Lately I've had to look very differently at bread. The exclusion of all gluten for the rest of my life has shone a bright light on a whole lot of things that I previously took for granted.
One of the challenges is taking Communion, the bread and wine that Jesus said would be a constant reminder of Him and all that He has done for us. So what to do without the 'bread'? As I contemplated this I remembered that He is the 'bread of life' and so I speak that out as I sip my little glass of juice that represents the wine, and feel quite content with it all.
This morning I was reading some Hone Tuwhare poems and these words just grabbed my heart and wouldn't let go:
"...the children and the quiet priests
come separately in to lip
the brine of His sad wounds
the vinegar in the blood
the rough dry bread of love."
Have I ever come to Communion with those beautiful thoughts? They remind me again of the great cost of the gift my God gave me though His Son, and what my hope and joy cost Him. His wounds were huge, and the vinegar offered did not satisfy His thirst, and over all of that is the toughness of a love that was willing to make such a sacrifice.
Today I want to live in the fullness of all I have been given, and in my heart and mind chew on, and be energised by "the rough dry bread of love" until it completely overtakes every area of my life and there is a surplus that pours out and brings this incredible nourishment to the world around me.
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