Spirit and Sacrament: An Invitation to Eucharismatic Worship
Overview
Spirit and Sacrament by pastor and author Andrew Wilson is an impassioned call to join together two traditions that are frequently and unnecessarily kept separate. It is an invitation to pursue the best of both worlds in worship, the Eucharistic and the charismatic, with the grace of God at the center.
Wilson envisions church services in which healing testimonies and prayers of confession coexist, the congregation sings When I Survey the Wondrous Cross followed by Happy Day, and creeds move the soul while singing moves the body. He imagines a worship service that could come out of the book of Acts: Young men see visions, old men dream dreams, sons and daughters prophesy, and they all come together to the same Table and go on their way rejoicing.
In short, Spirit and Sacrament is an appeal to bring out of the church’s storehouse all of its treasures, so that God’s people can worship our unrivaled Savior with sacraments and spiritual gifts, raised hands and lowered faces.
Key Features
- Proposes a theological vision for the church that treasures all of God’s gifts
- Examines the current state of liturgical and charismatic worship practices
- Explores the possibility of spiritual and sacramental worship
Contents
- Foreword by Matt Chandler
- Spirit and Sacrament: Pursuing the Best of Both Worlds
- Charis: A Theology of Gift
- Chara:Joy Unspeakable
- Eucharistic: What Do You Have That You Did Not Receive?
- Charismatic: Zealously Desire Spiritual Gift
- Eucharismatic: When You Come Together
Top Highlights
“Given this diversity, it is probably worth specifying that I have the last two of these meanings in mind (use of the gifts and experientialism), rather than the first two (emerging from the 1970s, and contemporary in style). Whatever our denominational origins, to be charismatic is to expect spiritual experience, pursue and use the charismata, live and pray as if angels and demons are real, and express worship to God with all the joy and exuberance of a Hallel psalmist.” (Page 18)
“To be eucharistic, in this sense, is more than merely to celebrate the Eucharist, although it is certainly not less. It is to be historically rooted, unashamedly sacramental, deliberately liturgical, and self-consciously catholic.” (Page 18)
“By eucharistic I obviously mean to refer to the celebration of the Eucharist (or Communion, or the Lord’s Supper) in corporate worship. But I also mean to evoke the entire Christian tradition in which it plays a central role.” (Page 17)
“God is happier than people think he ought to be in the circumstances.” (Page 44)
“In the scriptural imagination, however, and particularly in the prophetic tradition, wine represents abundance, shalom, hope, and new creation. It embodies blessing (‘May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine!’) and happiness (‘wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart’).9 It speaks of love (‘we will extol your love more than wine’) and bounty (‘then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine’).” (Pages 46–47)
Praise for the Print Edition
I can’t think of anyone more qualified to address this challenging topic than Andrew Wilson. He writes on the convergent themes of spirit and sacrament with remarkable clarity and precision. As a fellow continuationist, I found his treatment of spiritual gifts altogether persuasive. As one who is less inclined sacramentally/ liturgically, I was challenged and stirred to think more deeply about the relationship between these two aspects of Christian and local church life. Regardless of where you land on these twin topics, no one can afford to ignore Andrew’s pointed and thoroughly biblical treatment of them
—Sam Storms, Bridgeway Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
This is the book I’ve been waiting for! Spirit and Sacrament dismantles dichotomies that pit the good gifts of God against each other and invites us instead to feast on the whole enchilada Jesus has prepared for us—through worship that is (I love Andrew’s new term here) “eucharismatic”: integrating both liturgy and levity, deep roots and ecstatic experience, formative practice and fresh divine power. For what holds both Eucharist and charisma together is, at their center, God’s charis: grace.
—Joshua Ryan Butler, pastor of Redemption Church—Tempe, author of The Skeletons in God’s Closet and The Pursuing God
Drawing from the richness of the Pentecostal-charismatic and sacramental streams, Andrew Wilson offers a theologically rich and pastorally wise way of holding the best of both worlds together. Best of all, he helps us find both grace and joy at the core. This is the book we’ve been waiting for. It is clear and compelling, thoughtful and pastoral. I kept thinking as I read it, “Yes! That’s who we are! That’s what we do!”
—Glenn Packiam, associate senior pastor of New Life Church, author of Blessed Broken Given and Discover the Mystery of Faith
Product Details
- Title: Spirit and Sacrament: An Invitation to Eucharismatic Worship
- Author: Andrew Wilson
- Publisher: Zondervan
- Publication Date: 2019
- Pages: 144
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Topic: Modern Church
Andrew Wilson is a pastor at Kings Church in Eastbourne in the United Kingdom, a columnist for Christianity Today, and the author of a number of books, including If God, Then What? and Unbreakable. He and his wife, Rachel, have two children.