It's rare, even for someone like me who spends a lot of time in churches, to visit a church and think "that was a treat." Well I did today. I found a little church where I was older than the average person in the congregation. I'm serious, the average age was clearly under thirty. And yet the service wasn't the typical "seeker sensitive" watered down claptrap that people think draws in the "younger" generations. It was Evening Prayer, done right, no frills (and you all know I do love frills) but full of tradition, theology, liturgy, wonder, and a sense of genuine peacefulness.
And the sermon was, of all things, about adoption and how God adopts us as sons and heirs. I could almost anticipate the preacher's next sentence so many times. He clearly just gets it; when it comes to the faith, our place, our calling, our tradition... some people get it. And can articulate it. And when that happens the funniest quirks come out. Like when he said he didn't care for the second verse in Away In The Manger... a throw-away comment, I guess... except that I don't care for it either. And for the same reason. (The idea that baby Jesus, "no crying he makes, " is anti-incarnational, now don't you think? And a bit silly, for anyone who has ever known any babies.) You get in a groove with people like that, they become like old friends very early in the relationship.
And he didn't just get it with Christianity, God, Scripture and Tradition... he got it with adoption too. Even though the priest isn't an adoptive parent, he got it. Groovy.
The only thing I didn't like was the commute, so I guess it'll be a while before I get back there. Bummer. But it reminded me of something. It really doesn't matter if you have smells and bells (though I still like them, crave them)... what matters it that you worship with integrity, the kind of worship that comes from really understanding, really getting it.
For the curious... the church can be found at http://graceanglicanonline.com/
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