Recently, the pastor of another community, a man for whom I have the greatest respect, invited my parishioners and I to celebrate a Sunday morning service with his congregation. Sadly, I had to decline. The reasons for this were firstly practical. Combining two very different kinds of services—one Eastern Orthodox, the other Protestant—without losing the integrity of each would prove too difficult, if not impossible.
The other issue, though, was more profound. Before he and I could even face the complications of combining style and content, we would have to face the fact that our very definitions of what constitutes worship are different. Without this common understanding, what would it even mean to ‘worship’ together, anyway?
Is worship praise and song, as in hymns or choruses? Is worship preaching and teaching, as in a sermon or a testimonial? Is worship prayer, as in praying collectively for others or the world? Does worship involve Eucharistic communion? If you had just a sermon, or just hymns or just communal prayer by themselves, would it still be worship, or does worship require certain elements to be deemed worship?
These are questions many Christians have grappled with for at least five hundred years. Various answers have been put forward, resulting in the current plethora of Christian practices across the denominational spectrum.
Faced with this diversity (some might call it confusion), many choose to respond in the spirit of religious pluralism. Too frequently, people visiting Saint Aidan’s have said to me, “We all worship the same God, but it’s so nice to see other styles of worship…” Frankly, this is a cop out. Confronted by differences in worship and not wanting to deal with the issues, we tend to become vague and fuzzy, and simply choose to believe that because a group of people gather together, sing, pray and listen to a teaching or meditation, they must be engaging in worship, whatever its flavour. If the definition is vague enough, we believe, then we will all get along and live happily ever after.
I wish that were true. The fact is, Christians and indeed all people of faith, cannot worship together meaningfully or effectively unless they have come to a consensus on what it is exactly they are doing. To simply assemble and perform a common order of service together, without really agreeing on what is happening, and to call the result ‘worshiping together’ is just not accurate. Diners in a Smorgasbord restaurant may be eating food in the same place, but to what extent are they sharing a communal meal?
No, the question of what exactly is worship must be faced and answered if people of faith are ever going to worship together. The solution, in my opinion, is not that complicated. We must return to our common roots. If we believe in a God who is unchanging, shouldn’t the worship of that God also be essential unchanging? Indeed, for as long as our race has existed, human beings have understood worship as possessing a very specific characteristic that bears rediscovering in our own communities: sacrifice.
Worship has always been sacrificial. Put in simple terms, the reasoning behind this is as follows:
A) Something is wrong with the world as it is, and we are somehow responsible.
B) There is some Power beyond our own capable of restoring things to their proper state.
C) We offer that Power something crucial to our own lives, to demonstrate our dependence on divine intervention.
This is sacrifice. We give up something important (usually the food and drink that keeps us alive, or else the time and the money that allows us to provide for the basic needs of ourselves and our families), so that we can demonstrate that we need divine intervention to restore, fulfil, and preserve our lives.
Sacrifice is an affirmation that God is God, and we are not. When we sacrifice, we come to the Power greater than ourselves and give up things that are important to us in the hope that this God will respond by taking care of us. The act of sacrificing is painful and difficult, and it should be. It feels like death, because it is.
Whatever else worship is (and much more may be said), it is first and foremost sacrifice. Too regularly, I see churches catering to their congregations, making God attractive, palatable and easy to digest, with more comfortable or pleasant surroundings and activities, softer and less challenging messages, and greater perks for attendance (would you like a Grande Latte and pastry with that sermon?).
If we are ever to make a start on the journey back to truly worshiping the same God, we first need to agree that worship involves people coming to God on His terms, not Him coming to us on our terms. Worship should not be a pleasant or comfortable experience. It should deprive us of vital resources. It should challenge and drain us, leaving us empty and ready to receive the life that God alone has to give.
The desert elders of the Eastern Orthodox tradition have a saying: “Give God your blood and He will give you His spirit.” Hard as it may be to hear, the true worship of God demands a total sacrifice of ourselves, our comforts and conveniences, our assumptions and agendas. Any less an effort is simply our backhanded way of saying that God is just not worth the effort because He is not really the ultimate Giver of life. Worshiping God, or denying God—maybe it’s time to take a closer look at what we’re really doing.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
An Opportunity for Service
The Salvation Army
is in need of kitchen volunteers.
Hours for volunteering are
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 10 am to 2 pm
Wednesday: 3 pm to 7 pm
A day a week or once a month
Any and all time would be appreciated
Duties may include:
Washing tables and chairs
Prep work
Sorting food
Serving lunch or supper
Washing dishes
Clean up
Need to be able to understand instruction and work independently at times
Please phone Captain Linda Green at
250-426-3612 for more information.
is in need of kitchen volunteers.
