Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Christ Plays in Creation: Exploring the Neighborhood of Creation
Peterson begins this section of his book about Creation with the idea that humans are so acutely aware of the wonder of everything around us. We are curious beings...this is so true especially of children. But somewhere along the way "we are reduced to a life of routine through which we sleepwalk." I know this to be true in my own life, as sometimes I feel as if I'm on "auto-pilot," like when I drive home from work and can't remember taking the turns and exits to get there. I'm thankful, though, that God does jar us awake from time to time and I am again catching my breath seeing his sunsets or moved to tears by his goodness. The only appropriate response to life is gratitude and wonder. In our churches, how do we create a space where people can be wide-eyed, astonished and thankful in their worship?
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Hey all. First, the reading divisions are helpful to get it done and focus in the process.
Next, I was torn over Peterson's sense of wonder at creation. I don't know about you, but gratitude and wonder feel a little lacking in my world - both in my life and in the lives of my congregation. I actually feel like there is more of a focus on the lack - and wanting more. The American Christian church doesn't seem a whole lot different from the consumer-oriented society in which we live.
I see Peterson saying that we are called to engage that culture with the wonder of God, but is that wonder there in us to begin with?
I grew up in a family where such wonder was really encouraged--even though it was a very conservative Baptist family, my DAd, especially, just exulted in the beauty of the natural world and pointed it out--with appropriate and unforced God-references--all the time. My most SAbbath-like moments are when I am working in my garden or sitting there just soaking in sun and listening to the birds--I saw a cardinal today, something pretty rare in South Texas.
A place that helped me get in touch with wonder was Ouray, Colorado. We lived there for 8 years -- the elevation on Main Street is 7700 feet, and the town sits in a bowl surrounded by mountains that rise to 10,000 feet and higher. Ouray is spectacularly beautiful. Tourists frequently asked us "locals" whether we ever got used to the beauty or took it for granted. My answer to that was always an emphatic "no," and every other "local" felt the same way. In fact, noticing the beauty and sharing it with others were a way of life in Ouray. On the evenings when the sun and clouds produced a light show called "alpenglow," we and our neighbors would break away from doing the dishes, or reading a book, or watching the news to stand in the street, transfixed.
Of course, we knew that beautiful natural world was also dangerous. Tourists could afford to be naive -- though a few of them died because of it. We had a mountain rescue team that did a pretty brisk business finding people from Dallas and Chicago who didn't take the mountains or the weather as seriously as they deserved to be taken. But the locals knew all that beauty could kill us if it wanted to.
In general, people in Ouray weren't better disciples than people anywhere else. But perhaps they had an above-average capacity for wonder. Even so, a lot of them channeled their wonder in gnostic directions. My sense was that many did not want God to be as other, or as awesome, or as uncontrollable as the mountains and the weather.
Who does? Well, I do, at least most of the time. And it seems like the 6 of you do, too. But what about the folks who show up at our churches on Sunday mornings? And how do we make room for wonder in worship?
A couple of thoughts that came to me:
Socrates says in the Theaetetus "...for wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder."
And Billy Collins talks about how hard wonder is for American students in his poem "Introduction to Poetry"
Best, Marty
laurel and esther both ask how we help foster a sense of wonder in worship (and if we don't wonder and marvel in worship, when or how or where will we ever!). that question really interests me, too.
i think one of probably many possible ideas is this: we need to make more space for silence in our worship services.
also, i'm awed when i hear people respond out loud through a song or gesture or yes, even an old fashioned "testimony" during worship. i love the spontaneous overflow, when someone, moved by the Holy Spirit, must stand up and give witness to the powerful ways God has moved in their life. that was one great thing about serving such a small congregation, we had a time called "SALT" (stands for Sharing All Life Together", kind of cheesy, yes, but--I didn't make it up, it predated me, hee hee!) anyway, it was so powerful to hear people's responses to the Psalms we had just read or sung or to hear someone tell about God's goodness and presence in their lives because they just couldn't keep quiet about it!
one regular way i felt wonder was during the weekly prayer hour (we did wednesdays at noon so retirees, stay at homers as well as working people could all come). it was always a small group, 4-9 people or so, and there was some very intimate and powerful praying and sharing that happened there.
when we celebrate and administer the sacraments it's also a great and tangible time to foster the sense of wonder.
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