Preparing for Worship – Kathryn Keller.
Anyone else feel like you’re in “go mode” right now? I enter worship (or the Sanctuary anyway), grab a seat and thumb through the Tapestry for a preview of coming attractions. What events are coming up? What spicy guest preacher will descend upon us next? Wait, do we have food at home for the kids, or am I crossing my fingers for a Fellowship Lunch? (Spoiler alert: Fellowship Lunch today!) Clearly I am here, but am I really here?
In preparation for worship this morning, I invite you here. Whether you are worshiping with us in person or online, take a deep breath and notice that you are here right now as you prepare your heart for what God might stir in you.
I invite you to take a look around our stunning Sanctuary and notice what draws you in. Cast your eyes upward to get a sense of the vastness of the space cradling us all. Notice the light entering through the shutters flung victoriously open on Easter Sunday. Take note of the magnificent organ pipes, their melodies hemming you in from behind and before.
Glance toward the baptismal elements prepared for this special day. Recall your own or perhaps imagine being “dunked.” What is it like feeling drenched with the cool water on your face and partaking, once again, in the symbolism of immersion and resurrection? Taste the salt on your own lips and hold the small candle in your mind’s eye. Be curious about what it currently means to you to be “salt of the earth” and “light of the world.” How brightly or dimly are you shining?
Now, as you relax your eyes downward in front of you, consider the decades-long parade of tiny communion cups going in and out their resting places. Such represent hundreds of experiences of partaking of the bread and body of Christ. Do you notice the Divine’s presence within you?
Take note of what you’re experiencing right now. What sensations, if any, might be surfacing for you? What are you allowing yourself to feel and what are you keeping at bay? Take another deep breath. Ask your body and your mind for permission to put your worries, your to-dos, your distractions on pause as you invite yourself here.
Let’s lift our hearts on high in anticipation of what God has in store for us today.