Genesis 18v1-10; Ps 15; Colossians 1v15-28; Luke 10v38-42
Martha and Mary – who chose the better part?
God desires us to have intimacy with himself - this is the basic truth of Christianity.
The wonder of the stars…
The God who made all of them, who holds all of them in his hand, desires intimacy with me!
The hospitality of Abraham – icon of the hospitality of the Trinity (Genesis 18)
The majesty of Christ ‘for in him all things in heaven and earth were created…’ (Colossians 1v15-28)
‘Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her’ (Luke 10v42)
God desires to have union with us, intimate union, heart to heart.
The Majesty and yet the availability....How is this intimacy brought to us?
On God’s side by the gift of the Spirit - on our side, we receive our friendship by humility and expectancy...
On God’s Side...how can God be one with us? The Maker of the stars hold me close, answer my prayers, guide me, free me from fear, heal me, forgive me?
God is after all different...
The answer is by the Holy Spirit who is God and who brings God in all His Fullness to fill my heart eg. The ocean which is no less for filling a pool... eg. 1 Cor 2v10 ‘the Spirit searches the depths of God...we have received the Spirit...who...interprets spiritual truth (intimacy)’
On my side the intimacy is established as a gift welcomed. How? By humility and by expectancy...cf. St. Francis de Sales twin virtues.
Humble cf. Humous - of the earth, a readiness to see our nothingness before God and our less than nothingness through sin...
Then Expectant on God, Confident in God... St. Therese ...& the Sacred Heart, her faith that God could make her a Saint - the Lift...
Intimacy with God is God’s gift by his Spirit It is welcomed by humility and expectancy.
The eucharist is the great parable and seal of all of this...here God gives his Spirit, his own Life, par excellence...here we come empty-handed, in total humility before the Lord and yet with expectancy...
‘Lord I am not worthy...but only say the word’
Ronald Rolheiser in his book ‘Forgotten among the Lilies’ writes: ‘Perhaps the most useful image of how the Eucharist functions is the image of a mother holding a frightened, tired and tense child. In the eucharist God functions as a mother. God picks us up; frightened, tired, helpless, complaining, discouraged and protesting children, & holds us to her heart until the tension subsides and peace and strength flow into us’
Such is the intimacy we are privileged to share this morning and day by day in the Lord’s Presence.
‘There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her’ Luke 10.42
‘He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him’ John 6.56
Showing posts with label eucharist body of Christ sacrifice communion presence promise Corpus Christi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eucharist body of Christ sacrifice communion presence promise Corpus Christi. Show all posts
Sunday, 18 July 2010
Sunday, 6 June 2010
Trinity 1 in Corpus Christi-tide 6th June 2010
I want to do some interactive thinking this morning about the meaning and power of the eucharist. Since this is at the heart of our life together as Christians it makes sense once in a while to consider what we receive and what we put into Sunday worship.
The Eucharist is the HOUR OF JESUS. We come as the Lord's people to the Lord's house on the Lord's day around the Lord's table - to be impressed by Jesus!
The Eucharist is Jesus' embrace - like a mother consoling a hurting child...
It is the place that builds the COMMUNION which is the church.
The Eucharist is Christ's SACRIFICE and ours. It is the memorial of his once for all redemption.
The Eucharist is Christ's PRESENCE at the table of his word and the altar of the sacrament.
The Eucharist is a great PROMISE, the pledge of glory, like the cinema advertisement, a preview of forthcoming attractions.
I’ve got those four headings for us to look at and hopefully to engage your thinking aloud including any questions you might have:
COMMUNION - SACRIFICE - PRESENCE - PROMISE
We could go for these one by one but since they are stated poetically in the refrain for Corpus Christi on the pew sheet let’s start by looking at and reading the refrain together and see what thinking emerges.
Have a look through the antiphon. It was written by St Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century from a scripture base and has a noble simplicity.
You might recognise the four themes of COMMUNION - SACRIFICE - PRESENCE – PROMISE
Have a think about the phrase that most speaks to you. Or of what’s missing from your understanding of the eucharist?
O Sacred feast in which we partake of Christ, his sufferings are remembered, our minds are filled with his grace, and we receive a pledge of the glory that is to be ours.
Let’s look more closely under the four headings I spoke of.
O Sacred feast in which we partake of Christ...
The Eucharist is the place that builds the COMMUNION which is the church.
What makes us one?
We are made one not by having the same feelings but by sharing one bread in penitence, not trusting in our own righteousness but in God's manifold and great mercies.
We become what we are - the body of Christ - more fully.
We are made one with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.
O Sacred feast in which we partake of Christ...His sufferings are remembered...
The Eucharist is Christ's SACRIFICE and ours. It is the memorial of his once for all redemption.
When you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11.26).
We stand at the Cross.
How do you understand the link between what Jesus did for us on Calvary and what you’re doing every Sunday at this service?
We recall Jesus - to use a law court analogy, not just as a witness recalls what he saw but in the sense of the recalling of the witness.
