Praise the Lord!
Our first meeting with students enrolled in their First Communion class was held this Sunday. Ten of our children will be taking Communion together on May 2nd. It was an amazing day for us all!
Praying is sometimes a little difficult for us as we try to learn how to talk to God. Pastor Sarah shared an idea that is easy to remember and is a big help when we pray. Our thought in prayer will guide us if we remember the words: "Help, Help, Thanks, Thanks, Wow, Wow."
This is what students came up with after a discussion on what we could say to God today:
"Dear God, We thank you for helping us learn how to pray. Thank you for giving us food and shelter. Please help the homeless to find a home. Thank you for bringing us together today. You are an awesome God and we praise you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen"
Coming together for the first time in many months was inspirational and energizing. We are heading toward a bright future with our children who are ready to embrace the meaning of “communion” as followers of Jesus Christ.
We talked about the original night of “Passover,” and as a Jewish man, Jesus came to Jerusalem to celebrate the history of his ancestors with his disciples. The Seder meal represented the pain and suffering of the Jews while held in bondage and it was during that meal that Jesus broke the bread and shared the wine, giving us the meaning for our own Communion Table.
Pastor Sarah taught the children that, as Christians, we come together for Communion sharing bread and wine (or grape juice) as a way of remembering Jesus and his sacrifice for our sins. She told the students that we then go out into the world and share the love of Jesus with others.
We are looking forward to our second lesson next week when the children will be introduced to the meaning of Baptism and learn more about Communion. The two sacraments given to us by Jesus will come together for the children to see when they observe both during their time together in the Sanctuary.
Go out and spread the Love of Jesus this week and try out the prayer idea given to us by Pastor Sarah!