Jesus, the Wonder Bread of Life
By Rachel Rueckert
March 25, 2019
Mom gave me the idea, an object lesson given to her as a girl. "Pass it around," I said to my Bible study class. After a pause, the other preteens passed around the slice of Wonder Bread.
"Who wants to eat it now?" I asked.
No hands.
I had tried to convince them, and myself, that sex can ruin a body, rendering it an object of disgust for some distant, future spouse. Consumable. Disposable.
Brother John had assigned the task: "Bring something to turn into an object lesson, to show how Jesus is in everything." We used to be fond of object lessons: golf balls and sand in a jar to teach prioritization, drops of bleach in a Solo cup of dyed water to teach repentance, attempts to snap a twig, then a bundle, to teach the strength of unity.
Also, a smashed cupcake, brownies made with dirt, an ice cream cone with a roach on top, or a chewed piece of gum to teach chastity.
Without saying it directly: the dangers of women's bodies.
My body.
Brother John took all the objects and tacked them to the class bulletin board. The bread lived in a Ziplock bag for months among the other objects. I watched but never saw mold or evidence for my perception of sin. I wonder now if maybe Brother John was right. Perhaps Jesus is in everything, despite ourselves. The Jesus that said, This, this is my broken body.
Take.
Eat.
