If what we do here if our vestments the icons the Eucharist the fasts and feast of the church year have no foundation on what God actually has done and is doing in the world and in our lives than we are living in a death trap of a house...Larry said it well in his sermon from Sunday. It was interesting to hear in the context of our young congregation. The tradition we are living into is old...ancient...perhaps eternal. And yet we are so young. We have concerns that are the concerns of a new congregations. We have concerns that have festered within our shared tradition for thousands of years.
And we gather. This is the greatest of gifts.
There is much to celebrate this week. Jane is graduating from Seabury Western this Friday. This is a great thing! Congratulate Jane when you get the chance. She has worked hard and sacrificed much to accomplish this goal.
Larry and Kate's movie project is well under way. Though they will be busy and we might not see them as often as we would like, we rejoice in their excitement as well.
In other news, the Constitutional Committee meeting will be rescheduled. We will let you know the time and place.
Finally, I was e-mailing with one of my professors from my Baptist seminary days. Professor Hinson and I were catching up with one another. He visited the website and asked me several questions about the work of this congregation. His response was an echo of Bob Webber's. "This is the future of the Church." I do not know what that means, but the excitement is helpful to me even as I type this. People are praying for us. People are willing to speak with us and support this endeavor. This is wonderful!
Praise God.
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright.
Praise the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.
Ancient traditions, old, perhaps eternal.
ReplyDeleteAmazing how old the tradition of the Eucharist is, in fact in about A.D. 156 St. Justin (feast day June 1) wrote in his first Apology:
On finishing the prayers we greet each other with a kiss. Then bread and a cup of water mixed with wine are brought to the leader and he, taking them, sends up praise and glory to the Father of the Universe through the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and offers thanksgiving at some length that we have been deemed worthy to receive these things. When the leader has finished the prayers and thanksgivings, the whole congregation assents, saying, "Amen." ("Amen" is Hebrew for "So be it.") Then those whom we call deacons give to each of those present a portion of the consecrated bread and wine and water, and they take it to the absent.
To this day, we do the same, and take the Sacred Meal to those of our community who can not be present at the Altar.