Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought o examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. –I Corinthians 11:27-28
We rub our souls raw
With the sackcloth of remembered sin
And toss the ashes of burned
Memories into the air
Where they mat in our hair
And crust our eyelids
(How lovely that fountain
Where the sparkling water
Washes away
Even the remembrance of things passed
Transforming them into
Things forgiven)
(c) 2000 Latayne C. Scott
In spite of all the “feel good” philosophies that recent church growth experts have said are necessary for people to benefit from worship, the basic “needs” of a congregation remain unchanged. Worship has two functions: to glorify God, and to allow men, women and children to participate in that glorification. Participation means that a distinction must be made between the holy and the common; the heavenly and the earthly. Part of that involves our recognition that we are not the holy and the heavenly. A proper deference to a superior Being is not the mere belittling of self, but rather an acknowledgment that our sin both separates us from Him and provides the impetus for Him to reach toward us.
