Communion Matters

Communion. The Lord's Supper. The Eucharist. Called by many names, this Christian ritual is found in nearly every Christian denomination. It commemorates the last supper Jesus Christ had with his disciples and is usually considered the holiest time of any service where it occurs. Communion is a time of reflection, of examination of conscience, of coming into the intimate presence of God.

Communion also reminds Christians of what price was paid for our salvation. We remember Christ died that we might have eternal life, and know forgiveness from our sins. "He died once, for all, that we might have life and have it more abundantly." The true nature of Communion was brought home to me a couple of weeks ago when we celebrated the service at church.

In our church, we go to the altar rail and kneel (those who can) and receive the elements. The minister dismisses us with a blessing and we resume our seats as the next group goes up. One of the ladies in our church is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. She is still mobile and comes to church most Sundays, although she rarely recognizes anyone any longer. Her devoted husband is her primary caregiver and is always with her.

During the service, I saw the couple standing at the altar rail and my eyes filled with tears. The husband took his bread from the plate, ate it, and then took a piece for his wife, and so gently, fed it to her. He did the same thing with the wine. He took his cup, drank, and then held another cup to his wife's lips so she could drink.

He did not merely do his wife a kindness, in helping her participate in a familiar ritual. No, he helped his wife participate in the salvation that also includes those who no longer remember what Communion is all about. He loved her enough to help her make her slow, unsteady way to the altar, to receive the gift of Communion, to help her participate in an act of grace. This grace is still extended to her, even if she no longer realizes it.

That small scene encompassed so much of what Christianity is all about: it's universal accessibility, it's emphasis on loving one another, on sharing each other's burdens, on the availability of grace to all who are willing to receive it. I have to believe the Lord may have dropped a tear as He looked on this act, and the sweet love that enabled it.

In our hurry of the everyday, we may overlook many small gifts of grace. I'm so thankful the Lord allowed me to witness such a grace-filled moment as this. I was blessed by it.