I feel like today was a lost cause ... that I didn't accomplish much ... but then I sat down and thought my way through the day and did an inventory of all I did ... kids lunches first thing, trip to the library and post office, load of laundry, Rotary meeting, trip to bank, stop at newspaper office, short bike ride, kids to swimming lessons in Brandon, Ms. H home from Brandon for B-day party, longer bike ride, rewire two lamps, fix VCR, deal with backed up floor drain in basement ... and now I'm sitting at the computer ... along the way I also squeezed in a half dozen of so emails back and forth with the Laughing Pastor ... he and I may actually achieve this book idea ... and I got reaquainted with my digital camera ...It's been a pretty full day ... but over and over I've been reflecting on bread for some reason ... maybe I'm pining for my bread maker that has sat forlorn on the counter for too long ... the two batches of fresh Challah bread this past week being an exception ... but whatever it is, bread is foremost in my thinking of late ...
It may be connected to centrality Bread has had in my life's journey ... there are many stories of bread to share ... today The Laughing Pastor and I spoke of some ... perhaps in facing the uncertainty of what lies ahead, I am finding both comfort and inspiration in what lies behind ... revisiting the past to better prepare for the future ... taking time to let the transformation of the Resurrection take hold ...
Whatever the motivation, today I went back and revisited another blog I have dabbled with and decided to borrow from myself for a posting here ... It's piece I wrote for Worldwide Communion Sunday in the fall of 2005 - before the fire ... It was a beautiful morning, spent with the kids in the kitchen getting bread ready to carry upstairs for communion ... if I close my eyes I can still smell the fresh bread baking ... and hear the excited giggle of the wee ones waiting for the bisquits and bread they'd made to be done ...
It was a moment of time that still stands out for me ... it's what is really important. The posting that remembered it was called Breakin' Bread Jesus Style ... It's not plagarism if you borrow from yourself, even with out permission is it ???? :
Today we, like many other Congregations celebrated Communion for World Wide Communion Sunday. For us here in Minnedosa, what made the service different was what happened downstairs before we began the worship service.
For the last few months I have found myself leading the Sunday School from 10 am to 10:45 each Sunday. Lack of teachers has lead to this, but creativity has made it a workable solution.
Today we (that is the kids and I) spent the time in the kitchen. We put five loaves of dough into the ovens, rolled up our sleeves and made a big batch of biscuits, and had a lot of fun talking about what communion is.
Cookies and milk. Milky tea with Grandma. Kool aid under the tree in the back yard. Hot chocolate after sledding on a frosty winter afternoon. These were all moments of communion for my under 9 year old crowd ...
Then after 30 minutes, we carried two beautiful piping hot loaves of bread upstairs with a handful of fresh, steaming biscuits. With the juice, the chalices, a coffee mug and a water glass, the table was complete. We had six different varieties of bread (not an easy feat in a prairie town), and a assortment of symbols of "communion." All made ready by our children ...
When the big people broke bread (lovingly baked by the kids) and shared the cup, they were reminded that together WE are the Children of God - the WHOLE family of God ... all this surrounded by the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread !!!
In the midst of frustration and loneliness arising from feelings of alienation within this United Church of ours, I was blessed today to prepare, bake, and break bread with this precious community of faith ... for the moment, the caring and commitment to JUSTICE prevails, and the anger and silence and complacency of the greater church is held at bay, as we break bread, share the cup and remember that we are the Kingdom of God simply waiting to be ...
Today for a moment it seemed a step closer ...
May it be so ...
Bread takes time to prepare, and patience as it rises ... Butterflies emerge from a time of darkness in a cocoon ... Maybe there is a lesson in there for all of us ... in time transformation and change are not only possible - THEY ARE INEVITABLE !!!
That my friends is the power of the Resurrection !!
1 comment:
I've got the connection...as to why people thought you were me. This post sounds like me....to which my wife always responds (in a kind, loving way) "You are such a mush pot.
Mush pot: Loving, reflective, and sentimental
My wife and my best friend from Seminary tell me this all the time, yet they always add....that they admire my ability to remember and to express my life story with such passion.
Indeed, our connection and collaboration seems to be a good match!
Don't worry....I'm not stealing this story....I'll just enjoy it!
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