Saturday, December 25, 2004

Merry Christmas!

We are having our first white Christmas since 1954. All day long we've had sleet and wisps of snow falling. Our yard is covered with ice. LD went outside in her not-warm-enough clothes to make an ice man she named "Frosty." The ice man was made on a kitchen plastic dustpan to keep Frosty from melting. If I could load pictures, you'd see the evidence. Can you believe it? My hybiscus and periwinkle are blooming still and we have sleet!
Tonight there is a black ice warning. This occurs when roads become covered with a sheet of ice which appears to be just a wet road. Driving advisories out for all the local streets and back roads. We don't know how to drive in cold weather. We know how to wear socks with our flip-flops when it gets really cold, like 40, but when it freezes, we stay inside and marvel.
Last night's Christmas Eve Service at the LH's church was lovely. Since I was off-duty, I sat in the pew with my family holding hands with LD. So wonderful to be in the pew with them. We belted out the hymns, read the scriptures out loud and then had Communion. The pastor used the 1946 Common Worship Communion service which includes the phrase, " we pray Thee to fulfill in us, and in all men (sic), the purpose of Thy redeeming love". I would like that fulfilled in me.
In the Great Prayer, too, is this phrase, " ...here we offer and present unto Thee ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy and living sacrifice." I'd like to know what "reasonable" means in this context. Has the meaning changed or shall we understand it in the contemporary sense?
1.Capable of reasoning; rational: a reasonable person.
2.Governed by or being in accordance with reason or sound thinking: a reasonable solution to the problem.
3.Being within the bounds of common sense: arrive home at a reasonable hour.
4. Not excessive or extreme; fair: reasonable prices.
I'd like to know. Not many pastors use this version of the liturgy however I use it from time to time and want to know what this phrase means. Any ideas?

4 comments:

Rev. Mike said...

The last time I recall that particular language it actually was in the context of Romans 12:1 in the KJV:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

I always thought it to be saying that in view of all that Paul had written in the previous 12 chapters, offering ourselves as a living sacrifice was the reasonable response to what Paul had written. I'm such a modernist.

Rev. Mike said...

Sorry, make that 11 chapters. It's too late at night to be doing math. ;)

St. Casserole said...

Thanks, Mike.
I'm going study this more. Your cite makes sense.

Theresa Coleman said...

Our older rite (Rite IV), which has not been in common usage since 1968 says:
"And here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy and lively sacrifice unto thee; humbly beseeching thee that all we who are partakers of this Holy Communion may be filled with thy grace and heavenly benediction."

This is followed by the "Prayer of Humble Access" (which is left out of the new rite -- and that I really, really miss)

"We do not presume to come to this thy table, O merciful Lord, trusting in own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies.
We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy table..."

I like the idea of being a lively sacrifice..... and sometimes one that comes kicking and screaming....