Stones Cry Out

You said communal - as in commune -as in communist. Must resist the temptation to call Mark a commie pinko...

Touché!

I had no idea, Mark, that the Protestant side didn't observe Lent in some sort of communal way. I knew they didn't take ashes, but I thought there were liturgies such as the Triduum, perhaps not called 'liturgy' per se, but you know, 'traditional events and observances.'

Ah well, we all need to learn more about each other. I remember reading a story by a man who said the first time he went to Orthodox Vespers at some Eastern monastery, with its incense and prostrations, he "finally understood what our bodies are for; they are made to worship God..." I like that.

There is something to be said for the "communal" side of things...I know that in November, when the wind is starting to howl and things are beginning to seem dreary, we all troop to Mass for All Saints Day and remember all who came before, both "canonized and un" who have taught us so much along the way, and we all leave Mass warmer and with smiles and a sense of having done something very GROUNDING and centering: We've sort of "connected" with the past humanity all the way back to the very ones who knew and loved Jesus, from his earliest moments on earth. We've said, "we remember you while you were on earth, please pray for us as we slog through on our way to heaven..." (The liturgy is of course, much prettier language) :-) I always feel really happy leaving that Mass

Ok but what will you invent. Where will the authority come from for your worship innovations? What sacraments will you celebrate with your pomp? Will you mimic the liturgical traditions of Catholics? They claim tradition and authority you recall.

The lack of any liturgy or tradition in evangelical churches strikes me as a very sad mistake. Ash Wednesday was not even mentioned at my church last Sunday, nor was Lent. Amazing, isn't it? There is a void, a certain emptiness or hollowness in the church without any ritual save Holy Communion.

I have been attending a fairly vibrant evangelical church (vibrant as in, lots of activities, excuse me, "ministries") but I have lately been considering going back to a denominational church, just to go through the liturgy and maybe sing some real hymns, sung in a reverential manner.

Is there no one in the evangelical churches who understands the psychological and physiological values of liturgy and ritual? If nothing else, they serve to relax body and soul, and assure one that, in the presence of the Lord, there is peace. As many of the old rituals tend to be repetitive, they are soothing to the human psyche, indeed, a form of meditation. A soothed soul is a receptive soul, a worshipful soul. A soul pleasing to God.

I am not Catholic but as I recall Lent is about penance. What is the Evangelical doctrine of penance? Last I recall (and I am no theologian) they didn't believe in it. So what does an evangelical do during Lent to make it special? Some works? I stand by my previous comment. Any innovations will be hollow because they are not supported by the scriptures, a legitimate tradition or revelation.

Texasviolinist (great pseudonym by the way),
No, I do not intend to invent any new traditions, rituals, etc. I do not want to innovate. There is no need to innovate. I want Evangelicals to simply join the rest of Christianity in adopting those that are already in existence. There is such a fear in Evangelical circles that if you start doing such things, you're on the road to Rome and under the Pope's control. We need to jettison those fears. We Evangelicals have a lot to offer other Christian traditions, particularly our energy and our desire for the lost. We need to recognize, however, that other Christian traditions have a lot to offer us.

Anchoress,

In a sense, JB's comment above answers the questions you posed. I would only add that I was imprecise in this post. I meant Evangelicals as my target--not all Protestants. Some Protestant traditions, particularly Lutherans and the Anglican traditions, have a sense of history, tradition, and more traditional liturgy. I am most familiar with American Evangelicals and they were the subject of my post.

JB,

I have been to Evangelical Churches in which Holy Communion is not shared on a regular basis, or at all.

Mark

Thanks for clarifying that, Mark.

I can speak to this re liturgy: At my brother's funeral last month, we were so wound up, so tense, so broken with grief, that we entered that church hunched over and beaten. As I posted over at my blog: The blessing of liturgy is that it wipes out self. We entered the church exhausted, emotionally fragile, bent over and beaten, and as the familiar readings and hymns, the "bells and smells" and formal prayers of the liturgy progressed I looked at our family and noticed that we were sitting straighter, listening attentively, nodding, kneeling, praying - allowing all that was familiar and "normal" to wash over us, to bring us a sense of otherness - of something other and greater than ourselves, and of great promise - to assist us with all of these other, newer feelings. There was victory in the liturgy, and a conquering. Here was the church triumphant, "O death, where is thy victory; O death, where is thy sting?"

This is the full post, if anyone is interested.

http://theanchoress.blogspot.com/2005/01/whatever-he-smiled.html

As to Lent being "about penance" it is about a great deal more than that - it's about taking stock, reviewing not just our sins and sinful habits, but where we're simply not paying enough attention to things...it's about putting away distractions and simplifying and re-connecting in a deeper way - before Easter. I've blogged about it quite a lot in the last two days. Lent puts the brakes on things...we're no longer just complacently "going along, day to day doing alright" we're taking stark stock. It does us good. And the small sacrifices we make are good for us, too. There is value in all suffering, whether it's life-threatening or merely inconvenient, if one can look at it and say, "I can do this, Christ, for YOU."

Just wanted to let you know that I linked to this post here:

http://atahenspace.blogspot.com/2006/11/anglican-traditions.html

I'm a mommy/homeschool blog, mainly, but we're Anglicans (NOT Episcopalians; my husband is a priest with the Anglican Mission in America), and I often blog about what's going on with the liturgical church year.

You would love the way our church does Lent and especially Holy Week. I have a link in my sidebar under Past Post Highlights called "Holy Week in Poetry and Pictures" that is mostly photos. We GET the pageanty and beauty concept!

Thanks for your thoughts--and for being so quotable! :)

Jeanne