Eucharist

I'm grateful that I am able to worship with a Church community that serves the Eucharist as a weekly part of the service. Especially since it is a Nazarene church and this practice is not very common in other Nazarene churches that I have visited or been a part of throughout my life. I'm also grateful that the Eucharist isn't offered in a prepackaged, neat, and clean form. Instead of receiving a tiny circle of a bread-like substance that represents Christ's crucified body accompanied by a small shot of grape juice that represents Christ's blood, each person approaches the plate and breaks off a piece of the bread, which is followed by the bread being dunked into the cup of grape juice (since the Nazarene manual forbids alcohol).

I don't believe there is a right or wrong way to serve communion, but I do believe the method chosen offers different experiences of our participation in Christ's crucifixion that is remembered in the Eucharist. I prefer to grab a larger piece of Christ's body, because the extended period of time need for chewing requires more time that allows longer reflection on what it means for Christ to have undergone sin's manifestation in our selfish, violent behaviors and tendencies. But before I partake of the body, it is dunked into Christ's blood, which I soak so that it drips onto my hand that I place under the bread as I bring it back towards me. Feeling the grape juice drip onto my hands is a strong reminder that my hands are stained with the blood of Christ whenever I cause or neglect to remedy the pain and suffering of others.

The tangible, participatory nature of the Eucharist is important for me, because it constantly reminds me of Christ's willingness to undergo the suffering of our world. And as a Christian called to strive towards holiness, I can always use more reminders. At the last supper, Jesus served the broken bread and the wine to his disciples as a reminder of the cost of obedience to God - a high cost because that obedience confronts the selfish nature of a world under sin's mastery, which might result in death like it dead for Jesus. By continuing the purpose Jesus set forth at the last supper, the consistent partaking of the Eucharist does not become rote. It is simultaneously encouraging and challenging, because it is difficult to live lovingly and gracefully with the awareness of heartache in our world, but I am also encouraged that a life of love is necessary and possible, and we are not forced to do it alone. With the knowledge of Christ's resurrection, I'm assured that God is capable of and is redeeming the world, through the obedience of God's followers, from the tragedies of sin. I will continue to partake in the Eucharist as a reminder that my hands are capable of spilling Christ's blood, and strive to make sure that they don't. And for that constant reminder, I'm truly grateful for the Eucharist and the ability to be a part of a church community that recognizes its value.

Ambassadors to the Earthly Kingdom

I have been wanting to do a post that introduces my views on the state (and the US in particular since that is the context through which I understand the term "state"), but I came across this sermon from Bruxy Cavey that explains an Anabaptist perspective on the relationship between the Church and state, which closely matches my thoughts in a manner more concise than I would have been if I typed it out. I strongly suggest setting aside the time to view the two parts that run a total of about fourteen minutes long.

Bruxy confirmed the following points for me:

• The Church is easily wrapped up in and distracted by the attempts to make the state act more Christian, instead of helping the Church act more Christian. 
• The way of Jesus is not giving up on society, but bringing change in a different way - serving from the bottom up.
• I am a Christian before and long after I am an American.
• To be a pacifist does not mean "to be passive." Pacifist means "to be working for peace."
• There is one Christian nation, the people of God, and it is a transnational nation.

And these are the points that I was either amazed at and wondering "Why didn't I think of that?", still working through and/or currently being challenged by:

• The intentional mockery and irony in the actions of Jesus's crucifiers actually reveal the truth of God's kingdom (e.g. the crown of thorns indicates suffering to which the kingdom of God does not run away from, but actually reveals the truth that God enters into our suffering).
• As citizens of the kingdom of God that are foreigners in the earthly kingdoms, our roles are to be ambassadors of the heavenly kingdom to the earthly kingdoms.

Part one:
   
Part two:
 

I have a limited knowledge of the Anabaptist tradition, but I am extremely interested in learning more. If you have any comments, other resources, or suggestions about Anabaptists, pacifism, the separation of the Church and state, or other related topics I would love to hear them in the comments.