Break bread, but avoid the crumbs.

I may have been a little distracted reading Yoder over the past few days...somehow I missed the connection between the first part of his chapter and the second part.  But I really like his thoughts on the sacraments, especially the eucharist.  Last year when I found out I couldn't eat gluten anymore, church services that offered Holy Communion were among the hardest times for me.  I know it's only a symbol to eat bread, but for me, bread had become a symbol of everything I was cut off from.  The thing about being gluten intolerant is that it's not just a disease that affects how my body works.  For my personal meals, the ones I make on my own, being gluten intolerant isn't really a problem.  I can cope with not being able to eat stuff when it's just me, but then the communal meal comes along and messes it up.  Usually I can eat something at a meal, but if a church service doesn't offer gluten-free bread or wafers?  It's hard.

This is why I really like the idea of the communal meal as a form of the Eucharist.  I don't object to communion's place in a church service, but it probably isn't as effective or meaningful as sitting down with a group of people and eating.  When I eat with people and they remember I need special food or can't eat some of what is offered, it becomes about more than food.  It's about being known and cared for as a memeber of the community.