Heritage

Today in South Africa, we celebrate a holiday known as “Heritage Day”. It’s a special moment for this ‘Rainbow Nation’ to recognise and enjoy our cultural diversity, embracing our difference as an asset, rather than a liability. In order to do this work well, it requires us to look back - to remember where have come from, individually, as separate communities, and together as a nation - in order to look ahead to a new, connected future. It is an opportunity to remember the miracle of this nation, and to allow our shared journey to give us hope for the years ahead.

In the world of today, the idea of having a ‘heritage’ is seldom considered very deeply, and in some cases it’s even thought of as an obstacle to growth, progress or living a full and independent life. As we grow more and more enamoured of youth, and more and more consumed by the newest bright shiny objects, it’s easy to feel that the old ways, the old ideas and the old people who preserve them are just getting in the way. But, we disconnect from our heritage at great expense. When we remember where we come from, when we embrace the wisdom and traditions of the past, when we honour and listen to our elders, we are given the insight, the grounding and the stamina to grow, to embrace the new and to live fully, while avoiding the trap of shallow, short-term expediency. Embracing our heritage is not an obstacle to innovation and life. It is a necessary ingredient.

The same is true of our worship. It’s tempting to throw out old ‘traditions’ as dry and lifeless, and many churches - whether independent, contemporary, charismatic, mainline or emergent - make this mistake. We easily embrace new technologies, new musical genres, new movements and new ideas for growth, while laughing quietly at the elders who resist these innovations. Yet, our worship has become shallow, entertainment-driven and gimmicky - with the result that many frustrated people of faith are leaving the church. We throw out our worship heritage at our own risk.

There are many valuable gifts that we can receive from our Christian heritage in worship. The intimate silences of the contemplatives, the joyful experiences of the Pentecostals, the tried and tested practices of the liturgical churches, the music of the Gospel choirs, the arts and icons of the Catholic and Orthodox churches - all are part of our Christian heritage. The diversity of spiritual experiences and worship practices is a strength, not a weakness. The traditions of these various branches of the Church are all avenues into transforming encounter with God, if we will only embrace them. The practices we learn from our Christian heritage give us roots and depth that ensure that we are not just driven by the latest spiritual fashions, but are immersed in the timeless wisdom of our faith.

So, as we celebrate our heritage today, let’s also celebrate our Christian heritage. Let’s embrace our diversity and honour one another for the different gifts we bring. And let’s worship in ways that allow our heritage to lead us into deep and transforming encounter with God.
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John van de Laar is a Methodist minister, liturgical consultant and the author of the book Food for the Road – Life Lesson from the Lord’s Table. He holds a Master’s Degree in theology from UNISA, and is the founder of Sacredise.com, an international worship training and resourcing ministry. John is married to Debbie, and they have two sons.
Visit www.sacredise.com for more articles by John, as well as resources for personal and public worship – music, prayers, liturgies, images and drama scripts.

24 Years

On Monday my wife, Debbie, and I celebrated 24 years of honeymoon! When Debbie mentioned this to the concierge of the restaurant where she was booking our table for our celebratory meal, the concierge stopped writing, looked intently at Debs and said, “you don’t see that anymore, do you?”

In a similar way it could be said that you don’t really see true long term faith commitment anymore. In our instant-world, faith comes and goes quickly. Tradition and history and the long road of growth and discipline all seem like a quaint throw back to another era. Now we expect to see “results” in our spirituality quickly and easily - we just need to find “the secret”. But, like a marriage, true worship does not happen in short term thrills and constantly changing relationships. It’s only in the long haul that the depth of real intimacy can be found.

In addition, these years of marriage have taught me a startling lesson: intimacy happens in the daily, mundane, routine of life. Yes, there have been many high moments in the last twenty four years, but they are massively outnumbered by the normal, ordinary, everyday times. Our marriage is not defined so much by the highs as it is by the sorting out of who picks up the kids from school, and of where we will put our money, and of who does which chores around the house. What has made our marriage so fulfilling and exciting is not the out-of-the-ordinary experiences, but learning the daily call to really show up for each other, to choose to be really and fully present, even when we’re tired and hurting, when we’re angry or stressed. It’s about knowing in every moment, whether we’re together or apart, that our values and ideals, our ethics and choices are defined by this other, uniquely important person.

