Unitarianism and Universalism both evolved from Christian roots. Twenty-first century Unitarian Universalism has continued to evolve in a variety of ways, but a few things we do still tether us to our heritage(s). Maybe Bread Communion is one such vestige. (Learn more about our Bread Ceremony here.)

In Christian spaces, people participate in the sacrament of Communion to reconcile with God. In some communities this is a weekly ritual. Some offer it less frequently. Theologies differ about what is really happening in the partaking of that sacrament. The common thread, though, is that through this sacrament, the relationship between the believer and the Divine is mended. Whatever might have caused disconnection from the Divine is repaired through the receiving of bread and wine in a holy context.

Our Unitarian Universalist focus is somewhat different. Some of us don’t believe there’s a Divine to be disconnected from, and some of us believe that it’s utterly impossible to ever be disconnected from the Divine. But our theologies in UU community focus on one another. We focus on mutual, covenantal relationship as a way of embodying our faith. And we know all too well that we can absolutely feel disconnected from one another.

We could explore intellectually the real meaning of being part of an interdependent web of existence, having lives that are inextricably bound up in relationship with all that is. We could understand with our minds that we are never truly separated from one another. But that doesn’t change the feeling of distance or separation or cut off when there are untended wounds and unrepaired ruptures in our relationships.

So, perhaps Bread Ceremony or Communion can be about something different for us than what it is for our Christian siblings. Rather than restoring connection with God, maybe our ceremony reminds us of our need to reconnect with one another. That we need more than an intellectual understanding of interdependence. 

Whatever the weeks and months ahead hold for us, we will need one another. We will need a community of safety and trustworthiness. We will need people with whom we can be brave and deepen our sense of vision. We will need a more habitual practice of repair that sustains our connections and allows us to fear the natural ruptures of our relationships a little less. 

As we bring our various breads to share with one another this Sunday, may we embrace the possibility of reconciliation and repair with one another. Which might be another way of saying, reconciliation and repair with the sacred.      

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