Entering Sacred Time and Space III

Posted by The Rev. Dr. Gerald Sevick on Nov 13, 2013 with 1 Comments

Entering Sacred Space and Time III

So, if the right way to enter into worship is with a clear expectation that God does have something for you, what happens if you leave worship “spiritually empty handed”? We can walk to our car and believe that somehow we have missed it (whatever “it” is) again.

I would first propose that you did receive something – even if you are unaware of it at the time. You did receive Grace.

You received words from the Bible – our sacred text. Let the words you heard live with you the coming week.
You received the offering the Peace of God from those around you as you greeted each other with the sacred words “The peace of the Lord be with you.”
You received the forgiveness of the sins for which you are penitent. “Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins…”
You also received the Grace of the Sacrament: That sacred mystery of Christ’s presence with us in Bread and Wine blessed and given. We renew our covenant with God and each other in this Holy Meal. Our souls are nourished and our faith renewed.

One does not need to be cognizant of the blessing to have received it. One does not need to know all the ingredients of a meal to be nourished. One does not need to even remember what one had for lunch to have been nourished.

We don’t feel all the sun is doing, but we receive the blessings of the sun’s presence.

We enter into sacred space and time knowing that God is going to give us the grace of His presence. Even when we are distracted by troubles, kids, pains, or thoughts that distract, God does touch us in Word and Sacraments and in the people gathered.

So, let’s enter into worship knowing that God is offering us all sorts of holy and life giving graces. We may or may not recognize them at the time – but they are present, nonetheless.

Tags: worship, liturgy, faith, the sacred

Comments

Chris Niehoff Dec 9, 2013 5:53pm

I truly appreciate this blog post... it's a great reminder for us all and wonderful teaching tool for talking points with our kids. Thank you.

Father Gerry's Blog

As I have posted on social media: “I am back”!

I have so much to share. I would love to tell you about my three month Sabbatical. I have enjoyed and been blessed by this time. Thank you. I missed you all, but shortly into the Sabbatical I discovered how much I needed the time.

I have traveled almost 9,000 miles this summer by car, train, and ship. I have studied, played (yes, a zip-line over 700 feet!), prayed and stood in awe at the base of a glacier. I have read more “fun” books over these three months than I have in a long time. Yes, most of the books were science fiction.

While I have been away, I have not been unaware of the news. In this day and age it is almost impossible not to have the news put in front of you. It is everywhere…

I watched a Confederate Flag come down at a Statehouse, a USA Flag raised over Cuba, and the rainbow flag waved all over the country. I watched marches, seen banners and placards, heard chants and saw people kneel in prayer. The Supreme Court spoke and the Episcopal Church voted. Some people cheered, some grieved.

As I watched the news or read the paper, I saw fear in the eyes of some, hope in the eyes of others.

In all this, I prayed for you. I hoped for you. I believed in you and your ability not to let the events harm our common life. Your love for Christ, His Church, and each other is strong. I am not sure of the conversations you have all had in your small groups and coffee hour moments. But I hope they were examples of Christ’s sacrificial love and manifested the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

I want to talk.

I want to talk about so much of this.

I want to talk, but I have a question. I wonder if we are brave enough to have a civilized conversation and end it in unity and love. I wonder if we can, as we promise in our Baptismal Covenant, “to respect the dignity of every human being”, and “seek and serve Christ in all people” as we talk about volatile topics; as we talk about issues we approach with a great deal of emotion. I believe we can.

What does it mean to be Christ to all people – to be Christ even with the haters and the hated? What does it mean to sit at Jesus table and talk to each other?

I want to talk…

Dear people of Trinity,

I am back. I love you all. What is God asking of us as we move into Trinity’s tomorrow?

Blessings and Peace,

Entering Sacred Time and Space III

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