02/07/2024 0 Comments
'Do this to remember me'
'Do this to remember me'
# Reflections
'Do this to remember me'
Opening Prayers
I am the bread of life,
anyone who comes to me shall not hunger,
anyone who believes in me shall never thirst .
Alleluia. Lord, give us this bread always.
The bread of God comes down from heaven,
and gives life to the world.
Alleluia. Lord, give us this bread always.
Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life
And I will raise him up on the last day.
Alleluia. Lord, give us this bread always.
It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is of no avail.
the words I speak, they are spirit and they are life.
Alleluia. Lord, give us this bread always.
Walk with us, Lord,
Along the road of resurrection!
Explain for us, so slow to believe,
the things that scripture says of you.
Break the bread of the Eucharist with us
whenever we share our lives with all brothers and sisters.
Stay with us each time night approaches
and the daylight fades in our hearts.
Amen.
In preparation for this session, think about what is a realistic and reasonable pattern for daily prayer and worship. What will your pattern be? If worship literally means ‘the things we give worth to’, what are the things that take first place in your life? Do you know a Christian whose pattern of worship you love and would like to emulate in your own life?
The reading is from Luke 22.15-20 and includes the words ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’
There is a reflection from Stephen Cottrell entitled ‘Community with God.’
“Against all the beguiling philosophies of the world, the Christian faith makes this great claim: I worship therefore I am.
At the heart of the Christian faith is the belief that we are made for community in God. ‘The human heart is restless’, wrote Augustine, ‘until it finds its rest in God.’ When we worship we become the people who find their rest and fulfilment in God. We become who we are meant to be. We enter into community with the God who, in Jesus, is revealed as a community of persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is the community that we are part of through our baptism. The church is the community of persons who have been gathered together by Christ and have access to God. And worship is what we do.
Of course, it doesn't always feel like this when we worship. Sometimes we are distracted. Sometimes it is boring. Sometimes we don't know the hymns or are put off by the sermon. But it is still true. When we worship we enter deeply into that relationship with God that Jesus has made possible by his death and resurrection.
In the Church of England there are many, many different types and styles of worship. But they are all doing the same thing: offering a sacrifice of thanks and praise to God. They are services of the Word, where we gather around the table of the Word, search the Scriptures, confess our sins and sing God's praises. The Eucharist is the primary act of worship in the Church, the one service given us by Jesus himself. But it is also the pattern for all worship.
In short, when we worship we enter deeply into that relationship with God that Jesus made possible by his death and resurrection and are joining our voices with the saints and the angels who worship God continually.
Think about what worship works best for you. We worship God not because he needs it or because it changes him but because it changes us. Over the next week consider how worship is changing the priorities and concerns of your life and what your response should be.
Concluding Prayers
The Cup of blessing that we bless,
is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ?
The bread that we break,
is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?
Because there is one bread,
we who are many are one body
for we all partake of the one bread.
Merciful God
You have called us to your table
Generous God
You have fed us with the bread of life
Abundant God
Draw us and all people to the service of your Son;
And send us out to bring your peace and goodness to the world.
Amen.
With blessings
Rev. Rona
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