Bread, what a simple commodity and yet it is considered, almost universally, as the staff of life. There are, in fact, communities, even today, who depend on bread and sometimes bread alone to sustain their very lives. Bread is one of the most significant symbols of Christianity. We are commanded to partake of bread in remembrance of the Savior’s body. As bread is the staff of life that will sustain us physically while we sojourn on earth; He is the staff of life that will sustain us spiritually and even into eternal realms. What a simple but beautiful simile and who could not understand it?
The Old Testament was the schoolmaster for the children of Israel, it was designed to prepare them for the greater law and to recognize and receive the Savior when he came in the meridian of time. As such it is full of symbols, shadows and types. Bread, is one such symbol or type, only it came by way of manna, which sustained the Israelites while they sojourned in the wilderness. Manna came from heaven symbolizing the Savior as the bread of life who also came from heaven.
Interestingly, The Chippewa Indians of the Great Lakes Region harvested wild rice which grew all along the swampy shores of the hundreds of lakes in that region. It was, to them, the bread of life as it was very similar to manna. They did not have to plant or nurture it and it was always available to them. The rice was as easily harvested as was the Manna, the natives merely rowed their canoes along side the rice staff, bent it over into the canoe and threshed the rice kernels off into the canoe. The native term for this bread (rice) from heaven is Manoomin. Is this a coincidence or is this another connection between the natives of North America and Israel?
The importance of partaking of the Sacrament is not always appreciated by members of the church, as we sometimes have our minds on worldly things. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35) “If any man, eat of this bread, he shall live forever…Not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever… Except ye eat the flesh (bread) of the Son of Man and drink His blood (wine or water), ye have no life in you…” Ye have no life in you, meaning no eternal life, life in the presence of He and the Father.
Some faith’s, when they partake of the bread and wine representing the body and blood of Christ, believe that the bread and wine in fact become the actual body and blood of the Savior. We know this to be an erroneous concept as the Lord said, Do this in remembrance of my body and my blood which was shed for you. Not, do this as it is my body and blood.
Today, we use bread and water to represent the Sacrament and when we do partake we should in fact remember what it represents and the significance of it. As we partake we are to recount and renew our baptismal covenants. When we do, the likelihood of our having His spirit to be with us will be much greater, His spirit is the spirit of love, humility and service. He was the servant to all and gave all to demonstrate His servitude.
When we become humble and orient our lives toward service to others then, maybe, our hearts will turn to serving our ancestors, our ancestors who, in life, may have never had an opportunity to partake of the sacrament in remembrance of Him who was their Savior too.