The (Onion Flavored) Body of Christ

The international church that I attend here in Vienna has been a great place to call my church home for the last year or so. The people are warm and welcoming, and I've learned a lot about how diverse the body of Christ is through this family of believers. Since the church has been without a pastor for the past few years, the elders and other church leaders divide weekly responsibilities among themselves, resulting in a delightful blend of unpredictability. Each week it's anyone's guess as to what the service will contain...but it could include an African-style baby dedication with singing and dancing down the aisle, a testimony from a Middle Eastern believer, or a guest musical performance. This unpredictability has given me plenty of opportunities to laugh, as well as to learn flexibility and openness to the different ways the Lord works.

One particular Sunday, the celebration of communion became one of those opportunities. When we were invited to partake of the bread, I put the cracker in my mouth and began to pray, Thank You, Lord, for Your...onion flavored body??? Indeed, the cracker was onion flavored, no doubt due to an oversight on the part of whoever was responsible for buying the communion supplies that week. It was a bit of a challenge to maintain my meditative mood (not to mention my composure) after that.