September 2, 2007

22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Preparation for Worship

For all who exalt themselves will be humbled,

and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Luke 14:11

To be present to you means that I must be prepared, temporarily, to be absent to me. I must therefore set aside all the things I carry with me in consciousness all day long – my planning for what comes next, my evaluation of how I am doing, and my reflection on what is presently transpiring. These are the noises that drown out the silence. These are the distractions that keep me focused on myself and make it impossible to be present to another person.

David Benner

Today is the twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, the longest portion of the church year. The central text for our worship comes from a parable Jesus tells while eating a Sabbath meal at the house of a leader of the Pharisees. In the parable Jesus tells those present that they should always sit at the lowest place of honor when sitting for dinner because “those who humble themselves will be lifted up,” He also calls them to “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind” when they give a banquet.

     Our communion service is just such a banquet where the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind are invited to share in the feast of God’s joy. As the hymn illustrates, “We come as guests invited When Jesus bids us dine.” In the Presbyterian Church, we believe the Lord’s invitation is not restricted to Presbyterians but is extended to all who embrace the gift of God’s love. It is our practice when taking communion to hold the bread until we all partake together symbolizing our community of one body. We then drink of the cup as individuals illustrating the personal nature of our encounter with the Spirit. Our closing benediction response is a prayer to God to serve in the world just as we have been served in the breaking of the bread and the pouring of the cup.