Flower communion

[Kungfuzed]

When I walked into church Sunday morning they told me that we're doing flower communion. Since I didn't know about it ahead of time they told me to take a flower out of the basket and take a seat and they would explain during the service. We sat there wondering if we were going to have to eat the flower. My wife had chosen a rose with thorns on it and I knew that wasn't going to go down so easy.

It turns out that each person brought their own flower to church and added it to the basket, then each person took a flower from the basket that isn't their own. Then the whole congregation stood in a circle around the pews and we all sang together. No one had to eat any flowers.

[lilithu]

Originally Posted by Kungfuzed

When I walked into church Sunday morning they told me that we're doing flower communion. Since I didn't know about it ahead of time they told me to take a flower out of the basket and take a seat and they would explain during the service. We sat there wondering if we were going to have to eat the flower. My wife had chosen a rose with thorns on it and I knew that wasn't going to go down so easy.

It turns out that each person brought their own flower to church and added it to the basket, then each person took a flower from the basket that isn't their own. Then the whole congregation stood in a circle around the pews and we all sang together. No one had to eat any flowers.

At first I couldn't understand why you were so pre-occupied with the idea of eating. But then I realized you were comparing it to the Christian sacrament, with the eating of the wafer. No silly, communion as in to commune together. To co-mingle, hence the exchange.

And fyi, if your congregation does water communion, you won't have to drink the water.

Glad to hear that church is still amusing you.

[Kungfuzed]

Originally Posted by lilithu

At first I couldn't understand why you were so pre-occupied with the idea of eating. But then I realized you were comparing it to the Christian sacrament, with the eating of the wafer. No silly, communion as in to commune together. To co-mingle, hence the exchange.

And fyi, if your congregation does water communion, you won't have to drink the water.

Glad to hear that church is still amusing you.

Exactly, I thought it would be some pagan version of the sacrament where we would eat flowers to remember the enviornment or something like that. I really liked the flower communion though. It really made me think about the unity of the congregation and the interdependent relationship we all have.

It was a sad story about how it got started. That's the second time I've heard about the UU's crossing paths with the Natzis, first with the chalise being used as a symbol to help the Jews. And the story of they guy who made the flower communion and got persecuted and killed by the Natzis because of his liberal religious views.

[spiritually inclined]

It is a sad story....

But the ritual is very beautiful, or at least I think so. I would like to participate sometime.

When I remember that this ritual of flower communion came from a person of values and love who suffered a tragic death, it reminds me of my own feelings about the Christian sacrament of Holy Communion and the value of having respect for life.

James