Ever considered why bread ? Why not something natural like olives or pomegranates? Wheat was one of the first domesticated food crops, it can be grown in nearly every country in the world, even areas of the artic circle. Wheat is universal. Amazingly Its claimed to provide more nourishment than any other food source. So it does seem like God created it with something special in mind.
St Augustine of Hippo gives us a little insight and I’ve sat and expanded on His inspiration (forgive me St Augustine)
Firstly the whole process of making bread, from start to finish is a collaboration between God and us. Tilling the ground, the planting of seeds (given in the first instance by the Lord of course) and the harvesting is all the work of man, but the germination, the growth, the watering is all Gods provision, we can not do this alone, and He doesn’t wish to. We work with Him to bear this physical and spiritual fruit.
Having gathered the wheat in, (think us) the next step is to the threshing floor, here the removing the chaff begins. A stiff and rather brutal processing of separating the parts that don’t belong in the final flour, a purification, St Augustine tells us. Akin to the removal of attachments and sin, parts we have brought in but serve no purpose in the finished article, that will taint the flavour if left in place or ignored. There is a time of rubbing and stripping of the husks, that hard coating surrounding our hearts.
We are left with the sweet core of the grain, together yes, but still individual isolated grains, in the milling we become one substance, a dry substance easily dispersed by any small gust admittedly but when milled together something of the purpose first begins to be revealed.
The waters of Baptism bind the dust together, into something united, that takes on form. Perhaps a little oil is added to the dough at confirmation, giving a pliability, … Did you know that oil is added to bread dough to prevent the gluten linking up to make large tough, unpalatable networks. Maybe salt too is added, providing flavouring and preserving and yes protection.
So we have a raw dough, baked then in the fire of The Holy Spirit, bringing to completion an offering, not just of bread but a symbol of ourselves, our bodies ready to be consecrated becoming Christs own body, a Com- union of us as His body the church and He our head intimately connected, inseparably connected now through His grace. All our individual selves purified, combined and formed into not just a likeness of Him, but by Grace truly Him.
Perhaps this isn’t just about coming into the church but a continuous refining and renewing, it follows it seems the three stages of the spiritual journey and maybe this is one way this bread is eternal.
The purgative way – The gathering and removing of the chaff
The illuminative way – The separation and revelation
The unitive way – The bringing of ourselves to the altar and being transformed into Him
You know what happens then, His body is broken up for us and given back as a gift to strengthen and bless the journey
Perhaps you feel this is all a little too abstract and symbolic, so here’s a few notes on the threshing floor , the most famous threshing floor in scripture was the one purchased by David (2 Sam 24:18-25) note purchased as, in his words, it had to cost him something. This threshing floor happens to be on Mount Moriah, the place where Abraham had previously offered Isaac, where Solomon builds his temple, where Herod then rebuilds a temple and on the same mount where Jesus suffers and dies for our sins. The same place believed in Judaism to be where Adam was first created by God. The threshing floor is where we bring our raw and flawed selves to be purified by Gods mighty but merciful hand.
Questions
How connected do you feel to your parish and the church as a whole?
Are you aware of times when you’ve felt The Lord removing your “chaff” ?
What helps you to feel bonded to your church family? Have you ever felt on the outside?
Our part in this is to sow the seeds we are given for a continuing harvest, bringing people in to become part of the body. Where is the Lord asking you to sow right now?