Even though the liturgical calendar is familiar terrain for me, for those who are not used to it the liturgical calendar might seem disorienting at first. While the rest of the world counts down to a new year with celebration on December 31, the church begins the new church year with preparation during the season of Advent.
It may be no surprise that we are a bit bad at changing our ways, but the ritual we go through to pursue that change is deeply meaningful. Our resolutions reveal what we value yet feel we do not live up to.
Worship, in the Reformed understanding, is a dialogue between God and his people, a dialogue in which God speaks, and we respond.
What role does lament play in our worship? If we come into God’s presence as whole persons, we come burdened with illness, grief, and confusion as well as with joy; with regrets and sorrows as well as with thanksgiving.
Continuing in the topic of everyday liturgies, Dawn Berkelaar discussions the healthy rhythm of sleep.
Everyday liturgies shape and form us. Howard Schaap explores the simple, and surprisingly profound, liturgy of pet ownership.
We make a big deal out of our daily worship and we also make a big deal out of how we worship. We have a hunch that over a period of time how we worship forms us in mysterious ways that we can scarcely understand.
Along with that comes the invitation to slow down: to notice daily experiences as they form us, to be mindful of the Spirit’s work in our everyday life. Perhaps above all, we are challenged to learn to see the beauty of small moments.
When I tell people that I want to work in the church, what I mean is I want to work in a community of love. I still love all the liturgy, the details, and the formalities that go into the church, but more importantly, I want to be a part of the living, breathing, and fully alive body of Christ.
Letters to a friend concerning leaving the church, evangelicalism, liturgy and unity.