Bread and Wine

Today is Maundy Thursday, according to the Western Christian Calendar. What the heck is that? you may well wonder. In the story of Jesus' arrest, death, and resurrection, Maundy Thursday is the calm interlude before the storm of violence that ends with Jesus' death. On that night, Jesus gathers with the disciples to eat a Passover meal with them, and at the end of this meal commemorating Israel's escape from slavery in Egypt he holds up a loaf of bread, blesses it and gives it to his friends, telling them to remember him whenever they eat it. Then he says a final blessing over the cup of wine that comes at the end of the dinner, and gives it to his friends telling them to remember him whenever they drink it.

It never fails to surprise me to see how God makes use of the ordinary to communicate eternity. A loaf of bread becomes a reminder of Jesus' life, the very physicality of his nature, and the friendship he shared with his followers. The cup of wine becomes a testament not just to good times shared, but to the new agreement made between God and the people through Jesus, that everlasting life that begins in this world. These are the kinds of things we have sitting around the house, the kinds of things that some people eat every day. In choosing these simple elements, Jesus is pointing out something profound: there is divinity in the day-to-day. What seems ordinary can be the most important thing. What would it mean to live on this principle, looking for the extraordinary in each day's normal occurances? Accepting God's nourishment of our bodies as the miracle that it is, and sharing the joys of life freely and gratefully.

Blessings on your Maundy Thursday