Weekly Readings Reflections: Corpus Christi Sunday

Our readings for Corpus Christi Sunday are:

The Israelites gave up a settled life in Egypt to become nomads in the Sinai desert, with no settlements, no cities, no walls, no vineyards. And yet they belonged, not so much to a place, but to a people, and to their God.
What/who/where do you belong?
When did you first realize that?
Is this where you have always wanted to belong?
How can you be more welcoming to others from that place of belonging?

Jesus promises to be with us in many ways, but the most intimate of those Presences, perhaps the font of all of His Presences, is the Eucharist.
How has your celebration of the Eucharist changed you over the years?
What are some things that make it difficult for you to be truly present in, to, and through the Eucharist? Maybe you have young children who are a distraction, or a demanding job that you have a hard time leaving behind for an hour each week, or a situation at home that you cannot figure out how to resolve.
Is it possible that Jesus could transform any/all of those into a cause for celebration, a door into deeper relationship?

There are many comparisons made to help us understand sin. One is to term it a stain, suggesting a stubborn presence that gets into clothing and just will not let go. Or, more dramatically, Macbeth Act 5, Scene 1 where Lady Macbeth obsesses over her complicity in the murder of the king as she washes her hands saying "out, out damn spot".
What are some of the effects of sin in your life?
Is all sin that effects you strictly your own, or is there a corporate dimension to sin?
What might your responsibility be with respect to that corporate sin?
What are you doing to journey with Jesus to heal the effects of sin?

If you think about it, there is quite the cast of unseen characters at the last supper. The householder who owned the upper room, those who baked the bread and made the wine for the meal, those who farmed and harvested the grapes and the grain, the generations of the sons of Abraham who passed the Passover down through the centuries, not to mention whoever took the photo that Leonardo De Vinci used for his epic painting :-)
How does your celebration of the Eucharist connect you to the rest of the community?
How can that connection be celebrated better, deeper, more intentionally?
When we are sent form the Eucharist, another set of connections are made between the Presence that is within us, and the Presence that is in the community around us. How can we be more present to the meeting of those two Presences?

Blessing

The old church at the edge of town,

Stood there, as always, leaning against the blue mantle of the sky behind it.

As though they each relied on the other for support after all of these years.

The old graveyard behind, with its assembled congregants

Out numbering the living who raise their voices of a given Sunday,

But still present, none the less.

I paused as I walked past to bless myself as I had a thousand times before.

Saluting the Presence within, gift from Eucharists celebrated in the past.

And I saluted all of the celebrations, hugs, tender touches here throughout the years.

I thanked those who have gone before me, before us.

Who bore witness to and tabernacled that sacred Presence

Who has been our faithful companion all of these years.

I thanked those generations before our generations from shores unknown

Who sent their sons and daughters to this continent through the years

In hope for freedom to celebrate the Presence that they loved.

I thanked Jesus for His courage in trusting His heart to fickle humanity.

Who gave and gave without telling, so that we might tell of his generosity

To anyone willing to receive His Presence.

And in that broad sweep of faces, continents, and centuries,

I wept for all those who never knew how much they were loved,

Who never knew that though they wandered like Moses in the desert,

They all belonged, every one.

Shalom!

Weekly Readings Reflections