Connections
“Faith in the heart leads to being put right with God; confession on the lips leads to deliverance, salvation.” — Romans 10:10.
We have entered the Season of Lent. Toward the end of these forty days and forty nights we observe Holy Week, with its Palm/Passion Sunday Service, Holy Thursday service and Good Friday service.
It is not in the tradition of this particular church, our local church, and being Congregational in polity our local church is what matters, it is not the tradition of this local church but some Congregational Churches and many churches across denominational lines have an Easter Vigil Service. I want to take a moment to describe that service and, since I am doing that, I need to say I am not advocating that we start an Easter Vigil Service here.
As the name implies, an Easter Vigil is held on the Saturday Evening before Easter Sunday. A full order of worship for that service is actually found in this (the pastor hold up a book). This is the Book of Worship of United of Church of Christ. And my bet is some of us probably doesn’t know this exists— the Book of Worship of United of Church of Christ.
The introduction to the Easter Vigil Service printed herein says (quote): “The Great Vigil of Easter seeks to proclaim the cosmic significance of God’s saving acts in history.... It appeals to the total person through various human senses.” This appeals to the total person through various human senses. How?
The worship is divided into four sections, four different services in one. It starts with a Service of Light. A new fire is struck (some churches actually use a flint to light the fire) and the Paschal Candle, a Christ Candle, is lit.
Next is the Service of the Word. That section of the service contains up to twelve Scripture readings— twelve readings. These passages seek to give an overview of the history of what God has done for the human family in preparation for the Messiah.
The worship continues with the Service of Water. Baptismal vows are renewed. Last is a Service of Eucharist in which the death and resurrection of Jesus is remembered. The full version of this service pushes over two hours. In recalling the history of God with humanity, the overall intent of the service is to help us make that history— the history of God with humanity— our own, understand it in our own way.
In fact, it matters not to which church we belong, nor which faith tradition we claim, we— we, meaning each one of us and all of us— we need to seek God and a relationship with God for our own selves and we need to make that relationship our own. This, in fact, is a premise of all Scripture. And it is a premise of all worship. Scripture and worship are meant to help us grow in our own relationship with God.
Indeed, when our own efforts of mind, heart, body, spirit are not brought to the reading of Scripture in an attempt to grow in a relationship with God, there is no point in reading Scripture. Scripture, you see, is not a magic wand— read a passage and somehow God will speak or make things better.
And when our own efforts of mind, heart, body, spirit are not brought to the process of worship in an attempt to grow in a relationship with God, there is no point in attending worship. Worship, you see, is not a magic trick— merely be there, show up, and somehow God will speak or make things better. If the efforts of mind, heart, body, spirit are not a part of the process, worship becomes relegated to being merely a social function, like attending a play, a movie, a club meeting.
Now, we do live in a society where immediate gratification is valued. But even the most contemplative, cloistered monk or nun— someone who has dedicated their life toward developing a relationship with God— a monk or a nun would find an immediate response to reading Scripture or participating in worship suspect. Why? Relationship, especially relationship with God, is a process.
So, how can we deepen our own relationship with God, we, whose lives are not like that of monks or nuns? How do we come to a place where reading Scripture and participating in worship can help deepen our own relationship with God? (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the work we commonly called Romans: “Faith in the heart leads to being put right with God; confession on the lips leads to deliverance, salvation.” (Slight pause.)
When I was in Seminary, a classmate complained to me about our Professor of Hebrew Scriptures, Ann Johnston, saying, “All she wants you to do is to be able to rewrite the Bible in your own words.”
“You’re right,” I responded. “That is what she wants. After all, saying it in you own words means you’ve made the message you own.” (Slight pause.) You’ve made the message you own.
The thought for meditation in today’s bulletin is from Joan Chittister. She is a nun, but not a cloistered nun. She is out in the world writing and teaching. Chittister says (quote): “Lent is not a ‘penitential season.’ Lent is a ‘growing season.’”
We are not set adrift and on our own in Lent, in this growing season, as we strive to develop and grow in a relationship with God. The church, historic, and the church modern gives guidance on how to grow, how to fully internalize and develop a relationship with God.
