milk & honey mamas

Contributed by Kristen

On the sacrament (for littles)

Have you ever been to a feast? A feast has all of your favorite foods, like cake, biscuits and raspberry jam, macaroni and cheese, and chocolate ice cream cones. Can you imagine a feast for everyone in the whole world? For your mommy and daddy, your grandmas and grandpas, your friends? This feast would have rice and beans, dumplings, poutine, tiki masala, som tam, tacos, bobotie, baklava, and strawberry lemonade. Everyone would see their favorite dish, and there would be enough food to fill every person’s tummy. 

This feast is a dream. It is God’s dream for you and for me. 

When Jesus came to earth, he saw that everyone around him was hungry. No one had enough to eat, and their tummies were empty. Jesus was hungry sometimes too, so he understood how his friends felt. Whenever he was with people, he fed them. He fed them foods from his home, the Middle Eastern land by the sea. He fed them bread, and fish, and wine, and water. Sometimes he didn’t have enough, so he prayed to God to help him, and God filled his empty baskets with enough food to fill everyone’s tummies.  

But remember, some people were afraid that Jesus was teaching the wrong things. They wanted to stop his work with people. Jesus knew this, and he knew he would have to die. He knew he would have to leave his friends, and that they would be hungry. So before he died, he invited his friends to a special dinner. He gathered them close to him, put his arms around them, and gave them bread and wine. He said, “my friends, I cannot always stay with you, and I am sorry. I know this will make you sad. But I want you to know that I will always come back, and that I will always be with you to help you. So here is some bread, to remind you of my body even when it is gone. When you eat it, remember how we walked together, and how our feet got dusty, and how we were tired together. Remember that I know what it feels like to be a person who feels sad, and angry, and confused sometimes. And here is some wine. When you drink it, remember that I know what it feels like to be in pain, to get cut and hurt, and to feel alone.” 

His friends ate the bread and drank the wine and even though they were sad, they didn’t feel quite so alone. Even though they were only eating bread and drinking wine, they felt like they were feasting on love.  

Then, Jesus died. After he died, Jesus’ friends tried to continue his work of loving and healing and helping people. Sometimes they got lonely, and scared that their hard work wasn’t enough. Then they remembered their dinner with Jesus, and how he taught them about bread and wine, and remembering. So they baked some bread, and they made some wine, and they had a big feast. They invited everyone they could think of. And they said, “here is some bread, to remind you of Jesus, and how he was with us, and walked with us, and how he knows how it feels to be a person who gets sad, and angry, and confused. And here is some wine, to remind you of how Jesus knows what it feels like to be hurt, and in pain, and alone.” And everyone ate the bread, and drank the wine, and they felt less alone. Even though they were only eating bread and drinking wine, they felt like they were feasting on love. 

This feast of love is called a sacrament. Many have imagined this feast in different forms. In our church, we eat bread and drink water to remember that we are not so alone as we thought. We remember those who have come before us who drank the water and ate the bread because they loved God so very much and tried so hard to be good. When you eat the bread, remember that Jesus knows how it feels to be sad, and angry, and confused. When you drink the water, remember that Jesus knows how it feels to be hurt, and in pain, and alone. This is a feast of love, and you are always invited. God’s love will never go away, and no matter how much you need, there will always be more. 

God’s dream for the world is for everyone to come to the feast and fill their bodies with love. God doesn’t want anyone to be hungry. When you eat the bread and drink the water, even though it is just bread and water, you are coming to God’s feast. And there is enough love to fill your tummy.  

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Ideas for Play

Contributed by Kristen

• Share a delicious meal and talk about feasting on love
  • What would God’s feast be like?

• Make a collage of your favorite foods

• How can we come to God’s feast? How can we share God’s feast with those who are hungry?

• Consider volunteering at/donating to a food bank

• Act out the scene of the last supper 

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Artwork

Compiled by Caroline

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Poetry

Compiled by Caroline

3 This Table

by Malcom Guite

The centuries have settled on this table
Deepened the grain beneath a clean white cloth
Which bears afresh our changing elements.
Year after year of prayer, in hope and trouble,
Were poured out here and blessed and broken, both
In aching absence and in absent presence.

This table too the earth herself has given
And human hands have made. Where candle-flame
At corners burns and turns the air to light
The oak once held its branches up to heaven,
Blessing the elements which it became,
Rooting the dew and rain, branching the light.

Because another tree can bear, unbearable,
For us, the weight of Love, so can this table

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Music

Translation in English:

Down in adoration falling,
Lo! the sacred Host we hail,
Lo! oe’r ancient forms departing
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith for all defects supplying,
Where the feeble senses fail.

To the everlasting Father,
And the Son Who reigns on high
With the Holy Spirit proceeding
Forth from each eternally,
Be salvation, honor, blessing,
Might and endless majesty.
Amen.