The Beauty of Liturgy
“Let me know you, for you are the God who knows me…This is my hope…”
Husband leads and we follow, in unison from our printed liturgies the night before the Sabbath, around the table.
Little ones look us in the face curiously. “What is this rhythmic ritual?”
Our voices rise in song…
“For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child…Lord of all to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.”
The swell and break of our voices, this family, together has a unifying effect…our eyes dart at one another.
“Tomorrow when we read our confession, listen to the words and make them yours.”
“I am righteous before God only by true faith in Jesus Christ; that is, although my conscience accuses me, that I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God….yet God, without any merit of mine, of mere grace, imputes to me perfect righteousness…”
Our souls are instructed, young and old, baby learns to sit quietly and though she doesn’t understand, she will.
“Our Father, Who art in Heaven…”
The liturgical exercise I once spurned has now become precious to me.
Its very constancy reflects the constancy of our faithful God.
The reading of truths out loud serves me twice as I see it and then hear it, and it strengthens the eyes of my faith more and more.
The affirmation of our faith at home as a family and then corporately with the rest of our family, week after week, begins to weave itself in and out of our lives like a tapestry that comes to life as God breathes over it.
“In joy of heart, in brotherly union, in Christian love we come to partake of Your table, giving thanks for the great love which You have shown to us through Christ our Lord.”
Little ones take their cues, hold their bread and wait….then together we remember His love and death and resurrection for us.
Hands lifted up…they don’t know why now, but they will.
“Praise God from Whom all blessings flow…”
One body, one Lord, one heart going out “to love and serve the Lord”.
Fortified for the week, strengthened for the task, we look forward to when we’ll meet again.

I love how being a mother so perfectly (and so painfully) allows me to see God’s purpose for the body of Christ. Belonging to a family and being fully engaged in that family provides a clear picture of how the body of Christ is supposed to function. And to the extent we are shaped to live properly in this family, we are equipped to live properly among the Church.
We don’t live like we believe what’s in the Bible. And we live like what’s in the Bible doesn’t matter much to the Kingdom.












