sacred moments…

October 6, 2024

Scriptures: Mark 10:2-16

I want you to remember something as I begin. And that is, that the title of today’s meditation is not capitalized…I hope to bring the reasons behind that into focus as I share…

Today is World Communion Sunday, a day when all, or at least most of Christianity celebrates the sacrament of our Lord’s Supper together on the same day. As I shared last week, our Church Council, in thanksgiving for the multitude of blessings through which we were able to put together a community kitchen to provide for our friends and neighbors in need, decided to  bake bread. But not just to bake it, but to do so for each one of the churches in our Presbytery, many of whom along with the Presbytery as a whole supported the kitchen project tremendously.

Literally creating one loaf for each church to share today was truly a labor of love and gratitude, as well as a unique opportunity for us to take a moment to remember…

…to remember the tremendous amount of support we received throughout the almost 5 year process of working and watching as the Spirit directed the process of reimagining what that original public schoolhouse could, should, and eventually would become. It was also an opportunity for those of us most closely involved to witness first hand how much the idea was actually and truly part of God’s plan…a plan which we were so blessed to be a part of.

The story, which one day I hope to write down, was long and arduous, filled with twists and turns which at times felt like setbacks, or at least huge challenges. But in truth, the long span of the project proved to be part of the plan as well, as so many were able to witness little moments of grace…little sacred moments throughout the process, which not only inspired awe…but in truth increased the faith of many, including a goodly number of individuals who are not even members of our church. Truly this was a sacred endeavor…filled with sacred moments.

        And as I reflected this week on all of this, I felt the Spirit’s pull to share just how special…and just how ordinary this day is…or at least should be. Let me explain. The Oxford Dictionary defines sacred, from which we get the word ‘sacrament’, simply as ‘connected with God’. ‘Connected’ with God…meaning that anything at all, that can be seen as ‘connected with God’, can rightly be called ‘sacred’.

        I know in the past I have shared that both bread and wine were common and essential elements of the meal during the time of Jesus. And of how bread itself was not only common, but deeply revered as well for its role in their history, including the deliverance of the Hebrews out of Egypt, from which they fled with unleavened bread. And the fact that it was both common and familiar, as well as such a part of every meal, made it easy for the disciples to have a focal point each day to remember this teaching of Jesus…to remember who they were, to remember their calling…and to renew their commitment, strength, and resolve to continue their journey in faith. To remember that every day in the presence of Jesus was filled with sacred moments…to see each day with their Lord as a ‘sacrament’.

And so, it is this same bread we break and share today. Common ordinary table bread, made from simple ingredients of wheat, oil, and honey…nothing special, yet made sacred in the remembrance of why it is here on the table before us.

        And somehow, as I thought through all of this, I realized that each day, and every day we are blessed with other simple, common, and yet sacred opportunities to ‘remember’  just how good our God is. Every step we take throughout our day there are opportunities for us to see the love of God in action all around us. They may be small, even seemingly insignificant, but they are there just the same. And the act of remembering our Lord as a consequence of this, of being reminded by the Spirit, of our holy relationship with God in this way, is what makes those little moments, those small gifts of grace sacred. For in those moments we truly are offered the chance to be ‘re-connected’ with God’!

And all that led me to look around, just to see what some of those ‘sacred’ or ‘connecting’ moments might be. Things like…

… having so much critically needed kitchen equipment donated at the point of need…

…having needed mowers offered, to enable Rob and Charlie to care for our grounds with love and care…including a JOhn Deere riding mower given just this week!…

…of having Freddie show up and wanting to help out with the farm stand…and finding that was just the beginning of his path…

…of having the transition in ownership next door remain such a blessing…a blessing increased by having Stacie’s son Tyler appointed as the one to care for the church there…

…of having so many new, and now dear friends volunteer at the thrift shop and food pantry…some whom became formal members, and others who are now just beloved ‘family’…

…of having so many in our larger community recognize that something holy is going on here, and then choosing to chip in and support our efforts in countless ways…

And in ways most dear to me, as I look upon the many times we gather in truly joyful fellowship…at our bar-b-ques, our clothing drives, our donation pickups, our Tuesday music nights, our Thursday night bible study, our cold but cheerful Christmas tree lot sales…our Sunday mornings which include both pre and post-worship fellowship…and so many other occasions we are blessed with that are truly sacred, as they too allow us to be connected with God through the Spirit which connects us one to another.

So, as we take this ‘one bread’ made for all of our brother and sister churches today, let us truly give thanks for the goodness of our God who allows us to draw so near…

And may this common loaf inspire us to carry on and carry forth the message that sacred moments can be found, if we but ‘remember’ to look for them…amen