Eating the Bread and Meeting God
2007
I subscribe to the online publication, The Revealer, which, according to its site,
…is a daily review of religion in the news and the news about religion. We’re not so much nonpartisan as polypartisan — interested in all sides, disdainful of dualistic arguments, and enamored of free speech as a first principle. We publish and link to work by people of all persuasions, religious, political, sexual, and critical… We begin with three basic premises: 1) Belief matters, whether or not you believe. Politics, pop culture, high art, NASCAR — everything in this world is infused with concerns about the next. As journalists, as scholars, and as ordinary folks, we cannot afford to ignore the role of religious belief in shaping our lives. 2) The press all too frequently fails to acknowledge religion, categorizing it as either innocuous spirituality or dangerous fanaticism, when more often it’s both and inbetween and just plain other. 3) We deserve and need better coverage of religion: sharper thinking; deeper history; thicker description; basic theology; real storytelling. (punctuation errors not mine!)
I find The Revealer to be a great resource in discovering diverse views of how religion plays a part in what we do in this country and how the press covers these issues. In its most recent edition, one of the articles featured appeared in a site entitled “Killing The Buddha,” “a religion magazine for people made anxious by churches, people embarrassed to be caught in the ‘spirituality’ section of a bookstore, people both hostile and drawn to talk of God.” In the article entitled “Take This Bread,” author Sara Miles recounts her conversion experience as she partakes in a communion service (also referred to as The Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, or the eating of bread and wine) at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco. What I liked about this article is not just the beauty in the encounter she has, but her awakening to what seeing God really means. As Ms. Miles reflected on what Christians refer to as the resurrection of Jesus really means for her, she states,
“I believed this God rose from the dead to have breakfast with his friends.”
What does she arrive at in the end? She concludes that Jesus offered,
“a radically inclusive love that accompanied people in the most ordinary of actions — eating, drinking, walking — and stayed with them, through fear, even past death. That love meant giving yourself away, embracing outsiders as family, emptying yourself to feed and live for others. The stories illuminated the holiness located in mortal human bodies, and the promise that people could see God by cherishing all those different bodies the way God did. They spoke of a communion so much vaster than any church could contain: one I had sensed all my life could be expressed in the sharing of food, particularly with strangers.”
This is a very interesting and refreshing way of looking at what our role as children of God really means. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to read it and tell me what you think.
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Thanks for your kind words about The Revealer. As it happens, The Revealer and Killing the Buddha.com are sister sites, the former oriented more toward criticism and the latter more toward personal essays, though they overlap a great deal, too, and count almost all the same main contributors.
I’m glad to know about your blog. I’ll be back.
Hi Jeff, what an honor to have you visit my site. And thank you for the clarification about the sites. It certainly makes sense that they are sister sites.
I really enjoy reading the commentary on The Revealer. It’s engaging, insightful, critical – definitely what we need when examining religion and religious news.
Thank you again!
Hi KWiz–first, thank you for stopping over at my blog. I appreciated your sharing your insights. I’m first time at your blog and find it very interesting. I’ll be reading more and look forward to some wonderful “chats”/comments between our two blogs!
I am a ‘killing the buddha’ type individual and I admit to having visited the site before. I read the article ‘Take This Bread’ by Sara. Heck, she can write! I liked the message too. Bringing religion to the table and (here’s where my pessimistic religious beliefs leak out) out of the hands of those many interpreters who’ve spoiled the fun in being Christian. I once was Christian. At 12 years old I had a ‘born again’ grade school teacher. He was so good at bringing God into the classroom, that all of his students loved him and his stories. His name was Mr. Kadlecik. I really ‘felt’ the love of God then. It wasn’t until I was in my early twenties, when I had ‘adult’ questions, that the religion I could find at that time, couldn’t answer, or provided dumb, unbelievable answers, that my excommunication occured. It all seemed like boring dogma that wasn’t based on love, beauty, truth, or communication. As it was told to me, it was something you did because some old fart told us to. He was a grumpy, scary, and not altogether wise old fart too. I’m speaking of all the ‘male’ interpretations of the bible that I read from before the inquisition right to the dinner table of my Dutch reformed friend’s parents homes. It was nothing but fear and sheep herding to me. I’m glad to see you bringing Christianity into a different light. A prettier, more gentle, wise and loving light.
Camille
Hi New Parent,
Thank you for visiting my blog! I enjoy your perspective on raising kids, and will certainly be back regularly to gain insight and wisdom on and chat about doing so.
Hi Camille!
It’s sad that so many go through religious experiences that result in the type of experience you’ve had. My religious evolution has been similar but a little different. I’ve seen how the texts get mangled by preachers who seek prosperity and prosperity alone, enticing their congregations into the same, and brainwashing their flocks to give all their money to get a blessing from God. Clearly, that’s not what the gospel is all about, so in a very gentle way, I’d like to communicate that. When I read the article, I thought, “Wow.” And I also thought others could relate. I’m glad you liked it, having read it before, and see and know that Christianity is not about fire and brimstone, fear and trembling (in a negative way). Thank you, Camille, for your wonderful comment.
Hi, KWiz – I just stumbled on your blog while googling for study questions for “Women Who Run With the Wolves”. I only just started reading the book yesterday, so if you don’t mind, I’d love to try to catch up with your discussion. That is if I can stop reading your archives.
What a great blog!
Hi phaenix_ash!
I’m so glad you are enjoying my blog! And I’m really glad that you found the study on Women Who Run With the Wolves. I’ve found the book to be so helpful to me that I wanted to share what I was learning, and hopefully others would share their reflections as well. So go ahead, catch up, and let me know what you think!
Thanks again! I’ll “see” you soon!
“…a communion so much vaster than any church could contain…”
And that, to me, describes the best, most fulfilling relationship with God. I know a ton of folks who go to church. But some of the most spiritual folks I know rarely set foot in one.
I have nothing against churchy, believe me. I do attend on occasion, though not near as frequently as my wife. Church can be wonderful. But far too many religious types confuse love and worship of God with being present for roll call.
A church is a building. God’s church goes wherever we go.
Hi Keith,
Thank you for your comment. I agree with you; church can be wonderful. In fact, I love churches that are intentional about helping people enter into God’s presence. But you’re right. And very many go to church to attain business contacts or to be part of the newest and greatest thing (especially here in Atlanta). As you say, “God’s church goes wherever we go” because God’s presence resides within us. Thanks Keith! I pray God’s best for you and your wife.