Mandy: Matthew 14:19-21 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Later in the gospel Jesus says again…
Matthew 26:26-28 26 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is my blood of the[b] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Marta: I love these Jesus stories. Simultaneously, the stories are both real and miraculous. The Last Supper is in the less miraculous-camp because Jesus is passing the torch. He is asking us to have miraculous faith each time we partake in the bread and cup. He is asking us to be radically invitational in the sharing of our bread and utter the words: this is my body broken for you. (hold up bread) In this act of hospitality it is an acknowledgment that each of us is broken. To be broken is okay and enough. And, then to take the cup and quench our thirst, saying: this cup is a blessing. (hold up cup) We are blessed, just as we are and then we are invited to share. And, the cup that we offer, is enough.
Mandy: this was not the first time that Jesus gathered for a meal and not the only time that he talked about what it meant to break bread. When Jesus gathered with the more than 5000 people that day, Jesus broke the bread and blessed it, and he knew that, broken and blessed, there would be enough. Maybe that event was a miracle because Jesus took two loaves of bread and turned it into more, until all were fed. Or maybe that event was miraculous because the crowd gathered and, seeing Jesus’ generosity, they were compelled to share every morsel they had until all were fed.
Marta: Jesus would say things like where two or more are gathered, a minimum of two was enough. Jesus' behavior may seem normal to all of us. But, the reason I know that it was not normal is that these stories made the “cut” into our sacred text. Jesus touched people in ways that they had never experienced before. So much so..that they are miraculous stories of faith.
Mandy: And those miraculous stories of faith happened in multiple spaces and places. Jesus did not provide the same space for communion. Sometimes communion meant meeting on a hill with thousands of people, simply sharing an informal meal. Sometimes communion happened in the upper room celebrating a passover meal with the closest of friends.
Marta: Many of us have invited our friends and neighbors to our table and said, let’s break bread and lifted our cup as a blessing to the gathered people. We might also say, when too many show up at the door, no worries, we have got loaves and fishes, meaning there is enough. Or, enough is sufficient.
Living under Roman authority was hard for Jesus’ community. Jesus fed 5000 people with loaves and fishes as a way to inspire a moral awakening in the people. Jesus was creating space for a better future. The shock and awe of his teachings was a way to confront the insidious hatred, violence and injustice that first century peasants and common people dealt with each day. Jesus’ teachings were not just for the most privileged but for all people. The teachings were for the poor, the trauma victims, the sick, the hopeless, the brown and black families, women and children and people who loved each other when they were not supposed to. These two gatherings in Matthew are a beckoning of equality and dignity. A miraculous faith and a meal is enough.
Right now, so many of us are witnessing supremacy in our society in many ways. For the Jesus people the supremecy was in the form of the Romans and sometimes the high religious leaders. In America it is white supermecy. Sometimes we can’t see or experience the microaggressions we commit, racist remarks we express, white supremist beliefs we are drenched in after a 400 year history of Black trauma in this country. Our faith calls for a moral awakening. As people of faith we are called to not only transform ourselves but the world. Sometimes it is as simple as a miracle to shock us out of our complacency and comfort zone. A little faith is enough. It is enough, Jesus says, to break your bread and bless your cup and share. Especially with those that need our help. There are loaves and fishes for all.
Mandy: The need for this moral awakening is hard for us to face. But as Christians, we have to face the truth. And the truth is, our Christian tradition in the United States is interwoven with white supremacy. The history of this nation is wrapped up in white, Christian exceptionalism, where Black folks have been considered ‘less than’ for centuries. And while we like to think that since slavery was abolished, we’ve moved past our own exceptionalism, research shows that as Christians, we still consider Black folks as less than. IN an article published in the Atlantic this week, researcher and author Robert P Jones shared research that shows that ‘Attending church more frequently does not make white congregants less racist. On the contrary, there is a positive relationship between holding racist attitudes and white Christian identity among both frequent (weekly or more) and infrequent (seldom or never) church attenders.” Ugh. That hits hard. But even as I read this research, I am reminded of Marta’s message last week. The tiny mustard seed has everything it needs to flourish inside of it. I have everything I need right here to flourish. To cast out the racism that resides within me.
Marta: The sacrament of Communion can mean many things. But, more than anything it is a miracle of faith. Today, it is a public practice of faith with each other as acknowledgement that each of us is broken. And, if each of us is broken like the sick, the poor, the marginalized then it is a demand for justice and peace and equality. It is a call to action.
Now you are invited to partake of your individual communion wafer juice sets. The body of Christ is given for you, the cup of blessing is given for you.
Then turn to your neighbors as a communion and to ponder the question: What does it mean to have enough and be enough in the twenty-first century fight for justice?