STORIES FROM OTHER TABLES . . .
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FROM THE TABLE OF A SEMINARY (Union Seminary, NYC) CLASSMATE AND LONG TIME FRIEND:
Being a participant in the serving of the meal we call Eucharist is to witness an array of emotions, solemn to sublime. In the rice dominant culture where I live and at the church where a parishioner bakes homemade bread every Sunday morning for worship, I have two acolytes who never fail to let me know that they prefer the "cracker" (aka wafer) over the bread. Others, enjoying the fact that the bread is still warm when Eucharist is served have suggested that a touch of butter would be appreciated, and, of course, the look on visitors' faces when they realize that the bread is still warm is priceless! Are seconds allowed? All kidding aside, the reception of Eucharist speaks powerfully to the heart and soul. Many times around that altar rail, tears have welled up as sorrows and longings have arisen to the surface in that intimate moment of sharing in Christ's body and blood or wide, grateful smiles have deepened as people recall joys in their lives and give thanks for the steadfastness of God’s promises. Those of us who serve around that rail are blessed indeed amidst the holy intimacy of that reception. Pastor Diane Martinson Honolulu, HI |
FROM THE TABLE OF A PALLIATIVE CARE COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND FROM INDIA:
Broken for You
Touch life tenderly
like seed cotyledons
with warm, safe
Fatherly hands that
deliver, embrace and
set free.
Heal life grace-fully like seed cotyledons that shed body and blood for striving,
foothold seeking vulnerability.
Surrender life trustfully like
seed cotyledons alive,
transformed in consecrating
the Sacrament of the present
moment.
Reena George
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly cited. George, R. Broken for You. Chr Jour Glob Hlth. Nov 2017;4(3):102.https://doi.org/10.15566/cjgh.v4i3.195
Photograph by Manjithkaini.[CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons . A tamarind seedling in Kerala, India. [cited 2017 Oct 20]. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/A_Tamarind_tree_seedling.jpg
Broken for You
Touch life tenderly
like seed cotyledons
with warm, safe
Fatherly hands that
deliver, embrace and
set free.
Heal life grace-fully like seed cotyledons that shed body and blood for striving,
foothold seeking vulnerability.
Surrender life trustfully like
seed cotyledons alive,
transformed in consecrating
the Sacrament of the present
moment.
Reena George
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly cited. George, R. Broken for You. Chr Jour Glob Hlth. Nov 2017;4(3):102.https://doi.org/10.15566/cjgh.v4i3.195
Photograph by Manjithkaini.[CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons . A tamarind seedling in Kerala, India. [cited 2017 Oct 20]. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/A_Tamarind_tree_seedling.jpg
FROM THE TABLE OF AN ELCA MISSIONARY
3 vignettes from the Table from 3 different countries:
Yesterday, 29th April 2018, was First Communion Sunday for several children at Nairobi International Lutheran Congregation. One girl, 10 years old, cute as a button, kneeled along the other 5 children at the far end of the row. After communing and receiving the blessing, the other 5 returned to their front row pew seats. But not this precious little girl. She stayed: head bowed, hands in fervent praying position in front of her chest, eyes closed, alone with the Lord. Everybody in the congregation, along with me in the chancel, starred at this girl's first communing piety, oblivious to everything else in the entire world. After some many moments, I went over, bent down to her, and whispered, "You can go now." She literally jumped up and ran back to her seat. Every heart in the sanctuary was touched as water welled up in my eyes.
Many years ago I served another international congregation in Seoul, Korea. I was asked by the local Lutheran Church to give a 1 day seminar on celebrating the sacrament. I spoke of this and that, invited questions, offered suggestions. At the end of the day, I celebrated the Eucharist. As is my custom, I lifted the host, then the chalice, and panned across the congregation, making eye contact with nearly all, as I repeated the Lord's offering words. These Korean pastors had never seen that, so they said. They felt a fervent devotion to the book before them so their heads, in reverence, were bowed as they repeated Jesus' words. Some months later, I heard from 1 pastor who had been in attendance and he said he now lifted his head and looked into parishioners' eyes as he offered the bread and wine, and it had transformed the meal from a stiff liturgical performance done by the book into a warm, inviting moment between pastor and people, between Christ and His family.
But not all is always easy at the Table, is it? In my first church, northern New Jersey in the early '80's, I had an active church member who insisted every 5-6 weeks that her husband join her for worship. He was a sweet if gruff guy, wanted to be 'cool' with the pastor (me), and struggled to know the boundary between funny and inappropriate. For some 3 or 4 such Sundays of his occasional visitations, he would take the host from my hands and look up to me and say, loud enough for others nearby to hear: "Could I have some peanut butter on that" and if not peanut butter, it was jelly he asked for. How I loved seeing this woman and her husband at the Table together but how hard to know the right words to say so as not to turn him away from fulfilling his wife's desire that they worship together at those special times when he gave in to her repeated requests, especially as the Table does welcome all.
Mike Fonner
ELCA Pastor, mgfonner@hotmail.com
3 vignettes from the Table from 3 different countries:
Yesterday, 29th April 2018, was First Communion Sunday for several children at Nairobi International Lutheran Congregation. One girl, 10 years old, cute as a button, kneeled along the other 5 children at the far end of the row. After communing and receiving the blessing, the other 5 returned to their front row pew seats. But not this precious little girl. She stayed: head bowed, hands in fervent praying position in front of her chest, eyes closed, alone with the Lord. Everybody in the congregation, along with me in the chancel, starred at this girl's first communing piety, oblivious to everything else in the entire world. After some many moments, I went over, bent down to her, and whispered, "You can go now." She literally jumped up and ran back to her seat. Every heart in the sanctuary was touched as water welled up in my eyes.
Many years ago I served another international congregation in Seoul, Korea. I was asked by the local Lutheran Church to give a 1 day seminar on celebrating the sacrament. I spoke of this and that, invited questions, offered suggestions. At the end of the day, I celebrated the Eucharist. As is my custom, I lifted the host, then the chalice, and panned across the congregation, making eye contact with nearly all, as I repeated the Lord's offering words. These Korean pastors had never seen that, so they said. They felt a fervent devotion to the book before them so their heads, in reverence, were bowed as they repeated Jesus' words. Some months later, I heard from 1 pastor who had been in attendance and he said he now lifted his head and looked into parishioners' eyes as he offered the bread and wine, and it had transformed the meal from a stiff liturgical performance done by the book into a warm, inviting moment between pastor and people, between Christ and His family.
But not all is always easy at the Table, is it? In my first church, northern New Jersey in the early '80's, I had an active church member who insisted every 5-6 weeks that her husband join her for worship. He was a sweet if gruff guy, wanted to be 'cool' with the pastor (me), and struggled to know the boundary between funny and inappropriate. For some 3 or 4 such Sundays of his occasional visitations, he would take the host from my hands and look up to me and say, loud enough for others nearby to hear: "Could I have some peanut butter on that" and if not peanut butter, it was jelly he asked for. How I loved seeing this woman and her husband at the Table together but how hard to know the right words to say so as not to turn him away from fulfilling his wife's desire that they worship together at those special times when he gave in to her repeated requests, especially as the Table does welcome all.
Mike Fonner
ELCA Pastor, mgfonner@hotmail.com
