Monday, August 07, 2006

A Church Rent Asunder?

This past Sunday our ECOOS was split in two. This is in keeping with the general theme of the past few months. One half of the congregation went to the annual Church Picnic at the river, while the other half stayed downtown. I guess we decided we just could not see eye to eye. So which service wins this week's prize for the best overall service? Both had unusual aspects to consider. The Church Picnic used both a new translation of the Bible and prayers from the New Zealand liturgy. Plus the music of Ginny Moe and her guitar trio (with one backup singer and the children's choir). Then Mary Kat gave the sermon with the children gathered round her; she sat on a small stool as she explained the Transfiguration. The take home message was to look for the shine in the other person's face and to be a reflection of God's love yourself. Communion bread was a whole loaf appropriately torn into pieces. Following the service a pot luck picnic lunch was had by all (and they reveled). Meanwhile for the downtowners, Bobby in his sermon explained auras, halos, and nimbi. I am not sure what I would do if I were to see a nimbus or halo, but after I got my eyes examined, drug levels tested, and saw my shrink, I might be able to settle back into my comfortable post modern skepticism about miracles. Downtowners had to endure singing with piano accompaniment since the organ was D.O.A. Then there was the near collision of the wine and wafer when Al and Delmar tried to occupy the same space simultaneously.
Okay, this week you be the judge. Which service was best? Can a Church thus rent asunder come back together under one roof?

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:35 AM

    Did Charlie use a new translation of the Bible? Or, did he use the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) which is being promoted by the SCLM?

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  2. He did not identify the source. In the text Peter asked to build three shrines at the Transfiguration. Then the translation was "...after he stopped babbling..." I was amused.

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  3. Cato may want to read this Blog. http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4430

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  4. Anonymous12:32 PM

    That article expressed in 10,000 words what I have been saying ever so much more succinctly. The Church was lost 30 years ago. What we are now doing is merely an end game, a tactic meant to delay the ultimate takeover of the Church by the forces of "pagan ignorance" (Landess' phrase). It is a theological and moral guerilla war.

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