christianity

To Make a Difference

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About six weeks ago, I was on vacation in our neighboring state of Wisconsin. I entered into a conversation with an older woman whom I did not know. She asked me where I was from, and I told her “White Bear Lake, Minnesota.” She replied that she had only been to White Bear Lake one time, but that she really liked it. She said that she especially appreciated that somehow we had managed to keep (and these are her words) “the negroes and the Jews out of town.”

As you may imagine, I was a bit taken aback by her words. I didn’t quite know what to say, but not wanting to make the situation even more uncomfortable, I mumbled something lame to the effect that we actually have folks of all stripes in our community and, by golly, we do have a lovely lake.

Since that time, however, I have been internally dealing with the shame I feel regarding my response to this woman’s blatantly racist and anti-semitic statement. Why wasn’t I more bold in expressing my disdain for her words? Why did I, in that moment, choose to respond politely rather than courageously?

We are living in immensely challenging times. On a daily basis, words are being spoken and actions are being taken that directly confront our understanding of what it means to be an American, what this country is all about, even what human decency looks like. It seems to me that there is an assault on the values that followers of Jesus espouse: truth, justice, mercy, compassion, kindness. I don’t know, maybe the attack on these basic Christian values has always been there, just underneath the surface, but my goodness, lately the intensity of the assault has become red hot.

Now, listen, I have been a priest in the church for a long time.  We have folks here at St. John’s who are on all sides of the political spectrum. Our community has people who have opinions about all sorts of things. It’s part of my job to keep the whole kit and caboodle from flying apart. So I know how important tact can be. I know that it’s sometimes the wisest thing to just stay silent and walk away. But I also know that there are other times when truthful words need to be spoken and bold deeds of peace and love need to be taken. And speaking those words and doing those deeds takes guts. 

Jane Goodall, the renowned British primatologist, ethologist, and anthropologist, who died recently once said,  “what you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” One of the reasons why I continue to be part of the Christian clan is that I believe that the Way of Jesus is a way to make a good difference in this world.  What we say and what we do matters. Together, we have immense power to do much good, to really lean into what we believe about the Kingdom of God.  But to do that, to truly live into the Way of Jesus, we need to be courageous.

So,  I exhort you to be kind but courageous, civil but truthful, friendly but people of integrity. I wish I could go back two weeks and respond differently to that woman whose perception of what we folks here in White Bear Lake are all about. If I could have a do-over, I would inform that woman that in this town, we do, indeed, have a lovely lake, but that we also strive for justice and peace for Jews, for African Americans, for women, for LGBTQ folk, and for all people. I would kindly but directly tell that woman that here in White Bear Lake, we respect the dignity of every human being.

~Art

Being Good, Seeing Good, Doing Good

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The book of Genesis gives us a number of helpful truths about the nature of human beings and our relationship with the rest of creation.  Among those truths are: 

(1) God’s creation is good. 

(2) Human beings are part of that creation and are, first and foremost, good. 

(3) Human beings are given the special job of good stewardship over the rest of creation.

And yet, much of the time, we human beings behave very badly.  Despite overwhelming evidence by nearly all experts in the matter that existential changes are happening in earth’s climate and that those changes are occurring as a result of human activity, many of us resist repenting of our bad behavior.  And many of our leaders resist making the politically unpopular yet clearly necessary decisions to protect the natural world (including us human beings). It can be so discouraging, so disheartening.  

Sometimes, however, we humans do see clearly, accept our call to be good stewards, and actually commit to doing the right thing. Yesterday, (Wednesday, July 23rd) was one of those days.  

In a unanimous decision, the United Nations’ highest court, the International Court of Justice, told wealthy countries they must comply with their international commitments to curb pollution or risk having to pay compensation to nations hard hit by climate change. In an opinion hailed by small island states who are already being hit hard by the changes to our climate, the International Court of Justice said countries must address the “urgent and existential threat” of climate change.

