Presentation

2 Samuel 7:1-16; Ps 89 Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord; Romans 16:25-27


I want to continue our walk through the mass with the changes that have been implemented since Advent started.
Last week I preached on that which didn’t change: the postures and gestures that invites us to immerse ourselves fully into the worship reality: body and soul

Today we look at the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

But first, I want to draw your attention to the offertory; the presentation of the gifts.

This is one of the most neglected parts of our worship; the homily is finished, the creed is professed, the petitions are made, and we sit back as the ushers come through for the collection.

Perhaps we have tendency to treat this time as an intermission of sorts.

But there is so much more going on.

The offertory, the name itself, suggest what is happening. This is what we offer, what we present, what we bring to the table. It represents our gift to God…

The bread and the wine, the monetary gift all represent our life, our thanks to God, our yearning, our dreams, our prayers, our sacrifices. what we think of God.

St. Augustine stated that we should look closely at the bread and the wine, for joined to them are the sacrifices of the people of God:

think bout the sacrifices:

-single mother who drags her children to mass every Sunday: works three jobs just to make ends meet
-parents whose child just got diagnosed with a serious illness and they have more questions than answers
-alcoholic who has been somber for 17 years and just made through another 7 days of one day at a time
-father who just got laid off and wondering where to go next
-spouse who just said farwell to her mate after 35 years of marriage

you ever wonder what you look like when you come to mass: most of the time we look pretty normal but there isn’t a moment where each of us don't bleed from the eyes with broken hearts and sacrifices to offer.

This is all represented by the bread, the wine where the priest acting in the person of Christ, accepts this offering, and places it all on the altar as Christ placed his body on the altar of the cross, and joins it to His perfect perfect sacrifice.

IT is all raised to the father, and the Holy Spirit is invoked to transform them by filling them with God's very presence, and then it is returned to the people of God, to you and I, that we may have the grace to offer sacrifice & praise for one more week.

Think about the Bread and the wine as a symbol of our sacrifice but it also reminds us of what and how we are too live a life of faith.

What does it involve to get bread and wine?

In order of reread to be bread the wheat has to die, then ground and smashed, then baked only then can it become food that nourishes.

In order for wine to be a reality the grapes are picked, then stomped and smahed, fermented, only then with time does it become the drink that brings gladness to the human heart.

Bread and the wine are the perfect symbol of the life of faith: Jesus says: unless a grain of wheat dies it does not bear fruit; unless you take up your cross an follow after me you can't be my disciple; you must lose self, in order to find yourself.

We don’t just offer our sacrifices, we present what we are called to be:
It is our very lives we place on the altar and they are united to the sacrifice of Christ and become transformed by the Holy spirit.

In the Liturgy now, the priest ask the people the pray "that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to almighty God" and we pray together, "May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of his holy church."

The prayer itself speaks to the longing of our hearts. Do we not want our sacrifice to be meaningful, do we not want it to be for our good and good of all. when we unite our sacrifice to the perfect sacrifice of Christ it is enlivened with the purpose of Christ and meaning is ushered in. IT is here at the altar that all the sacrifices in the world, those of you and I, are raised and thus become life giving for they meet with that one sacrifice that brings life to the world.

It is more than an intermission; it is an invitation to let God take us as we are and to make us who we need to be for his glory and praise as we are united to that perfect sacrifice of Christ and thus are filled with his life giving spirit.