| Calvary Episcopal Church, Rockdale |
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| THE 19TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 25 September, 2005 The Rev. Robert C. Granfeldt |
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Last Sunday, I stepped down from this pulpit with the assumption that I was going to speak
to you some more about the cross. Today I step into it with an apology and the first of a two-
part sermon I didn’t expect to be preaching. First the apology.
Over the past four years, or so, I have often mention the style of our worship – the things
that we do. I have spoken at various times about changes in our worship. Changes in our
Books, for instance and particularly the adoption of our present version of the Book of
Common Prayer; and I have spoken about some of the changes in the Ways in which we do
things – some of those changes related directly to the changes in the Book, but other
changes that are directly reflective of new understandings of worship and still others that
are recoveries of older ways and older understandings. I’ve talked about what our worship
is about, what it is supposed to express, its meaning. I’ve talked about the theology that
our worship embodies, and how it has changed over the years, and I have spoken of how
both our theology and the worship reflecting it underwent some profound but unfortunate
changes during the period we call “the Middle Ages,” particularly the “Dark Ages”. And I
have asked – without insisting or requiring – that you adapt your worship practices to
reflect these recovered and/or new understandings.
But something that someone said a few days ago made me realize that I have neglected an
element of worship that I should have spoken to you – and even stressed – long before
this. And for that omission, I apologize!
This morning, I intend to Begin to redress that omission!
I Have told you that the essence of our worship practices and our liturgy is drama. Not a
“play” as you might see on Broadway – but the dramatic enactment and re-enactment of the
story of life – which is what all real drama is!
In fact, the drama which has become the Liturgy, is virtually as old as drama, itself. If you
think about it, you will have no trouble, I’m certain, envisioning our most primitive
ancestors – in a time when language had newly been born, and what we call, “community,”
was just emerging – “inventing” drama, as “Og the caveman chief,” with his men, having
returned from the hunt – the clan gathered around the fire after stuffing themselves with
the game that had been brought in – got up and re-enacted the hunt, itself, complete with
all of the “dramatics” and heroism of the kill – much to the delight and awe of the people!
But in a world that was far, far beyond the understanding of those primitive ancestors, it is
also a certainty that some “notion” of an unseen, greater Power would soon emerge as
being responsible for much that was beyond our ancestor’s ken powers that would become
“the gods” – and powers that would need to be both placated and praised. And it is
certainly just a short step from the birth of that notion to its inclusion in the telling of the
heroic tales of the hunt. If the hunt went well, it was because the powers had “blessed” the
hunters or the clan. If the hunt had Not gone well, it was because the “powers” were not
happy with the people! SO as time went on, it is to be assumed, acknowledging and giving
thanks to the powers when things went right; seeking to know ‘why’ when things went
wrong would become part of the tale.
And though we can’t know anything about the details of life in those prehistoric days, we
can safely assume –almost to a certainty – that it was those campfire activities that evolved
first into outright sacred drama, and then, ultimately, diverging into drama, on the one
hand, and liturgy, on the other – but with the two forever linked!
Our Liturgy, our worship, is Sacred Drama. That is its nature. This, I have said to you,
before, but I have failed to draw out some of the implications of that fact.
One of the implications is that our liturgy connects us with one of humankind’s oldest and
most basic activities. And by that I don’t mean Just Og and his men at the campfire. I mean
all the ways that we, as human beings, connect with our past, examine our present and
anticipate our future; all the ways we cast past, present and future in the larger context of
meaning and purpose; all the ways we give shape to our fears and our hopes, as
individuals and as a people; and all the ways we pass our heritage and our knowledge on
to our heirs, our children, by music, literature, dance, graphic arts; and even the things we
do so naturally, as children, learning by emulating the adult lives we see around us in
everything from playing with dolls to playing house, to playing cowboys and Indians, and all
the way to the courting and mating rituals we begin rehearsing in Middle School.
We see the dramas that connect us with our past and that build community in our football
halftime shows, in our celebratory parades, in our clubs and fraternal organizations, and
the silly costumes we wear as Elks or Masons or Knights of Columbus.
