Confessions of a Denominationally Promiscuous Lutheran: St. Mary Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows Roman Catholic Church

I called before going to this worship, wanting to get some idea of what to expect, for I had much to do that day. When I asked how long does your worship last, the lady who answered the phone told me “As long as it takes”. I was at first annoyed, until I realized I was speaking chronos and she was speaking kairos.[1] I became thankful for the humbling of my spirit, for this was worship I was going to attend, not some sociologist’s experiment!

I got to the church, which is in downtown Kitchener, at noon. The worship was to begin at 12.10 pm. I had time in the quiet worship space to experience its magnificence. High ceilings, painted with frescos, abundant art and statues including statues of angels, an altar that resembled a multi-turreted castle, abundant touches of gold, stained glass windows and chandelier-style light fixtures created a space of grandeur. I noticed that only a few of the chandelier lights, those closest to the front of the worship space, were on, suggesting a focal area for those attending worship. I noticed the other worshippers kneeling. I positioned the kneeler and I too kneeled. It felt different to be on my knees in church; in this grand setting it felt right to be smaller and on my knees, for God felt big, grand and awesome in this space.

A worship leader, dressed in alb, came and retrieved communion-ware from a small cupboard nestled in the grand, multi-turreted altar. The priest, dressed in red for this was a Saint’s day, came forward to the communion table. The formal portion of worship began with a familiar gathering “The Lord be with you”. I felt the vestigial relationship of Lutheran praxis with Roman Catholic praxis, like a gossamer thread of connection.

It was difficult for me to hear; the large, mostly empty worship space generated an echo and the priest spoke in a manner that had the echoes of his words rolling, cascading, mingling with each other, more a flow of grand and thunderous sound than a coherent stream of decipherable words. I stopped trying to receive this worship intellectually and with a cognitive understanding of words, and I felt God in the huge space – space which often separates us one from another as believers. I felt alone, and I was able to worship in a different way in my solitude. The artwork met me in my solitude, and I experienced the presence of Jesus’ solitude, as He walked a journey only He could have known as the mortal-divine alone could know, whilst among the mere mortals. Sometimes this is our journey of faith – not something we can spell out for communal worship, but something that happens in the times of solitude.

Three readings were done; I could not find them in any common lectionaries.

Prayers were said, of which I knew very few. Even the Lord’s Prayer had some different praxis for it’s common recital in this worship – a praxis I did not know, so I prayed in my head and in my heart. The prayers were familiar to all the worshippers except me. I enjoyed their unified rumbliness, as they rolled around in the wide, tall space around me, in perfect unison, recited in almost a monotone: an expression of muscle memory of the soul of those who have known these prayers, probably as long as they have known themselves.

Partway through the service I realized that someone I knew through my work in ministry was seated a few seats back from me. She knew I was not Roman Catholic, and I thought she might come forward to join me, but she did not. There was no program to guide my understanding of what was going on. I participated in the actions of standing, kneeling, sitting, standing, kneeling not by guidance provided by the priest, but by watching the others.

Communion was served, and the priest ate and drank his portion first, before serving the congregation. He fed himself, and I thought he too is having a personal worship with God, though in a communal setting. I think, for me, communion is about us serving each other (as) the Body of Christ. When I eat or drink alone in commemoration of the body and blood of Christ, it is usually in my personal worship. This is why I thought the priest was having a personal worship with God.

There was a weekly bulletin I had picked up near the entrance, and I had glanced through it. On its cover page, in bold print, it advised “the Sacraments are available to registered, regularly attending parishioners only.” As such, I did not seek to participate in communion, and I was happy that I had been fed the day before at my home church. I was very happy for the abundant art, with which I communed, as I thought of the scriptures in the book of Ezekiel. When Ezekiel has his visions, I have trouble picturing all his descriptions in one dream setting. Sometimes God is like that – we cannot picture Him – but we try to capture Him in our words, our descriptions, our art, our structures. We do this, I believe, out of reverence and love for His glory – and we do the best we can. I saw that reverence and love in the abundant Roman Catholic art, statuary, and the elaborate carvings of the confessional chambers. I celebrated the love of Jesus in these works of art.

