“So… you’re taking off now?” I heard her voice from the
kitchen just as I grasped the doorknob.
There it
was. That was my cue. Initially, this had
looked like it might be an in-and-out troubleshooting job. Exchanging a faulty power
cord is about as quick and easy as these calls get. But this visit held the
promise of something more personal.
In the years
that I have been putting help button units in client’s homes, I’ve become aware
that there is very often much more going on than what appears on the surface to
be simply an installation of equipment. This has happened to such an extent
that it is now my practice to precede each of these opportunities with prayer
and the expectation to encounter the Holy in some way.
Over the
next 20 minutes or so, I learned quite a bit about this lady; her community
involvements, favorite restaurant, favorite food, where she grew up, how long
she’d lived in her home, her maiden name, her deceased husband’s name, and how
many children they had together. Lastly, she shared with me her disappointment
in no longer being able to enjoy her favorite hobby because of arthritis.
“What was it
you liked to crochet?” I asked. “Open that drawer,” she pointed, “the top one
next to the stove.” I nearly couldn’t; it was stuffed so full of potholders,
all crafted from a bright palette of yarn. Admiring aloud her work, I lifted up
one after another from the drawer. “This
one reminds me of the fields before harvest. This one has the colors of the
beach.”
“You like
that red one? Take you a couple more. I have plenty.” I chose two and thanked
her for them.
“The best way to understand sacraments is
to think of them as visible words. They are the way that God says, “I love you.”
God says this to us in bread, wine, and water – the simplest things of everyday
life.”[i]
Do you see the connection that I do? Since
I’m not being graded here, perhaps I can risk creeping a little further out on
this limb. With no one to receive them,
my client’s handmade potholders held no value to her. The packed kitchen drawer
held hours upon hours of time that had gone unfulfilled. But in having her gift
received, a kind of consummation took place.
“This is my body, given FOR YOU,” “This is
my blood, shed FOR YOU for the forgiveness of sins.” “Here you have both – that
is Christ’s body and blood and that they are yours as a treasure and gift.
Christ’s body cannot be an unfruitful, useless thing that does nothing and
helps no one.”[ii]
Those of us who communicate via text
messaging certainly shouldn’t miss Luther’s strong emphasis; the use of all
caps is the equivalent of shouting. The whole point of the sacrament is FOR YOU
to receive it. It is through this means
that Christ is present with us today, fulfilling God’s purpose of communion
with God’s people.
Listen for
it this week. “In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread…”
That’s your cue that a promise is about to be fulfilled, but it can’t happen
without you.
What a great post -- and I'll be reminded as I use my own potholders in that pattern!
ReplyDelete