We see the gift of Jesus to the Father and to us.
Taking, blessing, breaking, sharing. This is our grand invitation to enter into the movement of his self-offering.
Paschal Lamb thine offering finished once for all when thou wast slain in its fullness undiminished shall forever more remain cleansing souls from every stain.
The eucharist has a strong intercessory aspect: coming before the Lord with people on our hearts.
Let's share any experience of the eucharist as a privileged place of prayer.
Our minds are filled with his grace...
The Eucharist is Christ's PRESENCE at the table of his word and the altar of the sacrament.
How do you see Christ’s presence in the eucharist?
How else can people come close to Jesus in this world other than through word and sacrament?
The Eucharist is a place of empowerment. People who recive Holy Communion receive power.
We receive a pledge of the glory that is to be ours...
The Eucharist is a great PROMISE, the pledge of glory, like the cinema advertisement, a preview of forthcoming attractions.
The use of material objects reminds us that God is transforming the whole universe.
What difference do you think what we do here makes to the world?
The Eucharist serves the building up of a new creation in which the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our God and of his Christ.(Revelation 11.15)
To summarise the Eucharist is: THE HOUR OF JESUS - COMMUNION - SACRIFICE - PRESENCE -PROMISE
O Sacred feast in which we partake of Christ, his sufferings are remembered, our minds are filled with his grace, and we receive a pledge of the glory that is to be ours.
The Eucharist is the HOUR OF JESUS. We come as the Lord's people to the Lord's house on the Lord's day around the Lord's table - to be impressed by Jesus!
The Eucharist is Jesus' embrace - like a mother consoling a hurting child...
It is the place that builds the COMMUNION which is the church.
The Eucharist is Christ's SACRIFICE and ours. It is the memorial of his once for all redemption.
The Eucharist is Christ's PRESENCE at the table of his word and the altar of the sacrament.
The Eucharist is a great PROMISE, the pledge of glory, like the cinema advertisement, a preview of forthcoming attractions.
I’ve got those four headings for us to look at and hopefully to engage your thinking aloud including any questions you might have:
COMMUNION - SACRIFICE - PRESENCE - PROMISE
We could go for these one by one but since they are stated poetically in the refrain for Corpus Christi on the pew sheet let’s start by looking at and reading the refrain together and see what thinking emerges.
Have a look through the antiphon. It was written by St Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century from a scripture base and has a noble simplicity.
You might recognise the four themes of COMMUNION - SACRIFICE - PRESENCE – PROMISE
Have a think about the phrase that most speaks to you. Or of what’s missing from your understanding of the eucharist?
O Sacred feast in which we partake of Christ, his sufferings are remembered, our minds are filled with his grace, and we receive a pledge of the glory that is to be ours.
Let’s look more closely under the four headings I spoke of.
O Sacred feast in which we partake of Christ...
The Eucharist is the place that builds the COMMUNION which is the church.
What makes us one?
We are made one not by having the same feelings but by sharing one bread in penitence, not trusting in our own righteousness but in God's manifold and great mercies.
We become what we are - the body of Christ - more fully.
We are made one with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.
O Sacred feast in which we partake of Christ...His sufferings are remembered...
The Eucharist is Christ's SACRIFICE and ours. It is the memorial of his once for all redemption.
When you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11.26).
We stand at the Cross.
How do you understand the link between what Jesus did for us on Calvary and what you’re doing every Sunday at this service?
We recall Jesus - to use a law court analogy, not just as a witness recalls what he saw but in the sense of the recalling of the witness.
We see the gift of Jesus to the Father and to us.
Taking, blessing, breaking, sharing. This is our grand invitation to enter into the movement of his self-offering.
Paschal Lamb thine offering finished once for all when thou wast slain in its fullness undiminished shall forever more remain cleansing souls from every stain.
The eucharist has a strong intercessory aspect: coming before the Lord with people on our hearts.
Let's share any experience of the eucharist as a privileged place of prayer.
Our minds are filled with his grace...
The Eucharist is Christ's PRESENCE at the table of his word and the altar of the sacrament.
How do you see Christ’s presence in the eucharist?
How else can people come close to Jesus in this world other than through word and sacrament?
The Eucharist is a place of empowerment. People who recive Holy Communion receive power.
We receive a pledge of the glory that is to be ours...
The Eucharist is a great PROMISE, the pledge of glory, like the cinema advertisement, a preview of forthcoming attractions.
The use of material objects reminds us that God is transforming the whole universe.
What difference do you think what we do here makes to the world?
The Eucharist serves the building up of a new creation in which the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our God and of his Christ.(Revelation 11.15)
To summarise the Eucharist is: THE HOUR OF JESUS - COMMUNION - SACRIFICE - PRESENCE -PROMISE
O Sacred feast in which we partake of Christ, his sufferings are remembered, our minds are filled with his grace, and we receive a pledge of the glory that is to be ours.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
