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A few years ago, I participated in a World Hunger Meal. The point of the meal was to sensitize us to the reality of hunger in our world today. When people arrived at the meal, they were assigned to a group that represented a certain part of the world's population. Here's how we were divided up. The wealthiest 20% had 83% of the world's income. The next 20% lived on 12% of the world's income. The third 20% had a little more than 2%. The fourth 20% had a little below 2%. And the poorest 20% had just 1% of the world's income.1 We began our meal sitting ten per table, each group being represented by two people. We had no idea which group we represented before the meal began. As the food arrived those in the first group received two turkey cutlets, cranberry rice, bread, a side salad, a choice of beverage, and dessert. The second group got a little less cranberry rice, a side salad, and a choice of beverage. The third group at the table got plain rice, a side salad, bread, and water. The fourth group got plain rice, a side salad, and water. Lastly, the poorest group received just plain rice and water. The food was brought to the table without any instructions. It was interesting to see how quickly people became uncomfortable with the situation. Those who represented the wealthiest group began to feel guilty at having so much and started to share with those who represented the poorest. Comments were made like, "That is so not fair!" or "That's so mean!" It was an effective way to visualize a reality of our world that we don't easily see. Today, 854 million people in our world are hungry. How are we as Christians to respond?2

Those comments at the Hunger Meal are a loose translation of the instructions the apostle Paul gave the church at Corinth. Paul was critical of the way they practiced holy communion. Apparently, the church had communion in the context of a meal. Some of the wealthier Christians were feasting while the poorer believers went hungry. In verse 22 Paul said that behavior showed "contempt for the church" and also humiliated the poor. "In this matter I do not commend you."

But how could Paul motivate the Corinthians to change their practice? What kind of argument could he make? Paul took them back to the first Lord's Supper, back to the night Jesus was betrayed, the first Maundy Thursday (vv. 23-26). Then Paul told them that there was a right way and a wrong way to come to the Lord's Supper. "For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves" (v. 29). What did he mean "discerning the body"? It's clear from the context that Paul means the body of Christ in the community. In effect he is saying, recognize Christ in your fellow Christians. Treat each other with generosity and hospitality, just as you would treat Jesus. When we fail to do this, the community is weakened. Paul goes on to talk about the importance of each member of the community (ch. 12) and the importance of love in the community (ch. 13). Love shares generously with others the blessings God has given.

Holy communion was a serious affair in the church I grew up in. We had communion only once a month. At every communion service, the words of the apostle Paul were printed in the bulletin.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves.
-- 1 Corinthians 11:27-29

Those verses scared me. Communion was serious business requiring a lot of introspection and preparation. If I had any doubts at all that I was participating in an unworthy manner I should just stay in my pew and forget communion or God was going to judge me. Many years later I have come to see things differently. Surely, it is important to have some understanding about communion and treat the sacrament with respect and reverence. But communion is not just about seeing Jesus in the bread. Communion is also seeing Jesus in the community, the body of Christ. Holy communion is personal, but it is never private. When we participate in the Lord's Supper without sensing the body of Christ in those around us, something is wrong. When we ignore the needs of others and refuse to share, there is a problem and our experience of communion is diminished.

"Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:17). The hymn, "As The Grains Of Wheat," talks about how various grains of wheat from different parts of the field are all brought together to form one loaf of bread. That is the image of people from all over the world coming together in the one body of Christ.3

Have you ever baked bread from scratch? Think about what's involved. You likely bought the flour at the store, opened the bag and measured out what you needed. Most of us never see the mill where that flour is processed. Nor do we see the farmer harvesting the individual stalks of wheat. The next time you look at bread, whether store bought or baked yourself, I hope you look beneath the crust and see the one loaf as the contribution of many individual stalks of wheat. And the next time you eat bread at the Lord's table I hope you see in it the body of Christ, a coming together of Christ's family throughout the earth. I hope it reminds you that you are connected not only to Christ, but to his body, the church.

The apostle Paul criticized those who were rich, who came to holy communion while ignoring the hungry. He felt this made a mockery of the Eucharist. Discerning the body of Christ was impossible if one ignored the hungry. In his book, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, author Ron Sider puts it this way. "As long as any Christian anywhere in the world is hungry, the eucharistic celebration of all Christians everywhere in the world is imperfect."4

On this night when we remember that Christ has given us his body and blood to feed our deepest hunger, may we renew our commitment to see him in those around us, and to share our blessings with all who are hungry.

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1. Ron Sider, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving From Affluence to Generosity (Dallas: Word Publishers, 1997), pp. 2-3.

2. For more details on the Hunger Meal visit the ELCA World Hunger website at http.//www.elca.org/hunger/resources/youth.html.

3. "As The Grains Of Wheat" by Marty Haugen © 1990 GIA Publications. For various options available for the reprinting of this hymn, go to OneLicense@www.OneLicense.net.

4. Op cit, Ron Sider, pp. 85-86.

Pumpernickel Bread

Ingredients
1 cup plus 3 Tablespoons water
1/4 cup molasses
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup whole wheat
1/2 cup rye flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon instant coffee
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons vital wheat gluten
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (about 1 1/2 teaspoon bread machine or rapid yeast)
2 teaspoons caraway seeds, optional

Directions

Add ingredients to your bread machine according to manufacturer's suggested order. Use medium crust setting. Makes a 2-pound loaf.

Sweet Potato Yeast Bread

Ingredients
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
4 cups bread flour
1/4 teaspoons each ground nutmeg and cinnamon
2 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 Tablespoons dry milk

Directions

Add ingredients according to the manufacturer's suggested order. Use white bread setting, light crust. Makes a 2-pound loaf.