Continuing the Triangle

I also wanted to highlight an e-mail that I recieved from my Grandma regarding worship... Her thoughts are always well stated...

My opinion: There is a stiffness or rigidity to the common format of worship that seems to leave so many (especially the relatively new or the self obsorbed old believer) with a longing for more. An hour of hymn, message, and communion can be very uninspiring when we focus on the ritual. If that is the only contact with our Lord it is surely insuffiecient. However we may consider that there is more to many believers "ritual" than the Sunday (or rFri-Sat-Wed) service.
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>How can the current church satisfy all the differing attitudes and still convey the importance of community? That seems to be my most current concern.
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>We focus on specific aspects of our worship experience BUT perhaps that is where the difficulty originates. If we FOCUS of the living GOD--present in ALL our worship experience--and do not feel it important to "entertain" perhaps the "new and self obsorbed old" could learn from us.
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>Think about it. Would a symbol of the trinity, or the chalice and loaf, or a combination of the symbols and the songs really make a difference?
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>Christ is either known to be present OR NOT. We need to give the worshipping throng a sense of the glory of God. Therein lies the challenge. Weekly breaking bread is a place to begin as long as it is a fresh >experience and the one taken with us as we leave the hall.
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>Perhaps serving at the door as the communicants leave would add a sense of "take me (JESUS) with you.
>Why do we think that the table needs to be at the front? OR
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>Perhaps rearranging the sanctuary so that communicants sit around the table would give a deeper meaning to the "broken bread and cup".
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>All these things have been tried over and over. As I see it the most conspicuous problem is understanding discipleship. We must learn to extend a greater challenge to LEARN the WAY of JESUS... so that the scripture in Acts 17: 26 ---and He made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation.
>17:27--that they should seek GOD, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us, "For we also are His offspring."
>17:28---for in Him we live and move and exist as even some of your own poets have said, "For we also are His offspring."
>17: 29---- Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of by man. but
>17:30----Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent.
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>(gold-silver- stone--art--thought of by man---= idols
>overlooked the times of ignorance------------= being able to go past our errors in thinking, our tendency to >want to raise graniose edifices and beautiful images--- ) my >interpretation.
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>I truly love beauty--art--banners--edifices that still stand from days of yore BUT they are not vital to faith.
>I truly believe that the poets pen has created beautiful songs of praise to our Lord God--BUT-- if we had never heard one hymn, we would still sing praises to the God of our heart, when we come to know he is Real.
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>Part of our real problem is that so many come to Christ and do not experience any real follow through with the need to learn what being a disciple really means. Therefore the rituals seem dry and useless and less >than stimulating. The idea of breaking bread with an "unseen" host is so commonly under estimated that the believer goes thru the ritual as tho' it were a tradition ONLY---completely missing the importance of the command to "Do this in Remembrance of ME".
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>I have no idea what you are struggling with as you visit various traditions BUT I do know that the importance of making that triangle of Word-Chalice--and Presense real is not a new dilemma within the confines of organized church. Christ MUST be REAL to the participant for the "ritual" to have any significance.
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>I believe for the "emerging" church, or whatever preference to LABEL comes along, the real work lies in giving Jesus a commanding relevance to any who wish to be considered disciples--followers--workers--believers.
>We must learn to walk close by the newly baptised or converted being well versed in our faith and the WORD so that we can answer with some authority and admit when we do not know--what God asks of us. As we grow in the personal committment to justice, kindness and love--we are then faithful disciples.
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>Well you can see why this came in e-mail form rather than blog.
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>I love you very much and am so delighted that you chose to follow our Lord who is the center of my life. I do pray you through it all---earnestly--to the end that your ministry will be most gratifying and your life (with all it's ups and downs--and there will be plenty) is truly blessed. Love Gramma