After taking the bread and giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup after the meal and said, “This cup is the new covenant by my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:19-20)
It’s Sunday morning. Possibly my favorite morning of the week.
Yes, it’s a rush. Yes, we get up early and after that it’s all “go” for several hours until Rebekah hugs the last person at the church door, and we drive home for a quiet lunch. And, yes, it’s hard work, and sometimes it’s exhausting, and always it’s intense.
But gathering together with our faith community is so exactly right, and fits so exactly with the fundamental “this is it!” of my raison d’être, that I’d walk to church in the pouring rain if I didn’t have any other way to get there.
THE BODY: And I’m not talking about just our church, WFPC; I’m talking about the soul level yearning for communion with God, and also the soul level yearning for communion with other beings of light (yes, that’s you) that draws me into community with other disciples.
There’s a lot of discussion about what’s wrong with The Church in America, and there’s certainly enough blame to go around. But all the abuses, all of the scandals, all of the harsh judgments, all of the betrayals, all of the instances of preachers breaking trust, fail to interrupt even a fraction of the flow of the ocean of God’s outpoured love, the exact reason God moved heaven and earth to provide the possibility of reconciliation.
SO COME ALREADY: If you’re interested in my opinion, here it is. I can’t imagine a better investment of your time and your soul this morning than taking yourself to church.
Here in Wake Forest we’ll be serving communion, sharing the bread and the cup, and celebrating the unconditional reconciling love that brings all of us together.
It’s what the church is intended to be; and it’s the only context from which we can all move forward.
In love, and because of love – DEREK