Home Further Reading and Study 85th Anniversary of the United Church of Canada - June 6, 2010

85th Anniversary of the United Church of Canada - June 6, 2010

As we prepare for this Celebration, we are called by the church to reflect on a Bible Study that look at a Scripture Verse each week in the context of what future God is calling us to.  These four Sessions form the basis as we prepare to “Remember, Rejoice, and Renew” the Church as the Body of Christ. Session 1: It All Begins with Bread - May 9 Theme Text: Mark 6:42     “And all ate and were filled.” Anniversaries are an opportunity to reflect on origins. What happened way back then? In the United Church we look back to the Mutual Street Arena in Toronto on June 10, 1925. That’s when we officially inaugurated a uniting movement, a church that was born of a spiritual yearning for political justice and social compassion. A uniting church—what a testimony to God’s revitalizing Spirit! But if we back up to the beginning of beginnings, where would we fix the start of the Christian church? Let’s try this: It all begins with bread. Before there was an institution called a “church,” a “community of faith,” or even what some call the “Jesus movement,” there was a man who shared bread. When he spoke, it was from a place in the circle where real bread was being passed from hand to hand. In first-century Galilee, the vast majority of people lived on a knife edge of scarcity, one harvest away from starvation. Bread was therefore no simple feat. It was a constant struggle. Now imagine that you are one of those who clings to life with a tiny plot of land and a few crusts of bread, and you hear about a roving spiritual teacher who is the real deal. This teacher speaks of bread and then produces it. In his company, people eat and are filled. No one leaves his circle hungry. But there is more. The miracle of bread isn’t a one-time show. Everywhere, every time he speaks, there is bread—plenty of bread. You don’t have to pay to get it because it’s given away. Bread for all, like the manna that came from heaven in the wilderness. Bread of God. Daily bread. Now Jesus called his gatherings the “Kingdom of God.” And by that he meant: What would our world be like if God were in charge? If God were king instead of Caesar, how would we live? And the simple answer is that, in God’s household, bread is free and given to all. No one starves here, ever. How do we capture the excitement of those initial gatherings of the kingdom movement of Jesus? I picture one of those moments when we sit around an ample table of food, the laughter and tears flowing freely. Do you know those times, when our hearts and souls are as content as our bodies? Imagine one of those moments when all things come together, when it can’t get any better. That’s God breaking into our lives with abundance. As we bake bread, and as we give it away, we relive the surprise and delight of God. There is no need for more ritual or more words. It all begins with bread. Lots of bread. Reflection Questions 1.    How do we use bread in our church? 2.    Do we charge people for bread or give it away? 3.    How do we relive the generosity and abundance of the first gatherings of Jesus? Session 2: Hoc Est Corpus Meum - “This is My Body” - May 16 Theme Text: Luke 24:35     “[H]e had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.” Picture a classroom of 67 university students. My curious question is rolling around the room. “Is it true that a rose is a rose is a rose?” They’re looking sideways, trying to understand what I am asking. Maybe their professor has lost it. “Let me be clear,” I say. “Is a rose nothing more than flower?” Ah, now they get it. When someone buys and gives a rose, it sends a vaguely delicious sentiment of love. And a dozen roses? Well, that signals a very clear message: “I love you.” So there is more to a rose than petals and a stem. It embodies a deeper meaning. That was precisely what Martin Luther claimed for the bread of the communion table. According to Luther, Jesus said at the Last Supper, “Hoc est corpus meum” (“This is my body”) because he wanted to say that bread is more than just flour, yeast, and water. The bread embodies God’s love and creative power. It is more than a symbol or sign. When we break bread and share it, we are actually sustained and enlivened by God’s purposes. This becomes evident in the Bible stories about the early circle of Jesus’ followers. It is possible to read Luke’s gospel as a historical record, but I prefer to see it as a testimony of the early church talking about itself. Think of Luke’s narrative as a minute book of a fledging institution stumbling into its destiny. In its pages we have the questions and struggles of a community living out God’s kingdom. In that light, we see the early community of faith attempting to share all things in common, making room at its table for outcasts and untouchables. The church speaks of itself in Luke as a safe place where women have found a voice and lepers receive healing. In the company of Jesus, the table manners are turned upside down—the least are greatest, and the greatest are servants of all. In God’s household, Caesar’s values are resisted: Free bread undermines the notion that economic exploitation of the weak is acceptable; shared bread states clearly that injustice and inequality are banished. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus never seeks power or status for himself. He does not claim to be the Messiah or have special anointed status. He refuses to play the role of spiritual guru or priestly functionary. He does not invite prayers in his name or for his praise. Quite the contrary. In Luke, Jesus is simply the bread guy. This is most obvious in the final story of the gospel, the Road to Emmaus. In that long story, the central point is reached when the travellers to Emmaus are overwhelmed by the wisdom and compassion of the stranger they have met on the road, but he is unknown to them until he breaks bread. When they share a common loaf, Jesus comes alive. Can there be any clearer message? Jesus is not found in our rituals and rites, not in benedictions and blessings. For the first household of God, Jesus comes alive when bread is broken and shared. Reflection Questions 1.    What does our treatment of church bread say about us? How do we eat it and share it? 2.    How do we live out the message of a shared loaf? Where are the places in which we live the share-everything community of Luke? Session 3: Enough - May 23 Theme Text: Matthew 6:11     “Give us this day our daily bread.” While far too many Canadians live in poverty, the vast majority of Canadians are well off, if not rich. And therein lies our problem as Christians. We’re rich.  