Many of us come from traditions where the goal of gathering on Sundays for worship is to perhaps learn something new about God, or get spiritually pumped up and “refilled” for the coming week.
But in this Anglican tradition we are learning to inhabit, that’s not primarily what is happening when we worship. What’s happening is more that we are joining heaven in prayer for the world that God loves and is constantly laying down his life for. We are beholding the risen Jesus in the midst of our fear and shame. We are gathering at the table Jesus sets for us, where something beautiful happens to bread and wine for the transformation of the world and ourselves.
As we receive the Eucharist, we join ourselves to God and all humanity and are recreated in his love. And then we get to work as God’s “ongoing incarnation” in the world – the body of Christ, his hands and feet and eyes and ears and minds and hearts in every place we go.
“Going to church” is so much more than learning about God or feeling inspired. What’s actually happening when we worship is that we are transported into the future to bring resurrection life back to the present moment as we await God’s glorious future. I know that might sound a little kooky, but if it’s true, worship the most radically, eternally impactful thing you’ll do all week!
See you Sunday!
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