Among my earliest memories is sitting between my parents at church and seeing my white socks and high-top shoes sticking out in front of me, my knees being way too short to bend around the pew seat. I loved getting dressed up in the frilly socks and freshly polished shoes and going to services. Aside from the fashion aspect, being in church was neither my favorite activity nor the least. I liked parts of it. Loved the singing, the prayers went on too long, and the fundamentalist preacher seemed to be on a mission to change us by yelling.
Communion was out of my wheelhouse because in our denomination we had to be baptized first. That didn’t happen for some 10 years later. So, week-in and week-out, we passed the elements. First came the crackers, then the grape juice, then the plate in which I placed my weekly nickel. I liked that part and understood wanting to drink grape juice—good stuff.
What mystified me was why everyone broke off and ate a piece of unsalted cracker, calling it “bread” before they drank their juice. At our house, crackers were saltines and eaten with soup. Jelly (on) bread was my afternoon snack.
Decades later I still have my childhood thing for wearing nice shoes, and I’m still mystified by the communion bread. Although I dopped off its association with jelly bread ages ago, years of study and contemplation haven’t fully clarified its association with the deep, theological meaning in relation to Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
The thing is, grasping the full mystery of eating the communal bread, as Jesus presented it to his disciples (Matt 26:26), is almost impossible during this life, but we can go a long way in unpacking the symbolism of bread as Jesus understood it.
Join us via Zoom on October 29 at either 10:00am or 6:30pm as we discuss the meaning of yeast (leaven), the ingredient in bread that Jesus used to symbolize living in God in our next Soul Care Mini-Retreat*. No Cost. All women are welcome, not just UWFaith members or members of the UMC. Everyone!
* Each Mini-Retreat will be one hour, and incorporate prayer, insight, group discussion, and time for individual engagement with the topic. After that there will be an optional ½-hour guided prayer and contemplation session for those participants who wish to stay.
A handout with a short reading will be emailed out the week before the retreat.
- Karen Kaigler-Walker
Horizon Texas Conference Spiritual Growth & Soul Care Coordinator
