Journal 2006

Religious heart-preparation rituals didn’t figure too highly in my Baptist upbringing. We didn’t make much of high holy days and certainly not Advent, Lent, Ash Wednesday, Passover, Maundy-Thursday, or even Good Friday. So, it’s not in my background and training to make much of one day over another. Perhaps we followed the Scripture passage about not observing one day above another. In any case, I believe every day is a heart-preparation day.

Heart-preparation for the Lord’s Supper is also a bit of an enigma to me. We partake in community, but we spend it in solitude—reflecting inwardly. I find it very difficult to meld the two. I’m too aware of my surroundings. Too aware of the ritual and the people around me, and no place to write (my best vehicle for concentration). And certainly not long enough to focus and concentrate inwardly to deal with any sins I’ve committed. For me, that heart preparation must come before I ever sit in the pew. “Remembering His death” comes closest to what the ritual does for me. And that indeed, I think, is its primary purpose.

So, today I remember, give thanks, pray, and prepare my heart for the joyous celebration of Resurrection Sunday.