Grant - Day 8

Grant - Day 8

Goldfish Crackers. I've had Goldfish Crackers a number of times before and I don't usually stop at just one but today one Goldfish cracker filled me up.

We went to church this morning at Rahab's House in Svay Pak. I've been back in Rahab's House a number of time since the renovation now - we had lunch there each day last week and we will again this week and we were at Kid's Club a couple of times last week. But today was the first time I've been at a worship service in Rahab's House.

We arrived just a bit before the service began and were seated in chairs right up at the front. As a Presbyterian I may have more naturally taken something a little farther back and a little less obvious we knew that we were going to receive honoured guest status so I just had to get over it. The service began with 15 young people from Svay Pak itself leading worship. It was lively and full of life. That may sound something of a redundancy but it is not - it was lively music and worship and the worship was full of life. I've wondered what it would be like to worship in this community with this community of faith; none of my imaginings came close to reality. It was awesome in the richest sense of the word.

The service proceeded and we didn't understand a word and it didn't matter. We were worshipping with our sisters and brothers in Christ and it was good - it was great. Then some of the young people who had been leading worship came to the front of the church carrying plastic Tupperware-like trays. I looked a little closer and in each of the trays were a number of those little plastic communion cups used in so many churches in North America. I felt a surge of joy as I considered that we might actually celebrate Holy Communion in Rahab's House. Pastor Chanta spoke, saying what I assume were the words of institution and the introduction to the Lord's Supper and then the young people began to pass the elements. First came the wine - well it was actually some kind of fruit juice but the point is the same. And then came the bread...but it wasn't bread. The tray was filled with Goldfish Crackers. As I held my cup I reached out and took one of the crackers. There I was, in a space that just two years before had the horrid cubicles of a child brothel and now I sat in this large open space surrounded by people who were worshipping the Living God or at least learning about the Living God and I held in my hands a small cup of juice and one little Goldfish Cracker. Pastor Chanta lead us in prayer and then it was time. I ate the cracker and then I drank from the cup. I had probably the most holy Holy Communion I'd ever had.

Communion us a mysterious gift from God that helps us to know God's grace in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. It is a physical representation of a set of powerful spiritual truths. It is something that reminds us of our connectedness with our Lord and with each others and fellow disciples of Jesus Christ. Today one little Goldfish Cracker and a small cup of sweet juice did all that for me.

Do this in remembrance of me!

Yours in Christ,

Grant