Leithart suggests that his book be read
as a “devotional,” not straight through.
Given that the topics and arguments change, though there is a central
theme, his recommendation is a wise one.
Reading one mediation and then spending time thinking about it,
searching the Scriptures, pondering the meaning of the sacrament and how all
the universe is connected in this meal (he argues) is a worthy enterprise.
Leithart believes that the sacrament is
more than a memorial – more than a “time killer” tacked on at the end of the worship
service. It is the embodiment of the
Gospel. It is the God-given visual
representation of the Gospel. It is his
goal, he explains in the introduction, to present a number of connections to
the sacrament. He desires to show links
from the sacrament to everything. Still,
he admits that this is only an introduction – it is not a systematics
treatment. No, he points out the use of
food in Scripture and asks the reader, “Have you ever considered?” And more often than not, I found myself
saying, “No, I hadn’t, but now I need to think about this more.”
Leithart begins, in the first meditation,
with considering the purpose and goodness of food. In the sixth, he argues that the Supper is a
Levitical jealousy rite. In the
eleventh, how it is “an edible word.”
And in the ninth, the connection between food and sex. I have rarely seen so much worthy thinking
about and through a topic in such a small book (186 pages).
If you’re interested in sacrament
theology, read this book. If you want to
understand the Lord’s Supper better, read this book. If you’re interested in food and its place in
redemption, read this book. If you don’t
know why anyone would want to receive the sacrament every week, read this book. I consider this mandatory reading for anyone thinking
about the Lord’s Supper, and that should be every Christian.
No comments:
Post a Comment