Wondering Presbyterian

            Do you have an enemy?             Years ago, the BBC did a modern show about Sherlock Holmes called, appropriately, Sherlock (starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock and Martin Freeman as Watson). In the opening episode, Sherlock sits at a café table with Watson and Watson tells him about an encounter he had with a strange, intimidating man. Watson says, “Just met a friend of yours.”             “A friend?” asked Sherlock.             “An enemy.”             “Oh,” Sherlock nods more knowingly. “Which one?”             “Well, your archenemy, according to him. Do people have archenemies?”             An archenemy is defined by the online dictionary as “a person who is extremely hostile or opposed to someone or something.” Also defined as “the devil.” I don’t know if people have archenemies, but I wonder: who is your enemy?             Have you ever been asked that before? I can think of characters in stories or movies that are meant to be the enemy charact

            I have a confession to make. I struggle to take communion 1 . I love presiding at the table. Serving communion is very meaningful for me. I take communion to people in nursing homes and hospitals or at home, and they always find communion very meaningful. I brought communion to a home-bound member once who had never had communion at home before, and he got tears in his eyes when he told me I was his first pastor to do that. It meant the world to him. I find tremendous meaning in being able to offer that as a pastoral care service. But when it comes to receiving communion, I struggle. When I’m in a worship service at a conference or a denominational meeting and they announce that it’s a communion service, I catch myself groaning inwardly. That happened again recently, and I decided it’s time to wonder why that is.             I can remember hearing people mumble things about communion when I was growing up. “Communion Sunday. Service is going to run over.” Have you eve