Pastor Autumn’s pizza skillet bread
I’ve been thinking about bread a lot lately. At the start of the pandemic I had many friends embark on a bread adventure learning to knead, bake, or care for sourdough. I’ve been intimidated by this adventure. But last week, the bread adventure began calling me again. Only this time, I have answered yes to the invitation.
Last week, I made my first loaf. A skillet bread, where I added pizza popcorn seasoning for extra flavor (I’m not the best at following instructions to basic recipes). The smell of bread filled the house, and I was glad the recipe instructed me to let the loaf cool for an hour before cutting into it, otherwise it may not have lasted the night!
This calling came from an invitation in our Monday Morning Women’s book, Taste and See by Margaret Feinberg. Last week, we were invited to make our own bread, specifically an 18-minute matzo. I wanted to gain some bread-baking confidence before I jumped into that challenge on my own, so matzo is this weekend’s challenge!
Taste and See invited me to explore the communal nature of bread. Margaret Feinberg talked about all the hands that go into the making of one piece of bread. In ancient times, it was a whole family, if not entire community, affair. They would till the land, plant the seeds, weed while it grows, harvest the crop, grind the grain, haul the water, mix all the ingredients together, bake in a communal oven, and then finally eat together. It was and is something we cannot do on our own, or great effort must be made to make it a solitary event.
Thinking about community and bread instantly draws me to think about communion. Communion has been different these past 11 months. It’s different partaking in it at home, with just your household, whether it is an intimate experience with your family or a reminder of the loneliness of not physically being with others.
But what if, as we bite into our piece of bread/popcorn/goldfish/cookie, we remember all the hands it took to get this one piece to our table? On top of all the hands it took in ancient times to make bread, we now add in delivery drivers, barge captains, shipping dock personnel, maintenance crews, grocery store staff, and more. It is still a communal act in getting this food to our table, and so we remember all the people who have helped get it there.
The last several months you’ve seen me rush around my house last minute to find communion elements. While it is often like that, this week is different. I miss the intentional nature of communion when we’re gathered together. How do we reclaim that intentionality at home?
What if we intentionally prepared for communion this Sunday? Would that change how you receive it? Popcorn and grape soda work in a pinch when that’s what we have available, but what happens when we make the extra effort to acquire traditional communion elements of grain and grape?
I invite you to try making grape juice or buying some from the store. Make yourself a loaf of bread or support a local business and purchase a freshly baked loaf. A quick search on the internet will provide you will endless recipe options, whether you want to knead dough, let it rest and have the yeast work on its own, or you need the quick 18-minute matzo recipe.
This week, I invite you to prepare for communion now. Be intentional about this intimate time we spend with God. Secure your elements of grain and grape for communion this Sunday. Think about all the hands it took for these elements to reach your home, be reminded of the community that continues to support us that we often forget. If you need help finding a local baker or a recipe let me know! Pastorautumn@stjohnanchorage.org
May this time of preparation for communion on Sunday, draw you closer to one another and to God.
~ Pastor Autumn Krueger
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” - 2 Corinthians 13:13 CEB