Do you ever read the rubrics in the prayer book? They are those instructions printed at various points during the service and are called rubric because they used to be printed in red. You may have thought that they were just instructions for the clergy to help the worship flow easily. That is part of it. They are also are there to make the service more meaningful. At the end of morning and evening prayer, the rubric is quite insistent that the prayer of St. Chrysostom must be used. Why? Because it stresses the fact of our unity, one with another, in worship and Jesus promised that wherever two or three are gathered together in his name, he is in their midst. We will go forth from our place of worship into the world to live our lives as he would have us do. Whatever our calling we are happier and more fulfilled if we have other people around us, even more so if those people belong to Jesus and are part of his body.
We know that in the early times Jesus' followers kept together (Acts 2: 44-47) but later they were scattered to all parts of the earth and were able to spread the good news. We cannot confine our circle of friends to those who are just part of his body. We must enter with him into other spheres and help people to be conscious of his presence. It would be strange indeed if there were not active Christians in Rotary or Womens' Institute or any of our great service organization just because we insisted in keeping only onto ourselves.
Nonetheless, it is so very important for us to get together in a place of worship and raise our hearts to our Heavenly Father in Jesus' Name. As we raise our hearts, let us also raise our voices together. As our voices blend, we become even more as one so think, God will bless your joyful noise. Pray out loud with a full heart. Respond in the responses:
Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the Lord.
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