How Jesus Breaks Open Suffering

I've lived through a lot of suffering my life, and I've been able to heal (not be cured) though understanding the magic of communion.  Listen below to find out how communion heals my suffering, and how it can be that for you, too.  The text is 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26.  Communion means everything to me.  

What is communion?

For those who do not know, communion is a time a worship service or home visit where we eat a small piece of bread, sometimes a wafer, and drink some wine or grape juice.  We do it because of this passage in 1 Corinthians.  Early Christians celebrated that ritual.  It means different things to different people at different times.  We, as Lutherans, believe that Jesus is present in, with, under, and around the bread and wine.  We believe that in the gathering community and speaking of the words and God's promises, Jesus' spirit comes alongside, and therefore alongside us.  This means everything to me and my ability to live well with physical suffering, chronic illness, and disability.  What happens in this meal is a little mystical, a little magical.  It is a moment, an event, that involves a Pastor (usually, but not always), God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the gathered community, and the relationship between a person and their Savior.  It is full and complicated, and no words or one way of describing it will ever encompass all of what is means that Jesus said to do this, God attached promises to it, and it includes bread and wine.  I hope you find healing in what this ritual means to me, and discover what it can mean for you, too.  Feel free to ask any questions in the comments.  

for a more detailed academic take on this topic, read this, Bones and Bread.