Young or old, educated or un- , rich or poor, sophisticated or simple – drama is a Vital part
of our life, forming us, directing us, teaching us, correcting us, leading us, comforting us.
In simple form it might be a family gathered around a table, lighting candles and singing,
“happy Birthday”.
In complex form it might be Lawrence Olivier playing the Prince of Denmark!
But simple or complex, the dramas of our lives engage us all, engage us deeply and
engage us fully, touching and reaching us in every aspect of our experience, our lives, our
bodies.
Think about those dramas that mark our lives, and How we enact them!
Think of the clothing we wear – from silly hats at birthday parties and New Years Eve, to the
Knights of Columbus and their swords and feathered hats, to the Masons and their aprons,
to the bride and groom in all their finery. Think of the music we sing or play or dance to on
those occasions, from the Happy Birthday “ditty”, to “here comes the Bride” (which, thank
god, we don’t use in our Church), to “Auld Lang Syne.”
Think of the speeches, the readings, the proclamations.
Our lives are Full of dramas, large and small – on television, in our schools, in our clubs
and fraternal organization – that involve us fully!- in our hearts our minds, our bodies and
our voices! They help us to become who we are, to stay who we are, and to pass on who we
are!
And of all the dramas that frame and shape our life, the greatest of all is the liturgy!
The great drama of life and of salvation! Invoked and enacted every week, right here. A
glorious activity, a glorious experience! Unfortunately – and this is where we’re headed;
this is what all that has gone before is about – we tend to make two mistakes in our
approach to this greatest of all dramas.
First, we tend to think of worship as individual; as about ourselves, who happen to be in a
roomful of other “selves.” But the drama of worship is by it’s nature a “corporate” act, just
like all the other dramas of life! – it Can’t be Done alone! In fact, if a priest begins a
scheduled Mass, and there is no one else there by the time he reaches the Offertory, he
Must skip to the Lord’s Prayer, and close with blessing; there can be no “worship, no
Liturgy! Worship is never about “Me!” It’s about Us – The people of God! It’s never My
worship, but Our worship! It’s about Our story, and Our salvation, and Our birth and Our
growth and Our life and Our death in, and of, the people of God; in and of the Christ!
Second, we tend to think of worship as being primarily – almost exclusively, in fact -- about
the words! The prayers, the lessons, the sermon. But if that were so, how could we account
for all the centuries of the Church’s life when the liturgy was in Latin, and the only person
who understood it was the Priest! The words are important, but no more important than
other elements of our worship!
The liturgy, like All drama, is intended to involve All of who and what we are! Our mind, yes,
and our understanding, in words. But our imagination, as well. Our ears, our sense of
touch, our sight and sense of smell; our tongues in word and song. Worship is in the sight
of the colors and figures of the windows around us. It’s in the words that are said and read
and sung to us; it’s in the smell of the candles, burning, of incense (where it’s used), of
flowers, and of wine; the taste of bread and wine; it’s in the touch of that bread, and the
touch of hand to hand, arm to arm, lips to lips, from welcoming one another at arrival, to the
passing of the peace, to departing with a hug; it’s in the positions we use – the standing,
the sitting and, yes, the kneeling, as and when appropriate; it’s in the sound of the bells
and of the organ, and, indeed, of whatever instruments are used!
All of these sensations, all of these experiences are part of worship – and not just
Incidental to our worship but Central to it and Vital!
If you’d like to know more of what worship is and has always been about, you need look no
further than your own Bible, where you can read about All of these things in the worship of
our forebears and our brothers and sisters, the Hebrews and the Jews- who celebrated
and praised and worshipped the Lord with every part of their being – with their hearts and
minds and voices, in proclamation and music and dance; and with all their senses and all
that they are!
Worship, when it’s done right, when it’s entered into right, when it’s experienced right,
engages, fulfills, excites, inspires, feeds, fills and strengthens us. And most of all, it Grows
us!
