Writing a sermon is odd. Administering communion to yourself is freaking bizarre. Administering communion to the priest is really freaking bizarre. Delivering a sermon is petrifying. I survived. Now I will write an essay.
You know, that's a really good point. I have a pretty "high" personal sacramental theology, which immediately makes giving communion a Really Big Deal compared with leading, say, Morning Prayer, which I've done before
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Probably none of that makes total sense to someone of the judaic persuasion, but I imagine you get the general idea.
Yes and no. Judaism doesn't have much that's transformative in the same sense that communion is. But there is a special responsibility for cantors who are leading High Holiday services. They act as a representative for the community in certain key prayers. When I was first offered the opportunity to lead this stuff (which was later withdrawn for annoying temple political reasons, but that's another story), I was stressed and moved by the thought.
Of course, even though Judaism doesn't have a communion equivalent, it does acknowledge that other religions do. Communion wafers that have gone through the proper rituals (which may be a Catholic-only thing; I'm not sure) are not kosher, even though they're made of kosher ingredients. From the Jewish perspective, eating such a thing would be idolatry.
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The fact that it seems bizarre speaks to the level of belief and feeling in what you're doing. Casual ceremonies wouldn't inspire such a reaction.
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Yes and no. Judaism doesn't have much that's transformative in the same sense that communion is. But there is a special responsibility for cantors who are leading High Holiday services. They act as a representative for the community in certain key prayers. When I was first offered the opportunity to lead this stuff (which was later withdrawn for annoying temple political reasons, but that's another story), I was stressed and moved by the thought.
Of course, even though Judaism doesn't have a communion equivalent, it does acknowledge that other religions do. Communion wafers that have gone through the proper rituals (which may be a Catholic-only thing; I'm not sure) are not kosher, even though they're made of kosher ingredients. From the Jewish perspective, eating such a thing would be idolatry.
Religion is complicated. But moving.
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