Liturgy, Symbol and Ritual-

Beautiful picture Walter- Thanks for sharing!  Wish I would have taken a picture of that! :-(

Simonne... you are so right about the fact that we as Christians almost lose the real meaning of why we are here and who we are called to be.  If we could all come together in one accord with an understanding that we all have the same mission, it might just be with different approaches... (whether doctrine, rituals, etc.), how much more unified would we be as "THE" body of Christ?  A song comes to mind when thinking of this... "I pray for you, you pray for me, we're all a part of God's body... I want harm you with words from my mouth, I love you, I need you to survive."  (singing as I type) :-)  We all need each other, no matter the denomination, no matter the "rituals" we participate in... We just simply need the BODY.

One way liturgy is defined is service and is represented in many ways.  A few being symbols and rituals.  Symbol kindles relationship as shown in Hebrews 4:12, "The word of God is living and ACTIVE, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart," and in John 6:52-66, "in the liturgy God speaks to his people and Christ still proclaims his gospel." Symbols can unite or separate.
Chupungco states, "When applied to the liturgy, language denotes the entire system of signs and symbols, words and speech or song, moments of silence, gestures or postures, sacred images or icons, and some material elements of biblical origin, such as water, bread, wine, and oil, with which the Church celebrates the saving mystery of Christ.  In a broad sense the totality of this type of "language" is called ritual because it refers to rites or to the prescribed system governing the words, actions, and material things needed for a ceremony."  People tend to use the word "ritual," loosely, although "ritual" in itself is always something special, no matter if it is performed daily, several times a day, or once a week, etc.
Along with other Christians, for me, participating in the Eucharist is a symbol of Jesus' body and the blood that washes and cleanses us from within and a ritual that I partake in often.  Another song... "Who can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus."  Liturgy calls us to be active, yet if not in tune with the Holy Spirit, these symbols and rituals can separate rather than unite us with other relationships.

Board of Worship

Dear Class,

As you know from last week, I was knocked out by the beautiful contributions describing what worship means to each of us. This portrait reminds and refreshes the diverse beauty of this sacred, liminal space whereby we encounter the Presence. Take a deep breath and take it in. Pax.

Liturgy, Symbol, and Ritual

Good evening guys,

I'll begin this blog with words from Taft when he wrote, "Liturgy is not a thing but a meeting of persons, the celebration of and the expression of an experiential relationship: our relation to God and to one another in Christ through the Spirit. The Holy Spirit, then, is the enabler of Christian worship" (Taft, 197). So often people of God get caught up in our own power, to which there is none without God, we seem to forget that it is through the Holy Spirit we are able to communicate directly to God; without interference from the "enemy". The bible says in John 4:24, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth". We need the presence of the Holy Spirit in order to ensure that our service is fit for God to be a part of. This is probably one of the most important aspects of any church I call home (the presence of the Holy Spirit).

          I had an idea about why it seems people get confused about the Sacraments, and how it relates to society as a whole; it may be the use of the term rituals. We sometimes forget that not all rituals are associated to the occult or some form of witchcraft. By simply sharing the Eucharist, we participate in a ritual of remembrance of the last supper. We are reminded everytime we partake in Holy Communion, of how Christ died for the remission of our sins. The book, Ritual and Verbal Image, written by David Power has a passage which states, "In this century, a greater distinction must be made between acts of Christian worship and those rituals, formal or informal, whereby members of the churches effect their relations to the body social and politic" (Power, pg. 190). This equates to the passage in 2 Chronicles 7:14 that reads, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land".

            In other words, Christians have to come together on one accord, not focusing on whether or not one is Episcopalian or Methodist, and make our works be about the Holy Trinity. The world is in the state it's in because the people of God cannot agree upon how we should best serve Him. I'm ranting now guys, what do y'all think?