I write these words while Wheel of Fortune flickers on TV. I’m not paying attention, but I’m dimly aware of the rituals being acted out on the screen. Spinning the wheel. Applauding on cue. Groaning when someone goes “Bankrupt.” Standing on the right spot on the floor for the final challenge, when exactly the same letters will come up every time.
Meanwhile, Vanna White pretends to turn blank squares turn into letters -- even though everyone knows she’s only there as eye-candy.
The formula is so predictable, it could be hosted by a robot. Maybe it is.
And audiences love it.
Yet people claim to dislike rituals. Typically, they call them “meaningless.” Especially in the religious context.
People say they don’t attend church because the church sings hymns that no longer resemble what they listen to on their ear-buds. And recites prayers and creeds that have not changed in centuries. And celebrates sacraments that associate divine activity with ordinary stuff like bread and wine, oil and water.
In London, though, atheists gather in something uncommonly like congregations. They don’t sing hymns, but they do sing songs of inspiration -- by Stevie Wonder and Queen (according to BBC news). They hear readings and sermons. Instead of praying, they meditate in silence.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
They just don’t call it worship.
Creatures of ritual
In reality, we humans are creatures of ritual. If a ritual doesn’t exist already, we will create one.
The crew who clean our house every week have rituals, although they would call them routines -- a system for making sure all necessary tasks get done, in the right sequence.
Corporations have rituals. They call them procedures manuals.
The first time I attended the local Rotary club, I was amused to see how a secular organization had rituals. They sang the national anthem. And a welcome song for guests. Members shared “Happy/Sad” moments that sounded like the Prayers of the People in some churches.
And the meeting always closed with a Rotary “creed,” its Four-Way Test.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not mocking Rotary. I’ve been a member for more than ten years. I have enormous respect for what Rotary has achieved, especially in its efforts to eradicate polio worldwide.
Rituals bind a community together. Every organization develops rituals. That’s how we learn to get along with each other.
Families have rituals. Integrating two sets of rituals, taken for granted until then, create some of the first tensions in a new marriage.
Of course, not all rituals are healthy. Abuse also has rituals. So does addiction. Which is why, sometimes, when the abuse or addiction stops, the victims feel adrift, abandoned.
I might even argue that we humans are addicted to rituals. When we don’t have them, we don’t know how to behave. We feel uncomfortable in strange situations, because we don’t know what’s coming next, what to expect.
Even people living alone develop rituals. From getting up in the morning to going to bed at night, from brushing teeth to taking pills, we follow familiar routines. When circumstances force us to break those routines, we feel upset, flustered, uneasy.
Little wonder, then, that churches and clubs cling to their rituals. Even if they seem meaningless to outsiders.
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Copyright © 2017 by Jim Taylor. Non-profit use in congregations and study groups, and links from other blogs, welcomed; all other rights reserved.
To comment on this column, write jimt@quixotic.ca
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YOUR TURN
Last week’s column about flying and checklists in general brought a number of past and present pilots out of the woodwork.
Frank Martens wrote, “As a private pilot for a number of years, until I could no longer pass the hearing test, I find myself generally checking the gas gauge in my car as well before starting out as was customary with pre-flight checks. I’ve had some very smooth flights, but a few that were quite bumpy and anxious as well -- but managed to survive them all without scaring my passengers too badly. Learning to fly in this mountainous country of BC can be perilous but the scenery in summer and winter is so magnificent compared to the prairies that this is the place to learn. A friend and I built a home-built ultralight which was flown by just one person – feet on the ground for brakes, mower size motors, pull starts, that made it very exciting. Ultralights seem to have gone by the wayside for some reason. Ours blew up in a storm on the ground and wasn’t worth putting together again.
“Getting your private pilot’s license and renting planes is getting to be very expensive and I don’t notice as many [private planes] in the air as I used to. But, when I do see one, I look up with envy and wish I was there again.”
Likewise, Lauren Burnard: “My husband is a pilot so I, too, am familiar with the pre-takeoff checklist. He always goes around our planes prior to flights wiggling this and moving that. I am reassured by the process because, after all, takeoffs are optional but landings are mandatory.
“After reading your column this week I think I am going to use that theory more often in my life: apply the checklist to my thoughts before I launch something out of my mouth or into some behaviour. ‘Preventative medicine’ for some of those landings.”
David Gilchrist also used to be a pilot. “Someone asked my late wife why, since she hated flying, would she allow me to do so. She thought for a moment and replied with classic humour: ‘It’s cheaper than a psychiatrist and safer than another woman!’”
David went on, “I loved your interpretation of leaving the negative behind. I won’t go into the series of surprising, unexpected events by which I ended up with a plane; but your reference to leaving worries behind is dead on. Yes, the 100% focus does not allow for taking any extra mental baggage with us: and that focus begins with the ‘Walk-around’. Your telling is a beautiful example of the way Jesus used parables. I will take it to heart, and try to remember such a ‘checklist’ in other circumstances of life.”
