xjwsforChrist

My wife begged me to wait until next year. I prayed about this a lot. I kept hearing "mercy" with the thought of having mercy on my wife due to her extenuating circumstances. So, I agreed, not out of fear and not to avoid the drama... I could care less about that anymore... but for the sake of her health. She's in a more fragile state than normal. The surgery she has to have is pretty major with a long recovery, and she's very scared and stressed out about it. I tried to imaging what our Lord would actually say to me. Yes, obedience is important, but so is mercy. In this instance, mercy had to win out. I was not begging off. It was super hard to decide between mercy and obedience. If there were no upcoming surgery, the decision would absolutely have been to obey.


Same with mine, except I felt myself actually getting angry at it all. It started out with a new song. Did you notice the lyrics, Shel? The first song was about how special the anointed were, and kept referring them them as "they" and "them". It should have been "we" and "us".

Ours got a little interesting in a sad way. An older woman passed out a few rows in front of us, so that caused a ruckus. She apparently partakes as I watched her partake of the wine. She passed out, she woke up, she passed out again, family called for an ambulance, she woke up again, partook of the wine just as the ambulance was pulling up, during the wine-passing. So, I missed some of what the speaker was saying, but I caught something that absolutely floored me. He said: "When Jesus instituted the evening meal, those with an earthly hope did not partake. Likewise, those with the earthly hope do not partake today." What?!?!? THERE WERE NONE WITH AN EARTHLY HOPE BACK THEN!!!! (If he got this from the outline, then they are about to sneak in some major teaching shift... that there were those with an earthly hope in the first century... that has never been taught.)

Oh, I noticed that, too, dear 'Mom (peace, luv!). Talk about yer gaping holes... the speaker talked all AROUND him, to the point of making me nauseous. My Lord directed me to read in the Psalms (particularly, Psalm 145) as a distraction and to allow me to focus on why I was there.

And, yep, dear LQ (peace to you, as well), both dear hubby and I noticed the lyrics. Of ALL the songs. In addition to the "they" you brought out, I thought this (from Songs 148 and 149) was quite interesting:

Song 148 -

You gave your only Son,
And now we sing as one,
A song we’ll sing forever,
for giving us your only Son.

Song 149 -

He gave his life to set us free.
His precious blood provides the key.

I thought, "Oh, gawd, the utter IRONY..." (John 10:16; Ephesians 4:3-6; Revelation 14:3).

The songs were... I just kept shaking my head. As I do every year.

Please know, though, dear LQ, that I did the same thing for MY family... for 9 years! Not because they asked me to refrain (although, I'm sure early on they wanted me to, for the same reason as perhaps your dear wife does)... but because I knew what the (so-called) "friends" would do to them.

Eventually, though, I just couldn't beg off any more. Praise JAH, in the end it was my dear family that actually encouraged me to do "what [I] had to." Don't be surprised if it turns out just that way for you. Your wife COULD end up being a "Joseph" - Matthew 1:19, 20, 24. It was that way with my ex... once I made up my mind to put JAH and Christ first. HE was "visited" and told to let me be. So... exercise faith, dear brother. Because with JAH, nothing is impossible.

I hope everyone else also got through the evening fairly unscathed - LOLOL!

Peace to you ALL... and may JAH continue to bless you, and your dear households!

YSSFS of Christ,

Shel

I'm sorry, Leaving. I am sure that was a really tough decision for you; and not at all a case of begging off.


The comment I am about to make has nothing to do with your decision, it is just a comment on the stress level that the thought of you partaking could invoke in your wife. I mean, that is just crazy, isn't it? That the thought of you partaking - and whatever people might think and say about that - would be such a source of stress for her?

There are jws who have said to me that they (the wts) do not tell people if they can or can't partake; if they can or can't be part of the new covenant. Officially, the wts doesn't come out and actually say this, at least not yet. But in reality? When a jw is so embarrassed and afraid that their loved one - whoever that might be - may partake? As if that it is something bad that loved one is doing to them, rather than something that loved one is doing in love and obedience to Christ? It just goes to show that the actual command 'no one partake' has never been necessary to keep people from partaking; not when they wrap 'partaking' up with so much fear and negativity.



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My night was pretty uneventful as well, though I did get to speak with the same elder I spoke with last year, and have written out what I remember. I may post that in a bit. I did not hear very well from the speaker, myself. Big room. Lots of people. Sounded very much like the same speech as last year. Although the speaker made a point of saying that it would be unlikely that anyone there would be partaking. I didn't hear the wording of the songs, Leaving, but what you shared about the song... that just makes me sick to my stomach.


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Justmom, I noticed that also, about them not making it about Christ. This was a night supposed to be about Christ, and they spent almost no time on Him... but MUCH time on themselves, on what THEY would get.

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Shelby, it is interesting that it was the man you spoke with who was the speaker. The two men I spoke with last year (the elder, and the husband of the couple I talked to)were the two men who did the prayer over the bread and then the wine.


Peace to you all,
your sister and servant and fellow slave of Christ,
tammy

Ours got a little interesting in a sad way. An older woman passed out a few rows in front of us, so that caused a ruckus. She apparently partakes as I watched her partake of the wine. She passed out, she woke up, she passed out again, family called for an ambulance, she woke up again, partook of the wine just as the ambulance was pulling up, during the wine-passing. So, I missed some of what the speaker was saying.

Greetings to you Leaving,
Wow! That had to be crazy for a minute. Sad thing about it. There were probably some there that thought to themselves that the sister prolly was being punished for partaking when she shouldn't have been.

I caught something that absolutely floored me. He said: "When Jesus instituted the evening meal, those with an earthly hope did not partake. Likewise, those with the earthly hope do not partake today." What?!?!? THERE WERE NONE WITH AN EARTHLY HOPE BACK THEN!!!! (If he got this from the outline, then they are about to sneak in some major teaching shift... that there were those with an earthly hope in the first century... that has never been taught.)

Now that would be interesting. Our speaker didn't mention this.

Thanks for sharing. Hoping everything goes positive for your wife and her health my brother.

Thos year was just completely BORING yet sad I will admit.
Anywho, it is done!

Peace and love to you all everywhere, your sister and fellow servant of Christ, Kim

Thanks all...


The outline was posted on another forum, and there was no mention of this. Seems the speaker went out on a limb. Strange he would do this. I know this man very well... he's a gentle and kind person, more so than the average elder. For him to have gone off script is a little odd to me.

Shel shared this (peace to you sis)...
The speaker talked all AROUND him, to the point of making me nauseous. My Lord directed me to read in the Psalms (particularly, Psalm 145) as a distraction and to allow me to focus on why I was there.

Morning and peace to you all,

Went back and read Psalms 145 as well and came across this wonderful tidbit. I know we have discussed this on another thread before but love the way its worded.
So much for the GB being the faithful slave that gives folks food! Blah,Blah,Blah!


Psalms 145:15;
"The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time".


Love, your sister in Christ, Kim