As we prepare for Easter weekend, you may have heard that our Good Friday communion service is still happening... livestreamed to your home. (FB Live, just like Sunday.)
You might wonder - how is that going to work? I don't know how to do my own communion! What should I say? I'm going to be so awkward!
Never fear. Communion is both simple and profound. It doesn't require any special title or designation to serve it to yourself or your family other than "Follower of Jesus". And if you look forward to it as another act of worship on Friday, it will be beautiful and not awkward.
But also, let me help just a bit.
Adults:
Please have some communion emblems prepared before service begins on Friday. Grape juice and bread are great but do your best with what you have. If you need help getting communion emblems to your house, just let us know and we'll do our best to make it happen.
I will be reading from 1 Corinthians 11:23-32 . If you can, have your Bible(s) open to that passage so you can read along with me.
We'll have a moment for reflection and confession that you can participate in at home. Then I'll lead us through taking the emblems together.
The best thing you can do is try and create an atmosphere that allows for these moments to be worshipful, thoughtful, and full of gratitude.
With Kids:
I know that last point in the section above might be hard to do with little ones at home. Blessings on your efforts. :) Margaret is sending out a great resource to help to prepare the kids for taking communion. Here's an excerpt that is helpful for adults and kids alike:
During communion you will get a piece of bread and a little bit of juice.
When we eat the bread, we remember that Jesus' body was broken for our sins.
When we drink the juice, we remember the promise that we can be set free from all sin through Jesus' shed blood.
We take a moment to be quiet and think about all of our sins - all the things we need to say "I'm sorry" for, and we ask Jesus to forgive us.
We take a moment to pray and say "Thank You, Jesus, for your sacrifice. You have set me free!"
This weekend is going to be beautiful. Truly. With the extra space and quiet that the pandemic has created, we will have the chance to gather and reflect on the cross in new ways. We will be able to look at the suffering of Jesus with fresh perspective, knowing that He understands all of our heartache in our world right now and cares about every fear. We will be given the chance to lament and pour out our hearts to the Man of Sorrows and prepare our hearts for the celebration of Sunday.
I'm looking forward to all of it. See you on Friday at 10:00, gathered around the Lord's Table at your table.
Pastor Tracy
Easter Sunday
While there's no shame in wearing sweatpants to watch church on livestream... on Easter Sunday we're challenging everyone to dress in their Easter best and gather at the screen to celebrate the resurrection of Christ with us! (And, of course, we want you to take a photo and share it with us!) Let's mark the significance of this day in every way we can.
Check our Facebook page for an invitation to our Easter service you can share.
This Sunday
EASTER SUNDAY
Revealing Jesus
Alpha and Omega
Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Tracy continues our Easter series.