(Fourth): Speaking of conclusions—you can stop making them for me every Sunday. I need something to think about during the week, something to make my own. It’s okay to leave me with some questions. You don’t have to draw everything into a nice neat conclusion, like a Greek tragedy. In fact you under nourish me when you make conclusions for me. I have nothing to wrestle with during the week. I know you’re afraid to let go of that control, being able to determine what I take away from the message. Trust the Spirit to lead honest questioners to the Truth, to the conclusions and discovered implications that He desires me to see. They may be different than what you intended. Great teaching begins the discussion; it does not end it. Jesus was the master of leaving people scratching their heads at what he meant. What he said is instructive here: “He who has ears, let him hear.”
(Fifth): Your worship services are, um, shall we say, less than engaging. Stand. Sing. Sit. Repeat ad nauseum. That’s the extent of the engagement. I want every part of me to be involved in worship, not just my voice: mind, body, spirit, heart. I want my five senses involved. I want to see, touch, smell, taste and hear God. I want to connect with the saints and creeds of the early church I want to light candles in prayer, smell the incense of my praise as it rises to the nostrils of God. I want to meditate on words, images, and icons and hear God speak to me in them. God gave me my five senses, emotions and my mind—engage them.
(Sixth): We claim that nothing is more crucial than the Eucharist, the holy sacrament of communion, the actual presence of God in our hands. However, in our services communion commands the least amount of time and is treated like a ritualistic afterthought, something we mindlessly attend to with little thought as to its reality and depth of meaning. We need communion to be central to our worship. De-emphasize the spoken word (sorry Preacher, most people don’t pay attention much beyond 15 minutes or so anyway). Instead of word-centered services we need Body-and-Blood-centered services. How much more spiritual growth could be achieved by meditation upon the life of Christ as we partake of Him, bring His life into us in the elements?
Here’s the thing: ultimately, church isn’t about you and me. The first followers of Jesus existed for one another and for others. That was church for them. Their singing, praying and instruction were secondary to the life they lived in the world. Following Christ was “church” for them. It was a gathering of people from the known world, Jew and Gentile alike, with the common bond of Jesus Christ and the singular mission of the Kingdom Come.
May our churches be the exact same way.
shalom, matt
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2 comments:
I am in complete agreement with you on communion. I am guilty for not making it what it should be. But why listen to an elder walk up to the stage unfolding a prepared communion meditation. Then a short prayer followed by deacons stumbling up to the front to serve. It is the same every week.
yeah, communion is kind of a joke most of the time. frustrating. most "meditations" are completely useless and have nothing to do with the life and death of Jesus. that's what's irritating. plus we don't use wine. i wish we used wine.
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