Take and Eat, and Take the Consequences: How Receiving the Lord’s Supper is an Action That Makes a Difference

What happens at the Lord’s Supper? Twentieth-century theologies emphasize the human actions at the Eucharist and sometimes neglect what Christ does there. According to Murken, if our sacramental doing is recognized for what it is - an action of receiving - then it can be emphasized as an action with consequences - both in history and beyond. Active receiving conforms to key New Testament passages and to Luther’s teachings on justification and Holy Communion. Bonhoeffer’s analysis of confessing the faith illumines the nature of active receiving. Murken intersects his proposal with twelve others, in hopes of ecumenical agreement.