Shortly I will be at the funeral mass of a friend whose Father has died and gone ahead to the church triumphant. Over time, he and have talked about the way that believers put "fences" around the Lord's table. So at this pastoral moment, all of those conversations will converge in a very personal way.
At the same time, I am reading the remarks (as it turns out, some of the last public remarks he offered) of Avery Cardinal Dulle, S.J. that were offered in June, 2007 at the 50th anniversary conference of the Faith and Order Commission at Oberlin, Ohio. It was both a retrospective and prospective conversation about Christian unity. I don't have time here to cover all that interests me about the paper, but there is conversation about the role of primacy (important especially for Roman Catholics and other communions that cherish the role of bishops). I am praying my way through (as a Presbyterian) the way that primacy is a gift to the church.
At the same time, I concluded a mens' small group bible study this morning examining texts surrounding Peter. We began with the text in which Peter names Jesus as Messiah, proclaiming a commitment that had not previously been voiced. It is at this point that Jesus says, "Peter you are rock" and on rock I shall build the church. It is my reading that the rock in question is not the particular person, Peter, but rather the commitment (the leap) that Peter made. Upon commitment such as that, the church is built and depends.
We say that the Lord's Supper is a foretaste of the great banquet to come. Who presides at the table? (I recently returned from Rome where I viewed the supposed tomb of Peter under the altar at the center of St. Peter's in the Vatican.) What is the rock upon which the table is placed? Is it not a shame that we all must wait for the church triumphant until we finally feast together in unity?
I long for that day.
Recently I have been participating as a delegate of the Presbyterian Church, USA in the Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Churches in Christ. My group is reviewing a World Council of Churches document on the Nature and Mission of the Church.
This post focuses on trends in American spiritual life and the way we see that reflected in the worship life of our communities. So what follows is a scrap of some source referencing I offered my workgroup that I share with you in order to spark some sharing and conversation. I found two resources useful in helping to define a common religious dynamic confronting American Christians:
The first is from an Alban book entitled "The Postindustrial Promise: Vital Religious Community in the 21st Century" by Anthony E. Healy. I find this book offers very insightful assessments. However like may, the solutions fall short at the end. Nonetheless, chapter 2 on Change in Postindustrial America offers a very good 23 page assesment of our common life and its impact upon religious community.
The second book is based on much data and thus has less of a distillate character. It is by Robert Wuthnow, entitled "After the Baby Boomers: How Twenty-and Thirty-Somethings Are Shaping the Future of American Religion." The most helpful is a 19 page chapter entitled "Going to Church-Or Not: Who Participates in Congregations." Also, four pages of the chapter on "American Religion" treat the topic "A Generation of Tinkerers" taking Claude Levi-Strauss work on the bricoleur and expanding it in our context to provide insight into life and religious practices of the upcoming American generation.
Blessings! - Brian
I have been meditating this week upon the initiation of Jesus' ministry in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus is named the "Beloved Son" and then is thrust into the wilderness by the Spirit. I find that simple phrases such as "you are my beloved child" lodge easily in the memory bank. They are remembrances that come to mind when we need them most.
To the extent we allow those phrases to fall into the pattern of our daily lives, they start to shape and frame us. Jesus found himself with the wild animals in the wilderness, much as we confront so many challenges that seem disconnected from the meaning phrases we have been given (you are beloved). Yet still, Jesus, like Elijah, had angels attending him.
I wonder if each of us has angels attending us that we entertain unawares. Sometimes we hear an echo of those memory phrases in our angelic encounters. Perhaps the daily Christian life consists in the memory of truth we receive in worship and the angelic encounters God places along our paths.