The paper investigates the controversy over the Lord’s Supper between Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Second Church of Boston. We studied the text of Emerson’s sermon against the Lord’s Supper ascertaining possible theological divisions among the church members on the issues of Christ’s true nature and authority, as well as the meaning of bread and wine of the Communion. We reveal how the pastor foreshadowed the assumed reactions of his listeners while working on the text of his sermon. Searching for adequate contexts for our interpretations we have demonstrated how “The Essay on the Lord’s Supper” by the Rev. F.W.P. Greenwood is related to Emerson’s stand against the rite.