The Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation: Week 5
Week 5- Monday
Remembering now his work of redemption, and offering to you this sacrifice of thanksgiving.
“This sacrifice of thanksgiving” has always struck me as an odd phrase. The concepts of “sacrifice” and “thanksgiving” don’t really seem to connect with each other. “Sacrifice” brings visions of deprivation, and “thanksgiving” of abundance. So how do these connect? Why put deprivation and abundance together? We stand before the altar, offering ourselves to Jesus, offering our distracted thoughts, our tired bodies, our joys and struggles from the week past and the week ahead. We kneel there, watching for the time to get up, and delighting in the sun through the windows. We lay before him our thanks for it all, the hard and easy, the good and bad, the frightening and jubilant. We lay it before Christ, at the foot of the cross, at the altar of God, in thanks for it all.
Look around you, gather up your life, and give thanks for it all. Give thanks for the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.
Week 5- Tuesday
We celebrate his death and resurrection, as we await the day of his coming. (Eucharistic Prayer C pg. 371 BCP)
On many of the cathedrals in Europe there is a sculpture of the last judgment over the entryway door. Christ is enthroned in glory with the saved at his right hand and the damned at his left. It’s an image that haunted the whole western world, regardless of whether one has ever read the descriptions in scripture. We are as Flannery O’Conner put it “Christ-haunted,” or perhaps “fear-haunted.” The whole idea of Christ coming back leaves us with an uneasy dread. Yet that’s not how it was ever intended. Jesus’ return is to be a long-anticipated celebration, a party, a feast filled with food and friends, song and giddy delight. It’s the time when all the hurts are resolved and mended, when all the divisions are erased, when all the struggles and fears are swallowed up in laughter and dance. Every time we come to the communion table we are catching a glimpse of the party. God has cracked open the door so we can see what we are walking towards, and catch a whiff of the feast.
How do you imagine Jesus’ return? Lift that image to him and allow Jesus to reshape it.
Week 5- Wednesday
Lord God of our Fathers; God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Open our eyes to see your hand at work in the world about us. (Eucharistic Prayer C pg. 372 BCP)
Most priests amend this prayer to include the women: Sarah and Rebecca, Rachael and Leah. It’s good to include them, but I’m uncomfortable with including only pairs. I want to include a greater mix, I long to lift up Deborah the prophet, or Esther the Queen. I want to include all those unnamed ancestors that walked the path of God, all those ones who opened our eyes to the work of God in the world around us, in the glories of art and music and the mundane tasks of life. Martin Luther praised the task of changing a diaper, reminding us that we serve a child as Christ has served us. Laura Fanucci found the wonder of cleansing forgiveness in the act of doing the dishes. They speak of God’s hands at work in the world around us, in the acts of service to those we encounter. In the grace of a Medieval Cathedral or the delight of music, there are those who shine the light of love on the world we live in so that we can see God present with us.
Stop for a moment today and be aware of God at work in your world.
Week 5- Thursday
Deliver us from the presumption of coming to this Table for solace only, and not for strength; for pardon only, and not for renewal. (Eucharistic Prayer C pg. 372 BCP)
Some Sundays I barely make it to communion. There are weeks when everything piles up or goes wrong, and it is just too much. I drag myself in the door hoping for something, anything to keep me going through the next week. I’m only looking for solace and pardon and a bit of sustenance to keep me going. The wonder of this bread and wine, this time with God, is that it’s so much more. Like the “lammas bread” of J. R. R. Tolkien’s elves, a bite of it is enough to sustain me for the week—or beyond. It is strength for the journey, and renewal, enabling me to take the path head. The bread of the Last Supper carried Jesus through betrayal, and death, and on to resurrection. This bread can carry us, too, through whatever lies ahead, and on to our resurrection.
How does communion feed and sustain you?
Week 5- Friday
Let the grace of this Holy Communion make us one body, one spirit in Christ, that we may worthily serve the world in his name. (Eucharistic Prayer C pg. 372 BCP)
We live in a broken world. Complex and shattered, our world slogs on, spattered with the blood of innocents and the suffering of all persons, whether harmless or guilty. We gather to worship one who knows the whole of our deficits and the whole of our possibilities; we come before a crucified savior. Jesus gathers us here, knowing all this, and instead of shunning us, embraces us. We are made one—one with Christ, through his offering of himself on the cross. We are not alone. We are never abandoned. Instead we are declared worthy. We are declared beloved. We are made part of the crazy, wonderful entity we call the church, this body of Christ that extends around the globe, and across the street, and through times and ages. We are part of the restoration of this battered and broken universe. As Christ offered himself for our healing, so we can offer ourselves for the healing or our world—at least our small sliver of it. Glory to God in the highest!
