司祭　スコット　マーレー
The Rev. Scott Murrey

Sometimes (okay, most times) others say it much better. Recently I have taken to baking the communion bread for Sunday's eucharist. I'm trying in a small way to bring back some of the lost symbolism in our worship. Little tiny steps and turns along the way, and suddenly we find ourselves in worship services with no physical connection with ancient symbols. Baptism is no longer done as immersion, at best we now dribble water to “cleanse”. Red wine becomes white wine to keep the linens clean; or worse, it becomes grape juice. A modern reversal of the water to wine miracle! And our bread, as Randall Day writes so well below, that possiblity of real nutrition has become little wafers of pressed whatever.
Let us not foreget that our symbols are all we have to point us to the real power and grace which comes to us, that which we cannot do for ourselves. Today, when we receive the bread and drink the wine, let it be so.

 

Jesus Bread

Until recently, and the production and availability of “artisan” breads, the subject of bread was pretty boring ? except among a few people who have always liked making their own bread and enjoying the scents and satisfaction that goes with it.

Bread is basic. Even in an era of “reduced carbs” ? most of the world has some form of bread as a constant part of a daily diet.

And so Jesus speaks of being bread ? being basic to life. Substance for living.

Whether pita Jesus, foccacia Jesus, whole-grain Jesus, ciabatta Jesus, or semolina Jesus ? it is all about being fed. And there are a lot of ways in which Jesus comes to us and feeds us.

Jesus says he is living bread ? and that he brings life that will never die.

He helps us see that so much of what frightens us to death is scarcity ? not having enough of something that really matters. Jesus tells us we will always have what we need.

Randall Day