In the same way, worship is not so much about amazing experiences as it is about living a life that is defined by God’s presence and purpose. I’m not against good sound systems, or using multi-media to facilitate worship, but these are not what defines worship. It’s not the goosebumps but the goodness that matters. It’s about the daily choice to live every moment, speak every word, think every thought from the framework of who God is and what God is seeking to do in this world. It’s about giving our lives over to be defined by this Most Important Being who chooses to be fully present to us. When we gather in Church, we are learning to show up, to be fully present to God, and to have our lives reshaped by the values and demands of the Gospel.

Twenty four years of marriage has taken commitment, and a determination to work on this relationship above all else through the little daily actions and awarenesses that keep us connected. The life of faith requires no less commitment, no less determination, and no less attention to the little, transforming rituals that keep us connected to Christ - and the weekly gathering for worship, even when it’s not “amazing”, is one of these.
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John van de Laar is a Methodist minister, liturgical consultant and the author of the book Food for the Road – Life Lesson from the Lord’s Table. He holds a Master’s Degree in theology from UNISA, and is the founder of Sacredise.com, an international worship training and resourcing ministry. John is married to Debbie, and they have two sons.
Visit www.sacredise.com for more articles by John, as well as resources for personal and public worship – music, prayers, liturgies, images and drama scripts.

Witnesses

“Why is it, do you think that people get married?”

In the movie, “Shall We Dance”, this question is asked by a relieved Beverly (Susan Sarandon) when a private investigator reports that her husband is not cheating on her, but rather is taking dancing lessons. After rejecting the investigator’s theory that passion draws people together, she answers her own question, “Because we need a witness to our lives.”

I believe this to be true. We all long to know and be known, to love and be loved. We long for significant others who will journey through life with us, and remind us of the joys and achievements, the learning and the loving, the suffering and the beauty. We need those who will remind us of who we really are, and continue to call our best selves out into the world. Marriage, at its best, gives us this. So, too, does the Church. As we share our lives with other people of faith, we commit to be witnesses for one another, and to hold one another accountable to Christ’s call. Being Church leads us all to be better, more Christ-like people. And this Church includes both those who are alive with us now, and those who have died and entered the life beyond the grave.

In the letter to the Hebrews, Chapter Eleven, the writer speaks of the great heroes and heroines of the faith, and the example they set for us who seek to follow Christ now. Then, Chapter Twelve starts with these words: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us” (Hebrews 12:1 NLT). Earlier this year I wrote about our ancestors in faith and how they teach us to live according to eternal values. But, these ancestors are also witnesses to our lives, according to Paul. They watch us, perhaps even pray for us, and they call our best lives out into the world.

One such witness, for me, was my dear friend, Barry Marshall, who died a year ago this week, in a tragic paddling accident. When he was alive, Barry and I had worshipped, debated, laughed and played together in a variety of situations, and he had always challenged me to be honest and true to myself, and to live my faith in ways that bring life to the excluded and poor of the world. Through this year, I have often thought of Barry, and felt his challenge once again. I have been both sad and joyful in these moments which have been more than just memories, but real experiences of his life and ‘spirit’ which abides with me still. Barry was, and continues to be, a witness to my life - and one which challenges me to reach for my most Christ-like self.

Thank God that we are not required to walk this road of life alone. Thank God for the gift of witnesses who share this glorious, painful, awesome journey with us.
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John van de Laar is a Methodist minister, liturgical consultant and the author of the book Food for the Road – Life Lesson from the Lord’s Table. He holds a Master’s Degree in theology from UNISA, and is the founder of Sacredise.com, an international worship training and resourcing ministry. John is married to Debbie, and they have two sons.
Visit www.sacredise.com for more articles by John, as well as resources for personal and public worship – music, prayers, liturgies, images and drama scripts.

