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Pneuma 35 (2013) 180-198
Pentecostal Epiclesis: A Model for Teaching and Learning
Johnathan E. Alvarado* Beulah Heights University, Atlanta [email protected]
Abstract
The eucharistic practices of many mainline and historic Christian traditions have been co-opted into Pentecostalism’s theology and praxis. While this has been functional for the first one hundred years of Pentecostalism, a decidedly Pentecostal expression of epiclesis is still being developed and existing modes of eucharistic prayer are being understood. In this essay I examine epiclesis and note its natural intersection with Pentecostal theology as the inroad to an expanded theological dialogue. I define epiclesis historically and within a contemporary Pentecostal context. Finally, I argue that the mainline and historic churches could teach and learn from a cross-pollination of ideas with Pentecostal churches.
Keywords
epiclesis, Spirit-filled, Pentecostal, liturgy, worship, communion, spirituality, orthodoxy, spirituality, Eucharist, spiritual formation, theology
Introduction
The movement of the Holy Spirit is varied and prominently featured in many Pentecostal churches. Because of the nature of Pentecostal worship, the Holy Spirit is often times expected to move spontaneously, without orchestration, and without a printed liturgy.1 As more Pentecostals engage in “whole church”
* I would like to thank the reviewers of this article for their thoughtful and insightful feedback during the review process. Their comments confirmed much of what I was trying to articulate and also stretched me to envision new scholarly possibilities. For this I am grateful.
1 Walter J. Hollenweger, Pentecostalism: Origins and Developments Worldwide (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1997), 269-271.
© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2013
DOI: 10.1163/15700747-12341313
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worship,2 the idea of planning, prepared liturgy, and liturgical theology is becoming more widely accepted, understood, and practiced.
The liturgy surrounding the Eucharist is considered by many to be the pin- nacle of all worship celebrations.3 I agree with this idea, even though many contemporary, Pentecostal traditions do not elevate the liturgy of the Eucha- rist to a place of prominence within the worship service. Although the Pente- costal tradition does not possess a clearly articulated eucharistic theology, what is clear and consistent is “a pattern of Eucharistic devotion and practice.”4
I contend that the greatest opportunity for dialogue between Pentecostals and liturgical theologians of other traditions exists within the context of the Eucharist. In this essay I begin that conversation about Pentecostal epiclesis in order to highlight the commonalities and the differences that exist among var- ious Christian communities and traditions. I do this so that the readers will understand the connectedness between the various traditions. Also, my hope is that mainline and historic churches will benefit from the embodied practice of Pentecostal epiclesis while Pentecostal churches benefit from the structure of historic epicletic practice.
Although epiclesis is not the whole of eucharistic practice, it is an important aspect of Pentecostal Eucharist. Though the term is not common or germane to the nomenclature of Pentecostal traditions, the practice has been anony- mously inculcated into the celebratory life of the Pentecostal church and remains a central Pentecostal practice. Epiclesis for Pentecostals is an aspect of worship that both defines us and theologically shapes us. This is why I contend that epiclesis is the nexus of pneumatological convergence between Pentecos- tal and eucharistic theology. I further contend that this is the specific point at which Pentecostals and other traditions can be particularly and mutually ben- eficial to one another.
Therefore, for the purposes of this essay, I describe Pentecostals as an epi- cletic people. I also tend to see Pentecostals as sacramental Christians in gen- eral and in their eucharistic practice specifically. Since the trajectory of this essay is inclined toward epiclesis, the larger theological concept of sacramen- talism will become clearer as I explore these terms later in the essay. I am writ- ing about Pentecostal epiclesis because I am endeavoring to show how the
2 Marva Dawn, How Shall We Worship? Biblical Guidelines for the Worship Wars (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2003), 13-17.
3 Keith Drury, The Wonder of Worship: Why We Worship the Way We Do (Indianapolis, IN: Wes – leyan Publishing House, 2005), 61.
4 Walter J. Hollenweger, The Pentecostals (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1972), 385.
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Pentecostal church can both learn from and instruct other Christian traditions in their practice of epiclesis. My purpose is to offer nuanced insights of the nature of epiclesis to the Pentecostal church and to describe Pentecostal epicletic practices to other traditions that would enhance and vivify their eucharistic celebration.
Epiclesis Defined
There are several widely accepted definitions of epiclesis. As a Wesleyan Pen- tecostal, I am particularly interested in framing this discussion in the light of a Wesleyan understanding of the great prayer. I contend that John Wesley’s place in history as the intellectual and spiritual father of the Holiness Pentecostal movement has influenced Pentecostalism’s understanding of the Eucharist in general and prayers of epiclesis specifically. Because of the predominant engage- ment among Pentecostal theologians with the Wesleyan traditions, I believe that arguing from a decidedly Wesleyan theological perspective is appropriate and warranted.
The definitions of epiclesis are, for the most part, similar and have only degrees of variation. For example, Methodist scholar Justo Gonzalez asserts that epiclesis is “Eucharistic prayer, in which the presence of the Holy Spirit is invoked, usually to consecrate the bread and the wine, and sometimes also over the people, that they may receive the Spirit jointly with the consecrated elements.”5 Notice that his definition encompasses consecration of the ele – ments as well as consecration of the people. Although his emphasis is seem- ingly upon the consecration of the elements more than upon the people, his definition allows for the people to receive the Spirit jointly with the conse- crated elements.
