevant to WNMC, and to modern North American Mennonites generally?
- Are the 2063 A.D. practices faithful to Anabaptist understandings Christian faith? If not, do they fall outside of faithful Christian practice?
- What other variations of Christian practice in 2063 A.D. should be considered?
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