“States must cooperate to achieve concrete emission reduction targets,” Judge Yuji Iwasawa said, adding that failure by countries to comply with the “stringent obligations” placed on them by climate treaties was a breach of international law. The court further said countries were also responsible for the actions of companies under their jurisdiction or control.  Failure to rein in fossil fuel production and subsidies could result in “full reparations to injured states in the form of restitution, compensation and satisfaction.”

From the perspective of one who takes seriously the call of God upon human beings to be good stewards of creation, this judgment is a positive step forward.  It is a recognition that we have behaved poorly and a declaration of repentance. 

There is a difference, however, in seeing the right thing and actually doing the right thing. God commands us to not only see the Way of Love, but also to walk the Way of Love. And as Jesus shows us with his life, walking the Way of Love is almost always hard, and usually requires significant sacrifice.

God has done the work of creating us good.  The International Court of Justice has done the work of seeing good.  Now it’s up to each and all of us to engage the hard part… living more simply and less selfishly, loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

May our being, our seeing and our doing be aligned with God’s Way of Love.

~Art

The Unsnuffable Song

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We are living through some tumultuous times. The changes being made by the new presidential administration are being heartily embraced by some and firmly resisted by others, leading to much conflict. This nation’s relationship to other nations in the world seems to have made a significant shift in a new direction. The political strife that we experienced last year during the runup to the election and which many of us had hoped would lighten up this year, just isn’t.  The markets are responding negatively; the stock market is topsy-turvy. As a nation, we are more divided than ever, and it appears we are becoming intensely so with each passing day. 

Wars continue throughout the earth.  While Gaza and Ukraine are on most of our radars, the Geneva Academy cites many more: 6 armed conflicts in Latin America, 7 in Europe, 21 in Asia, 35 in Africa, 45 in the Middle East.  All of this is on top of other huge issues of concern like climate change that fundamentally threatens the very existence of our species and many other on this earth.  And all of this is on top of the personal issues of concern with our families and communities. It’s a lot. Many, many of us are walking around in somewhat of a daze: overwhelmed, anxious, traumatized. If that’s what you’ve been feeling, you’re not alone.

Part of my job as a priest is to try to help folks find the promised peace of God in the midst of tumultuous days. That peace is like a song of love and goodness that has been flowing throughout God’s creation forever. The song is being sung through the first tiny spring flowers that pop up in the most unexpected of places as well as in the oldest of trees that defiantly stand through the cold winter winds.  You can hear the song being sung by the rivers on the North Shore that are raging and crashing beneath thick layers of ice, and I hear it too being sung, much more gently by our own White Bear Lake as I walk by it in the morning. The song is beautiful and, if we still our hearts and minds and lives long enough, we hear it everywhere.

And that song, that song of love and goodness, it’s being sung in us as well. There are all sorts of other noises that are clashing and banging in our lives that may be drowning it out, but the song is there in all of us, nonetheless, waiting to be heard, and waiting to be joined.  You see, our work as human beings isn’t to write the song or even to know all the words. Our work is simply to find the rhythm and get in tune with the song of love and goodness that is already being sung throughout all of creation. 

We get in tune in all sorts of ways, by contemplation, by reading the Bible, by getting out into the natural world, by conversing with others in healthy ways, through engaging in acts of goodness and helpfulness. And we get in tune by coming together, week after week, to share in fellowship and education and service. 

So, if today you are feeling somewhat overwhelmed, anxious, frightened about the affairs of the world or the concerns of your own lovely little life. If today you feel as if you can’t quite muster the energy to join in the song of love and life and goodness.  Take heart. The song will continue to be sung. It cannot be silenced.  And it will be there, sung by others, until we’re able to find ourselves, get in tune and rhythm, and once again start singing as well. So today, take heart, be at peace, do what you can to be loving and good, and listen deeply for the song that cannot be snuffed.

