COMMUNION

Matthew 26:27-28 - Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Again, we have the motif, the idea of consumption in the phrase ‘poured out,’ referencing Jesus’s blood. Spending one’s lifeblood on behalf of others and all. Together with the previous verse regarding Jesus’s body, these are the words of Institution of Holy Communion. Communion, a coming together.

Communion.

On this day in the Church calendar, we remember the trial and torture of Jesus. Tomorrow is Good Friday, the day on which he was crucified. Here in the US, we continue to crucify Jesus in many ways.

·         Jailing people of color at a higher rate than white people, which often has the effect of removing their right to vote.

·         We are witnessing the murder trial of the killer of George Floyd, but there are many such murders that have gone unpunished and unreported.

·         We have yet to treat women – of any color – as the equal of men.

·         We do not pay essential workers enough to live on.

·         Republican leadership is openly racist and anti-person. They’re more interested in businesses, forgetting that workers are the lifeblood of businesses.

·         There are over 250 bills being sponsored in multiple states restricting voting rights in response to Biden’s win. This affects minorities the most.

Communion?

I have heard a description of heaven and hell that applies here. Hell is a long banquet hall with fantastic food. However, the utensils are too long for people to use. Heaven, on the other hand is a long banquet hall with fantastic food. It has the same utensils too. The difference is that in heaven, people are feeding each other.

Communion.

A foretaste of heaven. Feeding each other. That image reminds me that communion requires vulnerability. The act of being fed requires vulnerability. Being fed by another person implies that we are dependent in some way. And we, Americans especially, don’t like being dependent. We ignore daily the myriad ways we are dependent on others and have been since the moment of our birth. Perhaps that’s why we have trouble with communion.

Communion.

When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we pray specifically that the Lord’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We are the ones tasked with doing God’s will on earth. Yet, we also pray that God’s kin-dom will come on earth as it is in heaven. Heaven is here, if we have eyes to see. If we’re willing to be vulnerable and be fed by others. If we’re willing to work for a world in which everyone – no exceptions – is cared for: housed, has enough to eat and drink, has access to healthcare – good quality healthcare, a job that interests them that pays enough to live on, enough free time to enjoy their life. A world, country, or even city in which citizens are cared for rather than sacrificed to the supply-side God of shareholder returns.

A world in which everyone is seen as Christ to everyone else.

Communion?

We don’t live in that world. Today is the day we set aside in our Church calendar to lament that sad fact. Christ was crucified about 2,000 years ago. We continue to crucify him today.

Sunday is beginning of the season of Easter. This Easter season, let’s work to resurrect the lives of those who are suffering around us, that they may be lived to the fullest. Let's work for a true communion.

B