Put it in your sack....the gifts are given!

Christ is Risen! Alleulia!

Resurrection Sunday! What an awesome day. Everything is white, the hymns are amazing, and smiles are everything!

One thing that we tried this year to fully manifest what happens in worship comes from Rev. Matt Harrison's book, Christ have mercy. In his book, he begins by saying that the Christian life is about admiting that you have an empty sac. We come to the divine service with nothing to share with others and our Lord. Yet, throughout the service, God's fills us with his grace, we say AMEN, and we put it in our sac. Invocation-Remember our Baptism. Put it in your sac. Confession and Absolution-Forgiveness. Put it in your sac.

On Easter morning, everyone in church received a white (new life) paper sac. They also received eight business cards that indicated each part of the worship service (Invocation, Absolution, Kyrie, Word of God, Sermon, Offerings, Sacrament, and Benediction). At the beginning of the service it was empty. But throughout the service, they would place God's grace in their sac and left with a bag full (not literally, I need bigger objects than business cards) to dispense to others in their daily vocations.

I think it worked out well and I hope to be able to visually bring this idea again in the future. As Dr. Nagel says so well, "God has gifts to give!"