Abundance
“The church is the only community in the world that has as its central symbolic act, an act that is called, “Thanks.” The Eucharist. You know Eucharist is Greek for “Thanks.” And participation in the Eucharist is an act of gratitude for the abundance that the creator God gives to the world.
And I think that the neighborly economy can only be funded by gratitude. It is all a gift! I did not make any of it, produce any of it, it is a gift! But the extraction economy wants to think, “It’s mine!” “I made it, I own it, I can do what I want, I don’t have to be grateful to anybody.”
Which leads me to think that participation in the Eucharist is the most subversive thing we can do.
But notice what the long history of the church has done to the Eucharist. It has siphoned off its danger into something about sin and salvation and getting right with God, rather than a meal for the neighborhood. The African Americans in the United Church of Christ calls the Eucharist “The Welcome Table.” All are welcome, no restrictions. All are welcome because there is more than enough.” -Walter Brueggemann, Inward, Ouward, Daily quote, August 23, 2018, InwardOutward.org, Church of the Saviour.
Brueggemann reminds us something we so often forget about the Eucharist. Christ called all to the Welcome Table, and this should be the center of our worship. Weekly or daily Eucharist is a reminder of abundance. There is always enough bread and wine and always some left over. The Eucharist is a reminder of a great gift, the love of God for each of us and for all.
Remembering that we are giving thanks for God’s great gift of love, remembering that this is a table for all, remembering that this is a table of abundance, remembering that this is a reminder that we have been given a life of abundance through Christ can make all the difference in how we receive the Eucharist and how we live our lives.
Joanna joannaseibert.com