Acts of worship (I’m specifically speaking now of worship through sacramental expression) are most fully about reclaiming memory.
When we remember, we connect, we pray, we offer, we delight, we repent, we appreciate, we hope, we help.
We all suffer from an amnesia, or loss of memory, that keeps us distant from our original Relational Center, and that ultimately destroys our right-relatedness to the rest of creation – both animate and inanimate. The term “anamnesis” is a term that speaks of an intense experience of memory that virtually places us as an actor within the story once again. We long for such an experience as this when it comes to our origin story. As Madeleine L’ Engel said, “I can’t wait until I remember how to walk on water.” Worship hearkens back to that state of affairs, and moves us in a circular destiny toward our original meaning.
When we worship, we remember who we are, our context in this vast universe, and our responsibilities born of our stewardship vocation before God. When we worship, we delight in the correct center of universal reality – an eternal Person.
To create these liminal spaces, these threshold venues of connection again to our gifted past as we connect to the One who tethers us to that past, is the role of the one who purposes to lead others into worship.
We are MemoryBearers, ThresholdCrafters, EdenReminders – when we lead worship.
5 Comments
it seems to me that what you right is a very important idea. it reminded me of brueggemann’s thoughts about testimony, and the importance of keeping alive the “burning bush” as a mediated experience for those who were not there. for us, of course, it is the christ event, and one wonders what would happen if the testimony/memory-bearing would somehow be silenced by neglect.
Good word, Mark. The Christ event is what is celebrated, and re-celebrated, in the best of sacramental practice and theology.
To neglect a memory is to forget; to refresh memory is to reclaim an event’s importance, to acknowledge its implications in the present, and to re-enter its womb for new birth.
Acts of worship now take their place beside the idea that worship encompasses all of life. The life response to God is neither possible nor viable if we continually forget the purpose of ourselves, forget the dignity of others, forget the values of God and forget the hope of new creation that welcomes us forward.
Memory is often silenced by neglect – but a powerful reenactment can bring it through the soul’s rock and clay to the surface once again. Here is where worship as reenactment enters into the Story.
Thanks for this reminder, Mark.
Dan,
On this idea of remembering, where do you see this concept in scripture? I see a lot of references in the Old Testament to recalling the good works of God. Maybe that is where it comes from. Although, in the New Testament, and much of the call of the apostles seemed to be more about what was to come (the second coming). Yet, the book of Hebrews is highly reflective about the historical Jewish heroes of the faith.
I love the idea you allude with liminal spaces that tether us to the past. It sounds like you saying this entire sacramental system was meant to connect people over time- a church community that lives across time and space. Is it about remembering the acts God has done primarily, or the connective engagement with the historic church? Remembering God or man?
This particular topic of the connection across time has captured me for the last few weeks. You have any other reading on remembering that you could recommend?
Kim
Kim,
Great questions. Firstly, the acts of God were the central focus of worship music, festivals, art (think of the ark, and what was inside it), and other worship activities.
For the Jews, even their literature was build around these central ideas.
On the other hand, we see in the Old Testament the Historical books exploring the details of “man’s” history – the motives and acts of the kings, the judges and the people.
The “worship acts” became connections with the acts of God, then, and also with the lessons of history.
One could say that to remember God, one must also study to remember how people have acted historically in response to God’s world. In doing so, we reclaim not only our own relationship with God, but also sit across from ancient voices to hear the lessons they’ve learned.
A quote that is common in more liturgical study is this: “The power of a past event is brought into the present through reenactment.” That is, we remember the “good works of God,” in symbol, story, music, literature, theatre and other forms of reenactment.
Then, we reflect on both heroes and anti-heroes for our own learning and discipleship.
But I believe there is one more level. When we connect simply with people over time, we remember from where we have come – as humans – and our life with God, ourselves, others and creation is seen in a fresh light.
Biblically, I believe that Jewish acts of worship were intended to do the latter as well, hence all the minutiae in the historical books.
In the New Testament, we must continue to affirm that their sense of past and present was strong and deep simply because they were Jews. I.e. This is assumed in the New Testament, and is why the New should never be read or understood without the context of the ancient Jews and the Old Testament.
A deep sense of connection to the past was assumed by the New Testament writers, and yet they were being told by Jesus they were a “new humanity,” a strange people among their people being called out to embody this new “Way” of being human and in covenant with the God Yahweh.
In our Masters, we use Webber’s work (all the ancient future series = the encyclopedia of Christian worship), more of James White, and others such as Jeremy Begbie. Wright’s academic series – The New Testament and the People of God, The Resurrection Of The Son Of God, and others explore the “memory” life of the Jews as well.
I’ll compile a list later and get back to you.
We certainly need to tell and retell the stories of our faith. The Bible is a big book, and it is so easy to focus in one area to the neglect of other areas. What happens from this? We forget. As worship leaders/artisans, we are part of the process of restoring memory to all who enter our “workspace.” We sing about grace and forgiveness, God’s mercy, His mighty acts of the past, His mighty acts of the now, and what he will do in the future. We help in the process of a believer’s entering into the Biblical scene, of being able to experience in some tangible way what God has done. We help in the process of experiencing what the great cloud of witnesses experienced while they were on earth. We help those still here to remember Truth, and when Truth is remembered, He (for He is the incarnation of truth) can be incorporated into every aspect of the believer’s living.
Incoming Links
Leave a Reply