I Like Bread

This past Sunday was an exciting day at Loresho Community Church and part of that excitement included Holy Communion. During the service, I happened to have a six year old girl, Nati, on my lap. She is a child I have grown quite fond of over the past few months, so we whispered and giggled as the people around us prepared for the sacrament through song. As the minister invited us to the Table, she began a new conversation:

“Do you eat that bread?” she asked me.

“Yes, I eat that bread.” I replied, a little amused.

“I like bread,” she told me quite matter-of-factly, “all types of bread.”

As the elders began to distribute the bread and the wine, I took a piece. Nati looked at it and asked “Can we share it?”

I let her break the small wafer in two, and we each took half.

Sometimes it takes a child’s commentary for me to remember the basic premise of the Lord’s Supper. In all of the holy mystery of the sacrament, there is bread. Ordinary, everyday bread: the stuff we eat for breakfast or take with tea, the stuff that we all need to sustain and nourish us. I agree with Nati: I like bread. All types of bread, and it is always better when it is shared.