This trailblazing volume juxtaposes traditions of faith from the Old Testament with themes of communion in the early church to produce rich new understandings of the Eucharist for today's worshipers. In a vivid and inviting style, Jon Berquist moves from the elements of the meal to the people who partake to the God who invites, producing fresh perspectives all along the way. Clergy and laity alike can enlarge their interpretation of communion by including motifs from the Old Testament. This book attempts to put ancient wine into new wineskins. The ancient traditions of the Old Testament are put into the new forms of the New Testament and the early church's communion. Also, the ancient traditions of all the Bible and of our communion traditions, many of which have been in place for decades and centuries, are presented in a new light, so that fresh possibilities can be found. With ancient wine and new wineskins, the best of communion is yet to come! --from the Introduction Jon L. Berquist is also the author of 'Judaism in Persia's Shadow', 'Incarnation', 'Surprises by the River', and 'Controlling Corporeality'.