John Shaffer recalled a memorable flight: “Years ago a friend of mine in Seattle had just learned that his marriage was finished. A member offered to fly me from Anchorage (Alaska) to Seattle in his two-engine plane. The weather along the coast was bad, so he went inland and I got to see the Rocky Mountain Trench and the Fraser River up close and personal. It was a highlight of my life and my friend appreciated my company for three days. And I appreciated the fact that his airplane functioned safely.”
Bob Rollwagen commented, “Now you know why the pilot of your flight to England takes a suitcase into the cockpit; it contains his checklist! Checklists are not about good memory, they are to insure nothing is missed -- and I am glad they use a list. Nothing I do is that critical.
“I try to make lists that impact the future. As you may have noticed, I only look back to see if there is a history that impacts my list of ‘to do’ points. Is this my ego speaking? Not sure how to leave it behind, it might get out of control if left unsupervised.”
Tom Watson resonated to the idea of checklists: “Since achieving octogenarian status, I do consider once in a while a checklist of ‘things I still want to do.’ Or maybe, ‘things I want to keep doing.’ And the thought occurs to me: How long can I keep doing this? Or, put another way, How long should I keep doing this?
“There's another aspect to it, and I'm getting a bit more intentional about this part: Sorting stuff into ‘things to keep’ and ‘things not to keep.’ The latter list is growing. My heirs and assignees will be glad to know that.”
Isabel Gibson wrote of “An older woman I know who has a checklist for leaving her apartment for a few days. One of the items is ‘Water the plant.’ She has not had a plant for 15 years! In this, as in many things in life, maintenance is all.”
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PSALM PARAPHRASES
The lectionary suggests Psalm 118:14-24 for this Easter morning. Perhaps in a movie, many years ago, I saw a child advance fearlessly towards huge oak doors set into solid rock walls. With supreme confidence, the child kicks the doors -- and wonder of wonders, they open.
The miracle, of course, is not the opening but the confidence. The people who experienced Easter – whatever it was that happened -- similarly had the confidence to kick doors open all over the world; they feared nothing and no one any more.
14 Our God is great, God is mighty; Even the powers of death yield to God. God is invincible! God is my strong arm, my protector; God has freed me from fear.
15 Let ancient trees tremble, let governments hang their heads As we shake up the skies with our shout of victory; God is invincible!
17 Once I was a grovelling coward; I cowered from the shadows of the powerful. But now I know that I shall survive; I shall live to honor my hero.
18 I was oppressed; I was humiliated; I suffered; how I suffered! But God did not abandon me; God did not leave me to grovel in the ground.
19 So fling open the doors! Throw open the barriers! Boardrooms and corridors of power, make room! God is with us; we're invincible!
[And I wondered if Jesus might have said something like this as he emerged into the dawn of a new day.]
21 Thank you, thank you, God! Thank you for picking me up out of the mud.
22 You rescued me. Now the one the world has ridiculed has become someone to watch out for.
23 No one but you could have done it; I can hardly believe it myself.
24 Good God, what a day! What a day! Let me revel in it!
For paraphrases of most of the psalms used by the Revised Common Lectionary, you can order my book Everyday Psalms from Wood Lake Publishing, info@woodlake.com.
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TECHNICAL STUFF
If you want to comment on something, send a message directly to me, jimt@quixotic.ca.
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PROMOTION STUFF
To use the links in this section, you’ll have to insert the necessary symbols.
Ralph Milton ’s latest project is called “Sing Hallelujah” -- the world’s first video hymnal. It consists of 100 popular hymns, both new and old, on five DVDs that can be played using a standard DVD player and TV screen, for use in congregations who lack skilled musicians to play piano or organ. More details at wwwDOTsinghallelujahDOTca
Ralph’s HymnSight webpage is still up, http://wwwDOThymnsightDOTca, with a vast gallery of photos you can use to enhance the appearance of the visual images you project for liturgical use (prayers, responses, hymn verses, etc.)
Wayne Irwin's “Churchweb Canada,” an inexpensive service for any congregation wanting to develop a web presence, with free consultation. <http://wwwDOTchurchwebcanadaDOTca>
I recommend Isabel Gibson’s thoughtful and well-written blog, wwwDOTtraditionaliconoclastDOTcom
Alva Wood’s satiric stories about incompetent bureaucrats and prejudiced attitudes in a small town -- not particularly religious, but fun; alvawoodATgmailDOTcom to get onto her mailing list.
Tom Watson writes a weekly blog called “The View from Grandpa Tom’s Balcony” -- ruminations on various subjects, and feedback from Tom’s readers. Write him at tomwatsoATgmailDOTcom or twatsonATsentexDOTnet