Thursday, 23 September, 2004

This week's devotions are written by Redeemer member John Caron.



This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.



Send now, we pray, your Holy Spirit, the spirit of our Lord and of his resurrection, that we who receive the Lord's body and blood may live to the praise of your glory and receive our inheritance with all your saints in light.

Holy Communion

LBW, p. 70

There is a tradition within the Church that demands that those who receive the Eucharist must prepare themselves beforehand, in order to ensure that they have adequately confessed their sins and are therefore in a state of grace to make them worthy to receive the body and blood of Christ. This pattern of thought is an easy one to get into because there is a daily aspect to Christian repentance. In yesterday's devotion, we discussed that it is important to give ourselves triggers to remind us to keep our perspective beyond the day-to-day cares of life in order to stay open to God's presence. In this portion of the Eucharistic Prayer, we are reminded that in participating in the Lord's Supper, we are not acquiring or earning our inheritance but receiving it instead. The Meal is our most powerful "trigger" in that by participating in the death and resurrection of Christ, all other cares and concerns are put in their proper perspective.



Connection: As we receive the body and blood of Christ, we also receive the inheritance. There are no conditions or caveats to this gift. It is, quite simply, a gift. As we move through the day, we have a choice. We can fight and struggle to be loved by God and others, or we can settle into the knowledge that God loves us precisely because it is God's nature to love us. If we accept that inheritance, that gift, then we see all God's saints (humanity) in light.



Prayer: Give us the courage to let go of the struggle and simply accept the gift freely given, without condition - the gift of your love. Amen.