Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Communion
Today we affirm that the pure life and substance of God are constantly renewing and rebuilding our bodies, which are God's Holy Temple.
The details and importance of the Seder, the Passover meal, have changed very little for Jews in the 2,000 years since Jesus' time. From its ritual questions and answers to its traditional food and drtink, the Seder focuses on the central event in Jewish history: the deliverance of the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt through God's active intervention on their behalf.
Wine and unleavened bread are important elements of the Seder meal and had been for hundreds of years before the time of Jesus. Jesus honored the Seder traditions during the final Passover celebration of His life, but He gave them a different dimension. He moved the emphasis from group obedience to individual responsibility.
The Seder meal took on a new dimension of communion. "Take, eat," Jesus said of the bread, "this is my body." "Drink ... all of you." He said of the wine, "for this is my blood." (Matthew 26:26-28). Charles Fillmore explains that the bread symbolizes substance, a body of Spiritual ideas. The wine is life, the circulation of Divine ideas that will purify our minds and hearts and renew our strength.
reprinted from Unity's Lent 2013 "A Season for Spiritual Growth"
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Unity is a nonprofit organization, supported primarily by freewill offerings, including planned giving. To give a donation, please visit www.unity.org/donate.