
One Monday morning, I stopped at a drive-thru and bought my son a chicken biscuit. He was still young enough to be in a booster seat and after a moment of thinking about what he’d heard the day before in Sunday School said, “this biscuit makes me remember eating Jesus’ body.”
Finding Jesus in a chicken biscuit wasn’t exactly holy, yet it was a refreshing point that we should remember the sacrifice of the crucifixion in all we do, not just during formal communion at church. Just before the Easter story unfolded, when the Disciples gathered in the upper room, they were instructed to “do this in remembrance of me.” They weren’t given further instructions or specific directions, but were charged instead, with the task of remembering.

When my husband and I married and combined our two denominational backgrounds, we almost came to blows over where to attend church. The biggest sticking point was how they observed communion. Tiny plastic cups? Grape juice? Kneeling? Wine? Standing? Golden chalice? Sitting? Dipping or sipping? It drove us crazy, until we realized the things we argued about were man-made rules. Jesus didn’t say to call it the “Lord’s Supper” once a quarter or “Communion” once a week. He basically said, “Don’t forget what I’m about to do for you. Take action and remember.”
Easter is the giant day of remembrance and how we celebrate and honor the resurrection is as varied as how we take communion. Some of us will attend a familiar church, others will worship on mountaintops at sunrise or on beaches with guitars as the surf rolls in. Christians will “do this in remembrance of me” by breaking bread together in mega churches with video screens and gift shops, The Vatican in Rome, or even in homes with windows covered for fear of their government discovering them. Other Christians will find the strength to celebrate from a hospital bed or while they work overtime in order to feed their families.
We may have wildly different interpretations of scripture and argue fiercely with each other as well as with other congregations right down the street from us, but on Easter, all disharmony ceases, and we are united. It’s the day we celebrate the resurrection with all Christians around the world. It’s our holy day of purpose that defines who we are.
Just as our worship styles, and beliefs will vary, so will our hearts. Some will worship with gladness and joy while others will drag their weary, beat-up and broken hearts to worship against their will. Indifference, anger, jealousy and fear will all be represented as real-life Christians feel the pressures of the sinful world and will struggle to recharge through the words and music of the familiar Easter story. And at the end of the service, with all of our different approaches and motives, we’ll still remember Him and He’ll thankfully remember us.
As a child struggles to grasp the meaning of a broken body and the resurrection through a chicken biscuit, he correctly takes the story out of the church and personalizes and embraces it as his own — so we too must take the unifying lessons of forgiveness and hope out of the church and into the world, for a lifetime lived for Easter.
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Very touching post. Mine would be in Colorado, on or about about Easter 1985. I went with a group from my church to the mountains in Vail. We celebrated communion that Sunday in the living room of a condo where someone had brought unleavened bread and wine, and we all sat in a circle on the floor. There was no priest, no preacher, no anything, except this group of exceptional women who all spoke from their hearts about the significance of that day and what it represented to each of us. I will never forget it.
Beautiful and pure. Thanks Ellen. That’s what it’s all about. God was with you.
I love the simplicity of children’s interpretations of things we adults tend to make more complicated.
Love the chicken biscuit analogy. ❤️
Isn’t that the truth!??? Thanks Sue. Happy Easter.
Ms. Leslie: Peace be with you and yours! It’s not all about the bunny and the jelly beans!
Hippity-Hop, you are so right! Thanks Arlene, and happy Easter to you!
Lovely. And I bet I know which one said that!
You are correct. Happy Easter!
Beautifully said. And, a good personal reminder to me (Traditional Anglican…God’s Frozen Chosen) not to be so judge-y when our very young music minister strays into contemporary music!
Leslie Anne, my husband posted something on FB about me being a Phi Mu for our 46th wedding anniversary this week, and a very sweet friend from church messaged me she was a Phi Mu too! Who knew?!? Hope you and yours have a beautiful Easter Sunday.
Those Phi Mus are everywhere. Isn’t it amazing the fun connections we make? As for the church music, the fact you said “strays” just cracks me up. We’ve been visiting a church that mixes traditional and contemporary and it is honestly the best job of blending the music and being reverent and respectful I’ve ever seen. It’s beautiful when done without wanting to make a show. Then again . . . a good show every now and then is pretty fun. Happy Easter Phi Mu sister!
Amen!
Thanks. Glad you found the story! I’ll be back in the paper soon.