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Church that doesn't suck
Sep. 27th, 2004 08:35 amIt's a shocker, I know. Not all fruity church has to suck or make me want to hurt people. Not all church has to inspire eye rolling and an intellectual critique of bad exegesis.
I went to a Techno Cosmic Mass yesterday evening, put on by Matthew Fox (the author) and his University of Creation Spirituality. The focus/theme was Mary Magdelene. I think what worked so well for me was the blend of free form/open space for meditation and movement (a live DJ spun dance music), structured ritual that prayerful and informative, and it was just enough of what I like about Eastern Orthodox services: congregational involvement in the ritual and all the senses tantalized. There were some odd moments, like the lamentation bit involving lots of groaning and wailing, but over all I was moved - and isn't that one of the things church is supposed to do?
The next one is Oct 26 and the theme is creative chaos.
I waver back and forth about whether or not to abandon Christianity altogether. I suspect most conservative and especially fundamentalist Christians would say I'm not a Christian, but I just can't seem to leave Jesus entirely. The Cosmic Mass reminded me of the good that is in the gospel and in the message of ressurrection, of the deeply personal way that God dwells within all of us, of our capacity to transform ourselves and our world. That's some of what speaks to me.
And as always happens when I decide to stick with Christianity (again), I wonder what this means. Where do I go with it? How does it fit in my world? Where is the community in it, for religions are not meant to be lived in isolation. And as always, I have no ready answers.
I went to a Techno Cosmic Mass yesterday evening, put on by Matthew Fox (the author) and his University of Creation Spirituality. The focus/theme was Mary Magdelene. I think what worked so well for me was the blend of free form/open space for meditation and movement (a live DJ spun dance music), structured ritual that prayerful and informative, and it was just enough of what I like about Eastern Orthodox services: congregational involvement in the ritual and all the senses tantalized. There were some odd moments, like the lamentation bit involving lots of groaning and wailing, but over all I was moved - and isn't that one of the things church is supposed to do?
The next one is Oct 26 and the theme is creative chaos.
I waver back and forth about whether or not to abandon Christianity altogether. I suspect most conservative and especially fundamentalist Christians would say I'm not a Christian, but I just can't seem to leave Jesus entirely. The Cosmic Mass reminded me of the good that is in the gospel and in the message of ressurrection, of the deeply personal way that God dwells within all of us, of our capacity to transform ourselves and our world. That's some of what speaks to me.
And as always happens when I decide to stick with Christianity (again), I wonder what this means. Where do I go with it? How does it fit in my world? Where is the community in it, for religions are not meant to be lived in isolation. And as always, I have no ready answers.