Tag: Lord

Taking Communion

I’ve been thinking about communion.

How the word itself is like an invitation. When whispered one might hear, “Come—union,” and then God is waiting there to meet us.

I am thinking about the thin, tasteless cracker and the small plastic cup. How we down it like a shot, licking purpled lips and coughing quick confessions. And God is still waiting. Come—have communion with me.

And I wonder, how it became this— our tasting of God a stale, small cracker, our life-water a one ounce cup? “I will hide you in the crevice of rock,” God said to Moses, “And show you my glory.” Moses understood true communion with God—meeting with him, yes. But wanting to see his glory! And God, our Father, the faithful and good, said, I will show you only my back, for you cannot look upon my face. God knew what was good for this part-time oracle. He knows what’s good for us. He intimately knows our every need, and how to reveal Himself to each and every personality.

So often we pass around a stale and over-used understanding of an infinite God. Have we lost the desire and passion of our predecessors to truly know God’s glory for ourselves? I challenge myself (and anyone who’s stuck around to read this) to ask! To ask a good God to reveal his glory and tell him you’re ready (who’s ever truly ready?), but at least willing to know Him as He wants to be known. Then get ready to taste and see a God beautiful and good as He so desires; get ready to leave behind your pre-packaged understanding. Take communion.

Changing Diapers

Do you understand what I have done to you?…If then, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet you ought to wash one another’s feet. John 13:13-14

I think sometimes we read this story and imagine Jesus bending down, rubbing off a little dust with a white cloth and some clean water.

Photo by Amanda Sinnen

I really don’t think we realize how humbling an act it really was. I’ve been at foot-washing ceremonies before, and while moving, they really don’t do justice to what is happening in this passage of John. In those times, people drug their feet through all sorts of dirt, droppings and otherwise. And washing them? The job of a servant.

Picture this—bending your face near to the stench of days of sweat, dust, and dung, using youe hands, a small basin—washing twelve grown men’s feet, making them clean.I think the cultural equivalent of Jesus’ act would have to be changing diapers, maybe worse!

What I see is this: Jesus didn’t just love in speech. He didn’t proclaim his affection in only words or ideals. He lived it. And we were never meant to love with only words. ( 1 John 3:18)

My question is this: are we willing, as Jesus was, to deal with the dirt of humanity? And as Walter Wangerin challenged me, I challenge you, “Change people’s diapers.”