I was doing a little research on Narcissism--no snickering in the audience--and I came across this article on Evangelical Worship. I think this may explain my growing appreciation for liturgical worship.
One thing I love about Catholicism is the certainty that Jesus will be there at the Mass. I love the way kneeling is the expected acknowledgment of this truth. I love it that I don't need to work up an emotional experience with ecstatic praise music/worship, but that I can (if I ever join the church) just chew and swallow. I think that leads to a healthier understanding of our relationship with Christ. It confers a glorious mundaneness on the sublime. The Eucharist hits us right between the eyes with God's commitment to be there for us. The wafer and the wine are tangible expressions of the undeniable reality of Christ's faithfulness, and the requirement that we show up to receive Him is a powerful reminder of our constant temptation to faithlessness. Each step becomes important because it demonstrates the reality of our hearts and the reality of our hearts is an understanding we must face honestly if we ever expect to fulfill the promise of Christ in us.
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3 comments:
you may want to peruse C.S. Lewis' "Letters To Malcolm" for his observations about the liturgy. Say the word and I'll lend my copy.
Kneeling during corporate prayer is a good thing if praying is actually going on. The reason why I changed churches was the practice of making a pretense of prayer, and then preaching to the people who'd assumed the posture of submission. Corporate prayer should be addressed to deity and not an opportunity to obliquely preach to the audience.
I could be mistaken, but I think Baptists were liturgical in John Bunyan's day.
Kneeling in the presence of God just seems sensible to me. I have been amazed at the casual attitude churches have been taking toward prayer. They use it to move people and scenery around without any concern whatsoever about the fact that at that moment they are addressing God. I can't stand that. People have no sense of reverence anymore. It's all about putting on a good show.
Don't get me wrong. I'm all in favor of the kneeling. I'm terribly offended that corporate prayer can be made a mere stratagem to manipulate an audience.
Incidentally, I really liked the link to the essay about narcissistic worship. I've mentioned before that the White Horse Inn guys share our attitudes about worship.
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