Pentecostal scholar Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen defines epiclesis this way: “epi- clesis is prayer for the descent of the Spirit — not so much upon the elements of the Supper (although this view is often reflected both in theology and espe- cially in prayers of epiclesis) as upon the people of God gathered around the Table.”6 His definition reflects more of an Eastern orientation to epiclesis. I appreciate his emphasis upon the Spirit’s coming upon the people. It provides
5 Justo Gonzalez, Essential Theological Terms (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005), 53.
6 Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Toward a Pneumatological Theology: Pentecostal and Ecumenical Per- spectives on Ecclesiology, Soteriology, and Theology of Mission (New York: University Press of America, 2002), 139.
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a balance to Gonzalez’s perspective and offers a theological alternative from a decidedly Pentecostal perspective.
John Zizioulas, an Orthodox bishop, asserts that epiclesis is the transforma- tive agent of history. He posits that epiclesis translates history into a Pentecost event that “transfigures time into communion and life.”7 This means that his- torical events and the consequence of those events are translated into the pres- ent through a Spirit-empowered epiclesis, vivifying the present and sanctifying the community. Prayers of epiclesis invite the Holy Spirit to reconstitute the present and animate the future with transforming power. Though prayed in the here and now, epicletic prayer reaches into the past, transforms the pres- ent, and catalyzes the future by the power of the Spirit. This insight is impor- tant in light of the connections that exist between Orthodox and Wesleyan eucharistic theology and their common understanding of epiclesis.
Orthodox theologian Alexander Schmemann articulates a similar notion concerning the Eucharist in general. Speaking with historic reference to monas- tic traditions, he contends that celebration of the Eucharist transforms nonli- turgical days into liturgical days.8 His thesis is that the performance of the eucharistic liturgy sanctifies the day on which it is being celebrated. Schme- mann’s interest is couched in the Spirit’s activity sanctifying time. It is interest- ing to see how Zizioulas and Schmemann agree that the Spirit is at work through the Eucharist generally and through epiclesis particularly affecting time. I assert that the Spirit’s work through epiclesis impacts the community by redeeming its past, sustaining its present, and directing its future.
Grant Sperry White, the principal of the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, affirms that the great prayer of thanksgiving in the Eucharist (epicle- sis) is the prayer “in which over bread and wine the Christian assembly thanks God for creation and redemption, makes memorial of the saving work of God in Christ, and asks God to fulfill God’s purposes for the cosmos through the action of the Holy Spirit.”9 He posits that epiclesis within the Wesleyan tradi – tion is an invocation of the Spirit into the heart of the community for sanctifi- cation and re-creation of the image and likeness of God.
7 John D. Zizioulas, Being as Communion (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2000), 115-16.
8 Alexander Schmemann, Introduction to Liturgical Theology (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2003), 198-200.
9 Grant Sperry White, “The Recovery of the Great Eucharistic Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradi- tion,” in S. T. Kimbrough, Jr., Orthodox and Wesleyan Scriptural Understanding and Practice (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2005), 277.
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White connects Wesleyan eucharistic hymnody with the great prayer pri- marily because John Wesley’s eucharistic liturgy did not have an explicit epi- clesis. Rather, epiclesis was prayed as the people sang, from week to week, through the eucharistic hymns that John and Charles Wesley penned for the celebration at the table (Hymns on the Lord’s Supper, 1745).10 Many of those hymns contained a prayer for the Spirit to come, sanctify, and transform. Finally, White agrees with other theologians that Orthodox Christianity is more closely aligned with Wesleyan Christianity and its emphasis upon sanctification than with other Protestant communions.11 Thus Wesleyan eucharistic celebration, to include the Great Thanksgiving, is reminiscent of the Orthodox Church in theology and practice.
Even John Calvin affirms the necessity of the Spirit in the sacraments.12 Although his reformed theology carries significant differences as compared to the Free Church theological framework of most Pentecostals, his emphasis upon the work of the Spirit through prayers of epiclesis is beneficial for this essay. Without the Spirit, all efforts toward a meaningful Eucharist are simply perfunctory gestures, empty symbols, inanimate objects, and hollow people. His insights are similar to, although not synonymous with, a Wesleyan approach to Eucharist.13 He can, however, be instructive for framing and articulating a Pentecostal theology of eucharistic prayer.
I agree with Calvin’s assessment of the necessity for the Spirit’s presence and influence in and upon the entire eucharistic celebration. In this specific tenet, I find his posture to be agreeable with a Wesleyan theological position. The people, the place, and the elements all need to be filled with the Spirit. This, I contend, is the goal of Pentecostal worship around the table of the Lord that can be fulfilled through intentional, thoughtful prayers of epiclesis. In summary, epiclesis is prayer that is prayed over the table of the Lord and the gathered community. Its purpose is to invoke the Spirit of God and create space such that the elements and the people encounter the Divine. The Pente- costal community believes that in so doing, the Spirit will consecrate them and sanctify them both (the people and the elements) unto the Lord. It is a prayer for re-creation into the image of God and a reorientation into the purposes of God. It is a prayer of thanksgiving and memorial for the salvific work of Christ.
