Sunday Worship / Elisabeth Elliot / Prayers for Your Children / Communion

Let Me Be A Woman by Elisabeth Elliot


Chapter 3:  Where to Hang Your Soul

These three pages are a short reaffirmation of the Apostles' Creed that many of us grew up with in church or probably current either recite or read together during a worship service.   Here it is for you if you are unfamiliar with this piece of liturgy:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

    the Maker of heaven and earth,

    and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

    born of the virgin Mary,

    suffered under Pontius Pilate,

    was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended into hell. 

The third day He arose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven,

    and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

    from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit;

    the holy catholic church;

    the communion of saints;

    the forgiveness of sins;

    the resurrection of the body;

    and the life everlasting.

Amen. 

In reciting these words we submit to these truths which are foundational to the Christian faith.  As Elisabeth says, This is where I stand, this is Reality.  This is the Gospel in a nutshell, in a form easily memorized and learned by children at a young age to remain with them throughout their lifetimes.  I learned this in my childhood from simply repeating it each week in church.   It was not until I out of college that these words became my reality.   Now they serve to remind me each time I say them, exactly what I do believe and what my faith rests on.

Everyone comes to church with a multitude of feelings.  Some are genuinely ready to praise God, others have argued in the car or at home before arriving, the stresses of the week about to begin are already upon them, etc.  These feelings are natural.  Worship is not a feeling.   Worship is not an experience.  Worship is an act, and this takes discipline.  Never mind about the feelings. We are to worship in spite of them...I hang my soul on those strong pegs of truth, those "I believes" and I am strengthened...  

In some ways worship is like love--we can show acts of love to others whether we feel them or not.  Most often, the feelings follow after a time.  We can worship whether our feelings want to or not as well.  It is an act of obedience but the blessing returns to us as we lift our hearts to our Creator.

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Prayer for Your Children:  Their Growth in Grace

I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and that they will not be led astray from following Your Word.  (2 Peter 3: 17-18)

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COMMUNION

This morning I get to play the piano  during communion with my favorite cellist and violinist at church.   The pieces we'll be doing are:

For the Serving of the Bread

• I Am Thine, O Lord
• O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

For the Serving of the  Juice

• O Lamb of God
• O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

I love playing instrumental hymn medleys because the lyrics (which I have displayed on an overhead while we play) are so meaningful.  Most hymns are quite familiar and the congregation can ponder the words, reading at their own pace, without the distraction of a vocalist.   I have been told many times how worshipful this is and am thankful I can use my gifts to build up the Body of Christ.

Luke 22:19-20 

And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”  And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood."