The Power of Ritual
We come to church with needs. We come to church each week with expectations that by so doing, something will happen. In the Episcopal Church, we come to participate in a ritual. We become part of a gathered Body-Of-Christ offering prayers of praise, thanksgiving, asking …, musing on several scriptures, confessing where we feel we have missed the mark. Ourselves as a gathered Body and all our doings are laid out on the altar with bread and wine in offering; ‘ourselves, our souls and bodies’ with ‘angels, archangels and all the company of heaven’ with us make the offerings and Praise God singing, ‘Holy, Holy….’.
Us, all our offerings, the bread and wine, are all transformed into the ‘Body-of-Christ’ to be taken and eaten by the faithful, that resurrected life may be renewed in the worshiping Body and all of creation.
Celebrating the Eucharist, (Thanksgiving) is no small thing. As we strive to live into the fullness of Resurrected-Life, we are guided by Jesus’ instructions, “DO THIS”. For us, as Gods People, in Christ, The Holy Communion Service is our way to the fullness of life, the fullness of forgiveness, the fullness of celebration, the fullness of celebrating of life blessings and life tragedies in thanksgiving.
A little bit each Sunday, week after week, year after year, we are renewed and transformed as imagers-of-God.
See you in church. Stan Woolley+
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