CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER

One evening I was invited to a communion service with a small group of about twenty men and women. I had not known these people for very long, and I felt a little out of place. It was a very informal and relaxed gathering. We sat around a large table, lit only by candles. No one had been designated as a leader, so we all took turns sharing anything that was on our hearts. At first I was very reluctant to participate because it was so unstructured which made me feel uncomfortable.

We sang some familiar hymns and praise choruses, followed by a time of silent prayer. A few minutes later someone read from the Scriptures, and then began to teach a little on the meaning of the passage. After she finished teaching, people began to share some of their own hurts and needs, and each person was received with warmth and encouragement. Then we took part in what was one of the most beautiful communion services I had ever experienced.

As the bread came into my hands, I actually felt the presence of Christ. I looked around the room and saw that everyone was holding a piece of bread from the same loaf, that each of us was

holding the body of Christ. A woman began to pray, "Brothers and sisters . . . " I didn't hear the rest of her prayer. I looked around at all of the bowed heads and it struck me, "These people are my family. That woman is my sister, that man is my brother."

For the rest of the evening I felt a kinship with every person in the room. It was like the meal shared by the two people on the road to Emmaus: in the breaking of the bread I saw the presence of Christ in our midst. We were held together by the love God had shown each of us; that was our common bond.

Interdependent and Incomplete. God has made us interdependent. From the moment of our creation God felt that it was important for us to live in community. He looked at Adam and said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner" (Gen. 2:18). At the core of our being is a need to love and be loved by others.

The great wonder of our existence is the fact that God has made us incomplete. He could havedispensed all of our necessities directly to us so that we would have had no need for each other. Instead, he gives us all of the resources we need to care for one another and encourages us to share those resources.