One of my favorite things about our small group is the sacrament of communion we share together. Since UPC only celebrates communion about once a month, I really miss this time.
Our seasons at St. B's and St. John's in TN gave me a hearty appetite for the gift of celebrating this sacrament each week as it became the place where I could bring my brokenness and find restoration and healing through the mystery of the gifts of the bread and the wine.
Usually we have our small group time on Sundays with the adults upstairs using liturgy,
practicing lectio divina, and then celebrating communion. The kids are downstairs playing during this time, and then when we wrap up our worship time, we bring the children up for dinner.
This afternoon, we brought the children in a bit earlier and
we invited them into our time of celebrating communion--
what power this has to knit a community together...
"Thus may we abide in union;
With each other and the Lord,
And possess in sweet communion
Joys which earth cannot afford."
John Newton (1725 - 1807)
And possess in sweet communion
Joys which earth cannot afford."
John Newton (1725 - 1807)
The body of Christ broken for you...
The blood of Christ shed for you...
Come to the table He's prepared for you
The bread of forgiveness, the wine of release
Come to the table and sit down beside Him
The Savior wants you to join in the feast
Come to the table and sit down beside Him
The Savior wants you to join in the feast
Come to the table and see in His eyes
The love that the Father has spoken
And know you are welcome, whatever your crime
For every commandment you've broken
And know you are welcome, whatever your crime
For every commandment you've broken
For He's come to love you and not to condemn
And He offers a pardon of peace
If you'll come to the table, you'll feel in your heart
The greatest forgiveness, the greatest release
And He offers a pardon of peace
If you'll come to the table, you'll feel in your heart
The greatest forgiveness, the greatest release
-Michael Card
We should come to the Lord’s table with the confident expectation of meeting Christ there, of receiving there a blessing. -Rev. Chas. A. Savage
Beautiful. In the Orthodox tradition, everyone receives the sacrament after baptism. So you'll see little babies being brought up to receive the Holy Gifts fed to them with a spoon. (Actually everyone receives the sacrament that way. Like little birds with open mouths.) I wish that the Catholic Church had kept this practice of communion for all ages and I pray for its return.
ReplyDeletePlus, that photo of Anna at the end should become a painting. So much going on in that lovely face of hers.
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