Good morning…
I met a best friend over the coffee pot at Northside Church in 2003. In kindness, she reached out to me yesterday morning. Keenly aware of the tragedy I described last week in our post She Died Unexpectedly, my dear friend texted, “Hey I was thinking about you last night and this morning and I assume you are attending worship at Kairos Church today. I pray that the Spirit will move through all of you and give peace and comfort to each one of you.”
“Thank you,” I replied. “I too am pondering the powerful time we are heading into at Kairos this morning. We have been asked to serve communion, which will be a sweet bonding blessing. Your kind prayer is perfect. That God’s Spirit will move through all of us. Please give peace, dear Lord. Offer comfort to each person who gathers.”
“God’s presence is powerful,” I continued, “and our prayers act like magnets, drawing God’s healing Spirit into places of deep pain. Thank you, sweet friend.”
At the end of a very tender and touching service, my husband Steve and I stepped up to serve communion. Looking directly into many teary eyes, one after another, my lips were empowered to genuinely say, “This is Christ’s body, broken for you.”
Midway through the weekly ritual, it took my breath away to look up and to see before me the husband and the two young kids who had just lost their wife and mother. Shocked by the life-altering tragedy on Wednesday morning, here they were on Sunday, gathering together with their loving church family. To each of them, I gently offered the bread, “This is Christ’s body, broken for you.”
Experiencing communion with Christ and each other, we brought to life the central Scripture of the day. The Lord said, “My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, MSG).
When we feel weak and broken – body, mind, and spirit – it is comforting to gather together in our grief to digest the healing love of our gracious Lord.
…Sue…
P.S. The song we sang to open the worship service continues to resonate with me. As you experience this music video, please let the Spirit move through you – body, mind, and spirit – giving you peace, offering you comfort.
