…Opening To…

The liturgy of the Eucharist is best understood as a journey or procession. It is the journey of the church into the dimension of the Kingdom. (Alexander Schmemann)

…Listening In…

Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord. Amen. (The Post Communion Prayer)

…Filling Up…

One of the most common trials of the life of faith is putting up a great, big barrier between life inside the church and life outside of it. With this twelve part series, I have sought to show how the moments of our worship inside the church can inform and strengthen our walks with God outside the church.

Each moment of our worship is shot through with the presence of God. And do you know what? So is each moment of our lives. When we recognize God’s abiding presence in our lives outside the walls of the church, then we can worship God at all times. We can participate in God’s movement in this world.

The next time you attend a Sunday morning service, pay attention to each of the moments of the liturgy. Ask yourself what God is trying to teach you in those moments about your life as one of Jesus’ disciples. What are the priorities you are living by? How does your worship encourage you to change those priorities? How do you structure your life? What is your foundation? What anchors you? If the answer to these last two questions is not “my relationship with God,” then pray about how you can change your life so that you participate in your relationship with God more fully.

Worship will help you do that. It will help you structure and anchor your life in the One who breathes life into all creation. What a wonderful gift it is to be able to worship that One, to be able to commune with the God who both speaks creation into being and breathes life into our beings one breath at a time.

…Praying For…

Dear God, thank you for the opportunity to worship you and for your wisdom in helping me order my life around your movement in it. Help me to take your hand each day and walk in the paths that you show me. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, nourished by the bread of life that you sent to the world, Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.