If I’m honest, this is what it comes down to for me: the eucharist. In fact, it is the thing that keeps me honest. At least, I hope that’s true. Yes, I love the music. Yes, I (usually) enjoy and get something important from the sermon. But it is this monthly bread and cup that fills me must fully.
I sometimes wonder why that is true, but then I realize — again — that the simplicity of it, the tactile nature of it, the liturgical framework for it and the act of doing it in the midst of my community are the things that matter, the things that make this particular part of our communal worship experience particularly valuable for me.
The longer I live, the more I understand and appreciate that we do not — we cannot — walk this road alone. Everything in our scripture, in our psychology textbooks, in our life experience, points us to the truth that we need one another to live life well. And that means we need one another to worship well, too.
And time is up . . . here’s what I love about 5 minute prompts, something I’d forgotten in the years since I stopped doing this each week: these prompts almost always get something going inside me that’s important and needs reflection, ‘chewing on.’ And this one is a biggy!
What about you??
I am so looking forward to reading your reflections on the 31 Days of Prompts, Diana! How timely it is that you would write about the Eucharist on World Communion Sunday. I must admit, coming from a worship tradition where the Eucharist was celebrated every Sunday, it took a long time for me to adjust to only being a part of this intimate and meaningful part of worship only once a month. But maybe those weeks in between only serve to make it that much more special.
Blessings to you!
Thanks for your faithful reading whenever I do one of these crazy everyday posting things, Martha! I would love to participate in the eucharist more frequently, but I am grateful for the first Sunday of each month. Just this past weekend, I had the privilege of assisting with communion, and, once again, we offered it by intinction. Every time I do that, I am moved to tears. Every.Time. Something about seeing the people of God in my community stretching out toward the back door, everyone waiting their turn to partake — just gets me, every time.
I once heard a speaker address communion as the act of communing; deliberate identification with our community and with our Lord. In my studies preparing for certification as a spiritual director, one of the most striking readings for me was about the Trinity. Even though it was spoken of all the time in my childhood church, that new focus on the triune relationship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit as a COMMUNITY was an exhilarating revelation!
I’ve loved that image of the Trinity as community, too, Donna. Love that icon, especially. Where did you do your training? Are you enjoying the work?
Love this so much, Diana. Communion has been my favorite act of worship for years. I feel like we should have communion every time there is a gathering of believers–where together we remember why we are here and how we are to live in this world. (Our internet has been unpredictable since power was restored and I catch only glimpses of what others have written, but I’m using the brief times I’m able to connect today to catch up a bit with some of what I’ve missed over the past month.)