It has been over 2,000 years since Jesus — the Word made flesh — came to live and die among us. 2,000 years since the teachings of a radical young Jewish rabbi inspired the founding of a major world religion. There have been many changes in Christendom since those early days and sometimes it can be hard to tell what parts of our church experience have been there from the beginning and which have accumulated over time.The question I have is: Do we need all this extra stuff? How important is the ceremony and frills to our relationship with God? I know I'm not the only one asking these questions. I think most people are asking them deep down. What we need is not just an answer, but a new direction. The church is going to change in the 21st century. And I'm going to humbly attempt to articulate how in my next few blog posts.
The first big shift I see is away from the hierarchical church system we see today. I was privileged to have a foretaste of that church last night, when I sat down with my good friend Ron and dissected this week's scripture readings. What emerged from the evening was a deeper understanding of the text than could ever be gained from a sermon (no offense to any members of the clergy who might read this).
I suspect that this is much like the early Christian church in the first decades after Jesus' death and resurrection — a group of equals sitting down at a table, breaking bread together and discussing the tricky questions of theology and practice.
This our heritage, and I suspect it is also our future. There was no distinction between those behind the altar and those in the pews. There was discussion in an egalitarian community. Church, therefore, is not an individual experience, but a communal one.
A non-hierarchical church centered around the Word and the Eucharist, where we are all equal members of the priesthood and engaged in deep, ongoing conversation and discovery. That's the church I want to be a part of.
"Do we need all this extra stuff?"
ReplyDeleteDo we need it? No. But then again, how much material "stuff" do we really need? In reality, we don't need any of it. But that doesn't mean it's not important. I'm not saying it's important to everyone, but if certain aspects of the pomp and circumstance of religion help someone feel closer to God, why deny them?
It seems to me that you (as in Jonny, not the general mass) feel closer to God when you have raw discussions with people. But that doesn't work for some people. Some people need a cathedral or a set pattern of worship.
I recently visited a friend's church, and the pastor said something I found interesting. It came time for the offering, and he said something along the lines of, "This is part of how we choose to worship at this church, but if you're uncomfortable worshiping that way, don't worry. You're not obligated to worship the same as us."
I'm not saying there aren't aspects the church as a whole needs to work on or even eliminate. And I agree we need to "return to our roots", if you will, especially with regards to the hierarchy within the church. It's become a "system" almost. And I'm not saying there shouldn't be a group that simply discusses religion as a way of worshiping. I just don't think we should eliminate all the ceremony of church when it helps some people in their walk with Christ.
Sorry this comment turned out to be a post in and of itself. Apparently I have a lot to say on the matter....
I completely agree, Jenna. Not everything works for all people, and there are times when all I want to do is attend a traditional service where we sing the old hymns and a great preacher delivers the sermon. I'm just trying to articulate what I see as a possible future direction for Christianity. It's certainly not the only way. Even I'm not that arrogant.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm just wondering what worship would hypothetically look like if we changed how we engage with scripture and encouraged more study than I've typically seen in the churches I've attended.
Is it the only way? No. Is it one way that may arise? I think so.