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| Susan L. Stevenson Photography |
If you have been part of a congregation for any amount of time, you probably know that disagreements on how things are done cannot be avoided. Some congregations are able to work through differences, while others end up splitting, fracturing the already splintered faith. So imagine the patience and grace it must take to piece together a Sunday service that will provide for a room full of families from all over the country.
Now, my dear friend, Jose, made the following excellent comment on my blog:
I want to hear about the different rituals. What did they communicate to you? What aspect of God do they emphasize? What are the shortcomings.Thank you, Jose! That is exactly what I want my blog to be about. Questions that lead to a better understanding of God, our faith, and how we live our faith out each day. Jose also reminded me to keep each post limited to one particular topic. So, with that in mind, I am working on a series of blog posts on the individual Christian practices that may or may not be found in our protestant services. Such as Communion, Baptism, Call to Worship, Benediction, Pastoral prayer, Congregational prayer, the offering, and children's time.
When you attend church, what rituals do you expect to participate in? If you do not attend church, what comes to mind when you think of a church service? Are there practices that you feel are absolutely necessary? And are there practices you find offensive? Chime in, and together we can explore what the Bible has to say.
no one has commented so here I go....the main ritual I see as essential to our gathering together is a communal meal...traditionally this has been boiled down to cracker and grape juice, and I am okay with that....but I do believe that it is essential in remembering who we are and WHOSE we are to have that remembrance of the body and blood of Christ Jesus. As a small side-note, I have actually liked the idea of a full MEAL shared with my brothers and sisters instead of just some old cracker and lukewarm grape juice...but tradition is tradition, I suppose. I would like to see, at my home congregation, more emphasis on the individual and getting to know each other better rather than a formal, scheduled service that leaves no time for one-on-one shared times...again, that's just me.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Josh, for entering the 'dialogue' :-) I truly do appreciate it. I agree that Communion is essential. Jason and I were just speaking about it in the past couple of days, and he said something very interesting to me. He sees every meal we have as an opportunity for communion. I never looked at it that way. Also, I don't want to misunderstand you, are you saying that getting to know each other better should somehow be connected to communion, or are you commenting on the social interaction within the congregation?
DeleteThanks again for commenting!
Tia, I think Jason is spot on. Communion is definitely about being in union with one another and meals are a powerful way to do that. I would love to see the ritual of Communion celebrated (briefly and joyously) outside of the church service as part of a meal to "bring Christ" into the meal.
DeleteHi Josh - I read this blog post and thought of your comment above. I wanted to share it with you.
Deletehttp://www.kellyjyoungblood.com/2012/05/church-shopping-saga-all-is-stripped.html#.UJ866o7BrS8
I'm just saying that part of the "gathering together" part should be more about just talking, sharing, and getting to know each other better, rather than some scripted series of rituals we do every Sunday from the opening prayer, to the sermon, to the closing prayer and it leaves very little time to truly get to know the people we are suppose to be communing with....I dunno what it would look like...maybe a free half hour every Sunday just to sit and talk with those around us....does this already happen to some degree? sure...people will stay behind after services and talk....but shouldn't getting to know each other be a part of coming together? again, I dunno what it would exactly look like....just my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, Josh. Did you read the following link? Dan 'shared' it, and it is a good read about the limits we often put on what we consider "worship" to be.
Deletehttp://tentpegs.patrickmead.net/?p=1809
You're right about the power of sharing a meal with others as a means to building relationships. But I've given up on really getting to know people just on Sunday mornings. That sort of relationship building happens more in between church services, don't you think? In small groups or lunch dates, or baseball games or playing at the park with folks. Maybe Sunday morning is the culmination of that relationship building we've been doing all week. Maybe it's also the introduction to the relationship building we'll be doing the next week.
DeleteJust read it, and I guess that is EXACTLY what I am talking about....a more relaxed, less "planned" gathering together is what I would like to see...I know that some people like the rituals, and that is fine...but, like Patrick, I believe, is saying here....sometimes we get too wrapped up in this idea of rituals equaling worship and ONLY those rituals equaling worship....can they help us come closer to God? maybe...but so can baby dedications, and random members of the body coming up needing prayer for a need in their lives, or even just simply being there to talk and share with each other.
ReplyDeleteBaby dedications and praying for one another are in fact rituals, and singing and communion and more. I do agree with your sentiment that rituals can be helpful in worship, but shouldn't be held onto too tightly. When it comes to church worship the Bible describes what has happened, but doesn't definitively prescribe what has to happen.
DeleteThere should be prayer (adoration, supplication; spoken, silent, or sung), an offering, a proclamation of the gospel (not so that people can get saved, but more so the saved can remember their salvation), preaching or reading from the Word, and Communion. But I'm of the camp that just about anything not forbidden in the Scriptures can be employed in the church service. Man, I love communion. I wish we did it every week.
ReplyDeleteI would count a church service that just had prayer and a proclamation of the gospel (or reading from the Word that proclaimed the gospel) a success.
I prefer weekly communion as well, Jose. It means a lot to me. I suppose because I had participated in everything else before I was baptized, but taking part of communion represented a turn from listening to participating.
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