| FEBRUARY 25, 2007 |
Called to be the Church
Lent One: "To Celebrate God's Presence"
Psalm 100 and 46
Today is the first Sunday in Lent. Lent is a period of 40 days (excluding Sundays) that lead up to Easter. For the last few years, we have had a special series during Lent that focuses on some aspect of our faith. This year we will be considering what it means to be "called to be the church"; that is, what it means to be Christ's body, here on earth. We will be basing the series on part of our Creed; on that section of the Creed that states that we are "called to be the church" and then goes on to list 5 different ways we are invited to live out the call. Today we are focusing on the first thing it names: "to celebrate Christ's presence", specifically with respect to worship. Let us pray...
When Colin and I were first sent to Saskatchewan as ordinands, we met a lot of really wonderful people. One woman in particular -- a woman that I will call "Shirley" -- really stood out. She was the church secretary, the Sunday School Superintendent, President of the UCW, and the maker of the best lemon meringue pies I've ever tasted! During the 3 years we served there, she was supportive, open and flexible in every area of the church's life; every area that is, except one. And that one area was music; or to be more exact, one particular piece of music. "I will sing any song you pick," Shirley told us, "any song -- except one. And that one song is "Lord of the Dance." Just listen to some of the words!!..." And she picked up the hymn book , and turned to #352, and began to read from verses 3 and 4 --
I danced on the Sabbath when the sky turned black,
Shirley looked up from the hymn book. "What kind of words are these?" she asked. "They're blasphemous! They make fun of Jesus' suffering. I will not sing them." And she snapped the book shut.
Shirley's response to the hymn "Lord of the Dance" is not unusual. I've encountered similar responses in many people -- and in truth, my first response to the words was much the same. I have learned over time that for all our openness to new ideas and new experiences, we still have pretty strong convictions about what is and is not acceptable with respect to how we "celebrate God's presence" in worship. It's true in terms of the particular hymns we sing. It's also true in terms of the form and structure of worship itself. I mean, when I was growing up I thought there was only one way to worship. That one way was defined by the United Church I attended, which was Central United Church in Weston, Ontario. Central had one of those stately, 150 year old sancturaries that was filled with wooden carvings and had a magnificent pipe organ. The minister wore black flowing robes and preached for 25 minutes, and every sermon had "three points and a poem". Once worship started there was no whispering, no laughing, no clapping. Worship was dignified, detached, solemn and cerebral.
For years, this was how we at Central gathered to celebrate God's Presence -- through dignified, solemn, cerebral worship. And I loved it -- still do, in truth. But I have also learned that this form of worship is just one of many ways through which people can meaningfully celebrate God's presence. The quiet stillness of a Quaker service; the mystery of candles and incense at a Roman Catholic Mass; the wonder of outdoor worship at summer camp -- of sitting on rough hewn benches and singing "I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in my Heart" while breathing in the sweet smell of pine needles and listening to the far off sound of a loon calling to its mate; the comfort of repetitve prayers at an Anglican Evensong Service; the loud, high energy, the drums and guitars of so-called "Contemporary Worship", the creative force of drama and liturgical dance. I have learned, as surely we all have learned, that there are many different ways to celebrate God's presence in worship. The form of worship is not an end in itself. The form of worship is simply a vehicle that helps us to celebrate and give thanks. While we are all drawn to certain ways of worshipping, the truth is that no one way is better than any other. The invitation of Psalm 10: to "make a joyful noise unto the Lord; to worship the Lord with gladness, come into His presence singing" is balanced by a very different invitation in Psalm 46: "Be still," wrote the Psalmist. "Be still and know that I am God."
The experience of worship can take many, many forms. We can celebrate God's presence in many different ways. What binds our different worship experiences together is not the HOW of worship, but the WHY. And nowhere is the "why" stated more powerfully than in that infamous hymn, "Lord of the Dance." For the song tells of how God chose to some to us in Jesus. It traces Jesus' earthly journey from his birth through his ministry to his death and resurrection. And it tells us that even in the face of enormous suffering; even when the sky turned black around Him; even then Jesus chose to live with faith and hope and trust. That is, He chose the dance of life. When we sing the song, we proclaim with Jesus and there is nothing in life, in death or in life beyond death that we cannot face with faith, hope and trust; that we cannot dance our way through, when God is our partner.
When we come together to "celebrate God's presence in worship, we do as a way of saying "thank you" to God for the gift of life; for the gift of the dance that is ours through Jesus. We come, hoping to grow in our sense of what this means for our lives. And so we need to be open to any form of worship that helps us to do this. Who expressing our faith in worship through liturgical dance? -- and loving it?!! Who would have thought that drama and powerpoint and songs like "Lord of the Dance" could enhance our ability to "celebrate God's presence"? There is so much out there! -- so many ways of worshipping that involve body, mind and spirit in ways that are new to us. On this, the first Sunday in Lent, I believe that the call to us is to dare to be open to whereever God may be leading us, with respect to worship.
May we trust the invitation, and the promise, of the words in "Lord of the Dance";
"Dance then, whereever you may be
To God be all glory. Amen
Rev. Patricia Gale-MacDonald |
37 Burton Avenue • Barrie, ON L4N 2R3