Friday, July 07, 2006
Recent History 8
View the present through the promise, Christ will come again.
Trust despite the deepening darkness, Christ will come again.
Lift the world above its grieving through your watching and believing
in the hope past hope’s conceiving: Christ will come again. SNC 90:1
The first part of our discussion used Torevell’s Losing the Sacred as a starting point. Although some argued that this book makes judgments too soon, it was still helpful to foster a discussion on mystery and the use of the body in worship. One participant pointed out that there is a difference between mystery and not understanding something. Another described mystery not as something that is unknowable, but as something that you can keep studying and always have more to learn more. Another reminded us that we don’t have to know everything or be able to explain everything to everyone. He encouraged us to observe silence and allow time to wonder.
Every tradition has patterns of bodily performance—whether genuflecting or raising hands. The mind and the body must always be connected, but the body does have an important role in our experience of worship and in our memory as shown through symbols and the sacraments.
We also looked at selections from Putnam’s Bowling Alone and Wolfe’s The Transformation of American Religion and discussed changing American culture and its affect on church and worship. We recognized the tendency of people to stop joining groups, decreased commitment to civil and church involvement, loss of loyalty to companies and of companies to employees, increased consumerism, and scattered families. One person mentioned the challenge in this environment to remember that “worship is about God, not about me.”
Finally, we acknowledged the temptation to be pessimistic about the church and its future. Yet, we also recognized reasons for optimism, such as the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church throughout history and increased dialogues among Christians. Even more so, Christ’s resurrection, ascension, and future return gives firm grounding for optimism, as we sang in our opening song.
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