A Scriptural Theology of Eucharistic Blessings

Book excerpt: This study examines the scriptural justification for believers to expect the Eucharist to be a place where God will come and bless them with freedom and formation. Bubbers' focus is not on liturgy, but rather on the biblical message of the benefits of participation in the Eucharist. Why keep this Feast? Why is Eucharist important? Bubbers' interpretive approach is a synthesis of historical-literary aspects of Biblical Theology and canonical-creedal aspects of the Theological Reading of Scripture, taking into account the biblical-historical place of Eucharist, as well as its ongoing presence within the Church. Bubbers begins by displaying the Last Supper as a Passover meal which bridges between Old Testament motifs and the New Testament Feast. She then shows that the Exodus context reveals a paradigm which links blessing with remembrance, and suggests that the remembrance motif describes these blessings. Finally, Bubbers gathers a catalogue of specific blessings, summarized by freedom and formation. Her conclusion is that the Feast is a divinely designed paradigm for worship, which is accompanied by a promise of transformational encounters.