Ritual/Relationship
Why I love religion, but also love Jesus.
I’ve been thinking about the nature of Christianity and all of the different faith ‘fads’ there have been in the past few years. Non-denominationalism has been on the rise with everyone seeking the restoration movement of being ‘Christians only’; however, it often leads to people thinking they are the only true Christians.
How profoundly sad.
The big theological steamroller for my generation has been this poem:
Now, I personally don’t disagree with most of Bethke’s thoughts on this topic. I do, however, think there is more to the story. There is more to unpack, more to enjoy.
We’re so quick to reduce the fullness of God into a little nugget of theology or label that we short-change ourselves from the experience of that fullness in all of its creative, life-giving blessings. The result has become churches based on business models rather than reverence, seeking statistics & programs rather than deeper souls. We get people in the doors (even that is a struggle) and then they remain spiritual babies indefinitely.
The Relationship Dynamic.
I think we will all agree that we desire and truly need a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. We believe He wants the same with us. We’re created intimately with purpose and we spend our lives working that out along side our Creator. It’s beautiful.
The part we get stumped on is what that relationship should look like.
My wife and I have been married for almost five years; we have been together for a total of seven. Each of those seven years has been different from the rest, and each one has developed into something new along the way. We have discovered things that work for us on a relational level and we do those things to cultivate intimacy as often as we can. My wife and I have created traditions. We’ve created rituals.
Every relationship is comprised of a number of rituals that two individuals have agreed on and enjoy to cultivate a deeper feeling of closeness. These rituals refresh the relationship and create a space where each person can be honest, heard, and known.
The Return to Religion.
Religion is simply a system of faith & worship. It is a culture. Cultures are identified by their traditions and rituals.
Religion is not rules. It is not fear-based repetition of works to appease a cosmic taskmaster.
Religion developed, with master-craftsmanship, all of the things we need to encounter God in increasingly satisfying & intimate ways. Religion identified the fact that as sensory beings we can benefit from having all of our senses stimulated in worship; hence, we made buildings with certain lighting, stain glass windows, certain acoustics, incense, art, etc. We created music that evokes an emotional response in our hearts. We developed prayers with specific wording that have lasted hundreds of years to maintain a connection to those closest to our Lord in time. We infuse artifacts & images with symbolism to say with one object what one thousand words could not say.
The rituals within religion exist to drive us into further intimacy with God if we will let them.
They are the means to the end, not the end in themselves.
Ritual/Relationship.
In the comments of one of my previous posts on prayer, Geoffrey Watson inspired me to write this when he said:
My big takeaway was that prayer is relationship, not ritual- though ritual can help give form to the relationship.
This applies to all things faith. All things we participate in are about relating to our God. It isn’t about action-based faith but heart-based faith. The heart will lead the body to action, though sometimes the heart needs lead by action. The two must work together. This is the argument from James 2.
If we allow ritual to give form to the relationship we have the potential to see an increase in faith and an increase in closeness.
There is no doubt that much more can be said on this issue and I’m confident many might disagree; however, we cannot ignore 1500+ years of traditions for a ritually bankrupt church experience. Start by implementing the great ancient traditions of Christian spirituality into your own individual spiritual life and see the new love you strike up between you and Jesus.
I only hope I can spark a thought or an idea within you that our faith is much, much bigger than we let it be.
If my writing has inspired you or simply brought you enjoyment, please support me in my pursuit to become a certified spiritual director!
