Tuesday, December 4, 2007

thankfulness at the Communion table

So, as a seminary student, I spend time in a local church. Sometimes I do simple things like teach Confirmation class. Other times I deal with out of control 10-year-olds and try to keep them from killing each other. Other times I assist with worship ... Sunday was an assisting with worship day.

I have to say, it went pretty well. I sang the Kyrie (one of my favorite liturgical settings, Marty Haugen's Now the Feast and Celebration) though the accompanist played it a little slower than I would like, it went well (I don't normally sing in public mind you, especially not into a microphone as a solo). The service carried on and we got to Communion where I assisted by distributing the bread.

I've had a lot of experience assisting in communion and often I find it to be a meaningful experience. This time was no exception. As I walked around the altar sharing the bread, I noticed how different people reacted to receiving the bread. Some would look me in the eye as I shared the words "the body of Christ, broken for you" and I could see a little twinkle in their eye. Others would keep their heads bowed down, almost as if to say, "I'm not worthy of this gift." Still others had blank stares that made me wonder if they really find any meaning in the ritual of communion or if they simply do it because everyone else is.
I project these thoughts on these people because I myself have been in all of these positions at one time or another. Different seasons in life bring on different responses. But there was one response that I wasn't quite ready for ...
I approached a family and started handing the bread and I saw a 10 year old boy, one who was in that class that I had to keep from killing each other a few weeks back. When I handed him the bread, he said "Thank You" and my heart melted. What a wonderful response. Whether the response is to me or to Jesus, I don't know, but I stopped for a second to think that "Thank you" really is the correct response when we take Communion. We should be thankful for what Christ has done for us.
I've been thinking a lot lately about our reaction to God's gifts to us. I feel like often my reaction is not what it should be. It's not that it has to be complex, in most cases the simpler the response the better. Still, I seem to fail, because I fail to see the meaning in the simplicity. For me, this 10-year-old boy understood what I have spent a lifetime trying to understand ... that Christ gives us a gift at the Communion table and for that gift we should be thankful.