The heritage of the table

The communion speaker spoke Sunday of the table's heritage in our lives, and its power to draw us into community if we let it.

I had to think back to the various scenes in my history with the communion table.  In my spiritual memoir, I write about the weekly Sunday morning ritual in my sleepy home town Hamlin, Tx.  The table was always covered with a sparkling white ironed cloth which the table director ceremoniously folded as the ritual began.  The servers (all men and always only men)dressed in suits and ties marched  down the aisles and lined up in front of the table with their hands crossed over their stomachs.  The grape juice and crackers were prayed over, generally with a doleful prayer emphasizing the death, blood, bones and burial of Jesus (but rarely the resurrection).  There was never a song during the ceremony--but maybe one before it started.  The whole ritual took about 10 minutes.  Each evening, the same thing was repeated for "those who were providentally hindered" from attending the morning service.

Then there were the communions at youth meetings, sometimes outside near a rough cross or around a campfire.  These were usually preceded by a homily noting that we should "search our minds to see if we were worthy to partake"--I don't think that was in the Christ-instituted one.

At Otter Creek, communion was often served on Wednesday night during vespers.  The setting was candle-lit and often served by a woman or a woman and a man, with the communicants coming forward to the table which featured wine and unleavened bread.  The screens were often filled with beautiful Renaissance art.

At Highland, we sometimes ask the whole congregation to come forward on a Sunday morning.  Songs are included before, during and after the ritual.  It is truly a time of bonding, because we get to see more of our community than the back of their heads.
On other Sundays, men, woman and children often serve the church down the aisles.  Again in other Sundays, members gather in small groups in the corners of the sanctuary to partake very personally in
scenes which look very much like a family meal.

All this to say, I have experienced many kinds of communions.  I believe they all have their place and are blessed by God. 

I am thankful that I have a Maker who not only desires that I have communion with Him, but who also desires that his children come together as a family for the remembering.

The Magical Universe

"The universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper."

It is so easy to miss things as we go through our days--so easy to miss some of the gifts of God strewn upon our way, as the song says.  For example, as a new season is turning here, it is easy to miss the first few signs of that--leaves slowly floating downward to the ground, a slight breeze from the north, the earlier darkening of the day...but, yet, it is fall here in Texas.  Currently at 3:13 p. m. it is 88 degrees and was 56 this morning!  So different from 110 and 78.  Who knew that it would finally get cooler and we could rejoice at God's universal order? 

Maddie has her first braces--Brandon's facebook has a neat picture.  But I didn't know that they made braces in shapes until Maddie came by yesterday and showed me her heart-shaped metals.  So cute!  And magical.  We have come a long way from George Washington's horse's teeth to heart-shaped braces.

I spent almost 2 hrs. this morning being examined and grilled by a new doctor.  I was so impressed!  She let nothing slip by, and she was quick to offer solutions to small problems that had been bothering me.  I highly recommend a woman doctor for women.  They empathize so much more readily--magical.

It was a glorious time Sunday as our church came forward to be served communion.  I was fortunate enough to be one of the servers--such a blessing to look into the eyes and touch the shoulders of so many I love and so many I do not yet know.  One of the eye-opening things was our company of really tall men college students.  I had a hard time looking them in the eye without hurting my neck.  There were so many good-looking men and beautiful college women.  It was truly a commnuity-building event for me, and I hope for others.  When we do something like we did on Sunday, it always makes me wonder why we don't have more "innovative" approaches to communion.  It was definitely not the "let's see how fast we can get this done" approach in the early days of the church, nor was it the "let's sit in rows in front of one another , and get a guy to start the elements down the aisle." approach.  It was a sitting around a common table or rock and really remembering the man who had not been gone too long with bread and wine.
In short, it was magical.