Breaking bread

At dinner my two year old got down from her chair at dinner and came to my side of the table to give me a bite of her pumpkin bread. Except, she didn't just give me a piece, she tore one in half and said, "you eat this one mommy, and I eat this one." So, we shared a piece together. And I said, "hey that was like doing communion, did we just break bread together?" To which she responded (I'm sure she didn't understand what I said), "yep." Then I thought, wow, I never realized how intimate communion can be.

If you've spent some time attending a church you've most likely experienced the sacrament of communion, broken bread, the Eucharist, or the same thing called by some other name. Perhaps you went forward and dipped a piece of bread in juice or wine, or maybe you passed around some stale little crackers and juice. I've had it a number of ways including grapes (we didn't want to spill anything on our bridesmaid dresses) and animal crackers (college kids improvise). I've even participated in an underground church simulation where we shared communion in a tunnel that we snuck to in the dark. At our wedding we decided that if we were going to share communion that we would be offering it to everyone because, it's an invitation to share in the relationship with Christ.

Lately I've been thinking more about how people outside the church view some of our practices. When else do you share one piece of food with someone? Never if it's with a large group of people you may not know by name. (Cake doesn't count.) Friends do in a number of settings, but most often we offer people more of what we're having, rather than something we're eating off of. Would I ever give someone the last bite of my dessert? Sharing conveys closeness.

Here's something beautiful to think about: Communion is representative of that relationship with Jesus that is available to all of us. This relationship is intimate but oh so desperately needs to be shared. In sharing it we will more fully realize the significance of the gift. Communion is a celebration of grace and how much more can we celebrate when others are sharing in that grace with us!? What a delight it was to have my daughter share her meal with me, not so much because of the food given, but because her giving reveals her love. I want to love like this. The father has lavished this love on us. And Jesus? 'While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."' (Matthew 26:26)