For: The Institute of Contemporary and Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Red Online Worship History Course with Dan Wilt
As I read the reflections of others on the soul languages of space and time, I see many like myself who don’t relate to the cyclical weekly/yearly view of time Dan talks about in the video. We experience God in specific remembered moments. We also see this in the Old Testament, when the Patriarchs would build altars at spots where they experienced God in a significant way. It occurs to me that these spots of time are what happens between us and God, usually in solitude, and usually when he is revealing Himself on a very personal level. In contrast, the cyclical times are for communal worship. They are public reminders of the covenant God has made with the community of believers. For those of us who did not grow up as believers in a church family, it is harder to make those heart connections with the church year. I wanted to make those connections more real to my children, but the churches we have attended have not emphasized the church year and it just has not “stuck” very well to try to do them on our own in our family. I’m excited to see what kind of creative projects will come out of this course – maybe it will be something that will help make this kind of time a soul-language for those of us that don’t relate!
February 21, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Hi Mary,
I think that churches do relate on a wider level to the cyclical weekly/yearly view of time, but perhaps not in a measured and conscious form. It is just something that we do and have done for years and years following commumion, acknowledging Easter and Christmas, and the gloss wears off after time, and we just need to find that polishing cloth. I am moved by your observation about the Old Testament altars, and I see you linking the church in so that it is now the altar. Indeed, we have built a spot where we come and worship, and we are drawn together to glorify our God in these spaces.
I think, all that we need is to bring together a fusion of the Old Testament Altar worship, with some of the more focussed elements we have been asked to think about in the Christian Year calender.
Perhaps, the even greater challenge which Dan brings to us, as a church and an individual, is the idea of daily cyclical worship, where we make time on the third hour to consciously pray and listen. We all know that we should be walking daily with God, and this may be the catalyst for us to be able to further our journey with him.
Mic