This Week on the Pilgrimage - 1
If your just joining, this post is third in a continuing series about our new Sunday evening worship practice, "The Pilgrimage." I invite you to catch up on the "script"/order of worship and the story behind the Pilgrimage (posted just today, don't miss!).
We've probably all heard what Lao-tzu said about journeys. Last night our Pilgrimage began with an even stronger first step than I "boldly" :-) hoped for. And there were homemade runzas!!!111 (or, "bierock." I'm a Nebraskan though.)
What happened? Well, we practiced together for the first time! "Practice" in the sense of a Christian discipline, or that of a doctor, more than in the sports sense. The people who needed to come, who felt called to check this out, gathered at the house in relative peace and a spirit of reflection. Jody and I offered some initial guidance and explanation, but not so much as would snuff out all risk or excitement about the worship. We seemed to intuitively understand the un-programmed aspects of the practice; there was enough sharing, and enough silence and space in between.
As hopes were named, my sense of who we were together and who individuals were deepened. Hearing what others found to be the main point of the story of Bartimaeus enriched my own understanding. I could begin to get a sense of the story though the eyes of this person, or that person; as a young, white man, I found myself seeing differently as others spoke.
For the discernment circles, we moved into two groups. In dim light, with a candle to focus on, some of my group were moved to share and some were not. The practice of communication in discernment circles is highly structured in a sort of ritual sense, but completely un-structured in terms of content (except that it relate to stewardship). Our circle navigated this unfamiliar territory quite naturally, which surprised me for a first trip through. Words were concise, but spoke of real longing and rang of inner truth.
Our first week affirmed for me that I am not alone (and not crazy! Ha!) in my desire for what Elton Trueblood called "redemptive fellowship"; a small community in which to wrestle with my role as a caretaker of God's world and God's people. I think that many of us have longed to dive more deeply into our Christianity, but have not known how to translate that desire into a practice. If I sound full, let me remind myself and you that we have not arrived; we look forward to changes, adjustments, and (I boldly hope, with confidence!) growth as the Pilgrimage continues. But today I feel stellar about where we are.
As I've said to house-building high school missionaries in Tijuana, and gospel-energized campers at Kaleo, last night was a miracle of the kind we should expect; cooperation between people and God. Nothing supernatural, but holy runza! if it wasn't Divine.
We've probably all heard what Lao-tzu said about journeys. Last night our Pilgrimage began with an even stronger first step than I "boldly" :-) hoped for. And there were homemade runzas!!!111 (or, "bierock." I'm a Nebraskan though.)
What happened? Well, we practiced together for the first time! "Practice" in the sense of a Christian discipline, or that of a doctor, more than in the sports sense. The people who needed to come, who felt called to check this out, gathered at the house in relative peace and a spirit of reflection. Jody and I offered some initial guidance and explanation, but not so much as would snuff out all risk or excitement about the worship. We seemed to intuitively understand the un-programmed aspects of the practice; there was enough sharing, and enough silence and space in between.
As hopes were named, my sense of who we were together and who individuals were deepened. Hearing what others found to be the main point of the story of Bartimaeus enriched my own understanding. I could begin to get a sense of the story though the eyes of this person, or that person; as a young, white man, I found myself seeing differently as others spoke.
For the discernment circles, we moved into two groups. In dim light, with a candle to focus on, some of my group were moved to share and some were not. The practice of communication in discernment circles is highly structured in a sort of ritual sense, but completely un-structured in terms of content (except that it relate to stewardship). Our circle navigated this unfamiliar territory quite naturally, which surprised me for a first trip through. Words were concise, but spoke of real longing and rang of inner truth.
Our first week affirmed for me that I am not alone (and not crazy! Ha!) in my desire for what Elton Trueblood called "redemptive fellowship"; a small community in which to wrestle with my role as a caretaker of God's world and God's people. I think that many of us have longed to dive more deeply into our Christianity, but have not known how to translate that desire into a practice. If I sound full, let me remind myself and you that we have not arrived; we look forward to changes, adjustments, and (I boldly hope, with confidence!) growth as the Pilgrimage continues. But today I feel stellar about where we are.
As I've said to house-building high school missionaries in Tijuana, and gospel-energized campers at Kaleo, last night was a miracle of the kind we should expect; cooperation between people and God. Nothing supernatural, but holy runza! if it wasn't Divine.
This Week on the Pilgrimage - 1 posted by St. Peter's UCC at Monday, October 30, 2006
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