Shaking Hands as the Body of Christ

I really like to worship with my Regional church. And when I do, I like to sit on the aisle. Now I know most people prefer to sit on the aisle all the time. Lots of folks need to feel they have an easy escape.

I don't really care about where I sit most of the time. But if there's going to be communion, and it's going to be by intinction, and people are going to walk forward to receive it, I want to be on the aisle.

I remembered this on Friday in worship, as so many people I don't see nearly often enough walked past me on their way to the Bread and the Cup. And rather than it being distracting from my own personal prayer time, the hands that we extended to one another were my personal prayer. It is hard to experience the horizontal nature of the Body of Christ during communion, unless maybe everyone is serving their neighbor (which hardly ever happens). But the act of silently but joyfully greeting so many brothers and sisters while singing "Santo, Santo, Santo" as they made their way forward was a holy experience of the Body of Christ for me.

I'm so glad I ended up on the aisle.