DIGIJOURNAL 019--14 JUNE 2007

DATELINE 14JUN07 LSA ANACONDA

COMMUNION
“This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Luke 22:19

Every worship service we have, no matter the size, ends with the celebration of the sacrament of communion. I take a small, portable, Army-issue communion set with me wherever I go. I am always struck at how personally meaningful it is to join with other believers in sharing in the presence of Christ.

During the Reformation, one of the critiques that the reformers had of the Church (at the time), was that it did not celebrate the sacraments enough. Tradition held sway that, at most, the people received communion once a year, or, even less infrequently, only on their deathbed. At the time, many believed that to sin after receiving baptism or communion would condemn a person to hell. John Calvin, one of the early reformers in my tradition, believed that Christians should celebrate communion at every worship service.

Now fast forward to today, where one cannot conduct a Roman Catholic Mass without celebrating the Eucharist, while many reformed churches celebrate communion once a month or even only once a quarter. I remember how special, how powerful it was, to watch my friends in high school (I was a protestant who attended a Catholic high school, St. Pius X) go forward en masse to receive communion from the priest. It was powerful because I was able to see, sitting in the stands in the gym, the great leveling and unifying effect communion had. Instead of 800 separate students, faculty, and administrators, we were one.

As a Presbyterian pastor, my efforts to increase the number of times we celebrated communion at the various churches I served often ended in frustration. It was not because parishioners were petty; it was because we as a clergy had failed to educate those whom we served in the importance and meaning of communion.

Why does this matter? Why is this important?

Three weeks ago I visited the EOD (Emergency Ordinance Disposal) team at Patrol Base O’Ryan. Composed of three Air Force personnel, I had a pleasant time just talking about life with them. Later that evening, Airman William Newman and two other soldiers came to our hasty chapel service (due to missions, services tend to be small at OR), and we ended with communion. After the benediction, we always grip each other’s hands and pass the peace of Christ.

The next week, while the EOD team was disarming an IED (Improvised Explosive Device), it detonated, killing William instantly. I met his buddies, the platoon leadership, and his body at the CASH. We said a prayer for the dead and joined together in mourning for our comrade and friend. I had no doubt about his faith and the way he would have wanted to have concluded his life. William also knew where he was going.

The next week, his two other team members showed up to services, and, as we joined together for worship and the celebration of communion, I reminded them that, through the Holy Spirit, through the elements, we not only joined together with each other, but all Christians across the globe and across time. We joined as the living with those who had crossed into the Promised Land. William was as present at Christ’s table that day as he was two weeks ago.

Christians, especially American Christians, who tend to over-emphasize the personal experience of faith against the idea of the communal ecclesia or church, forget that the primary purpose of the sacraments is not to comfort one’s own spirit or give one a sense of uniqueness. In fact, it is the opposite. They remind us that we are not alone, and that not even death can separate us from the love of God and from each other.

As we gripped hands at the end of the service, SGT F, Airman Newman’s team chief, thanked me for the service. I asked that we both thank God for allowing the living to not forget the dead, and for letting all believers in history to sit at the Master’s Table, as one Body, in His love, rejoicing in the abundant life He grants us in the present, and the eternal life He has given us in the future.

SUPPORT SPOTLIGHT
I would like to introduce a new part of my journal updates. Your support, both individually and collectively, has been overwhelming. I feel led to recognize some of the groups that have given so much to our soldiers. It is interesting to see such a wide-variety of people that have come together to support us.

ARMED FORCES SERVICE COALITION, Durango, Colorado
This group has donated literally hundreds of boxes in the past nine months. With their help we have built three separate libraries for soldiers, passed out numerous toys and backpacks to Iraqi children, and have received many unique gifts and tools for our Joes (soldiers). The Coalition is a collection pf public and private individuals and groups who have come together to let our soldiers know that they have not been forgotten. Thank you for being an inspiration to all of us.

NEW ADDRESS
I now have a new, old address. CPL C and I are moving our base of operations back to Patrol Base Paliwoda. The new address is listed below. If you have sent packages to the old one, do not worry, we will still receive them.
Wainwright, Kevin
HHC 3/8 CAV, 1CD
Patrol Base Paliwoda
APOAE 09391

Grace and Peace,
Warhorse Archangel