We were
as silent as mice as we hid behind the trees on the west side of the church
parking lot. The early dark of the
evening aided us in hiding. We four boys
were on a mission of discovery. Any
minute we knew we would see them. One of
our number had seen them go over. It was
only a matter of time before they came back.
They never stayed all that long, and they always came back.
Moments
later we heard the sound of a screen door opening and then the muffled sound of
the men’s voices. “Wait! Don’t forget this.” Was that a woman’s voice we heard? Walking slowly, the men made their way across
the backyard of the house before disappearing behind the church. Thanks to an early and full moon, we did
catch just a glimpse of the silver.
The
house we watched was the pastor’s home, which was “conveniently” located right
next to the church. (People who think
that is convenient have never been a pastor who lived next door to the
church.) The men who moved furtively
through the dark were two of the church’s deacons and the pastor. The woman’s voice was that of Mrs. Johnson,
our pastor’s wife. Apparently, she was
the only woman allowed near the secret.
Until
that night, we had thought that the “elements” of the Lord’s Supper just showed
up on the table in front of the pulpit, covered by a white tablecloth. That night the secret was partially
uncovered. The “elements” came from the
parsonage; and in spite of women not being able to serve the elements, it
appeared to us that Mrs. Johnson had been allowed to help prepare them.
Interesting, isn’t it? Women could bake
the bread, pour the juice, press the tablecloth, and, I suspect, wash up
afterwards, but they could not serve the congregation.
This
morning at our church a man and woman will be preparing the bread and the
juice, and men and women will serve. There
will be little secrecy around the Table, though there will be much
mystery. All who are present will be
invited to eat and drink. Some of those
will experience the mystery of bread and juice becoming more . . . so much
more. Some who are not yet believers
will eat and drink with us; and in doing so, they will hear and see lessons of
God’s love and of Jesus’ promise that he is the Bread of Life. Some who hear and see the lesson will
believe, and the next time they eat and drink they may well experience the
mystery.
The
Table is the Lord’s. I pray somewhere
you are finding one of His Tables that is open to you.