We have more than we can possibly use or need in several lifetimes. I know this is true because every time our church hosts a rummage sale (they happen twice a year), the gym is overflowing with excess stuff. As the sale approaches, we say to ourselves that there can’t possibly be anything left to drag out of the attic or garage. But every time, the piles grow higher. It’s the overabundance of material goods that is a stumbling block for our faith. It is not that poor people are more virtuous or devout. Wealth is a handicap to faith because it masks the one basic need we have as creatures made in love for the purpose of loving. And wealth keeps us from seeing that what we require more than anything else is the spiritual strength that only comes from common causes and common ground. In a word: community. Our wealth makes community a nice option, something to do when all other necessities are complete. If you have time, you work for the church. We have all we need on our own, and we work hard to preserve that independence. We have more than enough. In reality, “enough” is a long-forgotten option. We passed that one back in the 1950s. We’re now into accumulating excess, storing up the nest eggs for the rainy day. And while the global economic crisis has seriously damaged many retirement funds, most Canadians are not yet even close to the line that marks the difference between having enough and going without. That makes faith hard because the words of Jesus arise out of the opposite context. The people surrounding Jesus knew scarcity from the inside. Archeological evidence tells us that during the time of Jesus’ ministry there was a serious crisis of food distribution, land management, and income security. People were one or two meals away from starvation. Their days were dominated by the need to get and keep food. In that situation, you have no choice but to live in trust. The Creator who made us and stands by us will have to take care of tomorrow’s meals. Today’s bread is all we can handle. In that context, any prayers for food would be taken literally. Of course, we all need spiritual nurture and succour. But with an empty belly, most people’s minds will naturally fix on real food. When Jesus attaches the word “daily” to the petition for bread, he is recalling the bread that came daily from heaven: manna. That bread was a gift of God. It grew from the people’s trust in their God. It came without price. No one could hoard it or take too much. No one was cheated of their portion. “Daily bread” had a chief characteristic: It was enough.  In a time when you can’t count on anything, having “enough” bread for today is a miracle beyond imagining. Reflection Questions 1.    What would a list of “enough” look like for you? 2.    Is there any substance that acts like manna in our world today, reminding us of God’s abiding presence and sustenance? 3.    How do we love a daily bread life?   Session 4: Shared Bread as Worship - May 30 Theme Text: 1 Corinthians 10:17    “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” It was a chance encounter, a law student and I waiting for a bus to arrive. After we had exchanged comments on the weather, the length of school terms, and her healing ankle, she asked about church. She’s a Buddhist but knows I am a minister. “It’s Christmas,” I replied. “Lots of business.” And she immediately replied, “It’s all those backsliders who are coming back to get God at your Christmas services.”  We laughed, and I added that more people do have trouble with the holly jolly season than we would like to admit. “Church helps them get over those seasonal bumps.” Behind my companion’s comment was the obvious assumption that Christian piety is all about worship, and God is expecting—nay, wanting—our weekly prayers and devotions. The idea that God is actually counting the Sundays we show up at service often goes unchallenged. To be a “good” Christian is to go to worship regularly, and not just at Christmastime.  The biblical record sings a different tune. In the books of the prophets, God regularly claims to have no interest in our liturgies. In Amos 5:21 we find a stinging assertion: “I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.” I wonder how many of our worship committees have taken that scripture passage to heart?   Rather, the Creator asks for justice. The formula is simple to remember: We don’t worship in order to do justice; justice is worship. We’ve had our priorities and practices all backwards. The loaf of bread we share with a neighbour, one who has nothing to eat—that’s where worship begins. There is no need for a well-crafted ritual or spiritual invocation. God is present when bread is broken among the people, no matter where that happens. God is present when destitute people are protected from the ravages of hunger. Twenty centuries ago, Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about sharing one loaf. His concern was the way their common meal had been perverted by greed. Reading between the lines, it appears the early church was missing the point of the Jesus meal. Some of the community, those who had personal wealth and didn’t have to work all day, were obviously coming early and pigging out so there wasn’t enough for everyone who came later. The Corinthian worship was therefore perverted. When the loaf is not shared so all are fed, our “unity” is a farce. Fast forward to today. Our world is based on the assumption that it is both right and appropriate for us to put a price tag on basic food like bread. It is then that our faith in God is stretched. Real worship begins when we live out justice by sharing our bread. To be one in Christ is to ensure everyone enjoys the fruits of God’s goodness.  Shared bread is more than a statement of belief in God. It is an affirmation of how we live in God’s household. We are building a world where everyone is fed, one loaf at a time. Our unity is only real when we achieve that blessed state. When I was a child, my father would make us all wait at the dinner table until my mother was seated. Then came grace. I thought at the time it was all about having us settled so God could hear our prayers. Now I understand. It was justice at work at our table. No one eats until all are served. So said my dad. So said Paul. Reflection Questions 1.    How can our church live out the justice of the shared loaf? 2.    If we were to put this justice into a political platform, how would it appear?