Over my lifetime there have been some iconic albums released. I wish I was alive for the drop of Thriller. But I was alive for iconic albums of the late 90’s and early 2000’s, like No Strings Attached and Millenium. There were some heavily played albums in the Fry household throughout my childhood - Wire by Third Day, Born to Fly by Sara Evans, and Jesus Freak by DC Talk to name a few.
There were few albums after these that were held so dear to my heart (sorry Lemonade but you didn’t make the list). That was until 2018. One of my favorite folk pop bands dropped an album called Trial and Triumph. The album wrecked me - in the best way possible.
Later that year, I packed up from work early and headed out on a 2-½ hour trip to see their concert on a weeknight. I got an aisle seat and I waited in expectation as the lights dimmed.
I always thought the band had a funny name - I Am They.
Communion is kind of a backwards name for what we do in Communion. Communion literally means to commune - or community. Yet Communion is the breaking of bread. Communion would be a better name for putting bread back together. Sounds to me like Communion as we know it should be called Fragmentation.
Let’s set the scene for this “communion” for a minute. Jesus goes to the Upper Room with the disciples and does the Last Supper, bread raisin’, wine drinkin’ thing. He tells them that one of them will betray him and that Peter will deny Him. And then, He drags some of the disciples to His favorite spot, Gethsemane. And this is how it goes:
“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”
--John 17:20-21
This is where I see the communion in Communion.
1 - First, I see communion with Jesus. I see this in the way He raises the bread and asks us to “do this in remembrance of Me” (read more here). Pretty simple.
2 - Then I see communion with other believers. Jesus prays that “they” being all believers will be one. That is what the band I Am They is declaring - to be the “they” believers Jesus prayed for.
Partaking of the Eucharist as a Church symbolizes your agreement to be ‘they’ - to live in community and share in one another’s brokenness (Galatians 6:2) and to share in Jesus’ brokenness and the abundant life that comes from His brokenness.
3 - I, lastly, see communion with the Father. Bare with me on this one…
Immediately after the Last Supper and immediately before His betrayal, Jesus goes to Gethsemane.
When Jesus says “do this in remembrance of Me,” I believe He meant the whole night:
-- wash people’s feet
-- break bread together
-- be one
-- connect with the Father in Gethsemane
I heard an amazing episode of the Crappy Christian Podcast hosted by The Girl Named Blake. She hosted the one and only Gary Thomas. They were talking about the Garden of Gethsemane and said this:
Gary Thomas - The reason that Gethsemene had such a big role during Passion Week is because He was in the Garden of Gethsemane a ton - every night. There was a reason Judas knew he could find Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. He didn’t have to chase around the country. He said, “You know what, Jesus knows what’s going down. Here’s where He’s gonna be.” It was the place when Jesus needed to connect with His Heavenly Father...And so it’s what your Gethsemane?
I mean seriously! Did you read that?! Judas knew where to find Jesus! Jesus was so connected to the Father, that the soldiers didn’t have to look for Him.
That’s how I want to walk into this last half of Lent. I want to walk into Gethsemane, take a seat, and commune with the Father.
Blake responded to Gary with this, “I want people to know where to find me.”
Me too, Blake, me too.
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