The Eucharist is another name for Holy
Communion. The term comes from the Greek by way of Latin, and
it means "thanksgiving." It is used in three ways: first, to refer to the Real
Presence of Christ; second, to refer to Christ's continuing action as High
Priest (He "gave thanks" at the Last Supper, which began the consecration of the
bread and wine); and third, to refer to the Sacrament of Holy Communion
itself.
The Lord gave us a
splendid day yesterday. It will be another super spendid day today. Jesus makes
all things glorious and beautiful in His time. The brilliant Autumn colors are
moving towards peak in ths region. Our Lord displays so much beauty and He
pours upon us so many blessings. Praise the Lord for His amazing grace. Praise
the Lord for "prevenient grace". Prevenient grace is the expression
theologians use to talk about God working in our lives for our salvation before
we know anything about it or do anything to cause it to happen. Some people
insist, "If you will do this, this and this, then God will come into your life
and save you." The truth is that God is always reaching out to us and working in
our lives to move us toward the fulfillment of our highest possibilities. The
trick is for us to recognize what God is doing in our lives and to be receptive
and responsive to it.
The psalmist
who wrote Psalm 139 was
very much aware that God was always present and that God always knew all about
him. "Lord, you have searched me an known me." He said that God knew all about
him even when he was being formed in his mother's womb. He said that he knew
there is no place to hide from God. That may give us a spooky feeling. In this
age of computerized information, we struggle to retain just a little bit of
privacy and, truthfully, there are things about most of our lives that we would
rather not have God watching or listening in on. But the fact is that God is
always present and that God knows us better than we know ourselves. It is a
good thing that God loves us.
The story of little Samuel
and old Eli tells us that God has a purpose for our lives and for our world.
The text tells us that this story took place during a time when people weren't
seeing much divine activity -- or expecting it. Old Eli was a good man and a
faithful servant of God, but his sons were completely corrupt. God was working
in the subtle ways that God often uses in the affairs of people to put an end to
their abuse of power. God was also working to bring something better into being
to replace it. He picked young Samuel to be a prophet who would be God's agent
for the beginning of a new age in Israel's history. God called and, with Eli's
help, Samuel responded.
In the Gospel according to
John, we are told that Jesus our Lord surprised Nathaniel by knowing about him
and believing in him before Nathaniel had ever paid any attention to Jesus.
That relationship eventually grew into a very important one that changed
Nathaniel's life and caused him to be used to change the
world.
Our Lord is always working
throughout relationships with others, through our experiences, through our
mistakes, through our successes, and through many other happenings in our
lives. He is always there in our lives trying to lead us to
fullness of life, whether we know it or not, whether we do anything to cause it
or not.
Most people become aware
that God's prevenient grace has been at work in their lives after they have come
to new life in Christ. When people finally take significant steps into the new
life that Christ wants for them, they look back on their lives and realize that
God has been working in their lives for years to bring them to their new life.
Our Lord is at work around the corner and around the globe. He reigns. He
rules. He overrules. He is King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the
Captain who has never lost a battle.
"And Somehow Jesus comes and gives us
the victory".
In Him .
Brown