10 Ibid., 281.
11 Ibid., 283.
12 John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles, Library of Christian Classics 20-21 (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1960), 1284.
13 Kenneth J. Collins, The Theology of John Wesley, Holy Love and the Shape of Grace (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2007), 262.
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And finally, it is the transformative agent of history, redeeming the past, reor- dering the present, and recasting the future.
A Brief History of Epiclesis
Epiclesis has historically been a part of the eucharistic conversation from the third century through the early twentieth century.14 The early church tradition included the epiclesis as a part of the eucharistic prayers, though not consis- tently. There was a continued emphasis on the Holy Spirit in the Eastern Church tradition, while concurrently there was a diminution of the emphasis on the Spirit in the Western Church tradition.15 The Christian West employed different eucharistic liturgies for at least two specific occasions for which there is record. This is not to say that these were the only two occasions on which the Eucharist was celebrated, but rather these are the two occasions described in Justin’s Apology. Those two occasions were after the consecration of a bishop and after the baptism of converts. This is evidenced in the Eucharist of Justin Martyr (ca. 150) and the eucharistic prayer of the Apostolic Tradition (ca. 215).16 The Christian East fully engaged the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in its eucharistic practice. Eastern Christians stressed an encounter with the presence of Christ more than the conversion of the eucharistic elements into flesh and blood.17 This is the main connectional point between Wesleyan and Orthodox eucharistic theology. Though not as pronounced in the West, it never completely left their eucharistic traditions. Epiclesis was not as prominently featured in the Western tradition, but it was never altogether lost.
By the twentieth century the Roman Canon was being reviewed and revised under Pius X. A definitive statement on epiclesis was being crafted and the practice itself was being retrieved.18 That statement for the Roman Canon included two “types” of epiclesis: communion epiclesis and consecration epi- clesis, respectively. The former describes the Spirit’s transformational power
14 Paul Bradshaw, “The Rediscovery of the Holy Spirit in Modern Eucharistic Theology and Practice,” in Teresa Berger and Bryan D. Spinks, The Spirit in Worship — Worship in the Spirit (Col – legeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2009), 80-84.
15 Kärkkäinen, Toward a Pneumatological Theology, 139.
16 Geoffrey J. Cumming and Ronald C.D. Jasper, Prayers of the Eucharist: Early and Reformed (Collegeville, MN: Pueblo Publishing Company, 1990), 25-29, 35.
17 Clark H. Pinnock, Flame of Love: A Theology of the Holy Spirit (Downers Grove, IL: InterVar – sity Press, 1996), 128.
18 Don E. Saliers, Worship as Theology: Foretaste of Glory Divine (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1994), 114-16.
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upon the people while the latter describes the Spirit’s transformation of the elements. This pattern was seen in some ancient eucharistic prayers as well, including the one attributed to Hippolytus. This is sometimes called “split epiclesis.”
In considering Pentecostal eucharistic theology, the concept of split epicle- sis is a useful idea. Pentecostals understand the enigmatic work of the Spirit to be the primary modus operandi for accomplishing God’s good pleasure and will. People of the Spirit tend to see the operations of the Spirit as a sovereign act of the will of God. Because of this worldview, Pentecostals also tend to accept, without interrogation or suspicion, the Spirit’s work in their lives, in the world, and in their worship. There is a tacit acceptance of the purposes of God in salvation, sanctification, healing, and deliverance that is many times rele- gated to the realm of “the wind bloweth where it listeth . . .” (John 3:8).19 In other words, Pentecostals are open to and even expect surprises by God. The Spirit’s operation in the Eucharist through prayers of epiclesis, whether in the elements or on the people, is the primary concern of this essay.
As a Spirit people, Pentecostals have understood and routinely experience the presence of the Spirit in many aspects of their worship. As an epicletic peo- ple, Pentecostals have made calling upon the sanctifying presence and power of the Spirit a large part of their worship ritual and practice. Thus, invocation of the Spirit is not foreign or unnatural to them.20 This is why I contend that for – mal prayers of the epiclesis of other traditions can model for Pentecostals epi- cletic alternatives as they consider deepening their eucharistic theology and practice. Also, other traditions can learn from the spiritually open eucharistic prayers of the Pentecostal tradition. Furthermore, this is why I assert that there is a natural intersection between Pentecostal epiclesis and the eucharistic the- ology of many Christian traditions.
Prayers of Epiclesis
The main purpose of this essay is to provide a paradigm for the Pentecostal church (which needs to understand more fully and pray more intentionally prayers of epiclesis). For other Christian traditions, too, that could benefit from
19 Unless otherwise noted, all scriptural references are from the New Revised Standard Ver- sion of the Bible, Old Testament Section, copyright 1952; New Testament Section, second edition, copyright, 1971.
20 James White, The Sacraments in Protestant Practice and Faith (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1999) 115.
