Admittedly, this holiday season was the busiest of my life: balancing time with family & friends, travel, and the long-awaited launch of the college I work for. This has also been one of the richest, most meaningful Christmases I can ever remember. A lot of that meaning can be attributed to my new church community, The Table at CPC. Their celebration of Advent was both intentional and profound, and the candlelight Christmas Eve service was probably the most worshipful Christmas service I have ever experienced.
I don't know if you can have a favorite Church sacrament, but if it's possible, communion is mine. The most significant part for me is that at The Table, we typically kneel to receive the elements.
In this culture, this day and age, I am required to bow my knee to no one. Knowledge is power and money is king, and as long as I have both, it seems that I will never have to answer to anyone but myself. These are the lies my culture has sold me, and the truth is clearest to me on Sunday evenings, when I kneel in the face of absolute majesty. I kneel to remember He who took my place, and I kneel to remind myself that I am not in charge; I never was. I kneel in recognition that I give up my autonomy to belong to Jesus Christ, who paid the highest price for my freedom from the bondage of sin.
I don't kneel because I'm enslaved to fire-and-brimstone God. I don't kneel because I'm a brainless automaton who only moves when I'm instructed. I live and move and exercise my free will because of the grace of God. I make decisions and work hard and love my friends & family not because I'm forced to, but because, by God's grace, I am able. So I kneel to recognize that my ability to be a productive member of society comes from the God who made me and redeemed me, and the least I can do is dedicate the work of my hands and the overflow of my heart to His service.
In 2011, The Table will be celebrating communion each week and I am greatly looking forward to the weekly reminder that I kneel before and serve a God who knows me personally, cares about me deeply, and loves me sacrificially.
5 comments:
Absolutely beautiful Mags. Thanks for posting this and writing this and reminding us all that whether or not our knees bend, we bow before the Lord every time we come to the table.
I missed your writing, my dear! Way to get a post up during this crazy busy week! :) This is beautiful. I wish kneeling was more common in churches... my pastor always encourages people to kneel while we pray, but it rarely happens. I think it's a beautiful, physical, tangible way that we can show our respect for and submission to our Lord.
Thank you for this glimpse into one of the holiest of sacrements. We are told that some day EVERY knee will bow; what a privilege to do so while celebrating Christ's sacrifice for us.
Maggie,
Thanks for opening a window into your life and your experience with God this Christmas. Kneeling reminds me of surrender and I think surrender is the most powerful word in Christianity.
Perhaps the only one more powerful/tangible is sacrifice?
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