On Holy Thursday this year, my church’s choir sang one of my most beloved hymns, that African-American spiritual “Let Us Break Bread Together on Our Knees.”
Oh, how I love that song!
And when I am at mass, literally on my knees with my fellow parishioners prior to taking Eucharist, a flicker of that song will pass through my mind. A broken, messy bunch of God-created humans, on their knees, awaiting to partake of the Body of Christ.
It’s a beautiful thing.
In the book of Acts, we read about how the early church came together. They pooled their resources and shared with each other. They prayed and worshiped together, and yes, they broke bread together.
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. –Acts 2:46
My own glad and sincere heart breaks when I think of how far we Christians have moved from the unity of the early church. My own faith is rooted in the Moravian Church, the oldest Protestant denomination (it predated Martin Luther’s Reformation). The Moravians formed their church through unity and a strong commitment to praying together and sharing resources. One need look no further than social media or any new media outlet to see how far Christians have deviated from the early church.
It breaks my heart when
- Far-right leaning Christian friends go on social media talking about the “evil Democrats.” I’d love to invite them to sit with some of my “evil” Democratic friends who love and serve God in big ways. I’d love to have them listen to why my “evil Democrat” friends stand up for the issues in which they believe and why they believe these are works of mercy.
- Far left-leaning Christian friends talk about my “whacked out” Republican friends. I’d love to invite them to sit and hear why these folks believe what they believe.
- I look at where our country has gone in the last years: Conspiracy theories, questionable politicians who are elected to office, the January 6 insurrection on our Capitol building, and just the whole grab bag of–dare I say it?- CRAP that’s out there.
- Christians–Jesus-loving people who dive into Bible studies and even lead them–who say things on social media such as, “I wish he were dead (speaking of elected leaders)
Regardless who’s inhabiting the Oval Office, I have prayed and continue to pray daily for them. I love my country and want it to prosper.
What’s with us?
Do we have some innate need to always be “right?” Do we really have such closed minds and hearts they we refuse to hear any iota of an opinion that differs from ours? Do we actually MAKE time to listen to the nudgings of the Almighty?
Oh, Lord, have mercy on me… on ALL of us.
May we set aside our differences, and–dare I say it– break bread together on our knees?
Oh, Lord, have mercy on me… on all of us.
Amy Walton is a Christian life coach and grief coach, Holy Yoga instructor and ambassador, speaker, and writer who loves to break bread with family and friends and have life talks. She also prays for greater unity among people and within the universal church. Connect with her at amywaltoncoaching@gmail.com.
