Instructed Eucharist and Update Sunday

This Sunday will be very full at Christ Church. First, each worship service will be an “instructed Eucharist.” This means that, in lieu of a sermon, I will pause several times in the course of the liturgy to explain what is happening. The liturgy is full of rich symbolic actions, and constructed very intentionally. Many have never been taught what, exactly, we do what we do in worship, and all of us need occasional reminders. My hope is that, as a community, we would worship with a full understanding of what we are doing, all the while, as we set our hearts and minds on the Triune God, being open to the movement of the Spirit in our midst.

Also, during the adult education hour we will have one of our periodic “Update Sundays.” My hope is to fill you in on all that is going on in the congregation, as well as the deanery and the diocese. I’ll do my best to leave time for questions as well.

Finally, in looking at the assigned scripture readings for this Sunday, I would be remiss not, in one way or another, to acknowledge them. The gospel reading comes from Mark 10, and the subject is marriage and divorce. Of course, marriage has become an incredibly fraught topic in our broader culture, and needs to be addressed. Toward that end, I’ve put together some reflections on the passage from Mark 10, drawing out truths and, hopefully, connecting them to our own context. My hope is that we, as individuals and as a congregation, would be able to model both the historic Christian understanding of marriage as a lifelong, covenanted relationship between a man and a woman, and the radical welcome of Jesus to broken, hurting people who have fallen, and continue fall, short of God’s intention in this area. Supporting healthy marriages and offering grace, forgiveness, and healing to those who, for whatever reason, have fallen short of God’s intention, is, I believe, the calling of the church today, and it is a hard calling. It is also, though, a great opportunity to experience the fullness of the gospel.

We live in challenging times, and I hope and pray that as we worship, pray, and live together, the Spirit would form and shape us into people who are ready, to use Mordecai’s words to Queen Esther, “for such a time as this.”

Peace,

Chris