Who knew a Cheerios commercial could stir something within me and theologically warm in my heart…

The commercial features young boy asking his mom if Nana poured Cheerios for her when she was young.  Her mom used to eat Cheerios with her

Maybe communion hasn’t quite been exactly the same for two thousand years like Cheerios has been the same since it was invented.  There have been lots of rules added and removed.  The quality of bread is different from denomination to denomination.  Some of us walk to the front to receive our elements and others pass the elements from person to person while sitting in the pews.  But one element remains the same – we come to the table to partake in a meal in remembrance of Jesus, and in doing so communion “has pretty much been the same forever.”

And then the little boy asks his mom: “So when we have Cheerios, it’s kind of like we’re having breakfast with Nana.”  (Anyone else besides me get a little choked up at this point of the commercial?)

As this past Sunday’s Hebrews 12 lectionary text says, “we are surrounded by so a great cloud of witnesses,” communion reminds us of our connection to the generations of yesterday.  In our time at the table, we recall what Jesus said: that in the sharing of this meal, we remember him.  And as we remember him, we also remember all those who shared the same meal – our parents, grandparents and so forth.

When I go to the communion table, I share the meal with Jesus the Christ, with great theologians with whom I agree and disagree and with friends and enemies.  I share the table with the rich and the poor, the criminal and the innocent.  And I also share the communion table with my Grandad Lawrence, my Grandma Queenie, my Medshireke Fred and my Memama Margaret.  I share the table with their parents and countless generations who have gone before them.  I share the table with my Mom and Dad – whether they are in my church that day or not.  I share the table with people who have not yet been born for ten, twenty or one hundred years.

It’s pretty amazing when we realize that each time we go to the communion table, it’s “kind of like having breakfast with Nana” and people from every time and age.