Word, Worship, World and Wonder
I've decided that a potential useful -- to me, anyway -- aspect of this blog will be to record and review books as I come across them either in seminary or as part of my general reading. With this in mind, I'm going to submit my first item for consideration...
Word, Worship, World, and Wonder. Karen Lebacqz (1997). Abingdon. 103 pages.
Part of the required reading for my corporate worship class at Wesley, this slim volume discusses what brings people to church -- or does not, as the case sometimes may be. An ordained UCC minister, Lebacqz is better known for her work in ethics (particularly bioethics and feminist ethics) and writes this more as an educated layperson than a theologian.
Lebacqz identifies four key components to institutional worship that are instrumental in making individual churches thrive as communities and places of worship. The discerning reader might identify these four components as none other than... Word, Worship, World, and Wonder. I will address each very briefly in turn:
* Wonder -- Where has the sense of awe gone in our worship? How is it that praising the Good, the Beautiful, and the True has become so repetitive, so abstract and detached? Lebacqz writes (p. 28), "In Calvinist traditions, we are sometimes so word-oriented that we forget the power of images, of silence, of symbols, of scent, of sound, of taste, of touch." To bring back that sense of wonder, worshp must bring us to kairos, or sacred, non-linear time -- the time when all time takes on meaning a sense of emergence.
* Word -- To different degrees, Protestant denominations emphasize the centrality of preaching the Word as part of corporate worship. This Word -- and the words used to preach -- must be relevent to the needs of the people, must speak honest truths (sometimes even painful ones), must be meaningful and vital
* Worship -- or "Word Incarnate" -- Church is a community, not just an hourly gathering of individuals. Lebacqz writes about worship and liturgy not simply as a retreat from the world -- which it certainly can be -- but also as a way of remembering what meaning we should bring to that mundane world. It is an invitation to metanoia, or change and growth. And for this community to thrive, it must be truly welcoming, and remember the occasion to hospitality, to opening your space to Others -- and to being willing to let those others not merely "visit" but transform your space.
* World -- or "Word Incarnate, Again" -- As people of faith, we are not called out of this world, but into it. People of faith, Lebacqz writes, have pastoral, prophetic, and priestly roles in this world: to truly accompany the afflicted; to speak to the evils of society; and to work towards tranformation.
Lebacqz goes on to discuss the notion of separation from/participation in the world., and whether either is truly possible. She argues for Niebuhr's statement that the church's very existence is in fact political. While the kingdom of God cannot be achieved on earth, either to (a) expect it or (b) abandon it leads to despair. It is still something to be worked toward; humanity alone, without God, may not achieve shalom, but it is still a vision that must be worked toward.
Although Lebacqz begins discussing elements of worship, ultimately the book appears more about insitititional (Christian) identity and worldview. What does it mean to be a Christian outside of our weekly hour at Church, and how can our time in church guide that mission?
The UU factor. This book is written for Christians, and perhaps really for Christians in the Reformed tradition, though she does not actively exclude anyone. Some people position UUism outside of Christianity, and that is not an issue I will address here. Much of what Lebacqz addresses towards Reformed Christians actually might resonate with Unitarian Universalists, in particular the emphasis on the Word -- if not the Bible, than other readings, meditations, and then a thematic sermon and on the prophetic role of the church to speak out against the ills of society and to actively work towards tranformation. This book would likely be of value to UU Christians seeking to revitalize their corporate worship and their work, who have perhaps cast off some traditions but now are in need of something new yet still meaningful. Other UUs, if they are not so terribly offended by references to God or Christ, might still find that some of Lebacqz overall sociological commentary is still valid.
Word, Worship, World, and Wonder. Karen Lebacqz (1997). Abingdon. 103 pages.
Part of the required reading for my corporate worship class at Wesley, this slim volume discusses what brings people to church -- or does not, as the case sometimes may be. An ordained UCC minister, Lebacqz is better known for her work in ethics (particularly bioethics and feminist ethics) and writes this more as an educated layperson than a theologian.
Lebacqz identifies four key components to institutional worship that are instrumental in making individual churches thrive as communities and places of worship. The discerning reader might identify these four components as none other than... Word, Worship, World, and Wonder. I will address each very briefly in turn:
* Wonder -- Where has the sense of awe gone in our worship? How is it that praising the Good, the Beautiful, and the True has become so repetitive, so abstract and detached? Lebacqz writes (p. 28), "In Calvinist traditions, we are sometimes so word-oriented that we forget the power of images, of silence, of symbols, of scent, of sound, of taste, of touch." To bring back that sense of wonder, worshp must bring us to kairos, or sacred, non-linear time -- the time when all time takes on meaning a sense of emergence.
* Word -- To different degrees, Protestant denominations emphasize the centrality of preaching the Word as part of corporate worship. This Word -- and the words used to preach -- must be relevent to the needs of the people, must speak honest truths (sometimes even painful ones), must be meaningful and vital
* Worship -- or "Word Incarnate" -- Church is a community, not just an hourly gathering of individuals. Lebacqz writes about worship and liturgy not simply as a retreat from the world -- which it certainly can be -- but also as a way of remembering what meaning we should bring to that mundane world. It is an invitation to metanoia, or change and growth. And for this community to thrive, it must be truly welcoming, and remember the occasion to hospitality, to opening your space to Others -- and to being willing to let those others not merely "visit" but transform your space.
* World -- or "Word Incarnate, Again" -- As people of faith, we are not called out of this world, but into it. People of faith, Lebacqz writes, have pastoral, prophetic, and priestly roles in this world: to truly accompany the afflicted; to speak to the evils of society; and to work towards tranformation.
Lebacqz goes on to discuss the notion of separation from/participation in the world., and whether either is truly possible. She argues for Niebuhr's statement that the church's very existence is in fact political. While the kingdom of God cannot be achieved on earth, either to (a) expect it or (b) abandon it leads to despair. It is still something to be worked toward; humanity alone, without God, may not achieve shalom, but it is still a vision that must be worked toward.
Although Lebacqz begins discussing elements of worship, ultimately the book appears more about insitititional (Christian) identity and worldview. What does it mean to be a Christian outside of our weekly hour at Church, and how can our time in church guide that mission?
The UU factor. This book is written for Christians, and perhaps really for Christians in the Reformed tradition, though she does not actively exclude anyone. Some people position UUism outside of Christianity, and that is not an issue I will address here. Much of what Lebacqz addresses towards Reformed Christians actually might resonate with Unitarian Universalists, in particular the emphasis on the Word -- if not the Bible, than other readings, meditations, and then a thematic sermon and on the prophetic role of the church to speak out against the ills of society and to actively work towards tranformation. This book would likely be of value to UU Christians seeking to revitalize their corporate worship and their work, who have perhaps cast off some traditions but now are in need of something new yet still meaningful. Other UUs, if they are not so terribly offended by references to God or Christ, might still find that some of Lebacqz overall sociological commentary is still valid.
posted by Peregrinato at 9/05/2003 10:48:00 pm
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