The Power of Ritual

 

I am coming to appreciate again the human need for ritual, for "an established, proscribed procedure." What captures my attention presently is the variation in definition and practice of ritual, specifically, comparing and contrasting the Baptist rituals of my childhood with those of the Lutheran church I now serve.

Similarities between the two include:

• the inclusion of music throughout the event
• the use of a printed program listing the elements of the service in chronological order
• the presence of one central personality who acts as intermediary with The Divine
• the absence of child-friendly elements in the proceedings
• selective use of Biblical references, all of them filtered and translated by the central personality
• the ethnic and sociocultural homogeneity of those attending the service
• laxity with regard to advertised starting time and when the ritual actually begins

  Differences include:

• Lutherans sing only the words printed in the hymnal; Baptists sing a mixture of printed lyrics and songs that everyone seems to know already, improvising freely with text, melody and harmony in both contexts
• Lutheran liturgy includes brief sung responses throughout; Baptist does not
• Baptist congregations respond audibly to the central personalities commentary and sermon; Lutherans do not
• Instrumental music is a regular backdrop when minister or other lay leaders are speaking in the Baptist church; there is no strictly instrumental music in the services at this Lutheran church

This Friday is "Good Friday" in both traditions. I have no memory of every gathering at the Baptist church for a Good Friday ritual. The Lutherans here will gather for a Tenebrae Service, the
agenda for which arrived by email last night. It looks to be a highly choreographed and beautifully dramatic service:  the serial extinguishing of candles while highlighting the final words of Jesus Christ with scripture reading and song, the whispering of The Lord's Prayer by all gathered at the end of the service....

It occurred to me last night:  wouldn't it be great to forgo the mindless routine rituals of every Sunday and gather only for the "big" days? Come together for rituals commemorating those events that hold profound and lasting significance in the real lives of the community?

My observations in both traditions suggest that the birth and death of Jesus Christ form the bedrock for both traditions. A handful of other events -- feeding the multitudes with fish and loaves; Christ's recruitment of his assistants, the disciples;  the creation story including Adam and Eve's error; Saul/Paul's conversion; and the story of Moses, to name a few -- contain sufficient relevance or import to inspire countless sermons. But, in the main, these stories do not pack the punch of the birth and death stories. There are no pageants or off-day (not on Sunday) services held in observance or celebration of them.

The reiteration of these secondary stories feels like filler to me, as though weekly meetings are mandatory and these stories provide something to talk about as long as you're gathered...

But as I watch lay leaders go through the motions each week -- laying out the printed Order of Service in the vestibule, lighting the candles, changing the hymn numbers on the display board, filling the communion cups -- as I observe almost-meditative placidity on their faces, I realize that there is more going on here for them than for me. I allow that perhaps Sunday is the only time each week that they experience this level of calm purpose; and perhaps, in the midst of busy lives, we need these temporal respites.

That the rest periods come with indoctrination troubles me; but perhaps for religious people the need for rest outweighs all else; like an overworked slave is grateful for moments of inactivity and a sip of water, even while seated in a dusty field beneath a blistering sun with freedom only a dream....