Edible Words

In his first preface to communion in the book of common prayer, Thomas Cranmer writes this about the communion meal: "...[it] being so divine and comfortable a thing to them who receive it worthily, and so dangerous to them that will presume to receive it unworthily"

It might seem strange to us today that eating bread and drinking wine could be divine and comfortable for some people and dangerous for others. How are we to be worthy to eat?

In Ezekiel 34:11-24, we find one answer to the question. As God gathers in his lost sheep, scattered amongst the nations, he brings them to Israel, a place of rich pasture where they feed and rest. There is one Lord, one shepherd (God's servant prince David), one flock, one rich pasture, but two kinds of sheep who feed on the same rich pasture.

First there are the lost and strays, the injured and weak who are found, returned, healed and nurtured in the rich and pleasant pastures of the shepherd God. But then there are the strong, those who shove and butt and drive away, who plunder and trample the rich pasture under hoof whilst growing fat by eating the same feast. They do so under God's judgement and will be destroyed.

This comes as an encouragement and warning to us all. The rich pasture of the Lord's Supper which we will feast on today may unite or divide us before God as judge. The feast itself does not provide automatic pardon for sin. If by our sin we have strayed away from God and now want to leave our sin and return, we should come and feast on Christ. If our sin has caused us to be scattered by God, to be driven by him from his presence, but that we now hear God calling us back from sin we should come and feast on Christ. If we know the weakness or injury we have caused ourselves by our sin, Christ will strengthen and heal us as we eat. But if we insist on our own way, if we insist on sinning against God and so throw our weight around in church, shoving others and insiting on our own agenda, not that of the good shepherd's, then coming to feast on Christ is dangerous and foolish, for he will judge us as we eat and he promises to destroy the proud.

Let me read the words of Cranmer again "...[the communion meal] being so divine and comfortable a thing to them who receive it worthily, and so dangerous to them that will presume to receive it unworthily"