I grew up Episcopalian, basically Catholics without the Pope. My church was a stone building with all the glory and music and tradition that goes along with such places. The alter was gold and the stained glass had been there for years and years. I grew up in the church, it was huge, but every one new at least my parents. In that church God was BIG he was the God of the universe created of all things, he deserved reverence and respect. The traditions helped you remember this all year long, my life seems odd now with it the yearly events that had been going on at that church for decades. Politics has taken away all that was, the building still stands but it is not the same, in my head I can still recall everything. Every Easter and Christmas my heart yearns for those traditions. I can still feel the somber sadness as we stripped the alter and hung black on the crosses during the maunday Thursday service, the crash on the organ to remember the ripping of the temple curtain, and then the one candle coming back in to the church, in silence to represent our hope that Christ will rise again. And then Easter morning came and the church was light, flowers, brass trumpets and timpani praising and 3 choirs singing "Jesus Christ is Risin Today" all together. All this after 40 days of fasting and pondering what the world would be like with out Jesus.
I don't think the Evangelical Churches can demonstrate how big God is. Growing up that way I didn't know how little God was, I do now. God can speak just to me and answer my small prayers, and that knowledge is wonderful. But knowing what it is like to live with the Awe of God, I think people are missinng something when Easter and Christmas sound the same as every other serrvice. I get so mad and refuse to sing during the Christmas service at our churches now. Christmas is a time for celebrating that God was fully man and that he LIVED! These evangelical churches insist of talking about Christs death at Christmas, they take songs about life and add verses about death and I really think they do a disservice to the life that Jesus lived.
I don't look forward to the holidays at church anymore because they aren't the same with out the tradition. Maybe I am just an old sole.
My favorite part about Common Table Church (my previous church) was the traditional Eucharist every Sunday. I grew up in a non-denominational setting with a "Jesus is your buddy" theme. Much was lost in the way of awe and respect. There is a reason scripture speaks often of the "Fear of God". We don't fear God anymore...he's been reduced to the God of warm fuzzies...like a Santa Claus who will give us our heart's desire if we are good.
ReplyDeleteI share much of your longing for the reverence of Jesus Christ.
That was such a great idea of the church! I think they were on the right track to figure out how to experience both pints of view.
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