Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Reasonable, holy and living sacrifices

And here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, our selves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee...




This is a part of the prayer just before the Lord's Prayer in Holy Communion in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, and just before the eucharist itself.  If these are only words, you could say, "Blah, blah blah blah..."  Or, like the adults in the Charlie Brown cartoons, where it's a trumpet saying, "Wha wha wha."  Just noise.  Too many adults see the liturgy that way.


If you really believe what's being read, what a difference in your life and mine.  We are praying that the Eucharist would feed it to move us to be that "reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice"  in our full lives.  A high and noble life each day.


Are we doing that??   How can we see such a change.  Remember it's not simply words to say, but a creed we keep.  At the close of worship, someone, usually the priest, says, "Go from this place to love and serve the Lord.".    Again, not just "cool words" to close the service but a call to live out the supper we just enjoyed.


Christ changes us day by day by His Spirit, in fellowship with His Church.  Christ offers Himself, and calls us to live out our baptism, and His sacrifice.


+gbf