Spiritual "Give-And-Take"
One of the more common remarks I hear about worship is that people feel "fed"
when they come to church. Great—that's the way it's supposed to be! Of course,
this is even acted out literally in receiving the bread and wine of Holy
Communion—a very graphic reminder of the fact that God feeds us in our spiritual
lives. Our faith is nourished by God's Word in Holy Scripture, and we also
receive strength through prayer, music, ritual, and community (perhaps even
through sermons, too!). As with all nourishment, this feeding is what helps us
to grow and to be sustained in Christian life. This is also why it is so
important to remember that the Holy Spirit can and does work in you even when
you feel "flat" or disconnected in some way. But you do have to be at the table!
This raises a basic question that I think is quite neglected. As true as it is
that weare fed through worship, we can forget that it is no less true that
worship begins with our giving. We begin with simply giving ourselves—our
presence. This is true even in those flat times (it's especially true then!). To
me, the idea that worship is about "receiving" puts the cart before the horse.
But in the consumer-culture that is so prevalent these days, "what I get" can
all too easily become the starting point as you approach worship and
church-life. Stop—and begin with "what I give."
After the gift of our presence, we give our openness. God asks us to be open so
as to invite learning and repentance and forgiveness and, yes, change. [By the
way, do you come to worship in order to stay the same?] We give our thanksgiving
for what God has done and continues to do for us in Jesus Christ. Remember that
every single Sunday of the year is a "little Easter."
Now the stakes are raised in a big way, because when we choose not to attend
worship, or when we think of church-life primarily in terms of "what I want &
meet my needs," the effect is choosing to withhold our gifts from God (ouch!).
Come to think of it, all of this goes far beyond worship itself. Beginning with
our giving—our presence, our openness, our thanksgiving—is true about everything
in Christian life: it's true about being a Christian!
As St. Francis wrote in his much-loved prayer (BCP, p. 833), "it is in giving
that we receive."
In Christ, Shannon+
