Take and eat? When church members prefer just a blessing
Matt grew up in the Episcopal Church. One Sunday he appeared at the altar—with his arms crossed over his chest.
Matt moved back home when a job in another state didn’t work out. Soon he was attending worship regularly with his parents at the small Episcopal church I served at the time. One evening I met him for coffee. We had an intense conversation about theology, the Bible, and why young adults don’t attend church.
Not long after that conversation, Matt appeared one Sunday at the altar but didn’t put his hands out to receive communion. Instead, his arms were crossed over his chest—the posture one assumes when asking to receive a blessing. This was unusual, but I put my hand on his head, said a blessing, and thought no more about it.
When Matt continued to do this Sunday after Sunday, however, I began to worry. Why wasn’t he receiving communion? Was he in spiritual crisis? I waited a few months, trying not to overreact, before writing him an e-mail to ask about it.
