But even after years of helping with communion, I still didn't understand why we had a snack during the service. I mean, I knew that we did it to remember Jesus, because he told us to, but outside of that, I didn't see much point to it. We remember Jesus every Sunday. It's kinda hard to forget him when we've got these big crosses up everywhere. Why waste time and money on grape juice and bakery bread?

Now, that’s not what we, as United Methodists, actually believe about baptism. It’s not your ticket to heaven. There’s nothing magical about the water we use or the place we keep the water. It’s important, don’t get me wrong, but not magic.

We believe the sacraments, baptism and communion, are outward signs of an inward grace. Augustine said that first, in the early centuries of the church, and it’s stuck around since. What we do in baptism and communion, how we use our symbols of water, bread, and cup, don’t fundamentally change the water, bread, or cup, but it does remind us of a change that God has brought about in us.