Many different rituals mark the church year. We light candles in worship as we call to mind that Jesus, the Light of the World, is present with us. In baptism, water and God’s presence move aside worries and struggles, connecting us to our true identity as beloved children of God. During communion we’re reminded that Jesus wraps us, as well as people of all times and places, in life-giving love.
Rituals are not dependent on how we feel or what we believe, in any given moment. They hold a power of their own – a power to move us beyond our everyday thoughts and concerns, a power to connect us with greater love and meaning. The liturgy that many of us sing, pray, and enact week after week is one example. Doing the same thing over and over again allows the story of faith to seep into our beings, etching our ancestor’s songs of faith and God’s promises of love into our thirsty hearts.
This message is excerpted from “Rituals and Routines” by Jordan Miller-Stubbendick in the September 2020 Gather magazine.
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