Hours for volunteering are
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 10 am to 2 pm
Wednesday: 3 pm to 7 pm
A day a week or once a month
Any and all time would be appreciated
Duties may include:
Washing tables and chairs
Prep work
Sorting food
Serving lunch or supper
Washing dishes
Clean up
Need to be able to understand instruction and work independently at times
Please phone Captain Linda Green at
250-426-3612 for more information.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
A Third Way of Reading the Bible
When it comes to reading the Bible, two distinct schools of thought seem to exist. On one hand, there’s the ‘Literal’ school of biblical interpretation, which generally takes any given text from the Bible and upholds its literal historical meaning as the incontrovertible truth. If it is says so in the Bible, then that’s how it happened and that’s how it is.
In apparent contrast to this Literal school of biblical is the ‘Liberal’ school. Liberal interpreters generally assert that Scripture is really just myth and allegory. When reading the Bible, they say, we cannot take the surface meaning as the ‘Gospel truth.’ The Bible is, after all, a religious document, not a historical one. Its meaning is to be understood in purely symbolic terms, for its spiritual or metaphorical meaning.
It would seem that the Literals and the Liberals stand on opposite sides of biblical interpretation debate. In fact, the two approaches are really two sides of the same coin. Whether you are Literal or Liberal, you are still working with the same basic assumption that the meaning of the Scriptures centres around the question of historical veracity. For the Literals, the historical accuracy of the Scriptures makes them true. For the Liberals, the historical inaccuracy of Scriptures is the basis of their ‘symbolic’ truth. Either way, the historicity of the text is both the starting point and the destination of the debate.
May I suggest a third way? I like to call it the ‘prophetic’ method, but it’s nothing new. This manner of interpreting the Bible has been practiced within the body of Eastern Orthodox theology for almost two thousand years.
The basic assumption of prophetic exegesis derives from the New Testament, in which the risen Christ appears to His disciples on the road to Emmaus. Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:27. See also John 5:46)
The entire purpose of the Scriptures, then, is to lead us to Christ. The Old Testament is ultimately a foreshadowing of the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation in the Son of God. The goal of interpreting the Scriptures is to encounter Christ Himself. The meaning of the text is not primarily historical or symbolical; it is personal.
The prophetic method thus begins with the guiding interpretative principle that whatever text we encounter in the Scriptures, it must lead us to the Person of Christ and must be interpreted as a prophecy of Him.
Allow me to demonstrate how this works. First, let’s take one of many ‘difficult’ texts in Scripture: O daughter of Babylon, you destructive one! Happy shall he be who requites you with what you have done to us! Happy shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock! (Psalm 137:8-9)
Asked to justify this horrific image, a Literal interpreter might shrug and say, “That’s the Old Testament. We are no longer bound by the law, which says that God will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of fathers upon children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation. (Numbers 14:18) We live under grace.”
Confronting the same text, a Liberal might respond with a grimace: “That’s the Old Testament. It reflects the clan mentality of primitive cultures. It’s no longer relevant today. Jesus calls us to live with mercy and tolerance for our enemies.”
So from both points of view, the text is effectively dead. It has no power and significance in my life as a Christian here and now.
How does the prophetic method handle these verses? It begins on the literal, historical level. The killing of infants does indeed reflect the ancient Near Eastern understanding that the crime of one generation was carried forward to future generations. So it makes sense that the Israelites would seek to utterly annihilate their Babylonian enemies.
If our interpretation stopped there, we would have little more than an archaeological curiosity, an example of an outdated and barbaric practice. But the prophetic method continues to ask, how do these verses prophecy to Christ? The response: the ‘rock’ refers to Christ, the Rock of our salvation. (see Psalm 18:2 and 1 Corinthians 10:4) The ‘little ones’ dashed against this rock refer to sinful passions, which we are called to ‘dash,’ which is to say, put to death at the moment of their birth in our minds and hearts.
So the prophetic method is neither Literal nor Liberal. It does not ignore the historical level of the Scriptures: if we did not understand the nature of clan vengeance, the meaning of the verses would be lost. But neither does it stay on the Literal level, otherwise the verses would be irrelevant for us today. Rather, the method goes on to interpret them metaphorically, as symbolizing Christ and the crucifixion of our sinful passions.
In the end, the prophetic method always makes the chosen text spiritually fresh, relevant and powerful. It leads us into the Scriptures, through the Scriptures from the literal to the spiritual, and beyond, to the fulfillment of the Scriptures in the personal relationship with Christ. The ultimate goal of reading the Scriptures is to meet the One of whom the Scriptures speaks, whom the disciples met on the road to Emmaus, whom they knew in the breaking of the bread, whom they proclaimed and delivered to the following generations in their writings, preaching and traditions. (see 1 Corinthians 11:2 and 2 Thessalonians 2:15)
In contrast to the well-worn and tired methods of Literalism or Liberalism, I offer the prophetic method as a third way for your consideration and the further enrichment your continuing study of the Bible. For generations since the road to Emmaus, Eastern Orthodox exegetes have used it to fruitfully interpret everything from Genesis to Revelation. May it also bear fruit in your life and become a source of joy and refreshment for your soul.