But that guidance is not easy to hear. Why? It does not offer the immediate self gratification on which our society seems so intent. There is no magic wand or slight of hand, no quick fix in developing any relationship, especially in developing a relationship with God.
And I think this passage from Romans gives us some large clues on how to develop that relationship, on how to grow. The relationship blooms when we make connections with mind, heart, body, spirit— when we fully engage. Further, based on the guidance Paul offers, the connections need to be integrated. We need to engage our whole being.
I would suggest, therefore, that for those who approach Scripture on an emotional level, its intellectual challenges are daunting. And for those who approach Scripture on an intellectual level, its emotional challenges are daunting.
Equally, for those who approach Scripture as if it was written yesterday, its historic context is daunting. For those who approach Scripture as only a historic document which cannot speak to us today, the fact that it can and does speak is daunting.
Worship is similar. If worship is not intellectually challenging, it allows us to wallow in self aggrandizing ego. Worship which is not emotionally challenging turns it into a game, like a crossword puzzle, driven by formula— amusing but somewhat detached. (Slight pause.)
Clearly, there are ways of approaching Scripture and worship which can help us in developing a relationship with God. But they need our time, our effort, our commitment. They need our mind, body, heart, spirit.
Like any relationship, a relationship with God requires our emotional commitment and our intellectual commitment. And one way to develop an emotional and intellectual relationship is effort: the effort necessary to be present to that relationship, be present to Scripture, be present in worship, and, thereby, to be present with God. (Slight pause.)
Earlier, I mentioned that Easter Vigil Service is practiced by many churches. Again, I am not suggesting we do one here.
But this is what our own Book of Worship says about the commitment necessary to enter into this service of worship (quote): “It is a complex and lengthy service that requires careful advance planning and considerable participation by the congregation— considerable participation by the congregation.... (Slight pause.)
Earlier, we recited The Lord’s Prayer but we held hands and looked in each others’ eyes instead of saying it without contact. [1] We were invited to do just one thing differently. Just that one thing changed how it felt, did it not?
In a couple of moments we will be invited to participate in reciting the Nicene Creed. Christians have been reciting it for some 1,700 years. Some recited it by rote. Others dismiss what it says but have not made the effort to grapple with it, the kind of effort which involves mind, heart, body, spirit.
Let me assure you of this: those who wrote it did so by involving their mind, heart, body, spirit in the effort. Are we willing to do the same and, thereby, make it our own? (Slight pause.)
You have often heard me say from this pulpit that a deep relationship with God leads us to understand the hope, freedom, joy, trust, peace and love God offers. But I do not think we can experience the hope, freedom, joy, trust, peace and love of God unless we are willing to engage our mind, heart, body, spirit in the effort.
So, are we ready, as individuals and as a congregation, to be fully engaged in a relationship with God? Why do I ask that? Because I think that’s what Paul was talking about when this was recorded to be sent to the people of the Church in Rome (quote): “Faith in the heart leads to being put right with God; confession on the lips leads to deliverance, salvation.” Amen.
02/21/2010
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Benediction. This, then, is an précis of what the pastor said before the blessing: “In a recent conversation a pastor friend of mine used a term I had not heard in a while but is still relevant: Civil Religion. Civil Religion is religion practiced because it is the thing to do, that which is simply comfortable and acceptable in society. If it strives toward relationship with God, that’s purely by accident not by intention. Essentially Civil Religion is attending church or reading Scripture without engaging your mind, heart, body, spirit— without engaging your full self.”
[1] At the Children’s time the pastor had a voice changer, which changed the sound of the voice, no matter what was said (i.e.: robotic, etc.) and explained that it is said God speaks with many voices, through friends, through Scripture, etc. Then the pastor suggested that we might speak to God with many voices, in many ways and invited the children and the congregation to pair up into twos and then, looking into the eyes of our partner, recite The Lord’s Prayer. The pastor then asked if that had not felt different.
No comments:
Post a Comment