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more openness to the Spirit, a variety of epicletic options exist. One of the ear- liest models of a eucharistic prayer comes from the apostolic tradition and is generally referred to as the “Prayer of Hippolytus.”21 Churches involved in the liturgical renewal movement of the late twentieth century often hearken back to this prayer. In that prayer, the Spirit is asked to come upon the elements. More recent examples of eucharistic prayers can be informative and benefi- cial for the Pentecostal church. The following prayers have been included in this section for the Pentecostal community to consider. They represent various traditions and exemplify ways of praying prayers of epiclesis. The first is an epicletic prayer from The Book of Common Prayer:
We offer to you these gifts. Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your son, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in him. Sanctify us also that we may faithfully receive this holy Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, into the joy of your eternal kingdom.22
Contained in these words is a petition for the Holy Spirit to sanctify the ele- ments and the people. This is an example of a “split epiclesis.” Both cleansing and transformation (sanctification) are implicit in the communion epiclesis over the people. For Pentecostals, this is the most important aspect of the Spir- it’s coming. The result of the Holy Spirit coming upon the worshipers is such that they will serve the Lord.
Consider, too, the following example from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship:
Gracious God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these your gifts of bread and wine, that the bread we break and the cup we bless may be the communion of the body and blood of Christ. By your Spirit unite us with the living Christ and with all who are baptized in his name, that we may be one in ministry in every place.23
Pentecostals will have a greater appreciation for this prayer as an example of what type of prayers could be crafted and prayed over the elements and, to some degree, over the people. My only critique of this prayer is that it does not directly ask for a transformation of the people as the Spirit comes upon them.
21 The recent study by Paul Bradshaw et al., The Apostolic Tradition: A Commentary (Augsburg Fortress, 2002), argues that Hippolytus, bishop of Rome, was probably not the author of this prayer. 22 Charles Mortimer Guilbert, The Book of Common Prayer (New York: Oxford University Press, 1990), 363.
23 The Theology and Worship Ministry Unit for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), The Book of Common Worship (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993), 129.
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It does ask for unity and oneness, which is important to Pentecostals, but not the type of sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit that Pentecostals hold so dear. In like manner, this final example from The Worship Sourcebook does a good job of crafting a prayer of epiclesis. It holds to the tenet of the Spirit coming upon the elements such that they may be for the church the necessary food. It also petitions God for the uniting work of the Spirit to gather the church together as one.
Lord, our God, send your Holy Spirit so that this bread and cup may be for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we and all your saints be united with Christ and remain faithful in hope and love.
Gather your whole church, O Lord, into the glory of your kingdom.24
What the prayer lacks, in my opinion, is an overt petition for a transformation of the people by the power and presence of the Spirit. With the exception of the first example, this seems to be the missing ingredient. I grant that these prayers imply oneness and union with Christ, which is, in effect, the believers being engrafted into the church, the body of Christ. This notion in and of itself implies transformation. However, Pentecostal epiclesis can be beneficial to the larger Christian tradition because we often make explicit in our prayers what has only been implicit in the examples we have above.
This is where I have determined that the Pentecostal church can be most helpful to other traditions. Pentecostals fully embrace and practice their theo- logical emphasis upon the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. They recog- nize and pray for the Spirit’s influence upon the lives of the faithful in seasons of worship around the table of the Lord. Through prayers of epiclesis, Pente- costals create space and invite the Spirit to enter the meeting. In addition to praying, “Make us one,” Pentecostals pray, “Have your way!”25 This unrestricted openness to God distinguishes Pentecostals from the other Christian traditions in a very practical way. Rather than restricting the interest of the Spirit to only one conceptual outworking with which the Church is theologically acclimated, Pentecostals pray with reckless abandon for the Spirit to function as the Spirit desires on the people and the elements, always maintaining openness and receptivity to the surprises of God.
24 The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, The Worship Sourcebook (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House Co., 2004), 309.
25 Estrelda Alexander, “Liturgy in Non-Liturgical Holiness-Pentecostalism,” The Wesleyan Theological Journal 32, no. 2 (Fall 1997): 167.
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Uniquely Pentecostal Contributions
The Pentecostal church can be more helpful, teaching and modeling how the Spirit, through epiclesis, comes upon and transforms the people as well as the elements. In the Pentecostal tradition, Spirit baptism is an expected epicletic end. Pentecostals believe that the power for sanctification and vivification is available to every believer who will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. There- fore, prayers are offered for the community to be filled with the Spirit.
The strong belief among Pentecostals is that holiness of life and purity in conduct cannot be achieved without the presence and power of the Holy Spirit operant in the lives of believers in discernible and often dramatic ways. Prayers of epiclesis in the Pentecostal tradition invite the Spirit to enter the commu- nity in order to foster holiness. For Pentecostals, transformation is not concep- tual; it is a lived reality. This is one of the effects of Pentecostal epiclesis.
Wesleyans are the predecessors to the Holiness Pentecostal movement.26 They followed in the footsteps of their progenitor, John Wesley, who came to be known as the “theologian of the Spirit” because of his dramatic crisis event at Aldersgate and his subsequent pneumatological sensibilities.27 His theology and practice of prayer in general and eucharistic prayer specifically has laid the foundation for Pentecostal contributions to the larger eucharistic conversa- tion. He has been dubbed the “spiritual and intellectual father of the modern holiness and Pentecostal movements.”28 Although different confederations or streams exist within Wesleyan traditions, this essay’s theological focus will continue to revolve around a Wesleyan Holiness, Wesleyan Pentecostal under- standing of the prayer of epiclesis as a part of the Eucharist.
