I started hunting around for inspiration for tonight's communion. It’s been a while since I’ve done one, mostly because I felt like the words wouldn’t come to me.
And they weren’t coming to me today, either.
So I did what a good technologically savvy people do and I looked up “communion meditation” on the internet. I found some interesting things, like the thoughts on taking communion the night before an important battle in the revolutionary war. And helpful tips on how to explain to non-believers that this was a time for them to stay in their seats. And lists of relevant scripture for quick reference. But none of those things brought me closer to my goal: finding the inspiration and respect for the sacred act of communion.
So I did what struck me next: I started looking for recipes to make communion bread. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, creating nourishment for my family or friends. I’ve made communion bread before, once, a long time ago and don’t remember much about it. So I sorted through recipes. I thought: Yes! I’ll make bread! Unleavened bread, matza, communion bread - it’s all the basic same recipe and since it doesn’t need any rise time I should get this done just before people walk in for service tonight. So I started writing down ingredients.
The basics were all there: flour, oil, salt, water. Some recipes encourage honey, rose water, or other sweetening components. Others claim salt should be left out. All claim they are delicious.
Time was getting away from me and I hadn’t even turned on the oven.
And then I found it. Perfection. A skillet recipe. I could mix together four ingredients, heat it in a pan, and viola! Inspiration!
And so, with less than an hour to service, I found myself in the kitchen making little communion pancakes. Typing my notes on the laptop precariously perched next to the stove. Wondering: how crisp should these be? did I use enough salt? Should I have cut back the oil the way I did? Will my church family be horrified by my last minute uninspirational choice? Once the first piece is out of the pan and cooled slightly I could tasty it. Is this good enough to serve tonight - and if not, what am I going to do? I’ve used up all my time here.
Then, with the last few pieces in the pan, it struck me. I forgot, for a few minutes, that this isn’t about the bread.
In my head, I repeated this sentence. It isn’t about the bread.
I had, in these moments, forgotten everything. In my quest for inspiration, for words to inspire you to reflect and prepare yourself for the sacrament of communion, I got caught up in the symbol. A sacrament is defined as: a religious ceremony or act of the Christian Church that is regarded as an outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual divine grace, in particular. The sacrament of communion is something we do here every week. Because we have to be reminded. We aren’t good enough. This flesh and bone we try to bend to our will day in and day out is nothing. It is broken and dying. No matter what we try to mix in from the world, we will never have enough of it or enough time to perfect the balance.
It is through the Grace of God we come to his kingdom. The bread just reminds us that we must accept and be nourished by Him.
