They say that I can move the mountains, and send them falling to the sea...
They say that I can walk on water, if I would follow and believe...
With faith like a child.
- Jars of Clay, "Like a Child"
My daughter blows me away. She's smart - which is certainly great - but what floors me more than any fact she might know is that she has faith that I can't even touch.
She's Spirit-smart.
It's really thanks to her (and some lovingly persistent friends) that we've found a church that I think we'll be calling home. It's also thanks to Sarah that we remember to pray before meals, that we give most of our "Christmas gift budget" to Operation Christmas Child and the local S.P.C.A. and the city homeless shelter instead of to ourselves.
This Sunday, as we sat in church, preparing for Communion, Sarah seemed far away as our pastor spoke of the body of Christ, asking parents to be sure to help their children understand the significance of what we were about to do.
Sarah turned the communion wafer over and over in her hands while I tried to focus.
She tapped my arm, and showed me her wafer, which was split in half.
"It's OK," I whispered, thinking I wanted to avert a Great Communion Crisis. "Want to trade?"
"No," Sarah whispered insistently. "I broke it because that's what he said. The body is broken."
She pulled the pieces of her wafer apart.
"And because we believe, He becomes whole again. The more people believe, the more God's kingdom gets whole."
Then she pushed her wafer pieces back together, just in time to follow the pastor's leading to "take and eat together."
Maybe next month, he'll remind the kids to help their parents understand the meaning of what we're doing.
That is a lovely image - and so great that she understands so well the purpose of Communion. I spend a lot of time at church (I'm a choral scholar and a warden) and I sometimes have to remind myself not to let it become a habit. I'm sure I will remember this post when I take Communion this Sunday. A more prosaic question - it sounds like your system is a little different from ours. Does each person receive a wafer and wait until everyone is ready to eat it? We stand in a semi-circle or kneel at the altar, and receive first the Host and then the wine individually.
ReplyDeleteMay, I think you are so right - when it becomes a habit, it takes away the worshipfulness (is that a word) of it!
DeleteI've gone to several different churches with different systems. Here, we pass a plate of communion wafers, much like some churches might pass an offering plate down the row, and everyone takes one. While that's going on, the pastor is sharing on that topic. (And another plate with the individual cups of grape juice or wine is circulating too, and everyone takes one of those.)
So then the pastor expounds some more, and ends with "Take and eat together in remembrance of Him" or something to that effect, and all eat the Host together. I've done individual ones too, but at smaller churches - there are about 200 people in each service at this church, including in the balcony, and I can't imagine how that'd work logistically!
This is a beautiful testimony of Sarah's faith. I SO understand how you feel. I don't think I could have made it through the last few months without the faith of Keilee. I LOVE what Sarah said. What a beautiful soul she has.
ReplyDeleteWe are so blessed with these girls, aren't we? I know I've said it before and I know I'll say it again!
DeleteThrough the mouth of babes... God uses his little ones to teach us. :)
ReplyDeleteHe sure does, Tereza - and what a blessing!
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