“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” – 1 Corinthians 10:16 ESV
That Mysterious Door
Four to five times a week, I open a door, knowing that what is on the other side will occupy my time for the next eight minutes. Once I open that door, I am in constant motion around the room as a magical thing occurs: the items on that other side of the door start disappearing! It’s as if they vaporize gradually from behind that door as I use my powers of motion to direct them elsewhere. And that’s not just any “elsewhere”: those items manage to go behind other doors, and in time they will reappear behind that door I had just opened! The magical time will then continue anew another day.
No, there is no repeatable fairy tale going on in the Davis household. What I have just shared with you is the seemingly ordinary, mundane activity of emptying the dishwasher and putting cups, plates, pans, and silverware away. That bit of labor is likely not very high on one’s list of personal accomplishments. Ask someone to glow over every-day chores and that person might act like you have three heads. But consider something else, and it begins with the fact you might have skipped over a key word in the second sentence of this paragraph.
“Seemingly”.
Sacramental Moments
Household tasks strike many as ordinary, mundane, even in-the-way-of-life’s-enjoyment. But they should not be so. We don’t have to act like we’re in the middle of a fairy tale to derive some joy from them (although, to be clear, that doesn’t hurt!), but I’d like to propose a challenge that is practically low-hanging fruit for plucking. See these tasks as sacramental moments.
“Sacramental?” you say, as you wonder if I’m going for the sound of bells, chant, and the snapping of wafers and the pouring of wine to inhabit your ear canals. I don’t mean that every time you perform a house chore, you should look around for a properly bedecked table for Holy Communion, or a baptismal font or pool. There’s no need to over-spiritualize the moment. I simply mean to consider this question,
“What is God doing for me in this moment?”
Let me explain what helped lead me to considering this. The faith tradition to which I belong has a catechism, an instruction book for young people, in question-and-answer format, designed to form them in a deepening, growing faith in Christ. After a series of questions on the basics of the Gospel and the teaching of the Apostles’ Creed (and before the questions on the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments), there is a short series on the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper (a.k.a., Holy Communion). And in the midst of that series, we find this jewel in question 134:
What benefits do you receive through partaking of this sacrament [Holy Communion]?
The answer, in part? As my body is nourished by the bread and wine, my soul is strengthened by the body and blood of Christ…
Much like Jesus’ promise in John 6:56, Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” (ESV)
By what Jesus has done for us, by what God has provided for us, we are strengthened. That is at the very core of what happens when one receives Communion, we see in visible form how far God went for us, how much Jesus gave for us, and that we can always rest in the Lord’s provision.
What does this have to do with emptying the dishwasher, you say?
I’m glad you asked.
Every time I put cups, glasses, plates, bowls, and cutlery away in their proper places, I am given a sacramental look at my everyday existence. What else have I and my family put on those plates but food from prior meals? What else have we filled those glasses and cups with than water, tea, coffee, and other libations? The bowl that has that annoying piece of Frosted Flakes cereal that the dishwasher, in all its might, couldn’t dislodge? That is evidence that God has seen fit to—as the Lord’s Prayer reminds us—give you this day your daily bread. You are not merely performing a task; you are sacramentally recalling God’s provision and your soul is nourished and strengthened by what God has done for you.
Seeing Things Through God’s Eyes
And the number of household tasks in which you can recall this are many! Do you have to take out the garbage and take the dustbin to the street for pickup? Think about what is in that pile of refuse. Empty soup cans and pudding cups, carrot peelings, old egg cartons…all of this is a testimony that God provides for your needs and will not let go of you. Can your heart be fortified by that hope? Perhaps you are frazzled and rolling your eyes at having to pick up your toddler son’s stuffed animals off the floor to clean up the house when your friends bring their children over for a playdate? As you pluck Martin the Moose and Plato the Possum off the carpet, can you see with God’s eyes what you behold? Provision for your child, so that he can play with a piqued imagination and wonder? The chance to clean up for people whose presence and friendship are a treasure? All these things are from God’s hands. Is it time to do the laundry in which you are facing three full loads? How about that! God has made sure you are clothed with what you require. He doesn’t let go of you! His grip on your everyday needs is that strong!
The problem is not that our lives are full of too much routine. The problem is that our routine is not visualized through God’s eyes. All of life is holy. Mundane tasks are part of a sacramental life. And our hearts can be encouraged when we view them in this sacred way.
For more from Rev. Luke Davis, check out new series: The Merivalkan Chronicles. Book One Joël is out now and Book Two Bjarna will be out this summer!
“In the shadow of ruin … comes a glimmer of hope.
One day a traveler from the north enters Selanna, the capital of the nation of Merivalka. Before long, this mysterious man known as Joël, who repairs broken and disfigured items, befriends some and contends with others, patiently teaching and exhorting citizens to embrace the mercy of Lord Creator. His message appears too good to be true for the proud yet subjugated Merivalkans. As Joël exhibits grace and truth, his followers cling to him and his enemies seek to destroy him at all costs. With authority and humility, Joël faces his adversaries all the way to a tragic end … but will grief or grace have the final word?”