The peace was shared by people turning in their places and showing peace signs to the faces around them. Each person remained anchored in their place. There were about 35 people worshiping. Nobody sought to reach out physically to touch anyone else.

The priest put the host back in its little cupboard, and main worship was complete. A subset of the congregation moved to a corner together and began to recite Hail Mary and Our Father in unison. One chandelier remained on above them – lighting their appeals. I listened to them for about ten minutes, before I quietly left.

Mission & God in the midst: I definitely experienced God in the midst of the worship and the worship space. I did not leave feeling intellectually fed, to then bring God intellectually out into the world beyond the worship. However I was fed in the spirit, by the beauty and grandeur of the space and the art, and by the comfortable familiarity of the believers who worshiped without any apparent cues. So it was a spirit-fed me who left worship, to go out into the world, with a heart rejoicing in Jesus.

Welcome & hospitality: I did not experience these from the congregation or the readily visible worship materials in this worship setting. I experienced the presence of God though, and I felt welcome in His presence.

Pattern & Ordo: There was a definite pattern to the worship, known to everyone else there excepting me. Everyone knew when to sit, stand, kneel, pray and what to pray without any prompting. I reckon anyone unfamiliar with the pattern in this worship would not have been able to follow.

Closing reflection: We study worship, but it cannot be studied only academically if we are to use worship in ministry and in mission. In mission we will often encounter worship with which we are not familiar, to which we might not be welcomed or invited, yet within which God is still abundantly available to us, if we can get past our critical minds. We must learn to exist with reverence in the various worship places and practices of other believers, other constituent members of the Body of Christ. It is not always cognitive and intellectual appreciation and praise we must expect in worship. Sometimes it is an affirmation of our difference, and the knowledge in our hearts that it is not us who bind ourselves to each other, but God whose job it is to bind us together, when we open our hearts to be thusly joined. Thanks be to God for His omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience J

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[1] chronos and kairos used here as indicated in our text, Keeping Time.

Confessions of a Denominationally Promiscuous Lutheran: Global Community Church

The congregation was a small group of people that meet in a home for their main weekly Sunday worship. Their expression of hospitality began with the invitation, extended by a fellow Seminarian; an invitation that included offer of transportation, and a description of what I could expect.

A small sign on the screen door at the home declared the identity of the church and the days and times of main worship and Bible Study. Gathering included handshakes and introductions with names to everyone, including the children. There were ten people in attendance including me: a Korean family (2 children), a Portuguese Family (one child), a young Chinese woman, a middle aged Canadian man, and myself. Worship was held in a living room with a large window of which the curtains were open to the beautiful sunny day; the trees swaying in the gentle breeze seemed to participate in praise along with us.

The order of worship was written on a children's whiteboard (songs from hymnal, songs from Binder, scripture reference). We opened with Apostle's Creed, Lord's Prayer (said in Portuguese by the Portuguese wife) and song (all English). Hymnals and song binders were provided to everyone, and everyone had the option of playing a simple instrument - cymbals, shakers. The children played as shakers little plastic bead-filled eggs to the rhythm of the piano and guitar accompaniment.

When we got to scripture, we all read, going around the living room where we sat in a circle. Each of us read a verse, around in the circle until the reading was completed, the children read too in their turns, with parents helping to sound out difficult words. We read from our personal editions of the Bible; one person read in her mother tongue, Portuguese. The reading, I discovered, was a common lectionary reading: Year A Proper 18 (23) Matthew 18:21-35. I felt oneness with the body of Christ in the knowledge that in this home, on this Sunday, we as believers joined believers internationally who were reading and reflecting on this same lesson, of the servant whose debt was forgiven.