~Art

God’s Tribe: Neither Orange Nor Black

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When I was in elementary school, I was on the black team. You see, it was the practice that, when a child entered the school, they were placed on either the black team or the orange team.  Every child stayed on that team for the entire time that they were at the school.  So, I was on the black team for nine years, from kindergarten to eighth grade. Over the course of a given year, there were numerous athletic and academic competitions pitting the black team against the orange team.  Points were tallied over the course of the year, and flying beneath the American flag on the school flagpole was an orange or a black flag, indicating whichever team was ahead on points. Toward the end of the year, there was a grand athletic field day at which the black team and the orange team competed fiercely against one another. On the last day of school, all points were tallied and one team or the other was declared victorious.

As I look back on those years, I do so with some fondness, but also with concern. I have no doubt that the ones who designed the program did so with the intent of teaching healthy competition and cooperation in a spirit of fun. I believe they achieved their goals but unfortunately, with some unintended consequences. As I reflect on my elementary years, almost all of my friends happened to be on the black team, the same one as I.  How many friendships, I wonder, did I miss out on because I was placed on a different team?  Further, I believe that the system promulgated an “us versus them” mentality with which I have had to contend my entire life. Finally, the black versus orange program that was promoted so heavily in those early years contributed to an unhealthy absorption of the philosophy that competition was to be valued more highly than cooperation and that winning was the ultimate goal. 

If the black versus orange, us versus them, competition versus cooperation way of life were reserved only for our elementary years, that would be lamentable but not tragic.  Because, however, such ways of thinking, acting, and being have infused almost all of our adult human lives, it is nothing short of catastrophic. 

Tribalism is nothing new, of course. It features prominently in all of human history, may be found throughout the entire Bible, and continues in our own lives. The smallest tribal unit would be a biological family, but tribes are also formed on the basis of geographical, racial, economic, and political distinctions as well.  Undeniably, tribalism affords many real benefits for those in the tribe. Protection, emotional support, economic well-being are among many other benefits of being a member of the tribe. But at what cost?

An us versus them way of being almost always leads to violence. The Hebrew Bible is filled with stories of tribalism, and indeed, the ancient Israelites developed a theology based on it. They fervently believed that the God of the universe had chosen them to be God’s special people.  Whoever got in the way was to be opposed if not destroyed. There were certainly occasions when the Hebrew people repented of this fundamentally flawed notion, but even in our own day, we bear witness to the fact that tribalism is alive and well, in the nation of Israel, in our own nation, and in most nations of the world. The impact of rampant tribalism has led to immense suffering, fear, and death. Truly tragic.

While Jesus was born a Jew and, as such, was subject to tribalistic ways of thinking and being, his teachings clearly present a different way. In so many ways, Jesus teaches that the Kingdom of God is neither male nor female, neither Jew nor Gentile, neither rich nor poor, neither us nor them.  Jesus teaches that God is with all and for all, and love is the glue that holds the tribe together. When his disciples are concerned that a certain group of people not associated with Jesus were doing healing works in Jesus’ name, Jesus tells his disciples not to stop them, instructing, “whoever is not against us is for us. (Mark 9:40).” The apostle Paul, echoing the teachings of Jesus, proclaims, “there is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).”  In other words, all are part of God’s tribe.  All are brothers and sisters, created in love, created for love.  

In the eyes and heart of God, Israel is not first, nor Palestine.  Democrat is not first, nor Republican.  America is not first, nor China.  Christian is not first, nor atheist. All are brothers and sisters.  The holy tribe of God: neither orange nor black.

~Father Art

Finding Ourselves Once Again

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There have been extended periods over the course of the last several years when I have felt disoriented.  Not physically disoriented so much as psychologically, emotionally, even spiritually.  It is the same sort of feeling that I have had when lost in a large city.  Amidst all the noise and commotion, I have found it hard to think. I’ve felt frightened, discouraged, lonely, even sad. 

