pat loughery

I challenged the rest of our church today to consider the discipline of fasting during Lent in order to make more room to practice the discipline of presence (being attentive, listening, honoring others, hearing their story).

We had fun with apples today too, and had communion with potato bread and apple juice. I was disappointed that nobody asked why we used apple juice instead of grape, but I suppose it’s because it was obvious. Or it wasn’t a burning question. I was just thinking that it would be interesting to use John 5, the Jesus as Bread story, talk about our taking communion not just to celebrate his life/death/resurrection, but also our identification with him. Even as we identify with the first Adam because he shafted us in the whole apple/snake controversy.

Anyway, the discipline of presence. Here we go.