A little practice goes a long way...

Every Wednesday @ 12:10 pm we hold a quiet and contemplative Eucharist @ First Church. Using some Taize chants, silence, lectio divina and liturgical prayer, we practice being together as God's people.  And then we gather around the communion table to receive and share the bread of life and Christ's cup of blessing.

Dorothy Bass, writing in Practicing Our Faith, puts it like this: Worship is to daily life, a wise pastor has said, as consomme is to broth. In liturgy at its best - in the common work of the people assembled to hear the Word of God and celebrate the sacraments - the meaning of all the practices appears in a form that is thick and tasty, darker and richer than what we get in most everyday situations. In Holy Communion, every one of the Christian practices finds guidance.  The worshipers experience the extravagant hospitality of God at the table and commit themselves to extend God's welcome to others; they collectively say not to what is harmful and yest to what is good; they keep the Sabbath holy in a joyful celebration of Christ's resurrection.

We've been celebrating our midweek Eucharist for over a year and it has become a touchstone of stability and refreshment in my week.  I physically and emotionally miss the blessings of quiet, community and the Lord Supper when I am away.  I have also found that without our weekly shared conversation concerning God's word in Scripture, my week feels a little flat and incomplete.

Not surprisingly, this Eucharist rarely attracts more than 10 people at a time - and more often than not we're about 7 - because it takes time to step outside of our busyness and rest for a while in the presence of the Lord.  This has become both a physical oasis in the middle of the city and a spiritual oasis in the middle of a busy week.  Like the Psalmist encourages:  Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.