We are the Body of Christ

Today’s article is adapted from Pastor Chad’s sermon on August 30th.

On Sunday, we celebrated communion together for the first time since March 8th. Like everything these days, it was anything but normal. Who would have known, when we reluctantly closed the building six months ago, that the world would change so drastically?

When we celebrate communion right, it should do two things. First, this meal of bread and wine grants us that forgiveness which God has already given. It is more than mere food or a simple reminder. It is Christ, fully present, given for you. You may have noticed that on Sunday one of the elements was missing. To be frank, CDC guidelines and other factors kept all of us from partaking in the wine. While the Lutheran Church has always advocated for the availability of both the bread and wine, God's mercy is still fully present when you can only have one part. The benefit is not restricted by our own human limitations. We can trust in God's power to be fully present in the bread or wine alone.  When allergies or dietary restrictions or the logistics of a drive-in worship service during an ongoing pandemic keep us from sharing in one part of the meal, God still feeds us. It may not be ideal. I know that for many of us it was quite strange to only share in the wafer. And yet, Christ is still present giving life and salvation to us all.

The second thing this meal does is to unify us as the Body of Christ. This is a meal we share together, after all. If it were simply about personal devotion, you could host a one-serving communion feast whenever you wanted. I suppose Christ’s mercy would still be present even then, but you shouldn’t have to pull this meal out of your own pantry. It shouldn’t be you who has to pick up a bottle of wine at the store or add a loaf of bread to your next grocery delivery, just to receive God’s mercy in this meal. This is a feast, with an open invitation for all to come and be fed.

When communion is brought to folks who are bound to their home or hospital bed, it is an extension of the meal we share together on Sunday morning. We can always do a better job to ensure that meal is, in fact, extended to those who need it. If you would like one of us pastors to bring the feast to you in these strange times, please let us know.

Communion done right is forgiveness freely and equally distributed. It unites us in our common need and sustains us with our common food. As the Apostle Paul says, we “are the Body of Christ and individually members of it.” We are fed so that we might feed others. We are forgiven so that we might bring forgiveness and salvation to a world in desperate need of Christ’s healing love. That is why we gather for communion as often as we can. I pray that this pandemic continues to cease, so that we have more and more opportunity to share this meal in health and grace.

Peace,       

Pastor Chad McKenna