Breaking Bread and Living in the Vine

Blessed Be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intentions of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." (Eph. 1:3-6) NAS

Marcie Brown, Toby Brown, Dave Moody, Brad Larson, Viola Larson, Chris Larimer

Part of this week I have enjoyed some wonderful fellowship with a few blogger friends involved in the New Wineskins. Breaking bread together (well for some breaking corn bread) reminded me of how all who belong to the Church universal, in the past, in the future, in heaven and in the present, have fellowship together under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

It is Jesus Christ who draws the Church to Himself, providing His disciples with nourishment, through faith, by our union with Him.

Because, in many ways this week, has brought me into fellowship with both those in New Wineskins and others in the renewal groups, I am reminded of a poem I used as one of my first postings on this blog. I wrote the poem over twenty years ago but it is good for the present time

Dave Moody, Chris Larimer, Janet Ruth

The Sweetness of Gathering to the Vine

The sweetness of gathering to the wine
is claimed by children resting in a tree
whose root became the food within the vine.

These, childlike made, they bless the cup and dine
upon the fleshy food they cannot see,
and drink the holy bloody wine.

Like sibling children fighting in a line,
who later laugh when by the bell set free,
these happy ones are laughing in the vine.

And raging gods whose deeds their shape confine
have called for war, whose very end shall be
determined by the drinking of the wine.

Go death to death, the children life define;
now blood of saints and Christ's good blood agree
the holy life is living in the vine.

If nails be sharp pursuing flesh to pine,
and wooden burdens bend and bruise the knee,
feast on the broken flesh, drink up the wine;
hold fast the fellowship within the vine.