A Word from Pastor Lisa: Re-member
“The elements and the meal are identified in different ways: the body of Christ, broken; the blood of Christ, shed; the Bread of heaven, the cup of salvation, the mystery of faith, the supper of the Lamb. But in every tradition I know, someone, at some point, says, 'Remember.' Remember how God became one of us? Remember how God ate with us and drank with us, laughed with us and cried with us? Remember how God suffered for us, and died for us, and gave his life for the life of the world? Remember? Remember?”
—Rachel Held Evans, Searching for Sunday
On Sunday we gathered with Christians from around the globe at the communion table to honor all that Jesus has done for us. Oftentimes we are divided and dismembered – one part of the Body of Christ cut off from another. We are broken and shattered. In that sacred meal, however, we recall what it means to be the whole family of God, and we re-member Christ’s Body, given for us all. We are recreated and put back together again.
That’s the hope, anyway. Every time I partake of the bread and the cup, I long to be transformed in how I treat my enemies, those in poverty, and those who disagree with me. If I’m being honest, it’s very easy to forget that meal and return to my old patterns of hating and hoarding.
I take comfort in the fact that the very first communion meal included one who would betray and another who would deny Jesus. Luke 22 and John 13 describe the scene: The impulse of evil enters Judas, and he betrays Jesus for money. Then Judas gathers with the other disciples around Jesus at the table, where they share the bread and cup. Jesus acknowledges that the one who betrays him is with him, and he still shares the meal. When Jesus prepares to leave, he turns to Simon Peter and predicts Peter’s three-fold denial in the coming hours. Then Jesus tells them he will not eat or drink again until the kingdom of God comes.
If Judas and Peter are included at the table, we can be reassured that we don’t have to have it all together to feast at the table of Jesus. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the broken and shattered pieces of our lives are made whole again. For Simon Peter, that redemption happens in this life when he becomes the rock upon which the church was built. Judas’ story, of course, has a tragic ending. I believe that by the grace of God, even Judas found wholeness again in the kingdom of God that is to come.
Several hundred years ago in Japan, a gorgeous technique emerged for repairing broken ceramics. Artists began using lacquer and gold pigment to put shattered pottery back together again, creating a new and sometimes more beautiful piece of art. The technique called kintsugi meaning “gold seams,” is still going strong today. Artists who specialize in this technique know how to take something that is broken and create a stunning new work of art.
This month as we reflect on generosity, my prayer is we will give thanks to God for the many communion meals where Jesus has welcomed us and performed kintsugi on our broken hearts, creating something beautifully new. Jesus breaks our patterns of hoarding, “shopper”tainment, and excess. He sees our comfy homes, our overflowing pantries, and bursting closets, and he beckons us to share with others in need. He points to our lovely church facility and reminds us it’s not ours alone. He takes what is necessary for living, not for betrayal or denial, and he splits it up among all people as they have need. In other words, Jesus re-members us as his Body until everyone has daily bread and his kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven.