March 9, 2018
One Bread, One Body
Refrain: One bread, one body, one Lord of all; one cup of blessing which we bless,
And we, though many throughout the earth, we are one body in this one Lord.
Gentile or Jew, servant or free, woman or man no more; (Refrain)
Many the gifts, many the works, one in the Lord of all; (Refrain)
Grain for the fields, scattered and grown, gathered to one, for all. (Refrain)
Text: John Foley b.1939
Moments when we experience the presence of God’s grace are awesome—they are moments to treasure, moments to wonder, and maybe moments to share. But I think we cannot grasp them or explain them, because the mystery seems to evaporate.
My “emergency food assistance center” with Metro Lutheran Ministry over 45 years ago began in a tiny unheated office with no air conditioning on the third floor of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Kansas City’s inner city. I began with an inexperienced but willing heart, completely new to the Lutheran church. But I knew there were hungry neighbors needing help. And I hoped there were people in area congregations who would care and give food and assistance.
It was good community social service in my mind. The faith connection? Jesus said to feed the hungry, and so we would try to do that, together. I saw it as good and helpful service. As I received the bread and wine at the altar the day before starting, I prayed that somehow this new venture would make a difference.
A woman, a mother named Joan, came for food. Her husband had left her with young children. She felt discouraged, defeated, and embarrassed to ask for help. We had time for her to talk and time for me to listen and learn about her and her family, her hopes, and her fears.
As I rose to give her the simple bag of groceries to last just a few days, I regretted I had no more to give. But she hugged me and said we had shared so much more—understanding and a glimpse of hope for the future. She would come back for ideas and resources. She would come for connections and encouragement. Joan was resourceful and able to make the most of bits and pieces, so that eventually over the years she and her children became well-educated and well-employed.
The following Sunday, as I knelt at the altar to receive Holy Communion, I gave thanks that in ways beyond my understanding, God had been at work. As I received the Bread of Life, it was feeding me body and soul. And that Bread of Life was shared with others.
Both Joan and I were part of that mystery, both giving and both receiving God’s blessing. I pray that we may experience this blessing in some way each day.
Rev. Sally C. Fahrenthold, retired
[Yesterday |Lenten Index | Tomorrow]