June 1, 2014

          Once upon a time, there were two people, who were very much in love.   Unfortunately, their studies at college took them far apart, one studying on the East Coast and the other on the West Coast.  This was some time ago, before cell phones, computers and the internet, and even before regular telephones, which we now call “land lines.”   And so these young lovers had to take pen to paper and write one another.   Several times a week, they wrote out long letters, telling of their love for one another and how deeply they missed each other.   One day, in the middle of writing a letter, one of the young lovers mentioned how beautiful the full moon had been the night before, and how much he longed for the day when they would be able to enjoy the beauty of a full moon together.   On that same day, several thousand miles away, his beloved was also writing a letter, remarking how she thought as she looked at it, that hopefully, that day would come when they would be able to enjoy full moons forever, once they completed their studies.   The letters crossed in the mail and several days later, when each got the letter from their loved one, they both felt a rush of enthusiasm when they realized they had had the same idea and had each other in mind.

          Once upon a time, a young soldier was heading off to a land far away to serve the nation.   His teenage sister was very sad to see him go, fearful of the dangers that lay ahead.   On the night before the soldier left, he spent some time with his younger sister, trying to reassure her that he would be safe.   Handing her the keys to his prized convertible, the soldier asked his sister to take good care of his car, to enjoy using it while he was away, and to think of him, as he completed his tour of duty, whenever she drove the car.   “One last thing,” he said, “it’s yours to enjoy until I come back home!”

          Once upon a time, an aging couple made the hard decision that it was time to downsize and move into assisted living.   Gradually, over time, they parted with dear possessions, carefully thinking of who they would want to have what had become their treasures.    The hardest thing to part with was a prized loose leaf binder, which served as a cookbook, full of homemade recipes, of meals they had prepared and enjoyed over the years.   At last, the couple decided that a dear neighbor, who loved to cook and who had always enjoyed the meals she had had at their home, should be the one to receive this special treasure.    Over one of the final meals they would enjoy together in the couple’s home, they presented her with the prized broken binder, full of memories and recipes that generations had come to enjoy.   Tearfully accepting the prized gift, the neighbor promised to have them over for dinner sometime soon and to use some of their favorite recipes.

          These three stories, which could have come from any number of novels or movies that have been made over the years, were stories that came to my mind as I thought about some ways to explain what the sacrament of Holy Communion is about.   In all of them, people who love one another are apart or leaving.   It’s important to all those involved that they be remembered by others and that there be some every day item, in one story a full moon, in another a convertible, and in yet another, a set of prized recipes to make meals that others can enjoy, that serve as an ever present reminder of those not present.

          In our worship today, we remember Jesus in a special way, through the sacrament of Holy Communion.   Sacrament is a word we use in the church for something sacred.   In this sacred act, we remember Jesus by recreating the Last Supper he shared with his disciples.   We break bread and we share a cup.   And perhaps most importantly, we do this because Jesus tells us to do this, tells us in fact, that this is something we are called to do, “in remembrance of him.”

          Christians throughout the world and throughout time have heard that command and understood it in a variety of ways.   For some Christians, worship is not complete without Communion.   In our tradition, we share in this sacred ritual once a month.   I grew up in a church where Communion was celebrated four Sundays a year.

          In some Christian churches, it is critical that only those who understand and interpret what this meal is about in the same way or the right way, share in it.   Other traditions, like ours, respect a wide diversity of opinion and feeling about Communion.   Some traditions state very clearly that only those who share a certain understanding or theology are welcome to share, while in others, the table is wide open, to both believers and seekers.

          In some traditions, only the pastor or priest can handle the bread, distributing it carefully and prayerfully to those who come forward to receive, while in others, the bread and the cup are distributed widely and all are welcome to handle them as well as to receive them.   Some traditions use wafers, others one shared loaf, others carefully prepared cubes of bread.   Some churches have one shared cup, others offer individual cups.    And of course, in some churches, wine is used while in others grape juice is served.

          The critical thing is that, regardless of how or what type of bread is served, how it is broken and distributed, what kind of liquid is similarly served, as well as the important understandings as to who is permitted to serve or receive it, the critical thing is that we understand and respect these differences, but more importantly, honor that we are one in Jesus Christ.   This is Christ’s table to which we have been invited and to which we come, and that it is Jesus who we seek to remember and honor by sharing in this simple meal.

          The other thing that unites all Christians, despite our differing understandings about the meaning and purpose of this sacred meal, is that this is a time of sacred remembering and that we’re wise to come to it after some reflection and that we come prepared.    We come to this sacred table, called here by Christ himself, to remember: to remember his life and teachings; to remember his sacrifice and commitment, his willingness to be obedient unto God, even when that led to him being hung on a cross; and we remember his promise, that he will not eat of this sacred meal again until we can all eat the meal together in the kingdom of heaven.

          And as we come to this sacred table, we come as those who have prepared to meet Jesus here.   Preparation for receiving Communion involves a time of reflection on our lives as well as a time of confession.   We gather here, blessed by the grace that comes through sharing in a time of confession and acknowledging the forgiveness of sins we receive through the assurance of pardon.   Receiving Communion without a time of reflection and confession would be like voting in an election without knowing anything about any of the candidates or taking a multiple choice test by flipping a coin for the answers.

          Today, as we eat the bread and share the cup, we join with others who have longed for the simple elements of this symbolic meal.   We join with those who look toward this meal as distant lovers gaze on a full moon, knowing that another dear to their heart, also looks to the moon and remembers them.

          In this time of sacred remembering, we join with those who remember Jesus’ willingness to go ahead, to go alone, to face death and then to come back and assure us that he will someday show us the way.   And so, we join with those who drive their brother’s car down the highway on a spring day with the top down, glorying in the wonder of the day, and looking forward to that day, when another will return to take the wheel and lead us on to new adventures.

          As we gather about this sacred meal in our worship today, symbolically taking our places, we join with those who find hope and meaning in Jesus’ promise to someday host this meal and break the very bread we eat.   In the meantime, we look to the wonder of a new day, with the same caring and sensitivity of a person preparing a special meal for the one who has taught them how to serve others and who now takes their proper place at our table.

          This is indeed, above all things, a meal of sacred remembering.   Here, we remember One who loves us beyond our deserving.   Here, we join with others, who find our center in life and faith in the One beyond us and yet very near to us.   Like lovers, spread across a nation, who look at the same full moon in the heavens, so too do we, each from our own perspective and at our own place in life’s journey, look to the Savior we share in common and who calls us each “a beloved place.”  

          Come, let us break bread together.   Thanks be to God.  Amen.