Thursday, February 11, 2016
VIDEO
You must have the same attitude that Christ
Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not
think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead,
he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and
was born as a human being. When he
appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a
criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to
the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11(NLT)
Lent
began yesterday with Ash Wednesday. And
there is always something that seems to kick-start this season for
me. This year the blessing for me was in
not being able to serve communion.
Considering how much I love the table of the Lord, it appears that guiding
light from above sometimes arrives in unrecognizable packages.
It
all started with a sore throat the Sunday before last. It’s not uncommon for me to have a bit of a
sore throat after a long Sunday preaching and meeting with folks. But by Tuesday it did what many parishioners
secretly hope for during the last half of a particularly long sermon – it shut
the preacher’s mouth; I couldn’t speak above a whisper. And if I tried it was like swallowing razor
blades.
By
this past Sunday morning I had a bit of a voice, but we were having communion
and I knew there was no way my germs should touch anyone, let alone the bread
or cup.
On
the way to church I called our Lay Leader, David, who normally stands with me
to serve, and explained. We asked David’s
bride, L. Sue, if she would stand with him and serve, while I conducted the
liturgy. They did fine and the service
went well. L. Sue is one of those people
you can always count on; she’s resourceful, helpful, cooperative, and remembers
where I hid everything from the previous year!
After
the service I thanked her for being willing to stand-in for me. Her reply brought that warmth of the Spirit
bearing witness – she said: you
know, I had never served communion before, and it really is…humbling. Thank you for asking me.
We
spoke for a few moments about “the connection”, as you look into the eyes of
another for whom Christ died, and offer, the blood of Christ, shed for you. I experience that with every soul that passes
through the line when we serve the Eucharist.
And
it is humbling.
To
be humbled and stand in awe of Christ’s love as we confess our sins, communing
as friend with friend in worship of Almighty God is a precious reminder of the
whole nature of self-denial which is called-forth in this Season of Lent.
The
One who humbled Himself in taking on human flesh is the King of Glory, and He’s
still condescending to be amongst us and break the bread of life so we can
live.
It
was a good Sunday notwithstanding the razor blades in my throat!
For You Today
The
next time you serve or receive the supper, make sure there is eye contact with
the one who stands before you; chances are fairly high the Spirit will bear
witness, and something will stir inside you.
People have been known to laugh, cry, or even whisper a hushed amen or
hallelujah from deep within!
It’s
humbling, but in that place you’ll be in good company!
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