emBodying Christ

                Clouds covered the wintry African sky, and the wind raged outside.  Indoors, the nursing home residents were covered in blankets and clustered around a heater.  My friend and I were there to bring communion to church members who couldn’t make it to services, including some members afflicted with Alzheimer’s.

                One woman caught my attention.  The sleeves of her sweatshirt were pinned back, her arms snuggled close to her torso.  Her name was Gilly, and she had been living with Multiple Sclerosis for the past 20 years.  When my friend explained that I was a visiting intern from America, Gilly brightened and said, “Welcome, Sarah!”

                I soon learned that Gilly was paralyzed from the neck down.  She relied on her food and drink being propped up on a tray, a slab of foam, and a thick dictionary – all balanced on her lap.  When it came time to serve communion, I gently tilted the juice into her mouth.  In fact, many of Gilly's fellow residents had lost the use of their hands, so more often than not, they opened their mouths for us to place the wafer inside.

                Can I, too, have such an open-hearted posture when it comes to receiving Christ?  Can I, too, gratefully accept the gift of his presence?  How simple, yet miraculous, to obediently and reverently open oneself to receiving communion.

                Gilly’s MS has not prevented her from continuing to serve the Lord.  Only recently, she became an accomplished painter, using a paintbrush held between her teeth.  A paintbrush held between her teeth!  You wouldn't believe some of her creations.  Her artwork has been turned into greeting cards, and I came back a few days later with some Rand to purchase half a dozen.  Gilly was delighted to hear that I wanted to write about her on this blog.  She happily posed for a picture next to an arrangement of her cards.

{my favorite painting of Gilly's}

                I wonder if I’ll always look back on that communion experience as one of my most memorable times of ministry.  Thank God for people who teach us what true, humble receiving of the Lord’s Supper looks like.  Thank God for people who share their talents with the rest of us, and use their creativity to glorify God.  Thank God for the opportunity to live and serve in another country, witnessing the kingdom of heaven all over the earth!