Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Crackers and Juice or The Body and Blood of Christ (Part 1)

Either Communion is what Jesus said it was, "this is my Body....this is my Blood", or it is crackers and juice. Either we serve everyone the Body and Blood of Christ, or we are serving everyone only crackers and juice and no one the reality of salvation through Jesus. Christ is present at HIS Table or we are offering the cheapest of all snacks and the worst of all symbols. 

Hopefully I have your full attention for, what is to me, one of the most beautiful prophetic statements offered by the Church for a hungry and thirsty world: Communion, Eucharist, The Last Supper, The Table of the Lord...however you are familiar with the title, it is this glorious mystery originally offered by Jesus Himself to His treasured friends and disciples on that fateful night in which He was betrayed. 

I've stated hundreds of times, "Let's dare to say what Jesus said, not what doctrinal statements say. HE said, '...this is My Body....this is My Blood..." Let's not add to that or take away from that. Let's simply say it the way HE said it. Don't put multiple syllable words to it or add a church policy statements before, after and during it. Let's just say what He said. 

Then let's follow that with serving everyone in the room. Every doubting Thomas and puckered up betrayal kissing Judas. Everyone. Without threats of death or sickness, without caveats about worthiness or suitable holiness, and certainly, without denying anyone for lack of meeting a church policy statement. 

Of course, we can default to crackers and juice but we risk sending most folks home profoundly hungry and their appetites spiritually ruined. The supernatural and transcendent is possible at The Body and the Blood of Christ. But crackers and juice won't feed the hungry, much less, ignite spiritual energy.

My experience with Communion actually began with the simplicity of "crackers and juice" (physically speaking) but served in an atmosphere of genuine hunger. The very first time I took Communion, I had NO clue what was happening. I only knew this to be a practice of church services (once a month where I was) but I knew nothing of any deeper notion than the pretty trays, the cracker like wafers and the shot glasses of cheap grape juice. 

And I wept. At 17, in the middle of my friends, and feeling VERY conspicuously odd...I wept. The smell of the juice wafted into my nose and the tiny wafer felt so soft. Something from heaven entered my sensory perceptions, made its way to my emotional center, and I trembled with gratitude for a mystery I have spent the past 46 years exploring. Christ showed up in that broken bread and my heart burned inside my chest....

If you are interested in more, I'll continue this blog tomorrow. If you are hungry for more, I promise to serve more than crackers and juice...

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