Sand Dunes
Originally scheduled for October 24
Just north of Vandenberg Air Force Base and south of Pismo Beach
lies the small farming town of Nipomo. Nothing much happens in
Nipomo. The vegetables grow at a steady rate and offer little in the
way of surprise. On the seaward edge of town there is a little
nature preserve, the Gonzalez-Nipomo Dunes. In 2012 the unexpected
happened there. An archaeologist was called in to evaluate the
matter. Archaeologist? What do you need an archaeologist for in a
sand dune? The fragments of the item in question when pieced
together revealed a most unusual object.
A sphinx.
You might expect to see such a thing in Egypt in a sand dune. It’s
possible you might find one somewhere else in the Middle East. But
this is California, the West Coast of North America. How did you
ever get a sphinx there in the first place?
The answer is relatively simple. Between 1923 in 1925, Cecil B.
DeMille filmed the most expensive silent film ever made: Ben Hur. As
the costs skyrocketed, the production was moved from Egypt and Rome
back to the studios in California. It was the closest sand dune to
Hollywood. The statuary had remained hidden in the sands for 90
years.
The object is interesting because it is so unexpected. If it had
been a car from the 1920s it might’ve made it to a museum, but no
great curiosity would be aroused. A sphinx, on the other hand,
demands an explanation.
May I submit that in a sense communion requires the same
explanation. If we were required to create a memorial to the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we would start with a band full of
guitars and drums. But what do we see? We see something that seems
out of place in modern worship.
·
We see flatbread given to represent his body, in a time where sliced
bread is quite common.
·
We see grape juice/wine, a form of liquid color, to remind us of his
shed blood.
The explanation is simple, of course. This is what they had back
when this was instituted. We do it to remember his body and blood
being sacrificed. The entire ritual is given to us so that we might
also remember his bodily resurrection from the dead. It also reminds
us of his promise to return, to judge the living and the dead.
Perhaps our sense of wonder is dulled by the frequency with which we
take it. Prior generations considered it much more sacred than some
people do today. Consider the question: why do we do this? Why is
this ritual here? It commemorates the greatest event in human
history. Look at it as if it were coming
out of the sands of time, on display for the first time. Perhaps
that is the awe we need to experience to truly understand why Jesus
said, “Do this in remembrance of me.”