Perhaps, my current sense of disorientation has resulted from the political chaos in our country.  Perhaps I have felt so turned around because the natural world that I love so much is in such crisis. Maybe I’ve absorbed too much of the legitimate life angst and worry from friends, family, and parishioners. Regardless of the cause, I’ve felt out of sorts, lost.  In the midst of all of this disorientation, I have found myself praying, “Who am I God?” and “Who are you?”.

I wonder if these soul-wrenching prayers of the lost are similar to those prayed by the ancient Israelites in their Babylonian exile. You see, in 587 B.C.E., the Babylonians forced many of the Jewish leaders from their home in Jerusalem into exile. This was such a blow, and the ancient Israelites were forced to reevaluate many of their beliefs about who their God was and what faithfulness to this God looked like. Eventually, the Jewish people were allowed to return to their homeland, and they did so with renewed commitment and a more evolved understanding of their identity as God’s people.

As challenging as this current period of time is, it affords us the opportunity to take stock of who we really believe God is, and by corollary, who we are as well. Is God truly a God of love, and if so, what does it mean for us, as God’s people, to reflect that love in our lives? Is it really true that God cares deeply for the poor, the marginalized, the dispossessed, the outcast, the foreigner?  If so, what does our understanding of who God cares about affect who we care about?  Is it true that God continues to work for justice and peace in the world, and if so, in what ways are we doing the same? If we have a confused notion of who God is, then our understanding of who we are will be distorted as well. 

In the Gospel of John, there’s an account of Jesus speaking to his disciples, giving them a particularly challenging set of teachings.  Upon hearing his words, the Bible says that “many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’… From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” Specifically addressing the twelve apostles, Jesus asks, “You do not want to leave too, do you?” To this, Peter answers, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:60-69)

Peter may have been disoriented about many things, but what he did understand was that Jesus held the key to Peter finding his way again.  Peter recommits to listening closely to the words of Jesus and to faithfully doing what Jesus asked him to do. Peter recommits to watching carefully the actions of Jesus and to imitating those same actions with his own life.

These are, indeed, challenging days for many of us. And yet, it is often when things are most difficult that we are given the best opportunity to evaluate what we really believe and whom we really choose to follow with our lives. Perhaps, these are times when we should reread the teachings of Jesus and recommit to radical lives of love.  By listening to Jesus, by repenting of ways in which our lives are not in accordance with the ways of Jesus, by committing ourselves once again to the Way of Love, and by walking that Way with humility and courage, we will return from our dark and lonely exile and find ourselves once again.

~Father Art

It Matters

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2024 was a chaotic and emotionally challenging year for so many of us in this nation. Being an election year, Americans were subjected to a constant onslaught of campaign speeches and interviews and rallies.  We elected a new president and other leaders in November, and many of us, perhaps most of us, were rather excited at the prospect of saying goodbye to 2024.  

2025, however, has started off just as chaotic and challenging. Despite who you support and where your political leanings may lie, the size and speed of the recent changes to our government has been overwhelming. It’s been hard to keep up with it all, and even well- meaning, good-hearted, community-minded folks have been tempted to just check out until the dust settles.

But we can’t do that because here’s the thing… the Way of Jesus is about love, and love almost always involves staying engaged.  Jesus’ teachings are adamant that truth and justice and compassion and mercy must be not only part of the conversation, but indeed, at the core of our behavior with and toward each other as well. If we, as God’s people, are not asking questions about whether our words, actions, and yes, policies are grounded in love, then we’re missing the point of Jesus’ teachings.  If we, who proclaim love for God are not advocating for and with the most vulnerable, then really, who will? We’ve got to stay in the game and do what we may to ensure truth and justice and real, authentic liberty, especially for the least among us.  We’ve got to keep stepping up to the plate and giving it our best.

