Invitation to Communion January 10, 2016

 I invite you to join us in Communion
Or as I knew it a a child, the Lord's Supper.

We will take the bread and wine
(it's grape juice really),

And remember the man
Who first broke the bread and drank the wine.

The same man whose baptism is observed today:

Jesus the Christ.

I was lucky enough to have
A Presbyterian/Christian Scientist grandmother

and a Southern Baptist mother.

One saw to it that I was sprinkled as a baby

and the other that I was dunked at age ten.

So as far as baptism is concerned,
Been there, done that.

Communion is different.  

Only as an adult
Did I understand
The significance of the bread and wine.

Now, I treasure each time
I take the Lord's Supper.

As I hope you will.

Invitation to Communion January 11, 2015

Join us in Communion
Also know as  the Lord's Supper.

"We welcome all to the Lord's Table

As God has welcomed us."

The Scripture from Mark describing Jesus baptism

Introduces us
To all three members of the Trinity,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Some have said that when Christians

Have a hard time understanding
An aspect of their faith.

They slap a label on it

And put it on a shelf.

The Trinity is such a concept

That is hard to get one's mind around.

To make the Trinity more understandable

Think of the Creator as

"I am,"
As he named himself to Moses.

Jesus is God in action,
The Word.

The Holy Spirit is the Love

That binds the Creator to the Word. 

So the Trinity

becomes

I Am Love in action.
Now join the Three-in-One

And take the cup and bread. 

Lectionary Gospel Reading for January 12, 2014

Matthew 3:13-17
3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.
3:14 John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
3:15 But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented.
3:16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.
3:17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

 Creator, Word, and Love

God complete in three.

 John recognizes that he confronts the Word,

God Incarnate.

John believes he is not worthy to baptize God.

Jesus reassures him with cryptic words.

Jesus chooses to use baptism

To signal his commitment to the Kingdom.

We echo his actions

When we are baptized.

And commit ourselves to the Triune God. 

 Jesus rises from the water

Just as he will rise from the grave.

The Love of God descends on Jesus

Linking Creator and Word with Love.

The Trinity is renewed.

Jesus, the Son of Man,

Has received the blessing of the Creator

Through the Holy Spirit.

That blessing and love will carry him

To Jerusalem,

To Death,

To Resurrection.

Mark's Missing Advent

painting by Karen Soleau

"And it came to pass, in those days,
That Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee,
And was baptized by John in the Jordan."
So we meet Jesus in the Gospel of Mark.
There is no babe, no wise men, no shepherds,
Not even Mary and Joseph.
Mark cares not for the birth
We will celebrate on December 25.
Mark begins at the start
Of Jesus ministry.
A man grown,
Jesus announces himself
By submission to another
To be baptized.
And God speaks:
"Thou art my beloved Son,
In whom I am well pleased."
Jesus knew he was God's word,
Now he receives God's love.
At Advent and Christmas
May we all know
The embrace of the Holy Spirit,
God's love.