Reverence and Intimacy

Last week, I introduced the theme of reverence. In the Bible, “reverence” before God is usually equated with “the fear of the Lord.” But to be reverent is really to be in awe of this God who is so far beyond our power and comprehension, and yet was humble enough to become a human being and die for us.

On the one hand, we worship a God whose power and wisdom make us want to be very careful about the ways in which we worship him. That leads to a more formal style of worship, with certain actions that must be done in a certain way. This isn’t “stuffy.” It reflects the awe that people should have when they come to meet the Lord of the universe in worship.

On the other hand, as Christians, we believe that God meets us in our worship. In the bread and wine, we see, smell, touch, and taste Jesus the Christ, who is God in human flesh. The Holy Spirit is as close to us as our very breath (The Greek word for “spirit” is the same as “wind”). All this happens because God loves us so much. And so in the bread, the wine, and our breath, God is so intimate with us that he is within us. The desire to celebrate this relationship leads others to want a worship that is more familiar, less formal.

There is one place in our worship space where God’s awesomeness and God’s intimacy come together more than any other. The next time you’re in Founders Hall, look at the cabinet to the left corner of the room, between the front pew and credence table next to the altar. You’ll see a white linen with a small box, glass vessel, and candle. In the old sanctuary, the box and cruet were enclosed in an aumbry that was attached to the wall on the right side of the altar facing you.

Inside the box, or ciborium (pronounced “siboreum”) are wafers of bread. Inside the cruet is wine. But it is not ordinary bread and wine. It is bread and wine that has been taken, blessed, broken and shared with the people of God. It is, in a way that Episcopalians believe but don’t dare to explain, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

When I see a parishioner who is shut-in, I take a wafer from the ciborium and some wine with me in a home communion kit (which looks like a little lunch box so that sometimes I lovingly call it the Jesus Lunch Box). I remind the parishioner that they are being fed with Jesus Christ from the same bread and wine that was set apart at the Sunday Eucharist. In this way, they are reminded that though physically separated, they are still a part of us because we are all part of Christ’s body.

On the one hand, Jesus Christ is very familiar to us. He is always present in our church on that white linen. On the other, what an awesome thing that the Son of God should make himself so vulnerable to us that we can pick him up whenever we choose. That’s why, whenever I approach the “Reserved Sacrament,” I bow down on one knee. That’s my way of showing reverence before this awesome and humble God.

In our holy worship space, let us be reverent, not in fear but in awe, joy, and thanksgiving.