Worship as Protest

Public service workers have been on strike in South Africa for some time now, and the opinions and recriminations are flying. There have been deaths in hospitals as a result of inadequate care due to nurses and doctors being on strike. There has been the usual hooliganism and the expected back-and-forth arguments between the ANC government and the union leaders. None of this is new information for most of my readers.

What fascinates me, though, is how we respond to this whole scenario. For those of us who are not employed in public service, the strike has become something of a spectator sport. We watch from the sidelines, pontificate about what should or should not be done, and watch as “they” work it out. And all the while we bemoan the way our lives are upset by the inconvenience of the strike. But, there are two crucial elements to this whole story that we easily and, perhaps, deliberately, forget.

The first is that there are real people’s lives at stake here. These workers make huge sacrifices in order to strike, but the cost is worth it in order to try and win a liveable wage with which to support their families in a tough world and a tough economy where the poor are often forgotten and left to care for themselves. While there is much that can be said about the wisdom, or lack of it, that drives some to acts of vandalism and violence, I believe that there are legitimate concerns and grievances that underlie the strike. Why is that CEOs get the salaries that they do, while those who keep our society running - nurses, teachers and garbage collectors - are so devalued? And behind each striking worker are children and families hoping for a slightly better standard of living, the gift of education or just a full tummy at the end of it all.

The second element we so easily forget is that we are culpable. Yes, we who think we only sit on the sidelines, are actually players in this game. The strikers are government workers paid for through our tax rands. They keep our world operating, and we enjoy it all, with barely a thought for what their quality of life is like. We are the ones who complain when the time comes to pay taxes, even though this is the only way these services can be provided. We are the ones who turn a blind eye to the widening gap between rich and poor in our country. We are the ones who allow this unjust system to continue - through our votes, through our apathy and through our daily self-indulgent and self-interested decisions.

And this is where worship becomes an act of protest in solidarity with all who are poor, exploited and ignored. We worship the Christ whose ministry was formulated around the Old Testament idea of Jubilee - land redistribution, economic restructuring and liberation for all every 50 years (See Leviticus 25:8-19). What this means is that every Sunday as we gather, we are immersed in God’s Jubilee dream, which is not so much a vision of bliss after we die, as it is of bringing God’s reign into this world while we live. As we sing and pray, God seeks to challenge us about how we spend our money, how we treat the “least” in our society, and how we hold our leaders accountable. And then, as we leave the sanctuary, we are called to live the Jubilee vision in the daily decisions we make: paying taxes willingly and even joyfully; treating our employees and public servants with respect and dignity; expressing gratitude for those who serve us, and fighting for a just and equitable deal for them.

If workers need to strike in order to make their struggles heard, we have not truly worshiped, for we are not living the Jubilee dream. May God forgive us, and change us.
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John van de Laar is a Methodist minister, liturgical consultant and the author of the book Food for the Road – Life Lesson from the Lord’s Table. He holds a Master’s Degree in theology from UNISA, and is the founder of Sacredise.com, an international worship training and resourcing ministry. John is married to Debbie, and they have two sons.
Visit www.sacredise.com for more articles by John, as well as resources for personal and public worship – music, prayers, liturgies, images and drama scripts.

Facing The Truth

So much has been said and written over the last few weeks about the media tribunal which the government is proposing in South Africa. The fear is that press freedom is being restricted, and that those in power are trying to avoid the usual scrutiny that journalists impose on their leaders. On the other hand, the powers-that-be are arguing that journalists get a free pass to say what they like, and that people who are criticised or exposed in the media have little or no recourse when what is written damages their lives. Fair enough - there’s a point to be made on both sides of this debate, and, of course, there’s the question of who should control such a tribunal should it come to be. These are questions that our politicians will wrestle with, and that all South Africans should have an opinion on - but they are not the reason for my writing of this article.

