Truly and Earnestly...

In an earlier edition of our Book of Worship, the invitation that the pastor would extend to participate in the Lord's Supper went like this:

Ye that do truly and earnestly repent of your sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbors, and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in his holy ways: Draw near with faith, and take this holy Sacrament to your comfort, and make your humble confession to almighty God.

Truly and earnestly repenting of sin...being love and charity with your neighbors...intending to lead a new life...
It would be a tragedy to dismiss these as merely words that called a previous era of the church to dine at the Lord's table.  In fact, they are nothing more and nothing less than the building blocks of the life of one who is a true disciple of Christ.

So, as we go about fulfilling our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, let us be sure to have the trust and expectation to examine our own lives, challenging ourselves to be made a disciple by these simple markers laid out - repentance, love, and transformation.

When we all do this, we capture the essence of being the church, indeed, of Christianity.

Grace and Peace, Lamar