And it’s what we’re called to do – it is Our work. And it’s all done for Jesus Christ’s Sake –
and for our own!
Amen.
to you some more about the cross. Today I step into it with an apology and the first of a two-
part sermon I didn’t expect to be preaching. First the apology.
Over the past four years, or so, I have often mention the style of our worship – the things
that we do. I have spoken at various times about changes in our worship. Changes in our
Books, for instance and particularly the adoption of our present version of the Book of
Common Prayer; and I have spoken about some of the changes in the Ways in which we do
things – some of those changes related directly to the changes in the Book, but other
changes that are directly reflective of new understandings of worship and still others that
are recoveries of older ways and older understandings. I’ve talked about what our worship
is about, what it is supposed to express, its meaning. I’ve talked about the theology that
our worship embodies, and how it has changed over the years, and I have spoken of how
both our theology and the worship reflecting it underwent some profound but unfortunate
changes during the period we call “the Middle Ages,” particularly the “Dark Ages”. And I
have asked – without insisting or requiring – that you adapt your worship practices to
reflect these recovered and/or new understandings.
But something that someone said a few days ago made me realize that I have neglected an
element of worship that I should have spoken to you – and even stressed – long before
this. And for that omission, I apologize!
This morning, I intend to Begin to redress that omission!
I Have told you that the essence of our worship practices and our liturgy is drama. Not a
“play” as you might see on Broadway – but the dramatic enactment and re-enactment of the
story of life – which is what all real drama is!
In fact, the drama which has become the Liturgy, is virtually as old as drama, itself. If you
think about it, you will have no trouble, I’m certain, envisioning our most primitive
ancestors – in a time when language had newly been born, and what we call, “community,”
was just emerging – “inventing” drama, as “Og the caveman chief,” with his men, having
returned from the hunt – the clan gathered around the fire after stuffing themselves with
the game that had been brought in – got up and re-enacted the hunt, itself, complete with
all of the “dramatics” and heroism of the kill – much to the delight and awe of the people!
But in a world that was far, far beyond the understanding of those primitive ancestors, it is
also a certainty that some “notion” of an unseen, greater Power would soon emerge as
being responsible for much that was beyond our ancestor’s ken powers that would become
“the gods” – and powers that would need to be both placated and praised. And it is
certainly just a short step from the birth of that notion to its inclusion in the telling of the
heroic tales of the hunt. If the hunt went well, it was because the powers had “blessed” the
hunters or the clan. If the hunt had Not gone well, it was because the “powers” were not
happy with the people! SO as time went on, it is to be assumed, acknowledging and giving
thanks to the powers when things went right; seeking to know ‘why’ when things went
wrong would become part of the tale.
And though we can’t know anything about the details of life in those prehistoric days, we
can safely assume –almost to a certainty – that it was those campfire activities that evolved
first into outright sacred drama, and then, ultimately, diverging into drama, on the one
hand, and liturgy, on the other – but with the two forever linked!
Our Liturgy, our worship, is Sacred Drama. That is its nature. This, I have said to you,
before, but I have failed to draw out some of the implications of that fact.
One of the implications is that our liturgy connects us with one of humankind’s oldest and
most basic activities. And by that I don’t mean Just Og and his men at the campfire. I mean
all the ways that we, as human beings, connect with our past, examine our present and
anticipate our future; all the ways we cast past, present and future in the larger context of
meaning and purpose; all the ways we give shape to our fears and our hopes, as
individuals and as a people; and all the ways we pass our heritage and our knowledge on
to our heirs, our children, by music, literature, dance, graphic arts; and even the things we
do so naturally, as children, learning by emulating the adult lives we see around us in
everything from playing with dolls to playing house, to playing cowboys and Indians, and all
the way to the courting and mating rituals we begin rehearsing in Middle School.
We see the dramas that connect us with our past and that build community in our football
halftime shows, in our celebratory parades, in our clubs and fraternal organizations, and
the silly costumes we wear as Elks or Masons or Knights of Columbus.
