Mime communion

29th July 2013

The day started off as a fairly normal Monday whether here or at home. Reflecting about Sunday and thinking about Sunday to come. In fact I wrote a sermon based on some of the things we’d seen in Ashville on the weekend. Though by the evening had decided not to preach it.

But in the evening we’d been asked to come along to a Mime Communion. In fact the Mime Communion had been laid on especially for us by two close friends we have made who perform it. (And it is a performance though still very sacred.)

We had no idea what to expect. But we were all very deeply moved by what we saw.

In some ways it is very hard to describe and equally by describing it I feel I will take away some of the mystery of it. And it was mysterious in the sense of encountering the mystery of God and what it can mean to be a follower of Jesus.

To the background of a beautiful song called Via Dolorosa, the mime artists entered the sanctuary. One was carrying a large gold box (about the size of a document box / archive box.) The box was placed on a small table. The lid was removed.

On the underside of the lid were the words “God’s great gift”. The male artist then took out a small nativity scene of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus. This was placed on the altar. The male artist then took out a doll wrapped in a cloth and gave it to the woman who nursed it.

All eyes were drawn to the female mime artist for a while as she glided round the room all the while cuddling the doll.

But after about 30 seconds the male artist got something else out of the box. A cross about 2 feet by 1 foot. He then found a large nail. Then he went to the woman and snatched the doll from her. But as the cloth fell away the doll proved to be a loaf of bread.

The woman mimed horror and crying as the man took the bread, tore it and made to nail it to the cross. And then he tilted the cross so that wine poured from it.

I know I gasped when the doll was revealed to be bread and I immediately caught the symbolism. And as the wine (Blood) poured from the cross I know I had Goosebumps.

Communion was then served.

A very powerful piece of drama.

I was asked to share afterwards what I felt and I was speechless for once as I was so moved.