plain vanilla communion

While waiting for a Christian Education meeting to start, I picked up a child's book on Easter. The illustration of the last supper showed a group of very manly men seated around a table. I got to wondering what it was about this story that made it so important to our church, so I picked up a bible and read all four gospel accounts. Matthew Mark and Luke were all pretty much the same. I've heard it so many times, it seems to have lost it's effect ."Do this in remembrance of Me." It's a command, so we do it. Then I read John's gospel and I have been pondering all week, what's the deal? It's not there! There are four chapters, page after page written about that night, almost all in red letters. John was there, so where is it in his narrative? As far as I can pinpoint it, it is in chapter 13:21. "Jesus became troubled in spirit." I am assuming it is right before the time that Jesus dips his bread and gives it to Judas.

This was not a reverent, pious moment. It was memorable. It affected these bread and butter working men deeply. It was so painful that John 's heart is still dealing with it. Just as Jesus' body was not broken neatly and reverently, was that bread also broken violently?

The Maundy Thursday service was not plain vanilla this year.