Writings of a Beholder 🌿 10.14.22
a weekly letter for those longing to slow down, seek still moments, and behold God’s presence with them in the everyday.
Weekly writings of a beholder 🌿
The Breaking of Bread
I woke up this past Monday morning with a loneliness in my chest that couldn’t be explained. I suspect that it may have had something to do with the fact that Covid has knocked me off of my regular routine and rhythms. Not to mention that my body still feels a bit weak, which I’m not accustomed to.
That loneliness turned into a steady melancholy that seemed to linger over the remainder of this week. It wasn’t like I had a particular reason for being sad, but I still felt it in my soul all the same.
But instead of pushing the feeling away, which I have been known to do in the past, I let it in.
I allowed the loneliness and the melancholy to wrap themselves around me, acting as arrows rather than knives; arrows that I let lead me to the feet of Jesus. Arrows that I paid attention to, leaning into what they might reveal beneath the surface of my soul.
What I found there was a longing for connection.
This realization came to me one evening this week as I sat around a dinner table with my husband, brother, and sister-in-law. We chatted and laughed, catching up with each other’s busy lives as we ate a meal together.
We’re forming a bi-weekly tradition, my husband, brother, sister-in-law, and I. The tradition of getting together every other week and doing what I just described; connecting and communing around a table over a hot meal.
This week, they hosted and decided to make chili, so I picked up a baguette from the grocery store and watched as my sister-in-law broke it into equal pieces. As I watched her lay out the bread slices on a baking pan to toast in the oven for a few minutes, I was struck by how powerful the breaking of bread is.
The breaking of bread with friends is one way to break your own heart open so Light can leak in.
A simple meal with friends, or even with strangers, is powerful enough to make you feel human, to make you feel connected in your humanness. And that is exactly what my lonely soul had been longing for all week.
The breaking of bread, and the sharing of a meal, whether it be in silence or in conversation, sparks communion; the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings.
In the Christian faith, we recognize the word ‘communion’ as a way to consecrate and remember the death of Christ. The bread represents His body broken for us and the wine represents His blood that was spilled. Jesus knew the power of sharing broken bread together in community, and it was one of the last things He chose to do with His disciples before the cross.
"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, NIV)
And after the crucifixion of His body, it was the breaking of bread that Jesus used to open the disciples’ eyes to His presence back from the tomb, and back from the dead.
"Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread." (Luke 24:35, NIV)
There’s power in the simplicity of a meal shared with friends and loved ones because the breaking of bread is one way to break the tension of all that feels heavy in this life. The breaking of bread is how we see each other, and one very big way we are able to behold more of God’s presence with us in each day.
After the four of us broke bread, ate, and said our goodbyes for the evening, my soul felt lighter. Communion over a hot meal and a loaf of store-bought bread really do have the ability to transform and warm a heart.
They bring Jesus to the table, to the forefront of your thoughts.
So, the next time you find yourself around a table, my friend, remember to give thanks for those present with you, those who wish they could be, and the very presence of Jesus who partakes in your breaking and eating, and living.
xo,
celia
A breath prayer for your weekend
breathe in:
Give us this day.
breathe out:
Our daily bread.
*if you’d like to learn more about the practice of breath prayer, check out this blog post I wrote titled, How to Use Breath Prayer.
Resources & fun things to pick up
I really enjoyed this podcast interview with Mark Buchanan about the spiritual practice of walking: Walking as a Spiritual Practice
I just placed an order for a liturgical planner from a company called Sacred Ordinary Days. They offer daily and weekly contemplative planners that follow the liturgical Christian calendar or the academic calendar (you get to choose) and include reflection prompts, weekly Scripture readings, a weekly invitation to Sabbath rest, the practice of Examen, daily breath prayers, and more. Check it out here: Sacred Ordinary Days
Grab some helpful, beholding resources over on my Etsy shop, The Beholding Co. Available right now are some breath prayer cards, a spiral-bound journal, and a Lectio Divina Bible bookmark.
Grab a copy of my Bible study, You Are Beloved: a 21-day study on how to root your identity in the love of God, over on Amazon.
An invitation to pause & reflect
A regular practice of reflection helps us recognize what’s going on beneath the surface of our souls so that we can name it in the Lord’s presence. Because as we learn to name what we feel, what we need, and what we long for, we’re also learning to discern the Spirit’s sweet, gentle voice within our hearts and lives.
Take a few moments today or this weekend to journal or contemplate with the Holy Spirit the following question(s):
How might you find connection and communion with those around your table today? Whether you find yourself amongst friends or sitting alone, consciously invite Jesus to sit down with you. What do you notice?
xo,
celia
❤️