Awhile ago at church my four year old daughter Gwen asked me, "Mom, is it time to eat the body of Christ?". Ewwwww! It sounded so barbaric spoken that way. Adults don't usually refer to it so bluntly. We talk about it as receiving communion or the bread. And we can quickly translate to something symbolic, but children don't do that, so it must sound crazy to them. I also know that in John 6 Christ's talk of eating his flesh tripped up some of his followers and caused them to walk away.
So what of all this? Is it only symbolic? Some believe it actually becomes the body and blood of Christ. Should we soften how we talk about it so that it doesn't sound like we are being cannibals or should it make us uncomfortable? I keep meaning to spend some time reflecting on this because I think there is meaning to be had here. I thought maybe instead I would throw it out for feedback from others. Do any of you have any thoughts on this?
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
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