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We have been immersed in the somber, penitential season of Lent for quite some time now, and all last week we reflected on the events that led to the suffering and death of Christ on the cross. So what a joy it is to have finally reached this place of celebration as we come together to rejoice that though Christ died, Christ is risen and Christ will come again!

Resurrection essentially means “new life”. Christ died and rose again to new life and in doing so, he offers new life to us as well. So on Easter, we celebrate life, and what better way is there to celebrate life than by living – fully and fearlessly and unapologetically alongside one another?

I was listening to a story on NPR this week that talked about smart phone use and restaurant dining. They were interviewing a waitress in the D.C. area, and she was expressing her frustration at the lack of engagement between people because of smart phone use at the dinner table. “There’s still value in simply just breaking bread with one another,” she said.

Now I was listening to this on the Wednesday of Holy Week, which is the very day in which the lectionary reading covers the institution of the Lord’s Supper. And so this story really had me thinking about how one of the last things Jesus did before his death was break bread with his friends. And, after Jesus rose again, one of the first things he did was appear to some disciples on the road to Emmaus, but it wasn’t until they broke break together later that they recognized him as their Lord.

All of this tells me that there must be something pretty significant in breaking bread together; that it would be so important to Jesus must mean it ought to be important to us, too. In general, sharing a meal together may seem rather ordinary, but according to scripture; according to Jesus – it is no mundane thing.

As we break bread together both in today’s service and later with family or friends, may it be as an act of worship to God. May it be both an offering up and out of the new life God has given us through his own resurrection, and may it be a promise to live life fully with the many people God continues to place in our lives each and every day.

Rev. Aurelia Davila Pratt is the Pastor of Spiritual Formation and one of the Teaching Pastors at Grace Baptist Church.