Practicing friendship
There is a wonderful, yet simple joy in greeting another person.
Greetings may take the form of the amorous kiss of two lovers, or a cheerful "Good morning" beween friends and family members, a simple nod of passing strangers, or the formalized expressions of a ritualized public:
"The Lord be with you."
"And also with you."
"Let us pray."
Each form of expression is a way not only of acknowledging the other's existence, but also of creating space for further interpersonal encounters.
I love the few minutes at the conclusion of a worship service when I as a pastor take the liberty to walk through the nave, to greet people still seated or just leaving their warm pews. It is a moment of heightened anticipation. The people have shared the space together for an hour or more, sung, chanted, recited, listened, watched, and otherwise participated in the corporate mystery of faith. They have been blessed (Benediction) and sent forth. So I love to greet people at that moment of release.
Actually, I am an introvert (INFJ more or less), which means that I'm pretty happy to be left alone to gaze at my own navel, to play in the mud, explore the universe inside of flowers and browse books (digital or paper). But I'm also reminded of Martin Buber's wonderful musing about the end of his life. As much as he loved books, he pointd out in his little book, Meetings, that it would probably not be holding a book in his hands when he dies, but the hand of another person. He needed to be in relationship with others. I recognize that I need to be in relationship with others. I believe that everyone has a deep yearning for meaningful relationship, to be greeted, to be recognized and acknowledged and loved, and to have space for ongoing interpersonal adventures. For there is a universe in each friendship ready to be explored.
The weekly gathering of Christian worship is a renewal of the divine-human encounter, through formal greetings that all can share in together, to the singing and gestures that imprint individual bodies with the patterns of Christ's body. And we see the efficacy of this gathering when those bodies are turned loose from the formal gathering to share the peace and love of Christ with others. Ritual, according to Michael Aune, is operationally effective when it actually makes a difference.
As such, regardless of whatever else may be going on, the worship gathering is a great way to practice the rituals and disciplines of friendship.
Greetings may take the form of the amorous kiss of two lovers, or a cheerful "Good morning" beween friends and family members, a simple nod of passing strangers, or the formalized expressions of a ritualized public:
"The Lord be with you."
"And also with you."
"Let us pray."
Each form of expression is a way not only of acknowledging the other's existence, but also of creating space for further interpersonal encounters.
I love the few minutes at the conclusion of a worship service when I as a pastor take the liberty to walk through the nave, to greet people still seated or just leaving their warm pews. It is a moment of heightened anticipation. The people have shared the space together for an hour or more, sung, chanted, recited, listened, watched, and otherwise participated in the corporate mystery of faith. They have been blessed (Benediction) and sent forth. So I love to greet people at that moment of release.
Actually, I am an introvert (INFJ more or less), which means that I'm pretty happy to be left alone to gaze at my own navel, to play in the mud, explore the universe inside of flowers and browse books (digital or paper). But I'm also reminded of Martin Buber's wonderful musing about the end of his life. As much as he loved books, he pointd out in his little book, Meetings, that it would probably not be holding a book in his hands when he dies, but the hand of another person. He needed to be in relationship with others. I recognize that I need to be in relationship with others. I believe that everyone has a deep yearning for meaningful relationship, to be greeted, to be recognized and acknowledged and loved, and to have space for ongoing interpersonal adventures. For there is a universe in each friendship ready to be explored.
The weekly gathering of Christian worship is a renewal of the divine-human encounter, through formal greetings that all can share in together, to the singing and gestures that imprint individual bodies with the patterns of Christ's body. And we see the efficacy of this gathering when those bodies are turned loose from the formal gathering to share the peace and love of Christ with others. Ritual, according to Michael Aune, is operationally effective when it actually makes a difference.
As such, regardless of whatever else may be going on, the worship gathering is a great way to practice the rituals and disciplines of friendship.
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