real communion

Will has been coming into his own these last few months,
casting off the shadow of his big brother, Jack, and
pressing into who he wants to become.
He asked Jesus into his heart a while back...
but I wasn't sure if he did it because he loved Jesus
or because of his fire and brimstone conversation with Jack.
Jack told him that he would be going to hell if he didn't.
It's hard at 4 years old to comprehend all that Jesus did on the cross.
Actually, it's hard at 36 years old to comprehend
all that Jesus did on the cross.
When Scott passed out communion this Sunday, I let it pass Will by.
But he insisted he was ready to take communion.
It is hard to whisper about the importance of the Eucharist,
all it symbolizes, why we do it, without attracting attention.
I motioned for the plate and Will took the elements.
Scott talked about all that it symbolized...
And Will kept tugging on my arm,"Now, Mom, now?"
"No, Will, listen to Dad, he will tell us when."
I started to sweat a little, wondering if I had made the right choice.
The sweet smell of the grape juice and
those tiny cups are so alluring to young ones.
I remember the pull of those crispy crackers myself, when I was little.
We took the bread. Scott explained the cup.
The sacrifice. The blood.
The wiping away of our wrongdoings with his right-ness.
All that it means to us who believe. And then he told us to drink.
Will tugged on my arm, holding up his little cup to mine.
"Cheers, Mom!" he said.
We clinked our mini cups and drank.
He licked his lips and said,
"That's good stuff, Mom."
And I was just thinking....
maybe 4 year olds get it after all.