How will you offer God’s healing to your little sliver of the world today?
Week 5- Saturday
Risen Lord, be known to us in the breaking of the Bread.
“When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.” Luke 24:30-31
In one of the post-resurrection stories in the Gospel of Luke, two friends are walking to Emmaus reflecting on the crucifixion of Jesus (Luke 24:13-35). They are mourning his death and wondering what will come next. They are joined by another person who questions them about their conversation. At the end of the day they stop for dinner and, as the bread is broken, they realize that their companion is Jesus. Somehow, some way, in this action of Eucharist, we meet Jesus, our eyes are opened and we recognize his presence here with us. Yet every meal has that potential. Every time we break bread together, we can catch sight of Christ, present at our table. Jesus comes to us at every gathering. It is up to us to learn to see the signs, to hear his voice, to recognize those familiar actions, and remember. Your rushed dinner at the end of the day, your gathering with family and friends, your solitary breakfast before the dawn of another day, all of these moments sit on the edge of glory. We pray that God will open our eyes to see Jesus joining us at the table.
May you know Christ’s presence every time you break bread.
Week 5- Sunday
Accept these prayers and praises, Father, through Jesus Christ our great High Priest, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, your Church gives honor, glory, and worship, from generation to generation. AMEN.
(Eucharistic Prayer C pg. 372 BCP)
I’ve been watching Downton Abby and for Lady Mary, one of the main characters, having someone on her side makes all the difference. For her it is the defining characteristic as she judges her family, friends and suitors. We tend to divide the world into those who are for us or against us, those on our side and those who are not. The image of Jesus as our High Priest reminds us that the whole epic story of Jesus birth and death and resurrection tells us that Jesus is on our side. That God had chosen us, and will never abandon us and that the Holy Spirit is always with us. Communion, those humble elements of bread and wine, are symbols of God’s everlasting love for us. They tell us that God is on our side. The bread of life and the cup of salvation are in some why beyond our understanding Jesus present with us.
Jesus is on your side, always and forever. Amen.
Remembering now his work of redemption, and offering to you this sacrifice of thanksgiving.
“This sacrifice of thanksgiving” has always struck me as an odd phrase. The concepts of “sacrifice” and “thanksgiving” don’t really seem to connect with each other. “Sacrifice” brings visions of deprivation, and “thanksgiving” of abundance. So how do these connect? Why put deprivation and abundance together? We stand before the altar, offering ourselves to Jesus, offering our distracted thoughts, our tired bodies, our joys and struggles from the week past and the week ahead. We kneel there, watching for the time to get up, and delighting in the sun through the windows. We lay before him our thanks for it all, the hard and easy, the good and bad, the frightening and jubilant. We lay it before Christ, at the foot of the cross, at the altar of God, in thanks for it all.
Look around you, gather up your life, and give thanks for it all. Give thanks for the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.
Week 5- Tuesday
We celebrate his death and resurrection, as we await the day of his coming. (Eucharistic Prayer C pg. 371 BCP)
On many of the cathedrals in Europe there is a sculpture of the last judgment over the entryway door. Christ is enthroned in glory with the saved at his right hand and the damned at his left. It’s an image that haunted the whole western world, regardless of whether one has ever read the descriptions in scripture. We are as Flannery O’Conner put it “Christ-haunted,” or perhaps “fear-haunted.” The whole idea of Christ coming back leaves us with an uneasy dread. Yet that’s not how it was ever intended. Jesus’ return is to be a long-anticipated celebration, a party, a feast filled with food and friends, song and giddy delight. It’s the time when all the hurts are resolved and mended, when all the divisions are erased, when all the struggles and fears are swallowed up in laughter and dance. Every time we come to the communion table we are catching a glimpse of the party. God has cracked open the door so we can see what we are walking towards, and catch a whiff of the feast.
How do you imagine Jesus’ return? Lift that image to him and allow Jesus to reshape it.
