WHEN GOD SITS ON HARDWOOD PEWS WITHOUT CUSHIONS

In the beginning, the elohim created the skies and the earth.

Welcome back. Let's think about how we are raised in church.

The church I attend follows what is called the Charleston Baptist model. Numinous churches like it are found on the Southeastern Coast.

Charleston Baptists possess an educated clergy and congregations. They are liturgical in their worship, and they follow the Christian calendar.

Church members comment how different our church is from the "one that brung them."  For instance, one of our members preached this past week about celebrating Epiphany. He said the church he was raised in only celebrated Christmas and Easter.

Amen to that. My home church on Signal Mountain, Tennessee celebrated simplicity in a sanctuary that at first had been carved out of wood.  There were no purples, blues, yellows, or other colorful hues in my home church.  Apparently, God's shekina glory glowed best in brown and white. Wooden pews without cushions, a wooden pulpit without a microphone, wooden walls with painted windows kept worship simple so church members could turn themselves more faithfully to God's presence among them.

After the church burned down from a lightning strike, and it burned rather quickly because of all the wood, a new sanctuary of river rock arose. Purple, blue, and yellow painted windows lined the walls. I recall a pretty dove scene installed inside the baptistery.   

Even with such nice touches, the church still celebrated only Christmas and Easter. Those services were not unlike other services throughout the year except that members glittered in newly gotten clothes.

We never celebrated Epiphany in that church. In fact, I have never celebrated Epiphany in any church, ever. Indeed, I never heard the word until I read The Sacred and Profane by Mercea Eliade in a religion class during my sophomore year.

I still do not know what to think about the Charleston Baptist model. The services at First Baptist contain numerous liturgical responses, prayer recitations, and statements of faith that I botch every Sunday. I begin reading late or I read the wrong thing, but I never quit or get frustrated. I am learning a new way to worship. 

This past year, I observed (watched, literally) Advent. Soon Ash Wednesday will be here. My pastor mentioned that it would be early this year. That means a lot of reflection I never knew before will precede Easter.

What a fascinating way of being a person of faith in the world!  Last night I wrote about how pumpkins signal the cycle of autumn in a year. Now, I can actually experience a special frame of heart so that my calendar is filled with cycles that are new, mystical, and unforeseen. I look forward to assimilating those new cycles into my own spiritual journey.

Blessings...