Sunday, July 22, 2007

Communion

Going up to our church`s Communion Table to receive the bread and wine I recently became aware of something I`d never noticed or thought of before, and I`ve have noticed it on each occasion since when our Minister is presiding.

When the bread is placed in my (and I guess everyone`s) hand, it seems to be placed firmly not on my fingers but pressed into the palm of my hand, and what struck me about it, is that that would have been the spot where nails were pierced though Jesus`s hands when he was nailed to the cross. It gives a real extra significance to the words of "the body of Christ, broken for you", and made receiving it a very moving experience.

I wonder if he does purposely place the bread there for that reason?

4 comments:

eija said...

My vague memory from a lutheran service is just that: The bread is placed firmly in the middle of one's palm. It's been a long time since I had communion in a lutheran church - I don't like the fact that they use real alcoholic wine there. It spoils the whole thing for me :(

In my church everyone breaks a bite of the one big bread themselves, it's a bit different and yet very strong experience, too: You, yourself, broke Jesus' body...

Dave said...

Without wanting to be pedantic, Christ's body wasn't broken on the cross - John makes a point that his legs weren't broken, because the sacrificial lamb must be unblemished, with no broken bones. Nowhere in the service book does it say 'the body of Christ broken for you' - this minister says 'given'.

And I certainly put the bread in the palms (where people offer me a palm) for the reason you say.

Ivy said...

Sorry for my misquote, Dave, I was thinking of the bread being broken. (Must put my mind in gear before typing!). Thanks for putting that straight.


I would think your way Eija gives a lot of meaning to the words of "...we are one body because we all share in one bread", doesn`t it?

Anonymous said...

Dave in Finland we use the word "murtaa" which is translated "to break" but it doesn't mean broken bones or things like that. It means something like "to take a piece of a shared thing" and on the other hand it can mean (eww this is difficult to explain - cultural and liguistic differences sure can be a pain!) that Christ was sort of broken on the cross - beaten up, shamed and then died. But no broken bones, no.

However yes, Ivy, the "one body" is one meaning for the custom.