Friday, October 30, 2020

day no. 15,348: word, water, bread and wine

"Word, water, bread and wine" -- Douglas Wilson, The Face of Jesus (sermon)

The Christian faith is based on themes as basic as words, water, bread and wine. It is a faith built around things said, wet, fed and sipped. It is tangible. It is undeniable. And yet it is as profound as Word, water, bread and wine.

The Word of God in the beginning spoke the worlds into being. The Word of God in the middle became flesh in order to be in our world. The Word of God in the end will appear and end the world as we know it.

Water is the universal solvent. It washes away most things with which it comes into contact. Water comes down and water can drown. Water rushes and water gathers. It gets us wet and it whets our appetites. it greases the gears of our inner workings.

Bread can be chewed. It can be felt when swallowed. It contains energy and it is produced by energy. Bread does not grow in fields, but wheat does. Bread is produced by gathering, refining, making and baking. All of which require energy. Our daily bread is produced by bread powered hard work.

Wine makes the heart glad and is a miracle of waiting on grapes. The same grapes that taste sweet in time taste strong.

These elements of our faith are earthy and spiritual in one. They are hypo-static in their retention of two worlds. They are visible tokens of invisible attributes. They are basic and simple. They are divine and profound.

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