I had one of the most bizarre religious experiences of my life today. As I sat in District Assembly we were given communion. Now I love communion. I love the way we can gather together and drink from one cup, eat from one loaf, and know that while we each taste and experience God slightly differently in the end everything everyone ate came from the same source. I like that what we have together in communion was given to us by another person, even if it was just to put the wafers on the tray.
But the communion experience I had today was very different. I think I was the first human hands to touch this food in its’ entire existence. This communion came prepackaged with a measured amount of juice sealed into a plastic cup by foil. On top of that foil was a plastic sealed piece of bread. It was all hermetically sealed and individually processed.
But the communion experience I had today was very different. I think I was the first human hands to touch this food in its’ entire existence. This communion came prepackaged with a measured amount of juice sealed into a plastic cup by foil. On top of that foil was a plastic sealed piece of bread. It was all hermetically sealed and individually processed. I know I am old fashioned, but there is something disturbing about hearing “you may now remove the foil” and “open the plastic, take and eat” as part of the communion liturgy. I felt completely separated from all other believers as I had my own McMunnion. It was perfectly American, and to me it signified not only American consumerism, but also American Christianity’s individualism.
Instead of sharing from the same bread, the same Lord, we all have our own. Instead of receiving God from someone else, we open it up all by ourselves. We are reliant on no one for our communion, or our faith if the analogy holds. And what does it mean when the most important repeated ceremony in the Christian faith is fake? What does it mean when the juice and bread are artificial and fake in a ceremony we claim to be real?
It isn’t the end of the world by any means. But we need to think about what we are saying not just with our words, but with our actions and our priorities. If we are more interested in saving ten minutes and fifty cents than we are in making communion a meaningful experience that says something horrible about us and our faith. It says that the bottom line and convenience are more important than worshiping and serving God in meaningful ways. That is a scary concept, and it doesn’t come through just in communion. What we do, where we spend our money and our time scream out what we really believe is important, and whether our people realize it or not they’re learning from those things just as much as from our words.
Instead of sharing from the same bread, the same Lord, we all have our own. Instead of receiving God from someone else, we open it up all by ourselves. We are reliant on no one for our communion, or our faith if the analogy holds. And what does it mean when the most important repeated ceremony in the Christian faith is fake? What does it mean when the juice and bread are artificial and fake in a ceremony we claim to be real?
It isn’t the end of the world by any means. But we need to think about what we are saying not just with our words, but with our actions and our priorities. If we are more interested in saving ten minutes and fifty cents than we are in making communion a meaningful experience that says something horrible about us and our faith. It says that the bottom line and convenience are more important than worshiping and serving God in meaningful ways. That is a scary concept, and it doesn’t come through just in communion. What we do, where we spend our money and our time scream out what we really believe is important, and whether our people realize it or not they’re learning from those things just as much as from our words.
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