Transmission

Hey, all~

So I’ve heard two requests for things from the Transmission community. First, I heard a request to dig deeper into all this Christianity stuff. We claim that we are a community for people who are not being fed by traditional church and yet we haven’t yet really delved into what it is about modernism and traditional church that leaves us so unfulfilled. It’s high time to start wrestling with some of our major presuppositions and other religious baggage.

Second, I heard a request for more contemplative, emotional worship. We definitely tend to stay inside our heads and it would be really nice to leave some space for prayer, song, and communion with God.

These two needs seem to be somewhat at odds with each other and yet, ironically, I find myself agreeing with both of them. Here’s what I suggest for January:

January 3: The idea of personal diety is central to western and near-eastern religions, and it’s also the idea that is most frequently challenged and attacked. What better time to unpack this than on the tenth day of Christmas? The idea of Christmas, the idea of incarnation, suggests that God is both transcendent and immanent, both redeptive and incarnate, both like us and very unlike us. Is it reasonable to think of God in human terms? Does ascribing thoughts, feelings, and will to God make any sense? Are we making God into our image instead of the other way around? I feel the need for a little Depeche Mode…

January 17: The next Transmission after that is in the season of Epiphany, the season when wise men saw a star in the heavens so arresting that they left their homes to follow it. Epiphany is all about kneeling in awe and worship at the foot of a manger. Let’s use this day to get away from theology and just spend some time worshiping together. We can bust out “Brightest and Best” and “We Three Kings.” We could dig up some praise and worship music or we could dig up some old-fashioned monastic mysticism.

What do you think?

Posted by: Isaac | Tags: musings, ritual