Although I feel very differently about it now, I found much of the liturgy boring and distasteful consequently, I did not expect the Eucharist to affect me as deeply as it had before. With that in mind, I was very curious about what might happen the next time I partook of the Lord's Supper.Īs it turned out, the next time would be a month later at the Episcopal church I decided to attend occasionally with another friend who is a member of that church. I discussed this matter with the pastor the following Sunday, very briefly and in the most circumspect terms, learning (at least) that Communion was assumed within the Methodist church to be more than a ceremonial commemoration. As I approached the rail and knelt, I was seized by nervous excitement and when the pastor handed me the bread, saying "the body of Christ, given for you," I knew, against all reason but beyond any doubt. Since the church was so small, and since I had been warmly welcomed there, I decided to go to the altar rail simply to fit in with the congregation. It had been so long since I had taken Communion that I didn't realize the significance of the attire until I noticed "Celebration of the Lord's Supper" on the order of service. I found his services very enjoyable - informal, improvisatory, and friendly - a far cry from what I still regarded distastefully as "organized religion." Imagine my surprise, therefore, when some four Sundays later the pastor was dressed in a white and gold robe instead of his customary tie-less sport coat! The pastor was a recovered alcoholic that, and the fact that I had taught his son several years before, was what attracted me. The first Communion experience was at a small Methodist church that I had begun attending with a friend from Ridgeview.
I was, however, beginning a redemptive process, which, if Calvin is right - as I believe he is - was sealed by Divine Providence. At MARR, a faith-based (and much more confrontational) program, I was required to attend weekly church services, but these had little effect upon me. In the summer of 2002 I spent four months in treatment the first two months at the Ridgeview Center the second two at Metro Atlanta Recovery Residences (MARR). To begin with, you must know that I am a recovered alcoholic and though raised in the Presbyterian Church, I spent the major part of my life as an agnostic. Therefore, I would like to share it with those interested in This Holy Mystery in the hope they may find it useful. While not atypical (for reasons I will come back to), my experience is certainly unusual. Since then, my life has been transformed by what I now call, without reservation, the power of the Holy Spirit. Some three years ago I underwent a radical conversion to active faith sparked by a very powerful Communion experience (the first of several, as a matter of fact).
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