Sunday was the first Sunday of the month, and so like we always do we planned to celebrate communion. Only this was going to be different….again.
Nova Scotia has seen a spike in Covid cases as the Third Wave has crashed on our shores. Earlier last week we received the word that all faith gatherings were canceled, at least in person. So we did what we did a year ago. We moved to a virtual service.
That opened problems and opportunities. See, since we returned to in person worship in September we have been using the pre-filled communion cups. They have a tiny wafer on top and some juice below. I will confess that I made fun of these before. Now they were the only way we could share communion with the congregation. Still, as my daughter once remarked to me, “Jesus would taste better than that!”
Since we were going to have “virtual” communion we had options. Everyone was going to have their own elements at home, so they could use whatever. So Anita agreed to bake some bread for us to use at church. And that is what I used as we recorded the service on Friday.
On Sunday morning we sat down to watch our service together. We had done this every week during our original lockdown. During the welcome I invited the congregation to get their elements for communion.
I went and got another cup of coffee, and the leftover bread from communion.
Which made me wonder, can you have Jesus a second time?
It got even murkier this morning. As I finished breakfast I cut one of the last remaining pieces off the loaf to have with my cream honey.
Can you have Jesus again with honey?
I know that there are churches that are having real theological conversations about the validity of “virtual communion.” Is it real communion if the priest doesn’t bless the elements? Can they be blessed outside the church? In this virtual world what is the meaning, the efficacy of communion.
These are real concerns, but not what I thought of this morning.
Instead, I recalled the words of Jesus. “Whenever you eat this bread, remember me.”
This morning I had another slice of Jesus.
And remembered.