Since we're in the middle of the Bread of Life discourse from John in the lectionary and I'm preaching on "I am the Bread of Life," I am kind of in favor of that language at the moment. (At APL, of course, we say, "the Body of Christ," but when I preside at communion next week \o/ I am thinking I may say something like, "[name], this is Body of Christ, the Bread of Life, and it is given for you," although I realize that is long and unwieldy.
In thinking about the Bread of Life discourse I am seeing a set of interlinking images and symbols and sacraments
Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life; the communion bread becomes (is a sacrament of) the Body of Christ; the Church consumes and becomes the Body of Christ in the world; the Church prefigures (is a sacrament of) the Kingdom. (And Communion prefigures (is a sacrament of) the heavenly banquet.)
I like the "bread of life" because of the reminder that Christ gives us life and abundant life and eternal life; I like "bread of heaven" because it's a reminder of the sacramental nature of the feast. I think the latter -- especially e.g. combined with v. high liturgy and wafers -- might give the sense that there's no connection between earthly bread and heavenly bread, which is absolutely not the case: the bread of life is bread. It is also the Body of Christ and it gives life, abundant life, eternal life.
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Date: 2009-07-28 04:30 pm (UTC)In thinking about the Bread of Life discourse I am seeing a set of interlinking images and symbols and sacraments
Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life; the communion bread becomes (is a sacrament of) the Body of Christ; the Church consumes and becomes the Body of Christ in the world; the Church prefigures (is a sacrament of) the Kingdom. (And Communion prefigures (is a sacrament of) the heavenly banquet.)
I like the "bread of life" because of the reminder that Christ gives us life and abundant life and eternal life; I like "bread of heaven" because it's a reminder of the sacramental nature of the feast. I think the latter -- especially e.g. combined with v. high liturgy and wafers -- might give the sense that there's no connection between earthly bread and heavenly bread, which is absolutely not the case: the bread of life is bread. It is also the Body of Christ and it gives life, abundant life, eternal life.