18 November 2009
Group 3- Ritual- I Love to Tell the Story
This week the videos displayed many different rituals with in not only our secular culture, but also our Christian culture. Below are many of the different rituals we saw as a group, this list is taken specifically from one of our group members post in our small group, many of these were also described in other posts.
Beliefs challenged –
Jesus born in Nazareth instead of Bethlehem
Hotbed politically
Urban area with cosmopolitan Greek or Roman life
Rituals/Symbols
Story telling of Rich Man/ Poor Man and the lamb
Money Lenders in Church
Praying for sick
Last Supper pictures
Advertising in church
Jumbo tran in worship
Calling everyone in this store (instead of church)
Jesus with lasso to bring people in
Dissenter challenging church – blasphemous, Whore of Babylon, prophetic
Burning Bush
Could God be a swing vote?
Standing in a pulpit with a cross
Revival Meeting
Quoting scripture – Old Testament
Each side quoting scripture to make their particular political point
Distorting the Bible to fit agenda
Reference to Lot’s wife/pillar of salt
Sharing Food
House church
Baptism (referred to)
Sharing Bible – reading God’s word in community
Singing hymns
Saying Lord’s prayer
Proclaiming Jesus as head of their church
Parish head being beaten and imprisoned – martyrdom
Naming apostles
Belief statement vs trying to prove Christianity through recitation of facts
Faith as wholehearted acceptance
Singing praise songs
Choir in robes
Hands raised in worship
Bible reading
Questioning the Bible
Tearing apart the Bible
Importance of faith
Our discussion question was what are people learning from these different rituals within the Christian context and are they good or bad or both? Overall our group discussed the importance of learning the different rituals in our context. It helps connect us to our past and history, it’s a comfortable starting point for familiarity, and it can push us to dig deeper.
On the other hand our group also commented on how sometimes in being too comfortable we lose sight of the meaning behind the rituals. Some of our congregation members really have no idea why we do some of the things we do. Although as Mary talked about in the video this week, there is a fine line in trying to define everything we do and putting a reason behind it, at times it is good to define why we do things. This could help others become closer to God through their understanding of rituals.
Overall our group thought the important educational goal of rituals overall was to hold on to the rituals and at the same time to bring some understanding to why they are important. On an individual level and communal level in our churches. Also to be honest with the grey and messy areas of our understanding of both rituals and of God and faith. And lastly, to be able to connect the information in our head to what is in our heart, so it becomes more than a ritual out of habit, but a ritual out of knowing and understanding.
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19 November 2009 at 5:21 pm
Hello Group Three,
I wanted to connect to your reminder of what Mary said about the fine line in trying to define or clarify why we do things a certain way and the reason behind it. I agree it could help others become closer to God through their understanding of the rituals. However, it is the ritual which actually bring someone closer to God. God can work in our rituals without us clearing understanding . Communion is a great example of this and points to the discussion of children partaking in communion if they don’t fully understand communion. Can learning about why we do something help in making the experience deeper? Certainly, but I don’t think it is always necessary. I think too often we think we need to school people when in fact, they will get it once they experience it. I have been part of outdoor ministry and youth ministry for a number of years, and for me there is nothing more distracting when the leader explains what I am going to do, why we are going to do it, and what I am going to learn from it in a worship setting. I feel keeping it simple and allowing God to work is best. Definitely provide opportunities for education, but consider the setting and the necessity of it while partaking in something ritualistic and spirit filled.
Thanks for the great post.
Rebecca
19 November 2009 at 5:29 pm
JBixby001 says...
I am interested in this idea that the first goal you stated for ritual was to hold on to ritual. Self-perpetuation and preservation at its best! But I really think we need to ask ourselves questions about our rituals from the standpoint that they are only means to an end, and that this end is Christ. Taking the History Channel clip as an example, we ritualized the birthplace and narrative of Jesus’ birth to draw out a deeper meaning. If scholarship reveals a new development that enriches our understanding of who he was, I think that instead of embracing it we would turn and run! Ritual’s perpetuation does not seem to me to be a prerequisite for religious survival or understanding. Our rituals have changed vastly over the centuries since Jesus’ death. And the coming of Christ modified even more religious rituals. Postmodernity will doubtless require us to modify many of our symbolic rituals, and will force us to accept that they are cultural, not universal. I know that many people will see this as a “slippery slope” issue, but I really think this is limiting our total faith in God as a rock that is our true foundation.
Just looking at your list I can already see how many rituals are in flux, and how many new ones are being written. I think that it’s our job to be ever critical, just the way your group was, in discerning and developing our notion of what ritual is, and what rituals mean.
19 November 2009 at 6:46 pm
Frieda says...
I tend to define ritual more narrowly than you do but I can see your point and even reminders of rituals in the clips. In the historical clip, I think what is indirectly being criticized in questioning the dating of Jesus’ birth is the celebration of Christmas, which is certainly a major Christian ritual. In the West Wing clip, I see overtones of the ritual of confirmation in the President’s questioning of the asylum seeker’s faith. The Simpson’s clip has the church service having the atmosphere of watching a movie or football game, which are other entertainment rituals.
19 November 2009 at 10:48 pm
Thank you for outlining some of the rituals that can be found in the clips from this week. I think that it is important to understand why rituals are important and reflect upon the significance that they hold not only in our education and learning process but in our daily lives. I think about many congregation’s in today’s society that hold to many rituals, yet most of those within the congregation may not understand the signficicance behind the rituals.
In times where our culture and world is rapidly changing it can be important to hold tight to those rituals so that there is familarity in the church, but should the rituals be in place so firmly that they do not change or adapt as needed? Should we make a move “back to basics” to help congregations understand the meaning behind rituals. Will this place added emphasis on keeping the rituals that are in place or will it help congregations to critically evaluate the current rituals and think about whether or not some need to remain in place?
20 November 2009 at 12:26 am
As a Lutheran, I appreciate the God-present-and-at-work nature of rituals, particularly in Word and sacrament. But as a practical prairie boy, I have never felt any affinity to participating in rituals for their own sake (and here I resonate to some extent with JBixby). The past three years I have approached blind ritual from the perspective that they should either be 1) eliminated, or 2) (preferably) had their meaning revealed. In concrete steps, then, perhaps the goodness of the ritually embodied Loved and Chosen example from last week may find itself at some point in a ripe “teaching moment” that connects it explicitly to God’s loving and choosing — best if the teaching moment moves through the kids as an open question rather than unidirectional explanation. And this week, the rituals listed above could form fantastic fodder for further fashioning of the people in discussion in the round. Finally, though, I’ve changed my mind most about ritual because of the way it has shaped me: my 7-year-old daughter has begun to teach me the importance of ritual. When she isn’t identifying and repeating mine, she is inventing her own. What a gift!
20 November 2009 at 1:00 pm
I thought I’d talk about something that came up in our group’s discussion that was relevant here. When we looked at the American Idol clip with the contestants singing “Shout To The Lord” many in my group commented on its authenticity — more of a show than geniuine. This made me wonder does that matter?
I’ve kind of changed my mind recently on rituals. I never thought that a ritual could open someone’s heart by doing it, reguardless of whether or not you were going through the motions.
I think there is more going on then just the performance. While there are issues with how it was done, the spirit is there. Rituals help get through the walls we setup for ourselves. After my experience with memorizing the sermon on the mount I’ve noticed that I got something out of just doing it.
I’ve been wondering if the performers and the audience and now the internet viewers did indeed get something out of the comerical performance, even if some can’t see it themselves.