A Common Communion Liturgy

communion

Growing up, the windows of my childhood home’s family room were in direct line of sight of our neighbor’s bedroom windows.

If we both had the curtains open, we could easily see into each other’s homes.

My mother told me that our neighbor once shared that my sister and I had caught her eye one day when she was opening her curtains. We were taking turns standing and reading from a small red book in front of our fireplace. She observed we would also sometimes sing and then bow our heads with our hands folded in front of us.

Intrigued, she wanted to know what my sister and I were doing.

My mother replied that my sister and I were playing church. The book we were reading was called The Common Book of Prayer. The songs we were singing were hymns. And the bowing of our heads and folding of our hands were prayers to the Lord.

What does this have to do with my title, A Common Communion Liturgy and 1 Corinthians 11:23-26?

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Worship in Response to Your Calling

kneeling prayer and worship

When you were a young child, did people ask you what you wanted to be when you grew up?

My answer to this question changed frequently as I grew.

I remember being interested in driving a semi for a brief period.

Another strong interest at one point was interior decorating.

But by the time I was in eighth grade, music had captured my attention above all other potential vocational pursuits.

Then, after fifteen-plus years of a music career, I transitioned into administrative work.

Although I believe I am talented and gifted in the vocations I have pursued, I believe my calling from God is to write Bible studies. (See my About page for a few more details.)

This is why I write this blog. And it is a part of my worship of God.

I am thinking about all of this today because of Joshua 5:13-15.

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Are You Letting the Spirit Lead?

Fruit of the Spirit

Look closely at the picture above.

Do you know the name of each apple variety pictured?

I recognize Red Delicious, Granny Smith, and Green Delicious.

The pale green with the flecks I am uncertain about.

The lighter red one could be a Gala, or possibly an Ambrosia, my favorite.

The opening sentence in Food & Wine’s The Ultimate Apple Guide to 85 Varieties, From Heirlooms to Hybrids published on October 9, 2023 states, “There are over 7,500 apple varieties around the world (and counting)…”

Wow!

The multiple apple varieties look and taste different from each other.

They also have different uses, such as snacking, saucing, baking, or cider.

Yet they are all apples.

What does this discussion of the vast world of apple varieties have to do with this post’s title, “Are You Letting the Spirit Lead?”

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Leading Hearts to Worship | Dt 30:15-20

leading hearts to worship

Who would you say is the most effective leader of our day?

What makes that person stand out from other leaders?

Centuries ago, God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and traverse the desert for forty years to prepare for entering the land promised to their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Moses was not a perfect leader.

Yet, with the help of the LORD, Moses transformed into a leader whom both Jews and Christians revere.

What does this have to do with leading hearts to worship?

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When Detachment is to Our Benefit

attachment vs. detachment

What comes to mind when you see the word detachment?

One definition of detachment is the action or process of detaching or separation.

Yes, this definition is from Merriam-Webster.com.

If you have a military background, you already know that detachment can refer to the dispatch of a body of troops or part of a fleet from the main body for a special mission or service.

Yep, also from Merriam-Webster.com.

The third definition supplied by Merriam-Webster.com describes detachment as indifference to worldly concerns or aloofness.

Detachment can also show freedom from bias or prejudice.

But what is the spiritual benefit of detachment?

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Giving to Remember God

Giving to Remember God

What does it mean to give?

Give as a transitive verb has sixteen definitions at Merriam-Webster.com.

There were five more definitions for using give as an intransitive verb and two for using give as a noun.

Then I found the section titled, “Choose the Right Synonym for Give”.

Before listing some synonyms with definitions, this section provided the following definition of the word give:

“Give, the general term, is applicable to any passing over of anything by any means.”

This definition, although lacking specificity, is valuable in understanding that “giving” can be a highly personal activity.

But how does this apply to giving to remember God?

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Communal Responsibility in Worship

Communal Responsibility in Worship

How would you define communal responsibility in worship?

According to Merriam-Webster.com,

  • A community is defined as a unified body of individuals.
  • Responsibility involves answering for one’s conduct or obligations.
  • To worship is to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion a divine being.

So, a communal responsibility in worship could be described as a unified body of individuals answering for each other’s conduct to show great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion to a divine being.

But what does that look like in actual practice for the Israelites in the book of Deuteronomy? And us today?

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Removing the Distractions from Worshiping God

Distracted

Recently I opted to work on my writing at a local cafe.

I thought it would be okay since the cafe had Wi-Fi and many of the research resources I use are now available online.

Plus, several friends of mine who are writers love to work at cafes or shared work spaces.

But it was too distracting for me.

Hearing orders called out, seeing a father play with his son out in the courtyard, and some odd technical difficulties made my writing experience frustrating.

I now know for certain that my home office space is the best place to work on my writing.

This does not mean I never get distracted at home. I do.

But I have more control over my home office space than I do in a public space.

How does this relate to the need to remove distractions from worshiping God?

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