"Take heed to yourselves; if your brother or sister sins, rebuke them, and if they repent, forgive them; and if they sin against you seven times n the day, and turn to you seven times, and say," ‘I repent,' you must forgive them." Luke 17:3ff

This evening, we are partaking in what has traditionally been the chief act of worship in the Church of the Brethren. During these next few moments, I want to invite you to prepare yourselves for this intimate experience with our Lord and with one another.

While there is no direct scriptural authority for Deacon visits, it has traditionally been through the Deacon visits that this spiritual preparation has taken place. The Deacon visit prior to Love Feast is steeped in tradition. The Deacon visit was a means to an end. The end desired? That all members of the church be united in unity and in peace so that they may partake in the communion services in a deep and prayerful way.

In I Corinthians 11, St. Paul wrote "It follows, then, that if anyone eats the Lord's bread or drinks from the cup in a way that dishonors the Lord, that person is guilty of sin against the Lord's body and blood. So then, everyone should examine themselves first and then eat the bread and drink from the cup ... If we would examine ourselves first, we would not come under God's judgment."

Deacon visits as a way of entering into this self examination are rarely used these days. We trust that self examination takes place between each of us and our Lord. This then, my brothers and sisters is what we are attempting to do now. We are examining ourselves as we prepare to partake of this food and the foot washing and of this communion service.

In a thesis titled "The Brethren Love Feast," brother Philip H. Lauver suggests that we approach Love Feast in a spirit of adoration, recognition, prayerfulness, enlightenment and consecration. He believes that through this worship service, we are truly sharing in the fellowship of spiritual experience with the twelve who sat in the upper room with our Lord. At the same time, we are truly sharing in the fellowship of spiritual experience with our brothers and sisters who are sitting around us.

Because of this, H. B. Brumbaugh was clear as early as 1887 that we need to be in good spiritual condition prior to experiencing Love Feast. He wrote, "if there is any trouble existing in the minds of any in regard to his or her faith, or if there is any trouble between member and member, then we have a duty to clear up these difficulties."

How does one know? Hear the questions that traditionally have been asked of all who approach the Lord's table. And then you and your Lord decide if you are prepared to experience the Love Feast and to share this feast with our Lord, the original twelve, and with our brothers and sisters.

• Are you still in the faith of the Gospel, as you declared when you were baptized?
• Are you, as far as you know, in peace and union with the church?
• Will you still labor with your brothers and sisters for an increase of holiness, both within yourself, and within others?

May God bless us as we respond to the invitation to eat and drink at the Lord's table.

Hymn: "Have Thine Own Way" #505 blue hymnal

Prayer: Ever present God, we ask that you help us search our souls. Help us examine our faith. And guide us to live in peace and in unity with our brothers and our sisters. Increase your holiness within our souls and fill us with your Spirit as we prepare to experience again and anew the Love Feast of our Lord. In Christ's name. Amen.

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