19 November, 2010

Open Palms

Kneeling at the altar with open palms. What does that mean? Why do we come to the altar? What do we hope to gain? What do we have to give up? Why do we open our palms?
In that simple act we are giving up and we are receiving. We are giving up all the hurt and pain form the past week that we have had done to us and that we have done. We are releasing the anxieties and worries of this life. And we are giving thanks to the God who gives us grace and allows us to start again. Open palms say, “I am vulnerable; I don’t have all the answers; I don’t know; I am sorry; I am thankful.”
And into these hands we receive. We receive the body of Christ that fills us, renews us, and grounds us. It says, “you are mine; you are forgiven; you are loved; go and do the same. Go and be the same.”

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

How precious! How wonderfully you expressed this! I'm always touched by how God speaks through you. You are truly a vessel.
In Christ,
Carolyn Whitaker

the Jog said...

I like this Katherine. Open hands are an expression of vulnerability and openness. Usually they are also free of scars unlike the hands that bear the scars. Thanks for the post.