In our house church yesterday (we meet at four), Skip and Carol Tobin shared their vision of a church being less about trying to attract others to come to us, and more about preparing and sending us out to wherever we are needed.
At the close of our service, as we prepared for our usual evening meal together, we shared the bread and cup of the Lord’s Supper as a metaphor for the poured out and broken life of Jesus. Since one of our members has a gluten allergy, we used rice crackers as our bread. It was brittle fare, nothing like the bland texture of leavened bread, and a fitting sign of a life broken for others.
As we poured grape juice into cups for everyone around the table, we invited each to share what they needed from God for the week ahead. Blood is a sign of life, we reminded ourselves, not just of death, so we expressed, by turn, our need for renewed life from a God who freely offers life to all.
It was a moment of clarity for me, that in the partaking of an ordinary, life-giving meal, that we not only celebrate our coming together, broken and in need of new life for ourselves, but that in communion we prepare for going out, ready and able to share with others the life we receive in the Eucharist.
In order to live in the world in the imitation of Christ, we need all of the spiritual energy we can get--energizing, life giving bread, life enhancing drink.
As this food gives up its life for us,
may we follow that pattern of
self surrender for each other.
May we be life for one another.
from “Prayers for the Domestic Church” by Edward Hays
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3 comments:
I love Your statement,"It was a moment of clarity for me, that in the partaking of an ordinary, life-giving meal, that we not only celebrate our coming together, broken and in need of new life for ourselves, but that in communion we prepare for going out, ready and able to share with others the life we receive in the Eucharist".
Except for the word ordinary. In John 6:51-57 the Lord said I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves saying: How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you: except you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you.
He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up on the last day.
For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed.
He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me and I in him.
Many of his disciples were scandalized saying: this saying is hard: and who can hear it?
After this many of his disciples went back and "walked no more" with him. John 6:67.
Then Jesus said to the twelve: Will you also go away?
Thanks for your good reflections. I was using the word "ordinary" as in something we encounter every day. It is amazing that our Lord would choose to engage with us in our common, everyday humanity.
Even more amazing to me is that our Lord not only suffered a humiliating death on a cross. But that he remains with us in special way. A most humble way, by becoming the bread of life. Bread is probably the most basic of all foods. Our Lord and Creator becomes a humble piece of bread in the Eucharist fully present to us. That we may reach out and touch Him, receive Him into our hearts and be strengthened in a profound way by our Lord The bread of life.
I'm impressed by your simple well thought out comments on this blog.
JR
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