In the Christian New Church, we celebrate Holy Communion several  times a year.  The actual service includes a brief talk, and then the  wine and bread are passed and everyone partakes.  (Water or juice is  provided for those whom the consumption of alcohol is unwise or  unhealthy.)  Within what is actually a rather simple sacrament lies a  true celebration of the heart of the Christian faith - or as the New  Church theology phrases it, "the primary thing of external worship."

The first part to consider is that the call the celebrate the Holy  Supper is an unqualified call.  Regardless of our station in life -  broken or blessed - we are called by Jesus to this communion.  He  arrived in life living with others as they were.  Around the table of 12  disciples - the first group gathered for the Holy Supper - were Thomas  the serial doubter, Judas the betrayer, Peter the mercurial hot-and-cold  one.  The other 8 brought their imperfections as well.   We will bring  the same.

Secondly, consider the elements of the Holy Supper - unleavened  bread and wine.  We are asked to picture unleavened bread as symbolizing  our desire to bring a "sincere heart" to life.  A sincere heart wraps  around that deep call to love unconditionally.  We take it into us -  "eating it" - because that is life - bringing in that piece of God.

Wine differs from the bread in that wine actually comes into being  from fermentation process.  This makes for a fascinating paradox within  the elements - one, unleavened bread, "pure," the other, wine,  "contested."   Fermentation images the struggle of truth with falsity,  with the end - wine - becoming the fruit of that struggle.  We must  welcome that struggle.  It is part of life.  I love the words of Yann  Martel that speak so clearly to the struggle ....

So we bring the sincere heart and truth born of struggle together,  together.  Sit with the words.  In this Christian denomination, I will  file a report at the end of year that asks me to record the number of celebrants.    What a marvelous word!  How many "celebrated" this wondrous sacrament!   And we celebrate it in the form of a holy "communion" - an act or  instance of sharing, together.