Bread and Grape Juice

A friend of mine and I were having one of those conversations in a pub over a plate of cajun tater tots that unpacks a whole can of worms metaphorically speaking not to eat with the tots. (I assume the tots taste better than worms... but then again I've never tried worms)

The conversation began around the fact that the congregation I serve (www.OrchardsUMCVancouver.org) would be taking communion that Sunday. We talked a little about the method by which we distribute the elements, whether we use wine or grape juice. We discussed the big ol' italian loaves in DaVinci's last supper painting as contrasted with the unleavened bread they really ate and how My favorite communion bread all-be-it historically inaccurate is the Hawaiian sweet bread we used in the little church I attended while in Seminary in KY. All those incredibly meaningless things that Pastor's find them selves spending a lot of time dealing with, and congregations get their shorts in a bind over.

At one point in the conversation, it struck me as odd this ritual we share and participate in. What if James and John and Peter walked into the sanctuary at 11000 NE 4th Plain Rd in Vancouver , Washington that Sunday, just as we were all forming two lines to get a chunk of bread and dip it in the cup. Would they immediately recall Jesus' words of "do this in remembrance of me.." and know exactly what we were doing or would that look at us and say "What the hell ??......" After we made them feel appropriately uncomfortable for coming to church and being dressed far to casually and being unfamiliar with our liturgy (Just kidding - we're kinda a jeans, guitar and jimbay drum congregation) we would explain the principle of this liturgy of holy communion and its symbolism, and for those of us in the Wesleyan tradition we would throw the whole "means of grace" statements in that we carefully crafted for our ordination papers in the mix as well.

Would they then say "oh I get it!" or would we be met with statements like "how did the seder meal and the cup of Elijah turn into Hawaiian sweet bread and Welches grape juice?"

Not that I have anything against communion. I really believed the stuff about "means of Grace" that I put in my ordination papers (as well as the other stuff i said "yes" to when asked by the Bishop on behalf of our Conference) In fact it reassures me that God is able to use the Holy Spirit to impart grace and hope to us even if we maybe lost some of the original "flavor" of the celebration and tradition Jesus was building on with his friends in that upper room. Who would have thunk it???!!! God's grace and spirit could reach us even in the midst of our traditions and culture (Even the culture our church has created!).

I was at a seminar once where the presenter a very well respected theologian in our tradition spoke up because the liturgist leading communion at one of the worship services mis spoke the words and skipped a part of the liturgy and suggested we should do it again - kinda a do over so that God got a fair chance to bless the elements and impart grace (The irony isn't lost on me by the way). I was tempted to insist that we should also share the seder together if we were gonna' get nit picky (but I'm a scardy cat wuss so I didn't)

Although I have a very high view of communion and its place and meaning, I'm afraid I'm not ready to say that its sacredness is some how compromised by the liturgy or lack of it. In the same way I'm not ready to say that God's presence in our lives or gatherings is dependent on the correct ritual or liturgy. In fact the Hawaiian sweet bread and welches reminds me that God is at work today in my life and I believe even in our culture and communities, maybe in a whole new way to impart ageless truth, grace and hope. Maybe James John and Peter would lift a glass to that too

Hmmm.....