I believe there is a bigger question that is raised by this story, and it’s the question of how we deal with the truth, especially when it confronts us with things we would rather not acknowledge about ourselves. The reality is that we human beings don’t much like facing the truth about ourselves. We have elaborate avoidance techniques that we use to sustain our fantasies about our (considerable, we think) strengths and our (non-existent, we think) weaknesses. We have brilliant justifications for our foibles or failures, and, if things get really uncomfortable, we always have the back-up of blaming, scapegoating or attacking those who reveal what we would rather not see. Perhaps this is why the prophet Jeremiah wrote, “the human heart is the most deceitful of all things...” (Jeremiah 17:9)

Those in power, especially, tend to prefer to hide the truths that might call their leadership into question, and are often prepared to use extreme measures to silence their detractors. Herod, when confronted by John the Baptist’s accusations, simply had him arrested and ultimately beheaded (Matthew 14:1-12). The Pharisees, faced with Jesus’ truth-telling and his challenging words and actions, called on the power of Rome to help them get rid of him - and so he was crucified under Pilate’s watch (John 19:4-16). The same scene has been replayed again and again throughout history on both public and private stages.

In the face of all this truth avoidance, the Gospel challenges us to embrace a different way - the way of truth-telling, of acknowledging the truth about ourselves, and of seeking to bring the truth - however ugly or shameful it may be - into the light. Paul demonstrates this commitment to truth in Galatians 2:11-16 when he confronts Peter publicly for hypocrisy. John calls us all to live in this open and honest way when he writes that “if we claim we have no sin we are only fooling ourselves...But if we confess our sins to [God], [God] is faithful and just to forgive us...” (1 John 1:8,9).

It is because of this commitment to truth that we include acts of confession in our worship. We need to be faced with the truth about ourselves, and we need a community of loving people who will be brave enough to confront us. Without these things, we remain blind to our own destructiveness, and we are never able to become Christ-like. The act of confession in worship is a powerful discipline which, when done thoughtfully and thoroughly, brings us face to face with ourselves and opens the door to transformation.

Imagine what a world would be like where, instead of trying to avoid the truth about ourselves, we regularly faced the truth and allowed it to set us free? I could live in a world like that - and so far as I am able, I intend to try.
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John van de Laar is a Methodist minister, liturgical consultant and the author of the book Food for the Road – Life Lesson from the Lord’s Table. He holds a Master’s Degree in theology from UNISA, and is the founder of Sacredise.com, an international worship training and resourcing ministry. John is married to Debbie, and they have two sons.
Visit www.sacredise.com for more articles by John, as well as resources for personal and public worship – music, prayers, liturgies, images and drama scripts.

The Feminine Face of God

If the title of this article created some discomfort for you, you’re certainly not alone. As I wrote it, I found myself asking whether it was a wise choice. I even wondered whether I should write about a different subject. How strange that, in the month in which we celebrate women, I should be asking these questions of myself. How strange that I should hesitate to explore a clear and life-giving facet of the biblical revelation of God. And yet, when it comes to the language of our worship, few things create more controversy than gender. The Bible has no such qualms, and this month is a good time to allow the Scriptures to speak to us of how we can encounter God from a feminine perspective.

Biblical Images of God:
As we read the Old Testament we discover some deeply comforting and moving images as God is revealed to God’s people. According to George Arthur Buttrick, the general editor of the Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, the Hebrew term for a woman’s uterus is used in the Scriptures to describe God’s compassion, as in Isaiah 49:15. In Proverbs, God’s wisdom is depicted as a person who was by God’s side participating in the act of creation (See Proverbs 8:22-31), and is referred to in the feminine – an example Jesus follows in Matthew 11:19 and Luke 7:35. But, perhaps, one of the most beautiful feminine images of God comes from Isaiah 66:11-12, where God’s people are pictured as being comforted by God like an infant suckling at its mother’s breast. What a rich heritage of symbolism, metaphor and imagery we lose if we ignore the biblical invitation to learn of God through these feminine references.

Widening Our “Imagery-Palate”:
Flowing from this, though, come two significant considerations for our worship. The first is the invitation to allow these biblical images to speak to us. In our banners, our prayers and our liturgies, we can widen the “palate” from which we draw. Instead of always defaulting to the common masculine images, it can be deeply transforming to employ some of the Bible’s feminine pictures of God. This may require a little more creativity from us, but using our creative energies in worship should be routine rather than exceptional.

