Faith
About this blog
Thinking the Faith, Praying the Faith, Living the Faith is written by the PC(USA) Office of Theology and Worship.
Thinking, praying, and living the faith is at the core of ministry in the Office of Theology and Worship. In the following videos, learn more about what thinking, praying, and living the faith means to the leadership of the Office of Theology and Worship. Discover why it matters and what difference it makes in our lives, work, and worship.
Charles Wiley
Barry Ensign-George
David Gambrell
Christine Hong
Karen Russell
Recent posts
- Our Challenging Way: Faithfulness, Sex, Ordination, and Marriage
- Unity, Confessions, and the Book of Order
- Come and See
- Please and Thank You
- Back to Basics on Ash Wednesday
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Show Them the Door
The next time someone comes to you wanting to learn more about Christ, show them the door.
Wait … that didn't come out quite right. Let me explain.
As a liturgical theologian, I think a lot about pulpits, fonts, and tables – all important symbols and signs of Christ's presence and power in the church. But lately, I've been thinking about the doors of the church. When God calls us to worship we cross over a threshold. When we follow Christ into the world we step out through a portal. These moments of gathering and sending are so ordinary that we pass over them without thinking, but they are of profound significance.
Of course, the Word and Sacraments are also, in a sense, doors. Scripture is the gateway to faith, as faith comes through hearing the Word (Romans 10:17). Baptism is the entrance into the church, as we are incorporated into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). The Lord's Supper is an invitation to come and dine with Christ (Revelation 3:20), as well as an entrée to the great heavenly banquet (Revelation 19:9).
As we approach Holy Week, think about the two "doors" at the heart of the mystery of our faith. On Good Friday, the temple curtain, torn from top to bottom at the moment of Christ's crucifixion, as the tombs of the dead were opened (Matthew 27:51-53, Mark 15:38, and Luke 23:45; see also Hebrews 10:20). And on Easter Sunday, the open door of the empty tomb, a sign of Jesus' resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:2, Mark 16:4, Luke 24:2, and John 20:1).
Considering all these things, I'm increasingly convinced that we need to pay more attention to an oft-neglected element of worship: what we do around the edges of the service, at the doors of the church. Specifically, we need to greet people with more than a handful of paper. How might we better convey Christ's gracious welcome? And we need to send them out into the world with more than a polite handshake. How might we better express Christ's call to discipleship and service?
Perhaps the simple act of arriving for worship ought to be imagined in a more mystical way: as an entrance through that torn curtain, into the very presence of the eternal, living God. Perhaps our departing from worship ought to be more like an exit from the empty tomb, to seek and serve the risen Lord in the world.
Jesus said, "I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture" (John 10:9). Jesus says, "Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking" (Revelation 3:20). So ... the next time someone comes to you wanting to learn more about Christ, show them the door.
May the Lord keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore. (Psalm 121:8)
March 31, 2011
Should there be Boundaries in Ministry?
“Form a perimeter. Nothing gets in or out!” Fans of the popular TV show “24” have heard this Jack Bauer imperative countless times in eight years’ worth of episodes. In the (television) world of anti-terrorism and crime fighting a “perimeter”...- Posted at 5:28 p.m.
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March 29, 2011
Do We Worship the Same God?
This is a question at the heart of a Christian understanding of other faiths. I do not believe this question has a universal answer, but must be dealt with in particular situations. For instance, I think it is clear that...- Posted at 2:52 p.m.
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March 25, 2011
The Revised Common Lectionary
Pictured here is Rembrandt's mother reading a lectionary, a painting by Gerrit Dou (1613-1674), a Dutch artist who studied with Rembrandt. (In this case, the lectionary depicted is a book including the full texts of Scripture for worship, as opposed...- Posted at 3:51 p.m.
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March 22, 2011
The Worship Curmudgeon: Pray for the World, People!
I visit lots of PCUSA churches, and I don’t know how many worship services I’ve attended where there are few, if any, prayers for the world during the intercessory prayers of the people. There may be earnest prayer for those...- Posted at 12:49 p.m.
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