I often find myself going back and forth between two somewhat 'competing' viewpoints. This inner conflict comes to light especially when I think about the role of rituals in our Christian lives. On the one hand, I tend to love ritual. You know what's coming. You know the proper response. It's kind of like when I leave my keys and my wallet in the same place each night. I know where they are, so when I get ready in the morning, I don't have to look over the whole house, wondering where I put them. The ritual keeps things familiar and comfortable.
On the other hand, there also seems to be a role for creativity. Ritual can lend itself somewhat to stagnation. When you are always doing the same thing, it can get somewhat stale. I have my routine when I take my shower in the morning. But every once in a while, I like to do things in a different order. What if I wash my hair before I shave? Radical, I know!
Ritual helps ground our lives. Nowhere is this more true than in our worship of God and the rituals we attend to as God's Church. We have a number of rituals that we attend to. Baptism. Confirmation. Our order of worship. All of these have a particular pattern or order to them. In many cases, it isn't just the pattern, but even the very words that we speak that are the same. They become a source of comfort. We know what's coming, and there is comfort in the familiar.
However, there is also a danger with the ritual. The danger is that we fail to recognize what is actually happening as we venture through the ritual. We fall into the habit, and it starts to lose some of the meaning behind it. For example, so many of us likely know the Lord's Prayer by heart, so much so that we may not even think about the words that we are saying. And when we don't think about what we are saying or doing, we start to take the ritual lightly.
Notice, though, that I didn't say that God takes it lightly. God will still do what He does through the ritual, even if we don't happen to recognize His action and meaning. It's more of our problem than God's problem. And that's where the role of creativity comes in. Every once in a while, it's good for us to have something a little different or new entered into the ritual. Not to simply be doing something different, but to jog our minds and to make us think about what we are doing, and why we are doing it, and what God is doing through it. Then we grow in appreciation for what is happening in the ritual and its meaning. And, in the end, that's a pretty good thing.
On the other hand, there also seems to be a role for creativity. Ritual can lend itself somewhat to stagnation. When you are always doing the same thing, it can get somewhat stale. I have my routine when I take my shower in the morning. But every once in a while, I like to do things in a different order. What if I wash my hair before I shave? Radical, I know!
Ritual helps ground our lives. Nowhere is this more true than in our worship of God and the rituals we attend to as God's Church. We have a number of rituals that we attend to. Baptism. Confirmation. Our order of worship. All of these have a particular pattern or order to them. In many cases, it isn't just the pattern, but even the very words that we speak that are the same. They become a source of comfort. We know what's coming, and there is comfort in the familiar.
However, there is also a danger with the ritual. The danger is that we fail to recognize what is actually happening as we venture through the ritual. We fall into the habit, and it starts to lose some of the meaning behind it. For example, so many of us likely know the Lord's Prayer by heart, so much so that we may not even think about the words that we are saying. And when we don't think about what we are saying or doing, we start to take the ritual lightly.
Notice, though, that I didn't say that God takes it lightly. God will still do what He does through the ritual, even if we don't happen to recognize His action and meaning. It's more of our problem than God's problem. And that's where the role of creativity comes in. Every once in a while, it's good for us to have something a little different or new entered into the ritual. Not to simply be doing something different, but to jog our minds and to make us think about what we are doing, and why we are doing it, and what God is doing through it. Then we grow in appreciation for what is happening in the ritual and its meaning. And, in the end, that's a pretty good thing.
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