Beginning of the new work week. Long to-do list. Many projects. But first a look back at the weekend.
Spent Saturday morning over in the court yard cutting shrubbery and carrying the debris out to where the landscaper can get at it to haul it away. Full marks to Nancy Grybash, her husband Jef, Marv Meyer and Garth Barrett. These folks did most of the heavy lifting. There's a lot more to do, of course, gardens being how they are, but getting rid of those dead shrubs and giving the others a haircut has does wonders for the look of the place.
Stay tuned for more courtyard updates, including a possible fun February fund-raiser.
Speaking of fun events, Tarik Khan gave me a flyer after church yesterday. Music Ministry International is having another all-day event at Bethel on October l6 from l0:00 to 4:00. Music, games, bible study for teams. Pastor Matt is one guest speakers. Also featured is Dooney Gospel Rapper. All free. For more information, go to http://MusicMinistryInternational.org. I attended part of this even last year. It's really great fun. Not the sort of event we're used to at Bethel, but full of noise and energy--just like the teens it's aimed at.
Yesterday after church, we began a four-part educational series on worship. I'm sorry more folks didn't stay. It was full of good information and is laying the groundwork for some of the changes in our worship patterns over the coming months. The book we're using can be downloaded directly here. You can also get to it at this page on the church Web site. It's the third link, With the Whole Church.
You may find some of the changes coming up a bit less disconcerting if you take the time to attend a couple of these sessions to get some of the background. (Don't panic. Nothing is going to go on that won't be found in some form in the "cranberry" hymnal, but I fear we've all fallen into something of a rut with our worship patterns, and there will be changes, which may catch people off guard if they're not paying attention.)
The elephant in the room at yesterday's session, which didn't get fully explored because it showed up near the end, is the knotty question of what our expectations of worship ought to be. It's easy to say, "We're offering Word and Sacrament every Sunday; what more do you want?" I'm going out on a limb here and suggesting that while Word and Sacrament are necessary, they may not be sufficient. What about being energized for the week? What about feeling excited about what we've just seen and heard? What about genuinely feeling connected to a real bit of the Body of Christ? What about getting over the feeling that the order of worship is so familiar that it's almost impossible not to fall into the temptation of "phoning it in"?
The problem is, getting those things to happen may mean different things for different people. What may be sufficient for some isn't enough for others. And then there's the question of whether what we're getting is really sufficient or whether it's just what we're used to and have come to expect.
I don't have the answer to any of these questions. Believe me, if I did, I'd share them. But I challenge any of you reading The Coffee Hour to think long and hard about them over the next few days and weeks. Is it possible that we have lowered our expectations of what to expect out of worship too much? I understand that worship is what we do for God, but there's also the truth that regular worship should be equipping us for living out our Christian faith the rest of the week. I think it's fair to ask whether what we're doing now on Sunday is really doing that for us.
Okay. Now that I've gotten myself into trouble, time to change the subject at least a little. As you may or may not be aware, Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, the most solemn festival of the year for our Jewish brothers and sister, is coming up in a few days. Now we confess every Sunday morning to being guilty of things "done and left undone." That's a neat and tidy way of covering everthing without really having to dwell to much on the nature of those things, which, God forbid, might make us uncomfortable.
Today, over on Street Prophets, I found this. It's a long confession that Jews read on the eve of Yom Kippur. Now I don't expect to see something of this length appearing in our liturgy any time soon, but as an exercise in meditation, it's not bad. Notice how this whole litany of sins is universal--things we've all been guilty of at one time or one degree or another. The only part that is specifically "Jewish" is the bit at the end that harks back to the old Levetical practices (such as burnt offerings) that even modern Jews don't practice much--at least as far as I know.
Here's a thought: Come next "penetential season (Advent, Lent)," let's work this confession into the service in some appropriate way. Taken seriously, that could really give the whole rest of the service a completely different feel . . . Just sayin'.
Just a quick date correction from the church office:
The Music Ministry International event will be SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18 FROM 10 A.M. TO 4 P.M.
Posted by: Barb Braden | October 06, 2008 at 11:59 AM