On February 12, 1909, that’s what a group of folks did.  They stepped up to the plate.  They stood up for justice and peace and fairness and liberty for all.  They put their skin in the game. On this day in 1909, the NAACP was founded. It was an  interracial American organization created to work for the abolition of segregation and discrimination in housing, education, employment, voting, and transportation. As chaotic and challenging as their days were, those men and women stuck their necks out to oppose racism and ensure African Americans their constitutional rights. It wasn’t perfect.  There were and continue to be lots of ups and downs and plenty of mistakes. But over one hundred years later, these folks are still in the game, doing their best, to make the world a better place.

Now, I know most of you at St. John’s, and I know many of you rather well.  I think that part of the reason that you remain engaged in the work of the church is because you want to make the world a better place.  I truly am so grateful for your good hearts and willing spirits. But here’s the hard truth: the Way of Love is hard work. And it’s never over. And it’s never perfect. And it’s exhausting. And you and I will go to our graves with the job only partially completed.

My friends, the Way of Love that we are walking together may seem small and innocent.  You may feel that what you do as an ambassador for Christ makes no difference.  The work of Jesus that we do together may appear to others as naive or irrelevant. It’s true that you and I perhaps can’t do a whole lot about so much of what is going on in our nation and world right now. All of that is true.

But don’t let that keep you from faithfully walking the Way of Love. By continuing to show up and evaluate what is going on by filtering it through the lens of love, you are doing your part.  By continuing to show up and do whatever you can to be part of a just solution, you are doing your part.  By continuing to show up and stay in the game like those folks who founded the NAACP, you are doing your part.  By continuing to show up, our souls truly are nourished, and maybe, just maybe, the soul of this soul-sick world might become just a little better too.  I know you’re tired, but stay in the game.  Continue to show up.  Continue to speak up.  Continue to do your part for the cause of Love.  It matters.

~Father Art

Sufficient Unity

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This past Tuesday, a National Prayer Service was held at Washington National Cathedral.  The service of worship was attended by leaders of many faith traditions, newly elected leaders of our nation, and others.  Our freshly inaugurated President and Vice-President were present. Bishop Mariann Budde was the preacher for the occasion and used the opportunity to address the need for unity in our nation. Using Jesus’ well-known parable that contrasts a house built on rock with that built on sand, Bishop Budde exhorted those present and, by extension, all of us, to do our part to work toward unity.

Bishop Budde stated that people of faith are not so naive as to think that unity is the same as uniformity. In a nation as diverse as the United States, it is to be expected that there will be differences of opinion on all manner of things. Indeed, the whole notion of democracy is that positive solutions to great challenges are discovered when we engage, dialogue, disagree, debate, compromise, and negotiate. It’s a slow, arduous process.  It’s a lot of work. 

Can we not, Bishop Budde asked, strive for a sufficient unity, one that will propel us forward as a nation, one that will afford all people the opportunity to live abundantly?  And can we not build this sufficient unity by respecting the dignity of every human being, speaking the truth in love, and finding some humility in our walk with each other and with God?

In the aftermath of the prayer service, Bishop Budde’s sermon went viral. Many acclaimed her courage in “taking it to the president.” Many others condemned her words, chastising her for having the audacity to confront President Trump in a sacred space and sacred service of worship. One Congressional Representative actually called upon Bishop Budde to be “added to the deportation list” for her words.  

Apparently, President Trump was not positively moved by her sermon either. On Truth Social, President Trump remarked, “Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!” 

My goodness. 

My own reaction to the sermon was that Bishop Budde did what all Christians are called upon to do: to speak the truth as she understands the truth. She was asked to preach, and she preached about a God of love who desires abundance of life for all people: democrats and republicans and independents, citizens and non-citizens, documented and undocumented, people who are straight, gay and trans.  Bishop Budde spoke of a God who calls upon humans to do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with each other and with God. She challenged all of us, including those newly elected, to be people of integrity, matching our prayers with our actions. And finding herself under the same roof as the most powerful human on the face of the earth, Bishop Budde used the occasion to ask President Trump to consider mercy when making the difficult decisions required of his office. 

