This morning at breakfast with my husband, I told him my recent attempts to keep a journal had been reduced to recording the highlights of each day. Although I include what Scripture I read, I’ve given up on writing down deep, spiritual thoughts.
He said, “That’s what your blog is for.”
I replied, “Well, not really. Some things are too private, controversial or divisive to put out there on the blogosphere.”
His response: “You could start a new blog using a pen name.”
And my reply: “But what would be the point of putting my deepest thoughts out there anonymously to strangers?”
But the conversation gave me the courage to put some of my edgier thoughts out there for discussion among my modest audience of regular readers.
So, here’s the first one, in the form of a question inspired by two members of my blogroll, Eclexia and Phil Smoke.
What’s the purpose of church?
Having recently read N.T. Wright’s “Jesus and the Victory of God,” my thinking about church has changed profoundly in the past few weeks.
Since Jesus radically fulfilled all the previous points of intersection between God and humans–Law and Sacrifice and Wisdom and Temple, I think the purpose of church is to gather the members of his Body so the presence of God dwells in the midst of his people. It temporarily closes the space-time continuum so God’s reign is at once past, present and future. It’s intended for communal worship with the Trinity. And for building us up and for learning from and submitting to each other.
Because the Christian life is “both overwhelmingly communal and intensely personal,” to borrow a phrase from Greg Laughery, gathering together is the antecdote for private, pietistic faith.
Ideally, worship doesn’t end when the assembly is over, but the powerful, communal aspect of it does, until we meet again.
I respectfully submit that the evangelical wing of Christianity could do more to engender corporate worship (beyond the music!) instead of presenting an event structured for a room full of individuals seeking their private experience of God.
What do you think?
Posted on January 21st, 2008 by Kathy
Filed under: Monday's Church
I had never really thought about the irony of going to church and deliberately being in community to seek a private experience of God. But, you’re right. I think I do that, and I think that sets me up not only for disappointments, but also for the arrogance I was struggling with. Because if it’s all about creating the best possible experience of God for ME, then other people’s attempts at doing the same thing are surely going to conflict with mine.
Your thoughts on this have been very helpful for me.
I am glad you are asking the question. ‘going’ to Church is an odd way of expressing how we together are the church. Wright of course comes as bishop from an episcopalian tradition - I wish I knew more about the origins of the monarchic episcopate. I think I disagree thoroughly with the whole idea. But maybe I am missing something.
I have problems also with the one-way communications that tend to happen ‘in church’ though that is better now than it was in the 50s and 60s. I have always been a musician - so lots of contribution in the Anglican tradition. I know that tradition very well.
I do not seek the personal ‘at church’ but like the Psalmist, it is in solitude. Psalm 4 - you O Lord, in separation, in safety, make me live. (not the traditional translation). I would say that ‘at church’, I seek communication with others of the faith and I seek corporate worship.
My prejudice is for the sacrament of the eucharist and the full liturgy with the traditional poetry - nothing dumbed down. I love the Synagogue services because they are so full of knowledge and praise. But they do not have the great thanksgiving of the eucharist - obviously. Nonetheless I have seen the Lord in the praises of his people. I accept the presidency of the assembly as ordained by tradition but I do not find the tradition fully supported by the Scripture as Hans Kung has so well pointed out in his book on the Church. In spite of my questioning, the liturgy of the eucharist ‘works’.
enough - blessings
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Hi Kathy (yes I DO read your blog!)
I LOVE thoughtful, even if controversial, questions. And this is a good one. My tendency, as you might guess, is to feel as you do about the matter. To me church was always about a SHARED experience, one of the few meaningful shared experiences we could have in our fragmented, postmodern world. We are something TOGETHER, not just some things alone, apart. And God unites us all (even in the most “catholic” of senses: ALL Christians are the church).
This may sound strange coming from me; I don’t go to church, at least not on a regular or frequent basis. Part of that is because my feeling of the intesity of that shared experience is often too much for me. My relationship with God is so private and personal it’s hard to come together with others to worship; I often feel like I’m being less than forthright with my brothers and sisters, not to mention God and Jesus.
Good discussion question, though.