In apparent contrast to this Literal school of biblical is the ‘Liberal’ school. Liberal interpreters generally assert that Scripture is really just myth and allegory. When reading the Bible, they say, we cannot take the surface meaning as the ‘Gospel truth.’ The Bible is, after all, a religious document, not a historical one. Its meaning is to be understood in purely symbolic terms, for its spiritual or metaphorical meaning.
It would seem that the Literals and the Liberals stand on opposite sides of biblical interpretation debate. In fact, the two approaches are really two sides of the same coin. Whether you are Literal or Liberal, you are still working with the same basic assumption that the meaning of the Scriptures centres around the question of historical veracity. For the Literals, the historical accuracy of the Scriptures makes them true. For the Liberals, the historical inaccuracy of Scriptures is the basis of their ‘symbolic’ truth. Either way, the historicity of the text is both the starting point and the destination of the debate.
May I suggest a third way? I like to call it the ‘prophetic’ method, but it’s nothing new. This manner of interpreting the Bible has been practiced within the body of Eastern Orthodox theology for almost two thousand years.
The basic assumption of prophetic exegesis derives from the New Testament, in which the risen Christ appears to His disciples on the road to Emmaus. Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:27. See also John 5:46)
The entire purpose of the Scriptures, then, is to lead us to Christ. The Old Testament is ultimately a foreshadowing of the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation in the Son of God. The goal of interpreting the Scriptures is to encounter Christ Himself. The meaning of the text is not primarily historical or symbolical; it is personal.
The prophetic method thus begins with the guiding interpretative principle that whatever text we encounter in the Scriptures, it must lead us to the Person of Christ and must be interpreted as a prophecy of Him.
Allow me to demonstrate how this works. First, let’s take one of many ‘difficult’ texts in Scripture: O daughter of Babylon, you destructive one! Happy shall he be who requites you with what you have done to us! Happy shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock! (Psalm 137:8-9)
Asked to justify this horrific image, a Literal interpreter might shrug and say, “That’s the Old Testament. We are no longer bound by the law, which says that God will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of fathers upon children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation. (Numbers 14:18) We live under grace.”
Confronting the same text, a Liberal might respond with a grimace: “That’s the Old Testament. It reflects the clan mentality of primitive cultures. It’s no longer relevant today. Jesus calls us to live with mercy and tolerance for our enemies.”
So from both points of view, the text is effectively dead. It has no power and significance in my life as a Christian here and now.
How does the prophetic method handle these verses? It begins on the literal, historical level. The killing of infants does indeed reflect the ancient Near Eastern understanding that the crime of one generation was carried forward to future generations. So it makes sense that the Israelites would seek to utterly annihilate their Babylonian enemies.
If our interpretation stopped there, we would have little more than an archaeological curiosity, an example of an outdated and barbaric practice. But the prophetic method continues to ask, how do these verses prophecy to Christ? The response: the ‘rock’ refers to Christ, the Rock of our salvation. (see Psalm 18:2 and 1 Corinthians 10:4) The ‘little ones’ dashed against this rock refer to sinful passions, which we are called to ‘dash,’ which is to say, put to death at the moment of their birth in our minds and hearts.
So the prophetic method is neither Literal nor Liberal. It does not ignore the historical level of the Scriptures: if we did not understand the nature of clan vengeance, the meaning of the verses would be lost. But neither does it stay on the Literal level, otherwise the verses would be irrelevant for us today. Rather, the method goes on to interpret them metaphorically, as symbolizing Christ and the crucifixion of our sinful passions.
In the end, the prophetic method always makes the chosen text spiritually fresh, relevant and powerful. It leads us into the Scriptures, through the Scriptures from the literal to the spiritual, and beyond, to the fulfillment of the Scriptures in the personal relationship with Christ. The ultimate goal of reading the Scriptures is to meet the One of whom the Scriptures speaks, whom the disciples met on the road to Emmaus, whom they knew in the breaking of the bread, whom they proclaimed and delivered to the following generations in their writings, preaching and traditions. (see 1 Corinthians 11:2 and 2 Thessalonians 2:15)
In contrast to the well-worn and tired methods of Literalism or Liberalism, I offer the prophetic method as a third way for your consideration and the further enrichment your continuing study of the Bible. For generations since the road to Emmaus, Eastern Orthodox exegetes have used it to fruitfully interpret everything from Genesis to Revelation. May it also bear fruit in your life and become a source of joy and refreshment for your soul.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Happy New Year!