The leader erased the ordo from the whiteboard, and drew a small diagram, which he used to facilitate the group discussion which is how the lesson was studied. Words were added to the diagram as we all gave input on how the first servant would have felt when the King forgave his debt. We discussed how the first servant did not extend the same grace to the second servant. The question of human forgiveness of each other was raised; someone carefully identified that forgiveness and reconciliation are not the same thing, and sometimes it may not be safe to resume relationship, but the forgiveness clears our own hearts. The small group setting, and the warm welcome created a comfortable context for sharing opinions and thoughts, and personal struggles with forgiveness.

Intercessionary prayers followed, which were written on the board (by the leader's 9-year-old daughter who claimed she had, and indeed did have, better handwriting than the leader). Each person offered items for which they wanted intercessionary prayer. These included: restful sleep, missionaries overseas known to the group, Canadian political leaders and their interventions in representing the rights of Aboriginal peoples, family in other countries, birthdays that were coming up, thanksgiving. Each item was jotted on the whiteboard, and when all were listed, each person took up someone else's petition – our scribe wrote names beside each petition on the whiteboard.

We went around in the circle and each person prayed one item. The children also prayed - in English and Korean; the Korean wife prayed in Korean and the Portuguese wife prayed in Portuguese. A child prayed in Korean and English the intercessionary prayer request I had made - there was a special sacredness to her earnest, bilingual petition to God. I thought of Christ’s words "suffer the children to come onto me"[1] and I felt a weight being lifted from my heart on the words of this child who spoke for me with God.

Jesus’ words: “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it” got a new meaning for me - seeing the children worship like this made me feel even more the humility and wonder of God who accepts me as a child, and of Jesus’ willingness to protect me with the blood He shed.

After the prayers, we moved to the dining room and kitchen area, where the finishing touches were done to a light meal, which included bread, fruit, Korean pancakes and tea. We communed around that table, sharing stories of our traditions, our experiences in ministry and as Christians, foods from our countries, and other items that had happened in the week. The worship leader offered me a lift home, and dropped two members who were not from that neighbourhood home. I walked home and the sunshine felt especially like a blessing on my face, the gentle breeze like a caress from God. I felt God’s accompaniment proceeding from worship through the rest of that day into the Sabbath night.

Welcome & hospitality – I found this worship very personal, intimate, encouraging for return with invitation to re-join anytime, and even to join for thanksgiving worship and meal. Sharing names, sitting in a circle, their praxis of scripture study, intercessionary prayer and communal meal helped to include the newcomers, giving everyone voice. Availability of hymnals, song binders and musical instruments for all allowed everyone to experience complete participation. I especially liked that the children were so included, from scripture reading, to songs, to intercessionary prayers.

Mission & God in the midst - This church invited people in, making their attendance and even their transportation to the worship easy. I was reminded of "when you do this to the least of my brothers you do this onto me" (Matthew 25:45) in the way we were invited and included. I felt the presence of a warm, loving, inviting God in the midst of the group of strangers. Mission focus was also present in scripture study: discussing the role of forgiveness, and how its manifestation by us as believers is a response to God that we take out into the world. Mission focus was present in the content of the intercessionary prayers, especially in the prayers for justice for Aboriginal people, non-Christian family overseas, and the work of missionaries. We were sent out into the world filled with a real (in our tummies and souls) sense of being fed by our communal worship and meal.

Pattern & Ordo: The worship included significant elements of traditional, larger church worship practice: the Apostle’s Creed, Gathering Song, the Lord’s Prayer, scripture reading from the 3-year Common Lectionary, intercessionary prayer, communal meal and sending. Visitors were made aware of what the ordo would be in the invitation (in my case), and also by the writing up on the whiteboard. I experienced a sense of being centred in the worship as a result of the care taken in sharing the ordo with me, a visitor. Here also I experienced hospitality, and I think this church demonstrates the graceful spirit of God who invites us, and in His Word gives an order to our lives.

Closing Reflection – I liked this worship for the way it welcomes strangers and makes the Body of Christ in the living, gathering of believers who could sing praises, study scripture and support each other, and fed us for sending us out into the world. I think this is a good model for ministry that might include small group worship with diverse people.

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[1] But Jesus called for them and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.’ (NRSV Luke 18:16-17)