While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Matthew 26:26
The Pastor stands before the congregation, breaking the bread, inviting the disciples to come forward, give thanks, and receive the broken body of Jesus. Holy Communion. The Eucharist. Eucharist means to give thanks. This holy moment on a Sunday morning reminds today’s disciples of the connection between giving thanks and brokenness. Jesus gave thanks and broke the bread.
This scene echoes throughout the Scriptures. In Matthew 14:19-20, Jesus took “five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.” The loaves multiplied, feeding 5,000 men, not to mention the women and children. Jesus’ act of giving thanks and breaking bread multiplied the bread, “and all ate and were filled.”
Brokenness surrounds us. We feel weary from the weight of every day’s consequential decisions. Schools preparing for students. Parents and students preparing for school. Anxiety moving decisions back and forth. Critical words bruising good intentions. The uncertainty of tomorrow. The constant mixed messages. The isolation our kids feel. The burden a teacher carries. The darkness that comes. The fear that takes hold of parents, teachers, and students. Brokenness. We are a broken and weary people.
And Jesus gave thanks, breaking the bread. . . and the bread multiplied. Is it possible that God multiplies us, grows us through brokenness? Is it possible that God invites us to respond by giving thanks? Does the weight of weariness lighten as we trust God enough to name the everyday blessings around us?
The Word says yes! Anxious hearts calm in the naming of blessings, in the act of giving thanks. Moment by moment, weariness recedes with each acknowledgement of God’s goodness. Giving thanks in our brokenness multiplies us, growing our faith and expanding our inner peace. Jesus gave thanks and broke the bread. The weary and hungry people ate and were filled. Jesus invites us to the table, to the table of thanksgiving, to the naming of blessings…and they ate and were filled.
In naming that which is right before me, that which I would otherwise miss,
the invisible becomes visible.
The space that spans my inner emptiness fills in the naming.
I name. And I know the face I face.
Gods!
̴Ann Voskamp
“One Thousand Gifts Devotional”
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