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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion April 1, 2007 Simple |
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Frontline Devotion for Monday, April 1, 2007 by Penny Risen
The disciples and Jesus meet for Passover and remember the events in Jerusalem. The simple Sabbath meal they are used to sharing together now takes on a gravity that only Jesus anticipated. “God’s covenant revealed and poured out for many people,” Jesus says, as He introduces the sacrament that will bind them together after He’s gone.
Mark 14 doesn’t reveal the disciples’ reaction to Jesus words and actions involving the bread and wine. But they provide a solemn and comforting moment of reconciliation as the twelve also ponder who among them at the table is destined to betray Him. After the meal they sang a hymn, perhaps a blessing, the words of which Mark doesn’t record.
“Eat this bread, drink this cup.
Come to me and never be hungry.
Eat this bread, drink this cup.
Trust in me and you will not thirst.”
--- By Brother Jacques Berthier, a Taize Community hymn, 1984
Taking a difficult or complex concept and breaking it down into a beautiful song with a simple message is something the Taize Community is famous for. One of the primary missions of this monastic order in Burgundy, France, is reconciliation. Because it is a place of pilgrimage for Christian youth from all over the world, the church’s sacred music has developed in a special style that allows people to be able to sing together very quickly.
Used in countless Catholic and Protestant churches and printed in hymnals in many languages, Taize chants have been a lifeline for many --- bridging cultures and offering an ecumenical re-entry point to those who may have fallen away from the Christian church. The simple music binds together ancient melody and modern words, rendering in them a source of calm and choral communion with God.
The reconciliation of bread and wine, body and blood, offered by Christ to the disciples can be a re-entry point for many people coming back to the church today. Several folks who’ve “taken a break” from church-going have told me that their willingness to again accept Holy Communion has been a spiritual turning point. “I knew that when I finally was comfortable to go up to take Communion, I’d found a church home,” one woman explained. Her comfort level really didn’t have anything to do with the congregation per se, but in her simple acceptance of reconciliation between her and God. His table and forgiveness again was hers.
What does it take for believers to reconcile with their Saviour? Christ pours out His grace and sacrifice in this very physical act of drinking and eating together, binding us to Him as His forgiven disciples: “Trust in me and you will not thirst.”
Prayer for the day: Dear Lord, thank you for Your gift of remembrance and reconciliation in the sacrament of Holy Communion. You heal my body and soul in so many ways, but none is as sacred and simple. Amen.
Note: To learn about Taize’s origin as a refuge during WWII and to hear music soundbites, go to http://www.taize.fr/en
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