September 2022, Week 2

*Today at church I really appreciated the time we have been studying Isaiah this week as it made my Sacrament Meeting more profound.  Not only have we read chapters 1-12 for Come, Follow Me, but Ben and I read in Mosiah 14 when Abinadi quotes Isaiah 53, and his words and the music that Handel used in the Messiah have really stayed with me this week--particularly the phrase "and with His stripes we are healed." It went over and over in my mind as we were taking the Sacrament, and I was feeling healed and grateful for His willingness.  Then, the youth speaker gave his talk about the duties of a Teacher, and he said the most important duty was preparing the sacrament.  He quoted a story of a lady who was visiting a ward with typically few members, but there were a lot of extra people that day, so they had to bless the bread again, and after that, her husband was the only one who had not had the opportunity to have any, and so they blessed one more piece of bread for him.  She was reminded of the sacrifice that Jesus made, and how willing He would be to do it for one person.  Then she said she watched the Priests cover up the table with the white cloth, and it looked like Jesus's broken body, and it hit me again how He willingly gave us his body and his blood, bit by bit to each of us, so that we could be healed and whole.  One more thought that I was gifted was from Isaiah 6, when Isaiah is writing about his call to be a prophet.  He felt unworthy to be the one called, and the saraphim came to him with a piece of coal (fire/light) and put it on his lips to cleanse him.  The podcast I was listening to reminded me that I can have that cleansing power in my own life each Sabbath as I touch the bread and water to my lips as I take them into my body.  He is my Bread of Life, my Living Water, my Light, my Healer, and I am eternally grateful.

*Today after church we had choir practice after another hiatus.  We have a new director and she asked me, as well as a few other pianists in the ward, to help with some songs until someone is officially called.  I got the music on Friday and didn't realize I'd be the lone pianist for the practice, and I was not prepared.  I did not like feeling unprepared, so I have some work this week to remedy that.

It was a delight! (Minus choir practice.)