Community and Communion

So last night I am hanging out on my patio with Tyler and Brian, a few La Flor Dominicanas and a few Brooklyn Pennant Ales. I guess we were hanging out for several hours...I didn't keep track of time. At some point during the evening we turned our attention to a custom Brian took part in while he was in Fiji. It reminded us all of communion...people sitting around, sharing a drink and thinking of ways in which our actions and interactions intersect with God. That reminded me of my time as an intern in Mwanza, Tanzania learning from Greg.

The people of the Sukuma Tribe in Mwanza have no idea what a grape is. That means they have no idea what wine is or grape juice...so that makes more traditional communion very difficult. They were encouraged by Greg to think about communion...what it is...what it should like for them and how they may go about doing it. They came to a really cool conclusion. In their minds the Body and Blood of Jesus is so wonderful that they should only use the best things to symbolize them. So they chose rather expensive items...Coca-cola and English Tea Cookies. In my mind that was so fitting.

I know from a traditional Eucharist perspective it isn't the same but last night was refreshing to spend time with Brothers. It was good to have some laughs and some deeper theological discussion. In so many ways I imagine how I will one day feel when my three boys are all gathered together in a common place and in a common love...God must absolutely love times like last night. If He delights in his sons so much more than I can imagine, and He does, I know God had to be smiling and enjoying His sons spending time together and just sharing their lives. Man time is awesome and God is even more amazing than that. Long live Monday night Man Time on the patio!!!