I found her words to be squarely in line with all the words and actions of Jesus. Quite frankly, I found nothing that she said to be radical at all, at least not radical if one identifies as a Christian. I find myself in complete agreement with the one who commented, “If you’re a Christian and what Bishop Mariann Budde said offended you, then Christ isn’t the one you’re following.” I stand resolutely and humbly beside Mariann, my sister in Christ. 

My siblings in Christ, if we are to find a sufficient unity to hold our families, our faith communities, our nation and our world together, it seems that it’s not too much to ask that we heed the words of Bishop Budde:

to respect the dignity of every human being 

to speak truth, as we understand the truth, to one another

to find some humility in our walk with each other and with God

May God give us the grace to witness to Christ’s sacrificial love for the whole world, striving for a sufficient unity in both our words and actions. 

~Father Art

Thoughts about the Common Cup

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Last week, I wrote a piece about the Holy Eucharist, and I mentioned that we will be going back to the sole use of the Common Cup at St. John’s rather than using the personal communion cups that has been our practice since the time of covid.  A fellow diocesan priest was helping her congregation make sense of the same decision and wrote a fine piece on the matter.  Drawing from her thoughts, I offer the following…

As you know, the Covid-19 pandemic changed life. It changed the way we think and interact. We put on masks and moved to safe distances from each other.  Here at St. John’s, we began the practice of meeting primarily online. Covid changed the way we worship as well, including the practice of using personal communion cups.  I remain so proud of the way all of you adapted to the new circumstances and embraced new ways of doing things.

Back in 2022, Bishop Loya wrote, “Congregations are strongly encouraged to return to the fullness of our church’s sacramental life and practice without restrictions. This includes reintroducing the common cup at Eucharist, which is an important part of our theology and practice”. I have been slow to return our parish to the use of the common cup because so many of you took great risk and manifested such loving flexibility when we first introduced using the personal communion cups.  I have felt that it wasn’t really fair to ask you to switch back so quickly. Indeed, not everything can or should go back to the way it used to be. Livestreaming our services of worship and using Google Meet for many of our meetings, for example, are here to stay. Through our shared pandemic experience, we discovered resilience and flexibility that had not been previously tested. I don’t want us to lose that.

The Episcopal church is sometimes described as a 3 legged stool – a church balanced on the equally important legs of scripture, tradition and reason. During the pandemic, particularly before we fully understood how COVID spread, reason (and compassion) demanded that we adjust our traditions, first away from having physical communion at all, and then avoiding the common cup. Reason, however, no longer justifies that decision.

A large literature review on Eucharistic practices published by the National Institute of Health in 2020 concludes that in the long history of communities sharing the Common Cup – a worldwide practice – “the transmission of any infectious disease has never been documented.”  No community viral outbreaks, including COVID, have ever been traced back to the sharing of the Common Cup, nor have researchers ever found enough infectious material in the Chalice (at the end of a service) to allow for infectious transmission. Intinction (dipping the bread in the wine) is actually more likely to cause disease transmission than drinking from the common cup. 

According to the Rt. Rev. John Baycroft, former Bishop of Ottawa described the central role of the Common Cup to our heritage: “The cup is also important. Jesus took one cup and gave it to all of his disciples to drink. Perhaps it was the cup of Elijah from the Passover ritual as some people say, but it was certainly a single cup. He did not merely pour wine into the disciples’ individual cups and tell them to take a drink. There is a powerful challenge in this one. We are reminded of the agonizing decision that faced Jesus when he was praying before the crucifixion: ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. (Matthew 26:39). …. We are also reminded by the one cup that we cannot drink it alone. We drink from a common cup as a strong symbol of unity and our willingness to accept each other. We share our love and lives as we share the cup. The implications for this for fellowship and support in the local church, for relationships between rich and poor in communities and nations, and for justice between North and South and first world and [third] world countries are enormous. The cup of love and unity is unavoidably a cup of sacrifice.” 

