With a bit of trepidation, I asked worshipers this past Sunday (7/27) to do something different: always dicey for Episcopalians. At the end of a shorter than usual homily I asked people to do four things: pair up with one or two others, if possible not a family member; each person share one thing for which they would like prayer; pray for one another—yep right there in Church, in front of God; end by sharing the best joy right now in their lives. St. Thomas is an easy-going congregation when it comes to liturgy, yet on Sunday I knew that this exercise might be beyond the comfort zones of some. Why did I want to do this? Episcopalians are rather good at the ‘helping others thing’—most parishes are active in their communities in some way—but we fall down a bit when it comes to worship and prayer, modelling the spiritual values we espouse. One small sign of this is the unfortunate phrase that has crept into our lexicon. Occasionally I hear “I like (or don’t like, as the case may be) how you ‘do the liturgy’,” as if worship is a service I provide in the secular sense: “I like how fast food restaurant X ‘does their hamburgers’.” Worship and prayer, however, are not things one “does,” a set of actions and phrases that, if performed well, will produce an anticipated result. Worship and prayer are not so much what we do but what is done to us, and our desire to be “done to.” A major value of Christian worship is that the ‘done to us’ results in Christian community: being drawn closer in communion with God and with one another. We tend to think of, and look for, the first. Communion with God is crucial, because authentic communion with God always issues in the desire for actual fellowship with other followers of Jesus Christ. So, this past Sunday we attempted to put this into action overtly. Each person was invited to spend a few moments sharing a prayer concern with another follower of Jesus; we each received the prayers of another on our behalf and we prayed for them; and, we shared the joy of a blessing that God has given. I know that it was not everyone’s ‘cup of tea’ but the positive response has been overwhelming. Now I am wanting to discern how we may periodically continue to practice overcoming the silent walls of separation, being drawn closer as a faith community by God’s Holy Spirit. It is important that whatever we do is not contrived or affected; we are called in all things to be genuine and natural. Your wisdom on the subject will be much appreciated. One last thing: I could not help but ponder what someone might think if they wandered in and witnessed a room full of Christians talking intently with each other, listening earnestly to one another, intertwined in obvious prayer, focused beyond themselves, laughing, sharing, animated, happy, manifestly joyous. I want to imagine the stranger would think: how these Christians love one another! — Fr Richard
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 18:50:23 +0000
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