Holy Communion and Stewardship

Gathering for worship is unlike anything else we do. We come through the doors of our church and are greeted by a medley of emotions and sounds. Joyful smiles light up faces. Hugs are shared - usually accompanied by happy exclamations. Some people are seated around the tables in the Gathering Room sharing conversation and coffee (and sometimes donuts). Those carrying unseen burdens feel others often unknowingly reach out to give grace and share the load. Happy chatter calls us into community. Then as the bells ring, we gather together in the sanctuary while the music of the Prelude gives us time to prepare our hearts for worship and invite the Holy Spirit to be with us.

We share the Peace, confession, and forgiveness, and sing praises with our voices and hearts. We hear the Word proclaimed and offer our prayers and offerings. The service builds to the focus of our gathering -sharing the Lord's supper. Pastor lifts the bread and proclaims Christ's words, "This is my body, broken for you." He raises the cup. "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of Me."

We come forward, made worthy through our baptism, God's grace, and forgiveness, to receive Christ in our hands. As we accept the bread and wine, we join the "great cloud of witnesses"-all those in the present sharing in this sacrament and all those who have gone before us. We know in that moment, when the bread is pressed into our hands and the cup is presented to us, that we are part of something so much greater than we can comprehend. We are a part of the life God has created and given to us.

Before leaving the sanctuary, we hear the words, "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord." We leave in peace, knowing we are children of God, forgiven and claimed by Christ, strengthened and ready to go forward to live in His love. We go into the world, relying on Christ within us and the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to God's creation, to all that has been given to us, and to the needs of others. In gratitude and thanksgiving, we try to see through the eyes of Christ to understand how to use our gifts to care for all that has been given to us so we can share the love and light of Christ.

As we live, work, and love in God's grace, we recognize our on-going need for Christ's love and forgiveness to strengthen and guide us, and we gratefully look forward to gathering together again to receive our next invitation to, "Come to the banquet, for now all is ready."

SAM Clione Schneider