Because of the nuanced differences between the respective traditions within the Wesleyan sphere, the theological significance of means of grace or sacra- ments in the Wesleyan Pentecostal traditions requires some clarification. Since the focus of this essay is on epiclesis as a part of Pentecostal eucharistic prac- tice and not Pentecostal sacramental theology, a full exposition of the latter is not warranted. While legitimate tension exists as to the nature of sacramental- ism in Pentecostal spirituality, I do not perceive that tension to be fatal or pro- hibitive to an understanding of the Spirit’s communication of grace into the lives of believers. Even though the scope of this essay does not allow for me to
26 David Dayton, The Theological Roots of Pentecostalism (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publish – ers, 1987), 38.
27 Ibid., 42.
28 Vinson Synan, The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition: Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997), 1.
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fully expatiate upon all the points of convergence and divergence, a brief expose is in order.
When the Holy Spirit comes upon the people, the bread, and wine through epiclesis, the elements are sanctified for use in the conveyance of grace into the lives of the faithful. John Wesley saw the means of grace as useful for the con – tinued growth of the believer and encouraged both the terminology and prac- tice within the early Wesleyan community.29 Although his emphasis was always upon the Spirit communicating grace to the believers, for Wesley the elements were important and in some ways necessary for spiritual continuity.30 Now this is often the point of departure for many Pentecostals who have been oriented in the Free Church theological tradition as it pertains to the Eucharist. Also, this disposition may reflect the generally anti-Catholic sentiment preva- lent in many Pentecostal circles. We often resist the look of magic or perfunc- tory gestures devoid of the Spirit.
I contend, however, that Pentecostals see the Spirit’s coming upon the ele- ments and the people as a sanctifying or consecrating presence. As we engage in meaningful dialogue with Christians from sacramental traditions, and among ourselves, we may begin to agree that this sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit makes the bread and wine efficacious for the transmission of grace into the lives of the worshipers and opens the worshipers up to the life of God, through the church. This is to say that in a renewed, Pentecostal, eucharistic vision, epiclesis invites the Spirit to mysteriously use the bread and wine to convey grace to those who believe and presents the community for an encoun- ter with God — not in a meaningless way that does not require faith, but rather in a cogent, active way, participating in the sacrament fully, by the Spirit, through faith.31
Christians of various traditions find meaning in symbols, signs, rituals, and especially in the sacraments.32 Pentecostals share that affinity for derived meaning and spiritual effusion, and although it is not often articulated in this way, this constitutes Pentecostal sacramentalism. Pentecostal theologian Estrelda Alexander affirms that Pentecostal liturgy, ritual, and symbolism “involves the collective actions of the gathered church as it goes about express- ing its identity as a people of God and bringing it to a reaffirming and mediative
29 Howard A. Snyder, The Radical Wesley and Patterns for Church (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 1996), 102-3.
30 Collins, The Theology of John Wesley, 257-59.
31 Veli-Matti Karkkainen, “The Pentecostal View,” in Gordon T. Smith, The Lord’s Supper: Five Views (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008), 120-21.
32 White, The Sacraments in Protestant Practice and Faith, 13-22.
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experience of the presence of God.” 33 I contend that it is the “mediative experi – ence” that constitutes the sacramental nature of Pentecostal worship.
The sacraments are sign-acts that convey spiritual graces. They consist of performative speech and constitutive actions that both symbolize and catalyze spiritual effusion into the lives of the gathered worshiping community. They present the people to God and create space for a divine encounter. Pentecostal theologian Frank Macchia, referencing the work of Karl Rahner and Edward Schillebeeckx, asserts, “. . . more recent Catholic sacramental theology views the sacraments primarily as occasions for a personal encounter between God and the believer.”34 Wolfgang Vondey and Chris Green augment this assertion to include access to the accomplished work of God. They contend, “The sacra- ments serve as the means by which we access the reality of what God accom – plishes and signifies — God’s commitment to bind heaven and earth, the divine life and all creation, in an eternal nuptial embrace. Put differently, sac- raments are where heaven and earth touch.”35 Gestures, signs, symbols, and ritual actions enliven, clarify, and become the vessels through which the Holy Spirit mediates spiritual graces. Epiclesis, as a major part of the sacrament of bread and wine, is an important component for interpreting the signs and being interpreted by the Holy Spirit through the signs being enacted. Because Pentecostalism can be squarely couched within this theological framework, I tend to resist the notion that Pentecostals are a “nonsacramental” community. I believe that we could greatly benefit from the codification of ritual and symbols that other Christian traditions have employed in their wor- ship. Although historic and mainline Christian traditions have some common practices that satisfy the need in humans for meaning, they could benefit greatly from the ethic of play and intangible, spiritual inurement that Pente- costals regularly receive from their worship through their sacramental actions. In many ways, the twenty-first century, mainline, Protestant church is discov- ering and rediscovering sacramental life as a response to an overintellectual- ization of worship and the Christian life. Likewise, in the twenty-first century, some Pentecostal churches are discovering or rediscovering sacramental life through the guidance and scholarship of some Pentecostal and liturgical theologians.