Widening Our Language:
The second consideration of these feminine ‘faces’ of God in the Scriptures, is in the language we use, particularly to describe the community of faith. In a country where women are under great threat from rape and domestic violence, including women intentionally in our language is both healing and prophetic. So, instead of speaking only about “brothers” or “brethren”, perhaps we can also speak of “sisters”. Instead of speaking only about “mankind” we can perhaps rather speak of “humanity”. Some of our hymns lend themselves to easily include women in their language, without violating the intent of the writers. One example is Hymn 809 in the old hymnbook. It is neither difficult, nor a change in meaning, to sing line two as “…shoud set his love upon the world’s children”.

However we may choose to honour the women in our lives this month, I pray that it will include allowing the Scriptures to take us deeper into the feminine ‘face’ of God as we worship.

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John van de Laar is a Methodist minister, liturgical consultant and the author of the book Food for the Road – Life Lesson from the Lord’s Table. He holds a Master’s Degree in theology from UNISA, and is the founder of Sacredise.com, an international worship training and resourcing ministry. John is married to Debbie, and they have two sons.
Visit www.sacredise.com for more articles by John, as well as resources for personal and public worship – music, prayers, liturgies, images and drama scripts.

The Gift of Lament

Last week I wrote about the little deaths we all endure, and how important it is that we face them head on, trusting in the resurrection which is sure to come. The problem with this is that we sometimes take faith to mean that we shouldn’t grieve, express doubts or acknowledge our pain. We seem to think that the truly faithful rise above these dark emotions and go through suffering with a blissful smile. I’m not sure where we got this picture from, but it wasn’t from the Scriptures.

In the Bible we discover a lot of grief and suffering, and often it is the most faithful, devoted people - the prophets and apostles - who face the worst of life. We might expect them to handle this calmly and gracefully, but instead what we find is a liberating honesty. These men and women of faith had no problem expressing their raw anger at God, their complaints and questions, their doubts and fears.

Take Jeremiah as an example. When faced with persecution for his message, he tries to keep silent, but finds that he can’t do it - which means that all he can expect is more persecution. He feels angry that he wasn’t told that it would be like this, and so he complains to God in Jeremiah 20:7-9, essentially calling God a liar! But God doesn’t strike him with lightning. Rather, Jeremiah’s faith remains strong, and he goes on to have one of the longest and most difficult ministries of any prophet.

Lament is a healing practice. Here the realities of our lives and the realities of our faith come together, and this always leads to a renewed faith. There are four basic parts to any true lament. First, a complaint is laid against God, expressing the details of the suffering being experienced. Second, God’s promises and previous gracious acts are remembered and offered to God as both the basis for the complaint (because God doesn’t appear to be doing what God promised) and the basis for hope that God will intervene. Third, a request is spoken for God to act on behalf of the suffering one and bring healing, liberation and comfort. Finally, a commitment is made to continue to trust, to hope and to praise God, no matter what the outcome may be.

It is unfortunate that worship has all too often been seen as nothing other than celebration. Joy and inspiration are emphasised and any signs of grief, doubt, pain or fear are to be hidden or left outside. The result of this is that worshippers are forced into a double-life in which their real feelings and experiences are either ignored or concealed. We get good at pretending that we are “blessed” on Sundays, and we cling to our faith with white-knuckles, hoping our grief won’t overwhelm and betray us - which it inevitably does.

Perhaps both we and our churches would be healthier if we just learned to lament more - to express our grief, to make our complaints against God, and to commit to faith even in the dark times. We all face both the little deaths and the big ones, and to try and deal with grief without the gift of lament is to rob ourselves of both healing and comfort. But, if we trust God enough to be honest about our pain, we will find the comfort we seek, and the light of hope will continue to shine in our hearts.

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John van de Laar is a Methodist minister, liturgical consultant and the author of the book Food for the Road – Life Lesson from the Lord’s Table. He holds a Master’s Degree in theology from UNISA, and is the founder of Sacredise.com, an international worship training and resourcing ministry. John is married to Debbie, and they have two sons.
Visit www.sacredise.com for more articles by John, as well as resources for personal and public worship – music, prayers, liturgies, images and drama scripts.