When I was 14 my family moved from Kalamazoo Michigan to Albuquerque New Mexico. It was a huge change in every way. Visually, it was dramatically different, and culturally it could hardly be more different and still be the same country. We also stopped going to a Presbyterian Church and started attending an Episcopal church right next to the University of New Mexico campus.
This was in the late 60’s early 70’s during the Vietnam war and the priest at the church was very involved with antiwar protests. The National Guard had been called out to end the student protests at the university and things were intense. Many of you may remember that in 1970 the National Guard fired into a protest at Kent State University killing four students and wounding nine more. Well, this fiery priest gave radical sermons which my mom and I loved. And another thing stands out in my memory – the hymn we sang as we went up for Eucharist. I believe it is popular in Catholic churches, but I haven’t heard it sung in an Episcopal Church. But maybe some of you know it. It is called Sons of God, and it goes like this:
Sons of God: Hear His Holy word,
Gather around the table of the Lord
Eat His Body, drink His Blood
And we'll sing a song of love
Allelu, allelu, allelu, alleluia.
The church felt like a wild and radical place. And well, this passage on the Bread of Life is radical. Imagine how it landed for the Jewish community! Here they are immersed in 613 cleanliness rules – most of which were around what you could and could not eat – and this rabbi is telling them they must eat his body and drink his blood to have life! For the Jewish community the blood of an animal was strictly prohibited so what must they think of being told to consume the flesh and blood of this man standing in front of them!
Did you notice how the Old Testament reading from Proverbs 9 and the Gospel for today mirror each other? In the Old Testament reading Lady Wisdom slaughtered her animals and mixed her own wine in preparation for a great banquet. She describes her guests as simple and those without sense, and the consuming of the meal invites the guests to lay aside immaturity and to live and walk in the way of insight. Here we have food and drink from Lady Wisdom that promotes a new way to be in the world. What a beautiful prelude for today’s passage from the Gospel according to John where Jesus tells us that by consuming him we will live forever.
Julian of Norwich the 14th century mystic who wrote the beautiful book Revelations of Divine Love referred to Jesus as Mother because he feeds us with his own body as only a mother would or could. Jesus tells us in today’s passage that by our consuming his body and blood, we abide in him and he in us. Julian used the word Onening for our merging with Christ. In the act of communion, or partaking of the body and blood of Jesus, we are melding with God in union with the Divine Nature.
The words we hear today, “abide in me as I abide in you,” are also in John 15 when Jesus is using the metaphor of the vine. In John 15 he says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing.” This is my favorite passage in all of scripture. It seems like the whole goal of our spiritual life is to walk in communion with Jesus. We are to become one with him or merge with him. In the moments when I am aware that Jesus is with me and that I am somehow participating with the Divine Nature by Oneing with him. I feel the peace that passes all understanding, and I see the world with eyes of love. My limited thinking melts away. Or like Lady Wisdom says, I walk with insight.
As Episcopalians, we have embedded in our baptismal covenant the awareness of the indwelling of the Jesus Christ. Every time we recommit to our baptismal covenant we agree, “To seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself.” This means that we acknowledge that Christ dwells in all persons. So, this indwelling of Christ is our spiritual foundation.
What a delicious concept – to co-mingle or merge with the very being of Jesus. The real deep knowing of this isn’t easy, but it is the goal of Christianity. We are the body of Christ as a church AND we are to recognize that Jesus exists within us as part of us.
Brother Dennis and I were senior Chaplains in the Los Angeles County jails for over 15 years. There are over 17,000 men and women housed in those grim facilities. It could feel overwhelming. Sometimes as we were walking from the car towards Men’s Central Jail, one of the most crowded of the facilities, I would say that I feel like we are carrying as much bread as we possibly can; as though our arms are laden with baguettes to bring to starving people. And indeed, we had the Bread of Life with us – a sacred silver bread box with a gold cross on it, filled to the brim with consecrated wafers for the men and women longing for a taste of God’s Presence.
“Did you bring Jesus?” many asked.
“Oh yes, of course.” And we would pray together and then say, “the gifts of God for the people of God.” Just like that Jesus is present as the Bread of Life.
How do we live into the awareness of Jesus as our co-inhabitant? Well for us at Community of Divine Love it involves daily prayer, meditation in silence, and service with the least. This is how we seek to live united to Christ. And of course we participate in the Holy Eucharist.
In a moment, we will all share in a sacred sacrament as we consume him at our Holy Eucharist. Eucharist is a Greek word for thanksgiving, and we are certainly thankful for the great gift of Jesus who abides in us and we in him.
I will end with some wisdom from my spiritual father Brother Eldridge Pendelton. This holy man, a monk at Society of Saint John the Evangelist, said these words to me when I was asking him about some esoteric aspect of Centering Prayer, he said; “Greta, it’s not that complicated. Just ask Jesus to be with you.”
Amen.
Sister Greta +
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