Yesterday, Sunday, we celebrated the Lord's Supper at tables with glasses of grape juice and a dozen rolls on each table. The rolls were in a round and had to be broken off for each individual. The tables seated 8 and some had only 3 or 4 people present. But there was community at each table. And there was butter and jam for the rolls. As I bit into my roll with butter and strawberry jam liberally spread, the explosion of sweetness and glorious flavor was very pleasant. I couldn't help but think of the Scripture that says something like - "Taste and see that the Lord is good." This bread is good, very good was the thought in my mind. And this bread is a symbol of Jesus, the bread of life. And He is good, very good. There was much joy and laughter at the tables as we shared a meal together.
Was this a bit more like the celebrations the first century church held? It is hard to imagine anyone getting drunk at our usual services with a thimble of grape juice (Welch's is the best). And it is even harder to imagine some getting too much to eat while others go hungry when all we offer is a half inch square of bread or a plastic wafer with no flavor or substance. I think the way we did this yesterday has ruined me for the usual thimble of juice and mini piece of bread. In fact, next time we may do a whole meal. Someone suggested a roast beef dinner would be good. I agree. What a great way for the people of God to gather on a Sunday morning. Maybe we will have church at noon that day. I hear a chorus of yay's from our morning haters who need at least one cup of java to even get out of their pj's.
I love the fact that when we built our gathering space, we didn't put pews in or a sloped floor. We can set up tables and do other interesting things in the space we designed for our assemblies. Hard to imagine doing supper in most of our church buildings. Maybe we should be building holy pubs or holy restaurants instead of holy sanctuaries. (Holy pubs would be coffee and pop or juice dispensers - like those new Starbucks with fireplaces and leather couches and chairs - sigh.) Or maybe we should create better gathering spaces in our homes so that we can have friends, Christian and non, over for a good meal complete with bread and wine, er, I mean, juice.
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2 comments:
Good idea Dave, maybe we could "re-tool" the traditional "potluck" to be more of commuion time?
As long as our worship is in "Spirit and in truth" then we are coming to God through Christ. The rest is a backdrop to the drama of us communing with God and with each other. We who have no right to enter the throne room are now accepted as His children. Children who will grow together in His family. Children who will have hope on the best and the worst days, regardless of what happens in our world or the world in general.
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