33 Alexander, “Liturgy in Non-Liturgical Holiness-Pentecostalism,” 160.
34 Frank Macchia, “Tongues as a Sign: Towards a Sacramental Understanding of Pentecostal Experience,” Pentecostal Theology 15, no. 1 (Spring 1993): 62. 35 Wolfgang Vondey and Chris Green, “Between This and That: Reality and Sacramentality in the Pentecostal Worldview,” Journal of Pentecostal Theology 19, no. 2 (2010): 259.
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Wesley Biddy, Simon Chan, Walter Hollenweger, Wolfgang Vondey, Estrelda Alexander, Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, and Amos Yong are just a few Pentecostal scholars who are contributing scholarship to help foster a graduated under- standing of Pentecostal liturgical theology. They are advocating that the Pente- costal church broaden our horizons to new possibilities that exist within the traditions of our historic, mainline, and Orthodox brethren. For example, Amos Yong depicts the activity of the Holy Spirit working sacramentally through physical elements, further contending that this is germane to Pentecostal spir- ituality.36 He argues that it is plausible for Pentecostals to believe that grace and healing can be mediated through physical elements such as bread and wine. Just as through the laying on of hands upon the sick, or aprons and nap- kins as described in Acts 19, the Spirit often moves in sign-acts. While Yong strenuously rejects the notions of “transubstantiation” (the belief that the bread and wine are mysteriously converted into the actual body and blood of Jesus as the community consumes them) or, conversely, a mere symbolism as being inappropriate descriptions of Pentecostal eucharistic faith, he does affirm that there is within a faithful Pentecostal eucharistic theology room for sign-acts.
Likewise, Walter Hollenweger affirms the congruence of Pentecostal/ Charismatic theology and practice with mainline sacramental traditions. Early on in the Charismatic Renewal he stated, “One of the brightest aspects of this charismatic revival is the recognition that a liturgy rooted in the past of the church, an Anglican, Lutheran or Roman Catholic understanding of the sacra- ments, need not necessary [sic] conflict with a charismatic understanding of the Spirit.”37 He even purports that the structures and rituals of the liturgies of those churches create space for the Spirit to move through the sacraments. It is the liturgical structures that so many of our brethren from non-Pentecostal traditions employ that makes for meaningful sacramental expression that could inform Pentecostal eucharistic celebration.
Epiclesis gives the Pentecostal worshiping community a point upon which to focus its heart and synergize its efforts in prayer. It allows for current Pente- costals to enter into historic streams of worship by enjoining the crafted prayers prayed in previous generations by those who looked to God in hope. Likewise, a renewed epicletic vision would give historic and mainline traditions the opportunity to invigorate their worship with a fresh Spirit baptism. Praying
36 Amos Yong, The Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh: Pentecostalism and the Possibility of Global Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic Press, 2005), 163.
37 Hollenweger, The Pentecostals, 14.
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intentionally and even ritualizing prayers of epiclesis heightens the awareness within any congregation of the need for the Holy Spirit to come upon the lives of the constituent community daily and dramatically.
Wesleyan Eucharistic Sensibilities
Many early Wesleyans returned to a real presence approach to Eucharist from a “memorial” observance or ordinance that was being practiced by the main- line Protestant reformers of the day.38 Those Wesleyans viewed the Eucharist as a “converting ordinance.” This means that for them, the Eucharist was cata- lytic in the process of conversion. They believed that conversion was one of several steps on the way of salvation and not just a one-time event. Many of them also contend that the celebration of the table is efficacious in the salvific process. They held that the presence of Christ (the presence of the Holy Spirit), poured out on the people and the elements, moved the Church into a deeper faith and transformed people’s lives.
Some other Christian traditions have made the bread and the wine simply symbolic of the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. This is a similar formulation but essentially and functionally very different from Wesleyan Pentecostal prac- tice. Wesleyan Pentecostals object to the terminology of symbolism because it conveys a weaker characterization of what they have held to be happening at the table of the Lord. Pentecostals have maintained that the real presence of Jesus is by the Spirit and it is demonstrated in dynamic and vibrant ways. Pen- tecostals have come to experience the grace of God by the outpouring of the Spirit and the real presence of Jesus at the table of the Lord through the Spirit. The reason why Wesleyan Pentecostals expect an outpouring upon their worship is partly because of the Pentecostal theological motif that sees Jesus (through the Spirit) as sanctifier.39 It is this theological understanding of the person and work of the resurrected Christ that frames our understanding of epiclesis and our expectation thereof, both of which have contributed to the way Pentecostals worship and their acute emphasis upon the Spirit. John Wesley saw the sacraments as “an outward sign of inward grace, and a means whereby we receive the same.” 40 Within this framework, Pentecostals have the opportunity and wherewithal to move closer to a sacramental
38 White, The Sacraments in Protestant Practice and Faith, 82-83.
39 Douglas Jacobsen, Thinking in the Spirit: Theologies of the Early Pentecostal Movement (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2003), 90.
