Preparation and sensory worship
I grew up Catholic and attended the Catholic church until midway through graduate school (1993 or thereabouts). I received the sacraments of baptism, first communion, and confirmation which fully initiated me in the church and Catholic faith. My parents are true born-again believers that love the Lord and that have prayed for us kids faithfully. Our lives are monuments to their commitment to us and we are, most importantly, trophies of God’s grace. There are things that I miss about the Catholic church and one of the most significant is the seasons or the church calendar that dominated the liturgies during the year. Specifically Lent and Advent were amazing times for me as I prepared for the culmination of these seasons: Easter and Christmas.
To see the somber purple and scarlet that adorned the sanctuary and the starkness of the tabernacle on Good Friday was a reminder to me of the humiliation, death, and burial of Christ. To hear the chant “This is the night…” during the Easter Vigil (on Saturday night) as the crackling fire burned the palms that we clenched during Palm Sunday celebrations is something I will never forget. As the incense ascended to the ceiling and the water was sprinkled on the congregation (as kids we loved that) all of our senses were engaged as we sought God through worship. We’ve missed the boat as modern-day Baptists in our “low-church” celebrations for God wants all of us was we worship Him corporately. I know that means the heart and spirit, but as my senses were overwhelmed with the instruments used to worship Him at St. Charles Borromeo in Rochester, NY it aided me in fully giving my heart and spirit to Him as well.
I have been prepared for Easter these various years that I have been away from the church, but I often wonder how much more prepared I would be if we practiced these seasons and engaged in these preparatory times as a church body. The little dab of horse radish tucked between the yolk and white of a hard boiled egg on Easter morning would taste a bit sweeter to me I am sure.
Halleluiah! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Halleluiah!
To see the somber purple and scarlet that adorned the sanctuary and the starkness of the tabernacle on Good Friday was a reminder to me of the humiliation, death, and burial of Christ. To hear the chant “This is the night…” during the Easter Vigil (on Saturday night) as the crackling fire burned the palms that we clenched during Palm Sunday celebrations is something I will never forget. As the incense ascended to the ceiling and the water was sprinkled on the congregation (as kids we loved that) all of our senses were engaged as we sought God through worship. We’ve missed the boat as modern-day Baptists in our “low-church” celebrations for God wants all of us was we worship Him corporately. I know that means the heart and spirit, but as my senses were overwhelmed with the instruments used to worship Him at St. Charles Borromeo in Rochester, NY it aided me in fully giving my heart and spirit to Him as well.
I have been prepared for Easter these various years that I have been away from the church, but I often wonder how much more prepared I would be if we practiced these seasons and engaged in these preparatory times as a church body. The little dab of horse radish tucked between the yolk and white of a hard boiled egg on Easter morning would taste a bit sweeter to me I am sure.
Halleluiah! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Halleluiah!
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