today was communion at my church. i love communion sabbaths, and i truly mean love. it’s not so much about the location but the time purposefully set aside to remember the amazing love of Jesus and the way that remembering happens. Adventists typically have communion once a quarter (not every saturday) and we include foot washing, also known as the “ordinance of humility.” i’m sure it was a much different ordinance back in the day when folks walked around in sandals on dirt roads but it’s still an act of humility especially when you’re washing the feet of a total stranger. and yes, i love the foot washing part, too.
when i was a little girl, ladies from our church made the communion bread at our house at least once. we weren’t allowed to take communion until we were baptized. i believe my parents felt it would be best for us to wait until we better understood what it all meant. knowing that we wouldn’t get a piece the following day, my older sister and i snuck into the kitchen and ate the burnt pieces, the pieces that wouldn’t possibly make the cut but were still so yummy…the pieces that surely wouldn’t condemn us to hell. we did feel slightly guilty, however, and confessed our guilt to our dad years later who told us that if it wasn’t yet blessed, we were good to go. what relief! we had merely eaten unleavened bread, not holy communion bread.
since then, i’ve definitely come to value this bread that’s been prayed over, set aside for a special time. it represents the body of Christ, broken for us. and the grape juice that represents Christ’s life, without which we can’t one day experience life eternal. and i’m thankful for the opportunity to reinforce my love, not only for Christ, but for my husband as i wash his feet.
as the grape juice was served today, i looked to my right and noticed a group of my students. one of the deacons (an undergrad) was serving his TA. i smiled inside. community grows in a variety of ways. i’m grateful ours can grow as we remember Christ’s death and find hope in his resurrection.
As we share in His suffering
We proclaim Christ will come again!
And we’ll join in the feast of heaven
Around the table of the King