Week 5- Wednesday
Lord God of our Fathers; God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Open our eyes to see your hand at work in the world about us. (Eucharistic Prayer C pg. 372 BCP)
Most priests amend this prayer to include the women: Sarah and Rebecca, Rachael and Leah. It’s good to include them, but I’m uncomfortable with including only pairs. I want to include a greater mix, I long to lift up Deborah the prophet, or Esther the Queen. I want to include all those unnamed ancestors that walked the path of God, all those ones who opened our eyes to the work of God in the world around us, in the glories of art and music and the mundane tasks of life. Martin Luther praised the task of changing a diaper, reminding us that we serve a child as Christ has served us. Laura Fanucci found the wonder of cleansing forgiveness in the act of doing the dishes. They speak of God’s hands at work in the world around us, in the acts of service to those we encounter. In the grace of a Medieval Cathedral or the delight of music, there are those who shine the light of love on the world we live in so that we can see God present with us.
Stop for a moment today and be aware of God at work in your world.
Week 5- Thursday
Deliver us from the presumption of coming to this Table for solace only, and not for strength; for pardon only, and not for renewal. (Eucharistic Prayer C pg. 372 BCP)
Some Sundays I barely make it to communion. There are weeks when everything piles up or goes wrong, and it is just too much. I drag myself in the door hoping for something, anything to keep me going through the next week. I’m only looking for solace and pardon and a bit of sustenance to keep me going. The wonder of this bread and wine, this time with God, is that it’s so much more. Like the “lammas bread” of J. R. R. Tolkien’s elves, a bite of it is enough to sustain me for the week—or beyond. It is strength for the journey, and renewal, enabling me to take the path head. The bread of the Last Supper carried Jesus through betrayal, and death, and on to resurrection. This bread can carry us, too, through whatever lies ahead, and on to our resurrection.
How does communion feed and sustain you?
Week 5- Friday
Let the grace of this Holy Communion make us one body, one spirit in Christ, that we may worthily serve the world in his name. (Eucharistic Prayer C pg. 372 BCP)
We live in a broken world. Complex and shattered, our world slogs on, spattered with the blood of innocents and the suffering of all persons, whether harmless or guilty. We gather to worship one who knows the whole of our deficits and the whole of our possibilities; we come before a crucified savior. Jesus gathers us here, knowing all this, and instead of shunning us, embraces us. We are made one—one with Christ, through his offering of himself on the cross. We are not alone. We are never abandoned. Instead we are declared worthy. We are declared beloved. We are made part of the crazy, wonderful entity we call the church, this body of Christ that extends around the globe, and across the street, and through times and ages. We are part of the restoration of this battered and broken universe. As Christ offered himself for our healing, so we can offer ourselves for the healing or our world—at least our small sliver of it. Glory to God in the highest!
How will you offer God’s healing to your little sliver of the world today?
Week 5- Saturday
Risen Lord, be known to us in the breaking of the Bread.
“When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.” Luke 24:30-31
In one of the post-resurrection stories in the Gospel of Luke, two friends are walking to Emmaus reflecting on the crucifixion of Jesus (Luke 24:13-35). They are mourning his death and wondering what will come next. They are joined by another person who questions them about their conversation. At the end of the day they stop for dinner and, as the bread is broken, they realize that their companion is Jesus. Somehow, some way, in this action of Eucharist, we meet Jesus, our eyes are opened and we recognize his presence here with us. Yet every meal has that potential. Every time we break bread together, we can catch sight of Christ, present at our table. Jesus comes to us at every gathering. It is up to us to learn to see the signs, to hear his voice, to recognize those familiar actions, and remember. Your rushed dinner at the end of the day, your gathering with family and friends, your solitary breakfast before the dawn of another day, all of these moments sit on the edge of glory. We pray that God will open our eyes to see Jesus joining us at the table.
May you know Christ’s presence every time you break bread.
Week 5- Sunday
Accept these prayers and praises, Father, through Jesus Christ our great High Priest, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, your Church gives honor, glory, and worship, from generation to generation. AMEN.
(Eucharistic Prayer C pg. 372 BCP)
I’ve been watching Downton Abby and for Lady Mary, one of the main characters, having someone on her side makes all the difference. For her it is the defining characteristic as she judges her family, friends and suitors. We tend to divide the world into those who are for us or against us, those on our side and those who are not. The image of Jesus as our High Priest reminds us that the whole epic story of Jesus birth and death and resurrection tells us that Jesus is on our side. That God had chosen us, and will never abandon us and that the Holy Spirit is always with us. Communion, those humble elements of bread and wine, are symbols of God’s everlasting love for us. They tell us that God is on our side. The bread of life and the cup of salvation are in some why beyond our understanding Jesus present with us.
Jesus is on your side, always and forever. Amen.
