What’s in our Spiritual Cornucopia?
Dear Heritage Family,
I received a request that we share the closing comments from this past Sunday’s sermon. Above is a photo of the cornucopia from the communion table. The following excerpt from my sermon explains the meaning of each item in our cornucopia…
Four weeks ago, you watched as Robby and I emptied our cornucopia. We removed all the abundance of fruits and vegetables. We took the symbol of plenty and retooled it.
That first week we added the heart – a visual reminder that we have an abundance of love. God provides more than enough love for us to live fully and love deeply.
The second week we added the gift – a reminder that we have more than enough to give. Every thing we have is a gift from God, we can in turn give a small portion, perhaps 10% back to God as an offering of thanks and a symbol of our partnership in His work.
Last week we added the owl—a reminder that we have an abundance of knowledge. We are able to approach God with confidence, we can be assured of our rich heritage in and with God.
Finally, this week we add a cross—a reminder that we have more than enough to live. Jesus offers us, God offers us, all the things we need to live. We don’t need to have a cornucopia overflowing with apples and gourds and grapes, even though that does make a beautiful centerpiece. All we need is to be aware of how full we already are.
God has created us in abundance to do great things. Why? Because we know that there is more than what this world tells us. We know what Pilate didn’t. Had Jesus been looking at his arrest from Pilate’s perspective he would have been overcome by fear. He would have known that disaster was awaiting him. But, Jesus knows so much more than Pilate. Jesus knows that he is otherworldly. Jesus’ power doesn’t come from Galilee or Rome, no Jesus’ power comes from Heaven, from God.
God’s reality is so much larger than anything we can see or understand. It is bigger than any hardship we may be facing. God is always doing something bigger, something that leads us all towards wholeness and hope. When we embrace that reality—God’s reality—then we can utilize the abundance of tools in the cornucopias of our hearts and have the strength and courage to live and commit to following God’s will for each of us.
Blessings,
Rev. Emily Cooper