If you don’t know me, allow me to introduce myself. My name is FLAME, also known as Marcus Gray. I am a Christian rap artist who has been on a lifelong journey for biblical truth, and I’ve found my home in confessional Lutheranism. Critics who once supported me view me as having fallen from great heights. Some even think I’ve fallen from grace and have embraced false teaching, that I’ve been drawn away from truth and am now obsessed with propping up Dr. Luther above Jesus. Or worse, in their minds, that I’ve become Roman Catholic! “Lord, have mercy,” they cry. The distance in their minds between Jesus’ earthly ministry, culminating in His finished work on the cross, and the ongoing dwelling of God’s presence in our lives as expressed in the sacramental life of the church is as vast as the earth is from the sun.

When I was a child, Communion seemed to take forever. In an attempt (I suspect) to keep restless kids occupied, an adult suggested that we pray for each person who walked past our pew. I can’t remember how much praying I did then, but the advice stayed with me. As an adult, I often pray for my fellow congregants as they take Communion. This little spiritual practice has given me a richer picture of the Body of Christ.