layers of concrete

When we take communion, the bread and wine (or juice) are simple and concrete. We eat them - also very concrete and simple. Just eating, drinking, and remembering Christ every time you do this would be concrete, spiritual, and it would be enough. But we look for meaning from this very personal yet relational communal experience - something that transcends rote ritual and tradition. Something that transcends the concrete. And we want this for our children.

...That's where I started, but it wasn't really coming together. (aptly called "Beating on Concrete") so I went back to the story:

“When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.’"

“After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, ‘Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes’."

“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’"

“In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’” Luke 22:14-20 (NIV)

Just Jesus, his closest followers (and even the person who would betray him) sitting around a table eating, drinking, sharing yet another experience. They knew Him as a real person. . . but I forgot that this was a Passover meal, one of the celebrations where children played such an important role. The elements are concrete at Passover, too. Passover was an opportunity to remember the story of God delivering His people. Jesus told His disciples to remember Him whenever they broke the bread. Some liken the time Jesus spent here before the cross to the time when a family kept and cared for a lamb before it was sacrificed for the Passover meal. Yet we don't hear about children at this first Communion meal, only when He entered Jerusalem and when He talked about wanting to gather Jerusalem the way a mother hen gathers her chicks.

I’m not sure that “concrete” is just for young children. Children begin learning through their experiences, before they have language, maybe before they understand. Apparently, Jesus gave a similar opportunity to His disciples. He walked with them, lived with them teaching them. As Jews, I'm guessing they were already familiar with the "concrete" traditions of Passover. They probably experienced grinding grain, crushing grapes, smelling fresh-baked bread, walking through grain fields, chewing kernels from thin dry stalks, running through the loam of a vineyard in bare feet, smelling grape flowers and ripe fruit. Another layer of concrete as they ate bread and drank wine. That experience with Jesus and the events that would follow, yet another layer.

When I take communion, I tend to confess my sins, ask His forgiveness (lest I come unworthy and get sick. :-) , and give thanks for what He did on the cross. I wouldn't call that concrete. I rarely ponder my experiences with bread and wine or all the potential interconnectedness. I rarely ponder the biology of what I'm doing, the life food, or the social elements implied when I partake of the Body of Christ though that would certainly add a layer of concrete meaning. I rarely stop to remember Jesus, the way His disciples could - not just what He would do on the cross but their daily interactions with Him.

Children eat bread, they drink juice. If they’re hungry, they feel better after they eat. They’re close to someone they know and love. Maybe someone prays for them. Maybe God answers that prayer. Maybe they're facinated by the candles or they remember a picture of Jesus or a Bible story. Maybe there’s a connection. And ok, today bread and juice grow in a grocery store but all these simple layers of experience give meaning to experiences that follow.

The paradox is that, despite the potential for many layers of meaning, even if you do nothing but see, touch, taste, partake and remember Him (like Jesus said), it's enough.

In upstate NY, it’s harvest season. Consider visiting a vineyard or a grain field. Consider making bread from scratch. And when you eat the bread and drink the juice with His disciples (every time, or just during communion) remember Him.