Just Bob

A light in the darkness...

Thursday, April 08, 2004

Lord's Table in the Upper Room

We had a great worship/Lord's Table last night. We do this periodically. We dim the lights, we have pleasant instrumental music playing in the background and we have the whole church, from the 4 year olds up to the 104 year olds, in the sanctuary (auditorium). The pastor gave a great message on the when the passover was celebrated by the Passover. Then we were left to cry and pray and meditate and seek God. After you felt that you were ready you went to sit in a seperate area of the sanctuary and once 12 people were there we went upstairs to the Upper Room to celebrate the Lord's Table.

I slipped to the back steps where I was saved about 25 years ago in this same church that I now am an undershepherd in. As I sat on those steps I slipped back to the eight-year old boy, who was afraid of hell and knew he was a sinner. I remembered sitting on those steps as Ray Davis led me to my Lord and Saviour. I wanted to know how to get to heaven, how to reach God, and Ray said I couldn't get to heaven by any way but Jesus. I said I wanted Jesus to be my friend and to save me. As I sat there, time began to stand still and I just sat with Christ. Me and Jesus on the back steps. And for just a moment as I confessed my failures and unworthiness to my Lord, I thought I heard him laugh. It was not the kind of laugh that mocks but the kind of laugh that heals you. The kind of laugh that I do when my son does something goofy or wrong but makes me laugh and say, I love that boy. It's because I have a good relationship with him. I know he wants to please me but just does the things that boys do, being distracted, being curious, making bad decisions. Wow, just like me and my FATHER.

So, after I was there on the steps I "wondered" (wondering about God's grace while wandering) back out to the sanctuary with my Bible and read John 19 and finally took my seat with the last 12, well actually 11. As we rose up the steps to a small room close setting, I smell the unleavened bread that my wife baked earlier in the day. I see the grape juice and thought what it must have been like with Christ at the head of the table.

What a great experience, a time of worship, and a time of reflection.

Monday, April 05, 2004

I am not quite to the realm of cognizant thought

I am recovering from a terrible bout of some 36 hour, wipe-you-out-flat-on-your-back-bug. I hate vomitting. Some people vomit easy. I remember back in my party hardy college days, that I was attending a party down at Ohio State. As we were waiting in line to get into a club this other dude, who was obviously partying pretty heavy that night was walking by. He puked without losing stride, probably from much practice but an ability I was praying for sometime early Sunday Morning. When I do it it is like I am being rent in two and my head is going to burst...

Ah well, the finer side of life I suppose. Hope to hit it with a couple good entries this week if I can get my brain matter to gel, right now it's fairly liquified.