Real Commun(ity)ion

So here’s the deal:

In prepping for a communion service last Sunday afternoon, I found myself googling for creative communion ideas. Seems wierd, does it not?  I mean, did Jesus ever mean for communion to be what it has become.  Is it just another service element to do in a culturally relevant way, making sure that each piece of the puzzle makes a meaningful whole.  Then, just maybe, people will look sombre or pious enough when they eat & drink.

Granted, different traditions have different ways of celebrating the Lord’s supper but i think most of us have lost the plot. I say this reservedly because I do not want to offend but I think we need to re-think some things:

Jesus took bread & broke it & shared the cup with his disciples: nothing out of the ordinary here really.   Probably a pretty standard meal. When Jesus talks of remembrance, He knows that these disciples will remember because they will break bread together soon and often. They will drink wine again together, also soon and many times after that. Jesus’ intention is not that we should set 2 Sunday services a month aside for communion but that we should remember and remember together.

I can see it know, as i type: Jesus has died. The disciples are meeting around a meal. They give thanks. There is laughing and maybe even a story or two of what the day held for this one or that one. Peter reaches over and picks up the bread. Having no bread knife, he breaks a piece off as is the custom. The chatter stops. The bread is passed around. One by one they take a piece, tearing it from the whole. They are hungry & this is why they are eating but now they stop to remember.

They remember His body. Broken. They remember the horror of it all: days seeming like months. They remember the pain of seeing his pain. They remember the lifeless bones taken down and laid in the tomb. They remember. They start talking about the resurrection, the empty tomb, seeing Him again in the upper room and on the road one night. They talk of the power at pentecost and the boldness and passion they now have. They talk about how it’s all worth it, even if being a follower of the way puts a target on their back. They remember together. They realise that they are joined, not just by their memories or shared love for a man, God, their saviour. They realise that because of him, they are family and that they can survive this life and be in this world but not of it because of him.

Then the cup comes. They take a sip to quench their thirst, to wash down the bread. This is no different to any other meal but again they remember.  In their mind’s eye rolls a reel of jumbled & horrific scenes of blood flowing: a crown of thorns, nails in hands and feet.  Blood.  Lots of it.  They realise that this blood, the blood that flowed so freely, symbolized by the cup raised to their lips, is the blood that cleanses them, sets them free.  The price is paid.  Freedom theirs.

And then we read of the early church in Acts who, under the powerful move of God’s Spirit, live boldly and proclaim truth without fear.  These warriors are also a community, doing life together and – surprise, surprise – they break bread together… in fact, they are devoted to it!  It is also not an insular activity but rather forms part of daily life.

So today, lying on the carpet in the interns’ office, Simon, Jen, Jacques, Greg and I broke bread together and drank from the cup.  We remembered.  We reflected.  We celebrated community.  We acknowledged that life with God and each other is intertwined and in the centre of it all stands the cross of Christ, continually reminding us of the price paid because we are loved.  Deeply.  Dearly.

I am challenged

BlackBerry Blogger

Today I discovered that WordPress have an application for Blackberry.

Decided to give it a spin. If it works, hopefully I’ll become a more significant member of the blogosphere.

This burden’s irony

I labour under a God-given burden from which I cannot escape.  To run is futile; God is everywhere.  To close my eyes and ignore the vision is impossible; it is etched on my heart.  To give up is unthinkable; my calling is too clear.

You see, today I feel the pressure of the overwhelming responsibility with which God has entrusted me weigh heavy on my shoulders.  It is not burdensome in the sense that I wish it away or grow bitter at its weight but it is a burden nonetheless.  I feel it always!  You see, God has given me the capacity to love young people.  It’s like this though: it isn’t a half-full, wishy washy, so-so capacity.  It is more like a full blown disease!  I feel their hurts and joys, their disappointments and desires and often lie awake at night praying for and worrying about them.

Today, though, it’s weighing particularly heavily: so much is going on and my “kids” (they call me the mother) are being exposed to so much soul destroying stuff out there that my mind is spinning as name after name comes to mind and face after face is projected on my mind’s eye.

Like the crush of a metal press, I feel it.  Like the pressure of a deep sea dive, i feel it.  Like the impact of a ten pound hammer, I feel it.  And I groan.

But I also sing.  I also rejoice.  I also revel in it.  Because this is who God has called me to be and this is what he wants me to do.  I don’t do it alone either.  He sees to that and that is a comfort.

So pray for me, that I would be a labourer under this burden who is worthy of the calling.  That I would make God proud and that I would always feel this burden weighing heavily on me.  Hold me accountable for what God has given me and when I take all this for granted, love me enough to rebuke me!

[[Eastside u*th: I love you guys!]]

A week away

It’s been good to reflect the last three days on the time a small team of young people and I spent in a small town in the Eastern Cape.  The trip to Uitenhage has left an indelible mark on my life in many respects.  Apart from the obvious joy of seeing kids come to Christ and the celebration that comes from seeing all our hard work come together, what stood out for me most was the impact that 13 teenagers had on my life.  Each one has left me with something that has enriched my journey with God – most of them probably without even knowing.

Mario’s deep desire to be who God wants him to be and his passion to see others know Christ motivates me to be a man after God’s heart and to share Him unashamedly.

Beth’s compassion and care for others and her ability to weather the storm have inspired me to care more about the “forgotten ones” and to press on despite the challenges.

Jean’s heart for the broken and unwavering faith have encouraged me to thirst more after God and to feel deeply again the pain of others.

Shereen’s gift for lighting up a room and taking initiative have persuaded me to be God’s joy in the room and to take action when I see a gap instead of just watching the gap.

Marcel’s faith in God and self confidence move me to have a more childlike faith and believe in who God has created and called me to be.

Kim’s commitment to the task and encouraging nature enthuse me to give my all for God and to to be a “gap-stander” (i made that word up – it’s someone who stands in the gap for peeps & encourages them when they can’t anymore).

Aubrey’s growth in God warms my heart and his servant heart moves me to want to do more for others, even if it makes me uncomfortable.

Robyn’s love for others and determination move me to go out of my way to let people know that they’re important to me.  She inspires me to give all of me to God and his things.

Nick’s resolve to overcome circumstances and friendly nature persuade me to check my attitude and stop moaning and groaning about stupid stuff but to celebrate ALL God has created me to be.

Chloe’s commitment to the truth and love for God push me toward a deeper regard for God’s word and what is right.

Malcolm’s resolve to become a man centered on God and his growing confidence in his own giftedness rekindles my passion for the transforming power of the gospel.

Grethe’s deep compassion for a hurting world and peaceful way have opened my eyes again to the pain in the world and how the only answer to that hurt is Christ.

Simon’s passion for God and spirit of encouragement have taught me what it really means to be a better brother in God’s family.

So, to these, I say thank you for touching my life and contributing to making what I do a real joy.  Watching the 13 of you serve this week has been astounding!  Strive after God’s BEST for your lives!

The Mother

That God-shaped hole

Just been so challenged lately to live passionately and drink deeply again from my cup: the one that God fills to overflowing, even in the presence of my enemies.

There’s a hole in all of us: it’s God-shaped.  Problem is, almost like the square peg in a round hole challenge faced by toddlers, we try and stuff all sorts of trash into that chasm only God can fill…

I need that heart-space filled with God: today and the days preceding this post have been a reminder of that.

So, yeah… I desire to drink deep, to have my fill and then some: to rage against mediocrity and settling for half-measures