Some time ago I purchased a bread machine at a yard sale for $ 10.00. Today I made the first loaf. Wow! It worked! I was surprised to find that it's really easy to make bread in the modern technological age. The important thing is to measure the ingredients accurately and follow the instructions for setting it up. From there on it's a piece of cake. Err - that is, it's a slice of bread.

I don't know just when bread became part of the human diet, but it seems to exist in every culture. In the tombs of the Pharaohs, we have found actual loaves of bread made by Egyptians over 5000 years ago. The Hebrew Bible speaks of bread as early as the time of Abraham. In the 14th chapter of Genesis, we read the story of Abraham meeting the priest Melchizedek. In verse 14, we are told that "King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High."

It is interesting that sacred rituals have often included bread and wine. The early church adopted these symbols for the celebration of the Eucharist. We are told they represent the body and blood of the risen Christ. However, I think their use is much more basic than that. The one thing that bread and wine have in common is yeast. They are both created from the action of yeast, which is a living organism. When we partake of these symbols, we are celebrating the enduring qualities of life, or in Jesus' vocabulary, eternal life.

Whenever we bite into a crust of bread, or tip a glass of wine, we celebrate the life which has been given us and the life which we pass on to future generations and perhaps future species. The evolution of life continues from the lowly fungal yeast to the conscious life granted to the human animal. Is it any wonder that the two foods actually created by a primitive form of life are used in the celebration of the sacraments?

Last night I attended a memorial service for a friend of mine, George Illig. After a beautiful service, they held a pizza party. Pizza was one of George's favorite foods. Of course, the major part of a slice of pizza is leavened bread. Life goes on. I lift my slice of pizza and my glass of wine to you, George. Have a great journey.

- The Old Professor