The first session of Camp Rainbow Connection started yesterday. I wasn't there because of changes in job responsibilities, but I did think often yesterday and today about Lesson #3 in my "Top 10 Faith Lessons."
Jesus tried to teach us by example how
to love one another. What if we were all
like the campers at Rainbow Connection who one minute share their observations
about you openly and often with brutal honesty, then love you even more the
next minute? What if we all became
emotional each time we participated in a service of Holy Communion? What if we
always shouted with joy when we greeted one another and shed a few tears when
we parted? How can we share that example
– the example of Jesus – with all our churches and throughout our world?
I really missed being part of the
celebration of Holy Communion last night for the opening of the July session of
camp. I know that I
learn more from the campers at Camp Rainbow than they learn from me. I try to make my faith too complicated at
times. The campers understand the basics
and what is truly important in loving Jesus.
I
experience a true thanksgiving for all God’s gifts and grace when I participate
in the sacrament of Holy Communion during camp. The majority of our campers, all of whom have
some level of intellectual disability, seem to have a profound understanding of
the true meaning of the sacrament. It's an understanding that I don't think most people in the church pew ever reach. I add
so much complexity to what is happening during the service. Am I going to spill
grape juice on the white sleeve of my choir robe? Am I going to stumble when I walk up the aisle? Am I going to get a piece of bread that’s too
small, too large, too chewy…? Is somebody going to wonder why I’m staying for
prayer at the communion rail?
The
campers have a simple understanding of what is taking place yet seem to
experience the deep inward transforming nature of the sacrament in a way that I
long for each time I receive the elements. They become very emotional,
remembering losses and loved ones who have died, often reaching out through
tears to hold on to the person next to them no matter who that is or what
history they may have together. The
campers become much more joyful than most regular congregation members,
celebrating the time as a family where differences are of no concern. There is usually laughter and lots of smiling, something you don't usually hear or see when most congregations enter into a service of Holy Communion. What matters most is the opportunity to share
this time together, across all ages, backgrounds, ability levels, and
denominations.
I have always
left that service at Camp Rainbow with a desire that all celebrations of the
Lord’s Supper could be like this. I
dream of the world we would be living in if we all became as emotional as the
campers when we share this sacred meal together. I envision the day when in our churches we
stop on our way to receive the elements to say “hello” and greet one another,
when we turn around and hug the person behind us in line after receiving merely
because it feels like the right thing to do.
I long for the day when we all shed a few tears when we part at the end
of the service. I long for the day when sharing
in the Eucharist truly becomes a means of grace for us all. For the last 14 years, I have been able to catch a glimpse of God’s
kingdom on earth twice each summer, and always wish it would never end.
I
really missed taking part in the celebration of Holy Communion last night.
No comments:
Post a Comment