Theologically, symbolically and scripturally, returning to the traditional use of the common cup has profound positive meaning. Practically, the use of the common cup does not raise risk beyond that which we already accept in gathering, singing, praying and talking with each other. Additionally, some parishioners have a hard time handling the small cups properly. 

Beginning the First Sunday in Advent, December 1, we will return to the use of the common cup. Here are some things to keep in mind as we do so:

● The Church has long held that a person taking only one form of Communion (either the bread or the wine) has fully communed. No one should feel pressured to sip from the Common Cup.

● Every member of the altar party will wash/clean their hands before distributing bread or wine.

● Those who distribute the wine will “wipe and turn” the chalice after each sip (there is

evidence that this further reduces trace amounts of “germs”).

● Following best practice recommendations to ensure the safety of all, intinction (dipping the bread in the wine) will no longer be allowed.

When we first began using personal communion cups, we produced a short video to help people prepare for the new way of receiving the sacrament.  And now, as we begin the new (old) practice of receiving wine by using the common cup, we will produce another video that we hope will be helpful as well.

I am fully aware that most parishioners at St. John’s receive the wine by using personal communion cups.  I realize that this decision to return to the common cup will not be heartily embraced by many. I do hope, however, that you will give it a go. I remain so grateful for your understanding andpatience as we move back to the common cup. May God bless us all as we travel together in the Way of Christ Jesus.

~Father Art

One Loaf, One Cup, One Life, One Love

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“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

When the apostle Paul writes to the Christian believers in Corinth, he recounts the last supper that Jesus had with his disciples before he was arrested, unjustly tried, and then brutally executed. At that last meal with his friends, he did a curious thing.  He took bread, broke it, and then gave pieces of the loaf to the disciples. And then, after the meal, Jesus took a cup of wine and passed it to them encouraging them to drink from it. His teaching on that night must have been equally confusing to the disciples.  Jesus exhorted them to remember him whenever they ate and drank in this manner.

Since that time, countless followers of Jesus have been doing that very thing. We have been offering bread and wine in remembrance of Jesus. We call it Holy Communion or Holy Eucharist, and Episcopalians understand that not only do we engage in this practice in memory of Jesus and that last supper, but also we believe that Jesus is actually present with us as we receive the bread and wine.  That’s some powerful stuff!

It should be noted that part of the power of Holy Communion is that it binds individuals together into a special community of love.  It is not by happenstance that Jesus uses a common loaf of bread and a common cup of wine. He wants his friends (and all of us as well) to understand that we are inextricably bound to Jesus and to each other as we allow God’s love to flow through us. We partake from a common loaf; we drink from a common cup; we share a common life of love.

Here at St. John’s, faithful followers of Jesus have been sharing this same common meal of love for over 125 years. During the most rampant days of covid when vaccines were unavailable and we were still discovering the ways that the disease spread, we made the decision to distribute the wine using personal communion cups rather than by using the common cup. This transition went relatively smoothly, but it was still a difficult one for many.  About a year ago, we reintroduced the option of receiving the wine by drinking from a common cup, and some of us have taken the opportunity to return to this traditional manner of receiving the sacrament. Most of us, however, have continued to receive the wine using the small personal communion cups.

Beginning on the First Sunday of Advent (December 1), we will be returning to offering the wine only by partaking from the common cup. Most Episcopal churches have already returned to this practice, and our bishop is strongly encouraging us at St. John’s to do the same.  While this may be an adjustment for many of you, I am hopeful that you will embrace the change, recognizing that through the one loaf and the one cup, we are bound together in a common life and strengthened to bring the powerful love of God to this beautiful yet broken world. One loaf, one cup, one life, one love. Again, that is some powerful stuff!

~Father Art