Like the beginning of the school year, September marks the beginning of the ecclesiastical (Church) new year. Unlike the secular world, the Church has always followed the pattern of agrarian life, from end of harvest to end of harvest. With all of summer’s bounty collected and stored, the people of antiquity, replenished and replete, would prepare themselves for the beginning of a new growing cycle.
As modern folks, we have mostly lost touch with this natural pattern of time. Faint echoes of it remain to us if we grow gardens, but when it comes right down to it, our survival does not ultimately rest on the rhythm of planting, harvesting, and storing. After all, even if our garden fails to produce, there is always the local grocery store...
And yet some of that ancient rhythm is still very much present in our lives, at least psychologically. We may not harvest literal crops in summer, but we do go on vacations or take things a little easier, growing, gathering and storing our personal resources, so that (ideally), we can arrive at September with our mental and spiritual storehouses refilled to brimming, ready to face the coming months.
September is often a time of decisions. How will we use the resources we have regained and stored up during the summer? What activities will we embark on for the fall, winter and spring? For many, this is a time to sign the kids for soccer or piano lessons, or consider involvement in church or other community activities.
And of course, the temptation every year is to fill our calendar to overflowing. Having received another year of life, we want to use it to its fullest potential, which usually means making ourselves incredibly busy with this or that commitment. We not only “seize the day”; we cram with activity until it has no room left to breathe.
The Eastern Orthodox Church calendar offers an alternate vision to the frenetic pace we so often impose on our year. In the reading prescribed for this coming Sunday, for instance, a wealthy synagogue ruler comes to Jesus and asks, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus’ response? “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” (Luke 18)
Like the rest of us approaching a new year with our stock of resources overflowing, the ruler wonders how can he invest and multiply his resources in a way that will benefit him the most. Jesus tells him to make do with less. He challenges him to use all his resources to show forth God’s love for the poor ones of the earth, and to foster a greater awareness of and dependence on the One who crowns the year with His bounty and sustains all things with His mighty hand. (see Psalm 65:11)
So perhaps the boldest and most significant decision we can make for the coming year is the decision to do a little less. Other than the absolute necessities, make one or two commitments to benefit people other than ourselves. Then leave lots of time for quiet and silence; for meditation and prayer; for walks after a fresh snowfall; for evenings with a nourishing book far from the “idiot box.” Time to savor everything we have been given, and praise the One who gave it. We come to September with an abundant harvest of time and energy. Let’s make the bounty count for something.
As modern folks, we have mostly lost touch with this natural pattern of time. Faint echoes of it remain to us if we grow gardens, but when it comes right down to it, our survival does not ultimately rest on the rhythm of planting, harvesting, and storing. After all, even if our garden fails to produce, there is always the local grocery store...
And yet some of that ancient rhythm is still very much present in our lives, at least psychologically. We may not harvest literal crops in summer, but we do go on vacations or take things a little easier, growing, gathering and storing our personal resources, so that (ideally), we can arrive at September with our mental and spiritual storehouses refilled to brimming, ready to face the coming months.
September is often a time of decisions. How will we use the resources we have regained and stored up during the summer? What activities will we embark on for the fall, winter and spring? For many, this is a time to sign the kids for soccer or piano lessons, or consider involvement in church or other community activities.
And of course, the temptation every year is to fill our calendar to overflowing. Having received another year of life, we want to use it to its fullest potential, which usually means making ourselves incredibly busy with this or that commitment. We not only “seize the day”; we cram with activity until it has no room left to breathe.
The Eastern Orthodox Church calendar offers an alternate vision to the frenetic pace we so often impose on our year. In the reading prescribed for this coming Sunday, for instance, a wealthy synagogue ruler comes to Jesus and asks, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus’ response? “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” (Luke 18)
Like the rest of us approaching a new year with our stock of resources overflowing, the ruler wonders how can he invest and multiply his resources in a way that will benefit him the most. Jesus tells him to make do with less. He challenges him to use all his resources to show forth God’s love for the poor ones of the earth, and to foster a greater awareness of and dependence on the One who crowns the year with His bounty and sustains all things with His mighty hand. (see Psalm 65:11)
So perhaps the boldest and most significant decision we can make for the coming year is the decision to do a little less. Other than the absolute necessities, make one or two commitments to benefit people other than ourselves. Then leave lots of time for quiet and silence; for meditation and prayer; for walks after a fresh snowfall; for evenings with a nourishing book far from the “idiot box.” Time to savor everything we have been given, and praise the One who gave it. We come to September with an abundant harvest of time and energy. Let’s make the bounty count for something.
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