Remembering ≠ Thinking

When Christians gather for communion, part of the story we tell is the night in which Jesus ate the last supper. The story goes that he told his disciples to take wine, give thanks, break bread, drink and eat. Jesus told the disciples to do this ritual and "remember me". And to this day, Christians take, give thanks, break, drink and eat and remember Christ. 

And when we take communion we mentally think about Jesus - how he lived, what he taught, how he died, etc. This makes sense. The act of remembering is generally something we do to commemorate the past. We remember the love of our grandparent or the less than wholesome qualities of a loved one. We remember the the sacrifices made in wars when we have moments of silence or when we hear a national anthem played. We remember the past experiences of our childhood that shape us as adults. So it makes sense that when we have communion we think about the past of Jesus. 

The thing about remembering in the setting of communion is that there is little evidence that the remembering the disciples are asked to do is a cognitive exercise. Jesus gives the impression that the ritual itself is remembering. That is when we take, give thanks, break, drink and eat the body of Christ we re-member Jesus. When we do this act, we are putting the body of Christ together. We are re-membering the body of Christ. 

Remembering Jesus in communion is not about an intellectual or cognitive skill. The mystery of communion has little to do with what we are thinking and much more to do with what we are doing. When we eat together, we are putting the body of Christ together. We are re-membering. 

This is, in part, why discussions about the physical elements is missing the point. Can it be communion if it is oreos and soda? Should we dunk or have individual cups or share a common cup? Should we use wine or juice?

This is, in part, why discussions about the presence of Christ in the physical elements misses the point. Is it transubstantiation, consubstantiation, sacramental union, pneumatic presence? 

This is, in part, why discussions about online communion is missing the point. Can only those who are in physical presence with one another remember the body of Christ?

The remembering done in communion is not limited to the workings of your brain. The remembering done in communion is the act of putting the body of Christ together again, re-membering if you would like. And the body of Christ can be made manifest in the gathering of a group of people as well as in the heart of the individual who has shut their door. 

Be like Mona Lisa

When talking about the soul that is in the "Dark Night", St. John of the Cross expressed that this soul has one task - be still. But being still is not socially acceptable and it also does not feel like you do anything when you are still. It does not feel productive or efficient. Generally, stillness is not valued for the sake of itself but only for what it can produce in our lives. The discipline of being still is, according to St. John, like that of a model for an artist. 

The model is still for the artist. The model may be tempted to think that she/he is not doing anything and might begin to get more paint, clean the room or wash the brushes in an effort to help the artist. 

But these actions, this busyness, keep the artist from capturing the beauty of the soul. 

What would the Mona Lisa look like if she was busy mixing the paint?

So be still. Be still and let the great artist of the universe gaze upon you. 

Be like Mona Lisa.

Want to help the church? Good preaching must end.

A while ago, Brain Pickings had a wonderful article entitled Good Writing vs. Talented Writing.

And it is amazing. Read it. And after you read it you will begin to see why good preaching is actually hurting the church. To use the language of the article, we need talented preaching.

a good preacher

The thing about good preaching is that it is safe, predictable and thus "good" to hear. A lot of good preaching is manipulation but with a "Jesus shine". It is focused on morals or on the very practical things you can/should do in the week. Good preaching is clear, simple logical and easy to follow.

Good preaching also gives you clues when you can check out of listening and also clues when you can check back in so you can still get the "gist" of the sermon. If the sermon has three points or an alliterative device that gives you something to "remember" it is possible that you are listening to good preaching. 

That does not always mean it is talented preaching. 

The quote below is my favorite from the article above, but altered to reflect preaching rather than writing:

The talented (preacher) often uses specifics and avoids generalities — generalities that his or her specifics suggest. Because they are suggested, rather than stated, they may register with the (hearer) far more forcefully than if they were articulated. Using specifics to imply generalities...is dramatic (preaching). 

The problem with the preaching style of "tell them what you are going to tell them; tell them; tell them what you have told them", is that it is clear, controlled and logical. It is not talented.