Lead Article October 27, 2014 Issue

Church that lifts the heart

Thomas Johnsen

The service brought unexpected tears that chilly January morning. It was the Communion service at a branch Church of Christ, Scientist. The solo was an African American spiritual dating back to the era of slavery: “Let us break bread together on our knees.” The simplicity of the singing matched the spirit of the message. Listening to this old communion hymn, looking around at the sparse gathering that made up the congregation, I found it impossible not to see those who had come in a new light. It was impossible not to love each one.

We were breaking bread together, after all. The service didn’t include bread or wine in a literal sense; the spiritual power and meaning experienced that morning went beyond physical symbols. As Mary Baker Eddy, who established the Church of Christ, Scientist, more than a century ago, wrote in the denomination’s textbook: “Our Eucharist is spiritual communion with the one God. Our bread, ‘which cometh down from heaven,’ is Truth. Our cup is the cross. Our wine the inspiration of Love, the draught our Master drank and commended to his followers” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 35).

Church is much more than a social activity or a network of personal relations. Most Christians understand church, at its core, to be a God-centered activity. The love and fellowship we experience in church have their source in spiritual communion with divine Love. We feel our community with each other most deeply as we feel and understand our oneness with God.

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