I feel that this title is the best descriptor for what I expect to
learn from seminary. I have been doing the readings for my classes that
begin next week and already I have learned things that I had no idea I
didn't know. I expect most of these revelations to come from my history
classes, but this one came from a book I'm reading for my Christian
Public Worship class. The book is called
Foundations of Christian Worship.
I came across a section entitled "The historical foundations of
Christian worship". One part I found particularly interesting was about
how knowing the history of worship helps to understand the present. Here
is the section that was struck by:
"There have been
many decisions taken about worship in the past that still impinge on
today's worship, and many historical 'accidents' that have become
enshrined in our contemporary common prayer and its environment.
Sometimes later generations, having forgotten the original reason
something was said or done, have offered quite a different
interpretation. One example will suffice. Various explanations are
generally given for the presence in most churches of a fence around the
Communion Table (called either the 'alter rail' or, more properly, the
'Communion rail'). It is said that this barrier was originally designed
to mark out a holy space around the Lord's Table, and to allow
parishioners to kneel reverently while receiving the Communion bread and
wine. But the original purpose goes back to the late Middle Ages, when
churches functioned not only as places for worship, but also as public
meeting places, centers for local commerce and social interaction.
One
significant problem, however, was the presence in churches of dogs, who
found the gathering a profitable place to scavenge for food. Without
suitable barriers, it was likely that the Communion bread would become
dog food, and fences with closely set upright posts were put in place in
response. Gradually, the problem of canine infestation declined, but
the fences remained. As the memory of their original purpose faded,
successive generations of worshipers sought more pious explanations for
the presence of Communion rails, and those explanations have largely
survived to the present day. To suggest that an important feature of our
contemporary church architecture is the result of unwelcome invasions
of medieval dogs may be distressing to some. But without a knowledge of
history we are likely to continue perpetrating sentimental and
inaccurate information. Everything that happens in Christian worship has
a history, and to learn that history not only equips us for intelligent
participation, but also connects us with the faith of our Christian
forbears."
I found this to be absolutely
fascinating. Some things lose their meaning when you know the whole
history, and some gain meaning and significance. For example, when you
know how a magician performs an illusion, the trick looses its ability
to entertain and mystify the audience. However, I don't think that's
what this story has done for me. For me it makes it all more real and
genuine. I am very fickle about tradition. I went to Texas A&M
University, and so tradition runs deep in my heart and there are some
things that you just don't make fun of around me because they are so
incredibly important.
Muster
is one of these things. However, there are also several traditions that
A&M has that I don't particularly care for. The yell "Kyle Field"
is one of these. If you're not an Aggie, don't worry about it, but if
you are, please tell someone that bringing back this yell was a bad
idea, and there's a reason we stopped using it.
In the
church there are an incredible amount of traditions. I have worked in
many churches and over the years I have fought both for and against
certain traditions. One of the things that can frustrate me is when I
ask why something is being done and the response is, "because that's how
we've always done it". That may be true, but if there is no meaning
beyond that, then can we accept that there may exist a better way? For
other traditions there is immense meaning. These are some of the
traditions that I love to fight for. Ones that are right, just and
designed to bring people closer to God. I love that we have alter rails
because hundreds of years ago, we needed a way to keep dogs away from
the bread. To anyone who has ever planed a worship service, this
resonates. I have made more changes and additions to worship for
logistical concerns than for anything else. For example, don't put
candles too low and close to the Communion elements, or the pastor's
robe is likely to catch on fire. This happened last month in the church I
used to work at. Why they make pastoral robes so flammable is beyond my
understanding.
While I love this history, it is also a
reason why I'm not afraid to remove alter rails from a worship space if
they serve no other purpose than the fact that we've always had alter
rails. I love to kneel and pray at the alter, but that's not always a
part of every worship service. To build a new sanctuary and construct
alter rails and pulpits that cannot be moved or removed is a mistake
because it limits your ability to diversify worship to meet the needs of
a specific congregation at a specific time.
I love
alter rails, but I'm also not afraid to have a worship service without
them. At the end of the day, they're dog fences. I pray that you explore
the history of things that matter to you. How was your church started?
How was your denomination started? How was the Bible put together? It
doesn't have to end at religious affairs either, but it has to start
somewhere. Don't settle for "I don't know" and don't let our society
make you ignorant. At least get a wiki-understanding of things. It's not
the best resource but it's a fair start.
You never know what you don't know.
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