40 Collins, The Theology of John Wesley, 259.
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understanding of Eucharist and the animating presence of the Spirit through epiclesis. Wesley’s sacramental theology could be helpful for expanding dia- logue across traditional and denominational lines and a starting point for revis- ing eucharistic practice. This is how epiclesis becomes the model for teaching and learning.
Historically, Pentecostals experienced firsthand the presence of the Spirit through gifts, tongues, miracles, and blessings within and upon their worship. Ironically, this often eclipsed the celebration of the Eucharist and marginal- ized its practice as insignificant in Pentecostal worship.41 This, coupled with a general “anti-Catholic” sentiment drawn from Pentecostalism’s evangelical roots, led the Pentecostal movement to reject most of the formal or ritual eucharistic practices among early Pentecostals. That sentiment has carried over to the present.
Pentecostal Epiclesis as a Transformational Event
What happens when the Holy Spirit comes upon the elements and the com- munity? Pentecostals generally hold to the theological tenet that when the Holy Spirit comes upon any person or thing, that person or thing is transformed or sanctified.42 For the purposes of this essay, transformation can be character – ized as the amendment of the life by the power of the Spirit. It can also be understood as the bread and wine being mystically converted into a conduit through which the grace of God flows. Likewise, sanctification may be under- stood as being identified as God’s own and spiritually set apart for the purposes of God’s good pleasure. The following anecdotal evidence demonstrates how the Spirit through prayers of epiclesis forms the community and is shaped by their Pentecostal sensibilities.
In his descriptive account of the ministry of the Spirit through prayer, Mark Cartledge asserts that within Charismatic churches (a term that he admittedly uses interchangeably with the term Pentecostal) prayer has moved to become a central part of the service along with preaching and praise. He further describes the focus of that prayer as the people inviting the Holy Spirit to come
41 White, The Sacraments in Protestant Practice and Faith, 115.
42 Timothy P. Jennings, “The Holy Spirit and Sanctification,” in Stanley M. Horton, Systematic Theology (Springfield, MO: Logion Press, 2007), 398, 399-400.
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and encounter them for the purposes of God.43 Episodes like this perfectly illustrate Pentecostal epiclesis.
The way Cartledge describes this occurrence indicates transformation and sanctification. He says, “It can be described as a form of Christian ministry that aims to bring the kingdom of God into the lives of people. It is concerned with the whole person: physical, mental, spiritual, and social.”44 I contend that this describes practically the results of prayers of epiclesis; further, this is the description of transformation that suites the purpose of this essay. Another effect of the Spirit’s coming upon a person or thing is for an endowment with power. Finally, the Holy Spirit’s presence upon a person or a thing is the iden- tifying marker indicating that that person or thing upon which the Spirit has come belongs to God.
Pentecostal scholar Daniel Albrecht describes the emergence of Pentecos- talism and the Charismatic movement in two phases.45 He asserts that they were filled with Spirit manifestations that moved and sanctified the communi- ties. For the purposes of our study, Albrecht’s depiction of “lifetime cycle and passages” describes the epicletic nature of Pentecostal spirituality. It is within that framework that he asserts, “The ‘Pentecostal life’ marked by an openness to the presence and power of the Spirit characterizes the Pentecostal experience.”46 Tongues, healings, miracles, and the outworking of the presence of God by the Spirit characterized his narrative and directed his readers to know what to expect from praying with openness to the Spirit of God. This illustrates the transformative power of the Spirit in action. That is the power that Pentecostals have come to love and to depend upon.
Just as in the experiences of Mark Cartledge and Daniel Albrecht, Pentecos- tals see the Spirit’s coming upon the gathered community as central to the agenda of the Spirit at the table celebration. Pentecostals expect measurable and even radical transformation of the lives of individuals within the commu- nity as evidence of the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying presence. They reckon this radical transformation to be an indication of readiness on the part of the believer to communicate the grace of God to the world through testimony and witness. This makes the people “bread for the nations,” the body of Christ.
43 Mark J. Cartledge, Encountering The Spirit: The Charismatic Tradition (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2007), 112.
44 Ibid., 112.
45 Daniel E. Albrecht, Rites in the Spirit: A Ritual Approach to Pentecostal/Charismatic Spiritual- ity (Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999), 34-39.
46 Ibid., 125.
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Secondly, there is a move afoot in current scholarship that invites Pentecos- tals back to a Wesleyan and expanded understanding of the transformation of the elements and the people through prayers of epiclesis. Current scholarship encourages dialogue and cross-pollination. For Pentecostals, this means learn- ing to embrace the best of the eucharistic traditions of our Wesleyan heritage and others.47 For other traditions, this means to be open to learning and to expect the animating presence of the Spirit around the table through prayers of epiclesis. In this, epiclesis becomes a model for teaching and learning. Simon Chan, a Pentecostal scholar, tends toward a mystical transformation of the elements as opposed to a physical transformation into the body and blood of Jesus as a theological option for a revised Pentecostal Eucharist.48 Like Wesley, Chan finds transubstantiation objectionable for a faithful eucharistic expression. I contend that most Pentecostals already see the presence of Jesus within the context of eucharistic celebration in a purely spiritual way. This is primarily because of an embedded Spirit Christology in Pentecostalism in gen- eral that finds expression in Pentecostal eucharistic practice.
