June 30, 2006

Wading by the Water: Orderly Ardor

Here is an idea to strengthen you experience of baptismal renewal. Take a walk! River_2

This may not sound very revolutionary, but any movement at all in my congregation carries the threat of something going awry. Our large mainline congregation typically restricts its movement to arriving, standing, sitting, and departing. Now we are about to take a walk together past the baptismal waters as a sign of remembrance and renewal.

We are about to reflect together upon the story of Peter walking on water. His first steps brought the threat of sinking. Our steps bring the threat of tripping over someone’s walker or stepping on a neighbor’s foot. – As the pastor receiving Monday morning quarterbacking, I’m not sure which is scarier!

Placed in the context of Peter’s walk, our congregational journey will be just a token of the faithful risk we are called to share. Members will bring their offerings forward as they physically move toward the front of the sanctuary. (I’m told there are some African communities where this act of offering is the most joyful and powerful part of the service!) Upon placing their offering (and their heart!) before the Lord, they will pass the baptismal waters and be given opportunity to touch the water and remember God’s claim on their lives.

Children will be baptized at the start of our worship service. This exercise will be placed after the proclamation of the Word. It will be a remembrance of the baptismal act that further invites the congregation into the sacrament that was shared.

Peter’s success came when his eyes were fixed on Christ. The challenge for us will be to lead with words of comfort and assurance that empower the congregation to take this minor risk of ardor. When we structure the event with order, it will become a moment of welcome and hospitality for the congregation to renew their spiritual life together.

Our congregation may not be filled with folks courageous enough to wade “in” the water. However, this wading “by” the water should be invitation enough to remember who they are.

The serigraph above is entitled "The River" by John August Swanson. View his work at www.johnaugustswanson.com.

BrianPaulson
By BrianPaulson
Jun 30, 2006 1:31:36 PM | Ritual

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Tradition: From Current Local to Historic Global It often seems that tradition is in the eyes of the beholder. A friend visited for a while with our large suburban congregation and suggested that what she discovered was a heritage of worship that was part town hall meeting, part local talent show, and part lecture series. Perhaps there are other congregations whose Ordo follows in a similar path. As pastor of the congregation for a little over two years, I have been faced with a number of questions related to local tradition. Making appeals to the great traditions of the church and faith don’t carry much freight for people who mark tradition according to what their parents taught them or what the last great preacher suggested. For large churches, change often comes slowly with much conversation – especially if change is rare and sometimes has been disastrous. Bearing this in mind, we have created safe spaces for conversations about worship. The conversation was structured by a graduate student we engaged for the purpose of exploration in small group and one-on-one interviews. As you might imagine, our conversations about worship were all over the map. We discovered yearnings amongst some for dimensions of worship that we did not offer at the time our questions were asked. In large measure, those expressed yearnings related to a sense of emotion and involvement that some felt was lacking in our more traditional church setting. So we decided to create some space for innovation. We are currently in the process of adding a new service of worship. The idea of adding an alternate worship service is nothing new. What is new (thus far) is the cooperative spirit being shared as we progress. This spirit is the outcome of much communication in many different forms. Since we began the process with an open conversation, the continuing development of new worship has become a shared conversation in meaning and problem-solving for the congregation. A friend is joining us in a few weeks to offer a worship service that demonstrates for the congregation the way that we can add a “contemporary” feel while also rediscovering the riches of sacramental practice. I suppose this is a small move toward "emerging worship." Learning to dance in large churches is, as some have coined the phrase, like waltzing a gorilla – so small steps are alright. One purpose of our “trial” worship service is to expand a conversation about experience, meaning, and tradition. One small thing we will do on that day is outlined in an idea you might try (listed in the ritual section - “Wade by the Water”). This is an example of the “small steps” I named above. Ultimately, exploration of tradition in local context relates to the relational character of ministry. It’s been my experience that time and trust open pathways for conversation and innovation. It also has been my experience that larger numbers of people require larger amounts of time for conversation about any change. When we create avenues for trust and conversation in...
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