LEARNING HOW TO BE TOGETHER ALONE
In my last post, I suggested that to provide spiritual leadership in this time of deep anxiety and isolation, we need to revisit the two key elements that enabled the two disciples who were walking on the Emmaus road to recognize that Christ was with them. Those two elements are “hospitality”—they invited the stranger to stay with them, and “Liturgy”—it wasn’t until the stranger broke bread with them—a familiar ritual that became central to the Christian community, that they recognized Christ in their midst. You can revisit that blog for further explanation of the centrality of those two elements in the midst of fear and anxiety.
In this blog, I want to explore how a creative use of familiar liturgy can enable those who are sheltering in place to exercise the gift of hospitality and avoid the strangerhood that is the result of our forced separation.
BUILDING THE CHURCH COMMUNITY
With the foundation of the Great Commandment—Love God and Love Neighbor—the church over the centuries has focused on gathering together in community to build their faith through study, prayer, worship, and fellowship. The center of all of that was the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper. Here was a physical action by which we reached out to God and to our neighbor. There is a basic structure to our worship that is reflected in the most informal to the highly liturgical experience. We pray, we sing, we rehearse the story of our faith in Scripture, we share our material blessings, and intentionally reach out to God and neighbor.
LEARNING FROM OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
During our “shelter in place” separation we are separated right at the time when we need to desperately stay in touch. Has it ever occurred to you that there is a parallel to that challenge and our interest in staying in touch or relating to God who is infinitely separated from us? We speak of a definition of God as being God is love. Essential to the experience of love is relationship. So how do we love God? Sometimes we “think thoughts” of love towards God, but historically we have reached out to God through a series of liturgical or ritual acts that were directed at God as a community.
I’ve still got work to do on this, but consider how some of those ritual acts might be useful to help us build community while we are apart. As a beginning, I’m going to suggest ten ways that we relate to God liturgically and suggest some parallel actions to relate to our separated neighbor.
You could help me and maybe the larger church by considering these and either add to them or develop the ones listed even further.
LESSONS FROM REACHING OUT TO GOD
- REGULAR PRAYERS
- REHEARSING THE STORY THROUGH SCRIPTURE
- PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING
- PRAYERS OF PETITION FOR SELF
- PRAYERS OF PETITION FOR OTHERS.
- RELEASING OUR EXPRESSIONS OF LOVE THROUGH MUSIC THAT TOUCHES BOTH REASON AND EMOTIONS
- SHARING MATERIAL BLESSING THROUGH OFFERING
- PLEASING GOD THROUGH OUR PERSONAL ETHIC
- PRAISING GOD THROUGH ACTION TOWARDS NEIGHBOR
- LISTENING FOR HINTS OF DIVINE WHISPER
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM OUR EFFORT TO LOVE GOD ABOUT HOW TO LOVE NEIGHBOR?
- Do we make regular efforts to reach out to others?
- Do we make it a practice to recall and tell the past stories of our relationships?
- Do we regularly express thanksgiving?
- Do we offer the opportunity for others to respond to our petitions for assistance?
- Do we seek ways to reach out and support others?
- Do we share our blessings with others?
- Do we review and recommit to a personal ethic in our relationships?
- Do we spontaneously reach out and touch base with others?
- Do we take time to listen to Divine whispers on behalf of our neighbors?
- How can we use music creatively to lift the spirits of our neighbors?
I ASK FOR YOUR HELP
OK, that’s a beginning. Let’s see what we can develop.
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Steve McCutchan www.smccutchan.com
I especially like #6 in Reaching out to God, and #10 in Reaching Out to Neighbors. 🙂 Bill and I especially enjoyed our “reaching out” time last evening. Soup and scones made a good meal, but it was made even better by being “alone together.”