Spirit Christology is the way early Pentecostals thought about the person and work of Jesus.49 This understanding has informed much of modern Pente – costal theology and thought. Early Pentecostal theologians conflated Christol- ogy and pneumatology to explain how Jesus preached, taught, and did miracles. Their contention was that Jesus accomplished all of the aspects of his work and earthly ministry through the Spirit. In like manner, it is the Spirit coming upon the broken body of Christ at the table that makes it efficacious for spiritual transformation in the lives of those who eat it.
When Pentecostals celebrate the Eucharist, Christ becomes available to the gathered community through the elements by the Spirit. Although other tradi- tions use the term real presence, Wesleyan Pentecostals have theological moor- ings and practical out- workings of the concept that vivify the terminology in ways that are often not as discernible in other traditions.50 Because much of Pentecostal theology has been derived from evangelical theology, Pentecostals have imported eucharistic terminology, practices, and understanding from evangelical sensibilities and biases. Pentecostals have, in turn, wed these forms
47 Kärkkäinen, “The Pentecostal View,” 132-35.
48 Simon Chan, Liturgical Theology: The Church as Worshipping Community (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 73-74.
49 Sammy Alfaro, Divino Companero: Toward a Hispanic Pentecostal Christology (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2010), 34.
50 White, The Sacraments in Protestant Practice and Faith, 283-89.
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and terms, sensibilities and biases to an early Pentecostal understanding of the Spirit.51
Finally, although most Pentecostals are predominantly hewn from the Free Church tradition and do not consider themselves to be “sacramental” Chris- tians, it is generally acknowledged that the Eucharist, water baptism, and foot washing are ritual acts used by the Spirit to transform the people and to trans- mit the grace of God to them.52 In a very real way, each of these ritual acts employs prayers of epiclesis. Even though epicletic prayers are generally and often exclusively assigned to eucharistic ceremony, Pentecostals have expanded their understanding of the necessity and usefulness of praying for the Holy Spirit to come upon people and elements for the purpose of transformation. These prayers, though often spontaneous and free composed, demonstrate the per- formative speech that is characteristic of Pentecostal worship and celebration. Pentecostal Eucharist not only interprets the symbols for the participants in the worship experience; it also allows the symbols and actions to interpret the worshipers as they participate in the table ritual. When the Pentecostal com- munity prays prayers of epiclesis they do so in an effort to be reoriented into the story of God, and to obtain the aid of the Holy Spirit in that interpretive event. “All liturgical actions are effectual because they involve the synergy of the Spirit and the church.”53 It is through the performance of and participation in the eucharistic drama that the Spirit locates the worshipers and reorients them into the metanarrative that is his story of redemption.
I argue that epiclesis is the conduit through which that interpretive, trans- formative process is facilitated. Liturgical scholar Ronald Byars contends that “the Spirit doesn’t change the water into something else, or the bread and wine into something else. The elements remain what they were, but the Spirit trans- forms us so that in them we see and experience the Christ who has promised to be with us in these actions.”54 I submit that this sentiment expresses a gener – ally Pentecostal appreciation for the transformation that takes place in the eucharistic celebration through prayers of epiclesis.
51 Alfaro, Divino Companero, 11.
52 John C. Thomas, Ministry and Theology (Cleveland, TN: Pathway Press, 1996), 162. The specific reference is to the Church of God, which is a large Pentecostal denomination. The theo- logical principle of what is accepted as sacrament is, however, applicable to Pentecostalism in general.
53 Chan, Liturgical Theology, 60.
54 Ronald P. Byars, Christian Worship: Glorifying and Enjoying God (Louisville, KY: Geneva Press, 2000), 94.
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Summation
Although a Pentecostal eucharistic theology in general is still in the making, and a Pentecostal epiclesis in specific is still being formed, it is my hope that the insights gained from this work have provided a framework for further dis- cussion. If the Pentecostal church is to understand epiclesis more fully and contribute more significantly to the broader Christian conversation, then this discussion may be necessary. I believe that Pentecostals have much to learn and to teach as it pertains to eucharistic theology and practice. I also believe that our mainline brothers and sisters can facilitate some of that learning through their examples. Further, I contend that other Christian faith traditions have much to learn from Pentecostals. Pentecostal theology, pneumatology, and phenomenology could enhance and vivify other worship traditions’ prac- tices and fervor.
Epiclesis is the natural point of dialogue between Pentecostals and most other Christian traditions as it pertains to eucharistic theology. This nexus of order and ardor lends itself to common goals, common conversations, and communion. Since Eucharist is practiced in some form by virtually every Christian tradition, all should strive to embrace epicletic prayer and pray it in concert:
Holy Spirit, inundate this gathered community and
Transform us into your people indeed.
Pour yourself out on these gifts of bread and wine
That they may be for us the remedy for all human malady and That we by offering them may provide relief to those who suffer . . . Through Christ Jesus our Lord we pray . . . Amen.
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