From the Rector: July 10, 2014
In the
words of a 70’s song, “I feel the earth move under my feet”. No, I’m not talking about falling in love,
like in the song. I’m talking about
cultural change. I grew up in the tumultuous 60’s, and witnessed enormous
cultural shifts – the civil rights movement, women’s liberation, rock-n-roll,
the assassination of our President, the Viet Nam war, sit-ins, race riots, bra
burnings, love-ins, and distrust of “the
establishment”. Now we, the Baby-Boomers, are “the establishment.
We are
challenged now with a vast array of new and different cultural changes
happening at a highly accelerated rate.
This is being pushed, in large part, by technological advances. The task is no longer to acquire information,
but to sort through it and decide what to believe in the mass of “news” stories
and competing “truths”. The way we
connect, communicate, work, play, and rest is mediated by technology in one way
or another. The country is polarized,
with people of differing opinions treating one another as enemies instead of
dialogue partners. There is income disparity, a humanitarian crisis on our
southern border, and proliferation of guns. And through all this, religious
institutions are trying to navigate the waters of change. Some say we’re not doing it very well.
We’ve been experiencing changes in religious affiliation and church
attendance for a few decades now. This
era has been called “post-modern” and “post-Christian”, and has been described
in terms of secularism, pluralism, and now “digital pluralism”[i] This era has been characterized by the rise
of the “Nones”, those who indicate “none” when asked their religious
affiliation. And yet, the human need for connection, meaning, and spiritual
nourishment are still there. It’s just
that fewer people feel like they can fulfill those needs in the institutional
church. We can bewail and bemoan the fact that church isn’t like it used to be.
Or we can find ways to meet people where they are, to share our faith stories,
and to help one another figure out what it means to be a follower of Christ in
a post-modern, post-Christian, secular, pluralistic, polarized,
over-wired-but-under-connected world. We need to find ways to invite people to seek
the sacred, mystical, comforting, healing gospel of Jesus in community with
other seekers.
We at Nativity have a warm, supportive,
open and affirming, delightfully diverse congregation. We can feel the earth
move under our feet too. And we are
prepared to extend holy hospitality to those who are new to faith or refugees
from religion; to those who want to bring their questions and doubts to a place
where they can talk about them; to those who have been beat up, pushed down, or
excluded by their former faith communities; to those who are too exhausted to
get up on Sunday mornings, or are reluctant to walk in the door of a new church
and “try it one more time”.
On August 3 at 5:30pm, a new
service starts at Nativity. We’re going
to try to meet some of those needs and provide a safe place for those who want
to try a new community worship experience.
The service will be casual, relaxed, affirming, and participatory. We will share the scripture, pray together,
and make Eucharist. We will share music in different forms – singing in
community, chant, guitar, recorded music – and invite participants to share
their musical gifts. Jorge Darr will
play guitar and lead music on Aug. 3.
We need everyone’s help to
spread the word and invite people to give it a try. Very soon we will have cards for you to hand
out. And as always, I ask that you pray
for Nativity, for this new worship experience, and for all those whose lives
may be touched.
God’s Peace,
Rita
[i]
Lose, David. “Preaching at the Crossroads: How the world and our preaching is
changing”. Fortress Press. Minneapolis. 2013
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