March 2006

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Communication
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Today I had reason to relate the following story to a friend. I hadn't thought of it in a long, long time, but it's one of my favorite stories, so I thought I'd tell it, even if it is perhaps a tad irreverent for the day.

In the mid-1970s, still a little early in North Carolina's participation in the gay rights movement, I was working one day a week at a state mental hospital, as part of a school-related project.

One of the psychologists there was talking about gay rights one day, and said something to the effect that gay rights would be further advanced once the Christians could embrace the notion of the Church as the Lover of Christ. This was profound. I agreed with the (straight, incidentally) man, and the day went on to other subjects. This conversation was on a Monday.

Same week I go to Wednesday Eucharist at my local Lutheran parish. We hadn't put in the center part of the communion rail that day, so there were in effect two tables. I was at the end of one of them, just before the gap. And the quite liberal pastor had just taken up the habit of addressing the communicants by name. So he got to me and said, "Becky, the Bottom of Christ ImeantheBODYofChrist given for you."

I have never tried so hard not to choke on a communion wafer. The people at the second table were all concerned that I was either choking or sobbing. As the service ended several came to comfort me, only to hear the laughter coming forth.

Part of what was so funny was, of course, the closeness in time of the two incidents. Later on, I did tell the pastor about the Monday profundity. I also told the whole thing to the psychologist the next time I saw him. They both enjoyed the story, as did my friend today.

Truth is, had the pastor not corrected himself it wouldn't have been quite so funny. Most of my life I've had diminished hearing, especially so in my right ear. After so many years of hearing troubles, my own default is, "I heard that wrong." If I know what I'm supposed to have heard (as in, "the Body of Christ...") I just assume anything that sounds wrong was courtesy of my ears and don't ask for clarification.

Also, it was about two weeks before I dared go to Eucharist again. While I firmly believe that God appreciates a good laugh, those without the backstory would have found the laughter between pastor and parishioner perhaps jarring.