Young or old, educated or un- , rich or poor, sophisticated or simple – drama is a Vital part
of our life, forming us, directing us, teaching us, correcting us, leading us, comforting us.
In simple form it might be a family gathered around a table, lighting candles and singing,
“happy Birthday”.
In complex form it might be Lawrence Olivier playing the Prince of Denmark!
But simple or complex, the dramas of our lives engage us all, engage us deeply and
engage us fully, touching and reaching us in every aspect of our experience, our lives, our
bodies.
Think about those dramas that mark our lives, and How we enact them!
Think of the clothing we wear – from silly hats at birthday parties and New Years Eve, to the
Knights of Columbus and their swords and feathered hats, to the Masons and their aprons,
to the bride and groom in all their finery. Think of the music we sing or play or dance to on
those occasions, from the Happy Birthday “ditty”, to “here comes the Bride” (which, thank
god, we don’t use in our Church), to “Auld Lang Syne.”
Think of the speeches, the readings, the proclamations.
Our lives are Full of dramas, large and small – on television, in our schools, in our clubs
and fraternal organization – that involve us fully!- in our hearts our minds, our bodies and
our voices! They help us to become who we are, to stay who we are, and to pass on who we
are!
And of all the dramas that frame and shape our life, the greatest of all is the liturgy!
The great drama of life and of salvation! Invoked and enacted every week, right here. A
glorious activity, a glorious experience! Unfortunately – and this is where we’re headed;
this is what all that has gone before is about – we tend to make two mistakes in our
approach to this greatest of all dramas.
First, we tend to think of worship as individual; as about ourselves, who happen to be in a
roomful of other “selves.” But the drama of worship is by it’s nature a “corporate” act, just
like all the other dramas of life! – it Can’t be Done alone! In fact, if a priest begins a
scheduled Mass, and there is no one else there by the time he reaches the Offertory, he
Must skip to the Lord’s Prayer, and close with blessing; there can be no “worship, no
Liturgy! Worship is never about “Me!” It’s about Us – The people of God! It’s never My
worship, but Our worship! It’s about Our story, and Our salvation, and Our birth and Our
growth and Our life and Our death in, and of, the people of God; in and of the Christ!
Second, we tend to think of worship as being primarily – almost exclusively, in fact -- about
the words! The prayers, the lessons, the sermon. But if that were so, how could we account
for all the centuries of the Church’s life when the liturgy was in Latin, and the only person
who understood it was the Priest! The words are important, but no more important than
other elements of our worship!
The liturgy, like All drama, is intended to involve All of who and what we are! Our mind, yes,
and our understanding, in words. But our imagination, as well. Our ears, our sense of
touch, our sight and sense of smell; our tongues in word and song. Worship is in the sight
of the colors and figures of the windows around us. It’s in the words that are said and read
and sung to us; it’s in the smell of the candles, burning, of incense (where it’s used), of
flowers, and of wine; the taste of bread and wine; it’s in the touch of that bread, and the
touch of hand to hand, arm to arm, lips to lips, from welcoming one another at arrival, to the
passing of the peace, to departing with a hug; it’s in the positions we use – the standing,
the sitting and, yes, the kneeling, as and when appropriate; it’s in the sound of the bells
and of the organ, and, indeed, of whatever instruments are used!
All of these sensations, all of these experiences are part of worship – and not just
Incidental to our worship but Central to it and Vital!
If you’d like to know more of what worship is and has always been about, you need look no
further than your own Bible, where you can read about All of these things in the worship of
our forebears and our brothers and sisters, the Hebrews and the Jews- who celebrated
and praised and worshipped the Lord with every part of their being – with their hearts and
minds and voices, in proclamation and music and dance; and with all their senses and all
that they are!
Worship, when it’s done right, when it’s entered into right, when it’s experienced right,
engages, fulfills, excites, inspires, feeds, fills and strengthens us. And most of all, it Grows
us!
And it’s what we’re called to do – it is Our work. And it’s all done for Jesus Christ’s Sake –
and for our own!
Amen.
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