Teaching the Language of Jesus
During last week’s Clergy Conference our presenter, the Rev. George H. Martin, taught a session on “The Church as Grammar.” He was working from theologian George Lindbeck’s framework in the book, The Nature of Doctrine. Now so far all of this must seem rather esoteric, but there was an important truth of which I needed reminding and I appreciated George sharing it.
The basic idea is that like a language or a culture, our faith is a framework that gives form and substance to our thoughts and experiences and so shapes our lives. As Lindbeck puts it in writing of religious poetry, music, art and rituals, “It is through these that the basic patterns of religion are interiorized, exhibited and transmitted.”
Teaching the language of Jesus
If our presenter and this theologian are on to something important, and I my own experience in working with newcomers to church suggests that they are, then our work in welcoming people to church must include helping them learn the language of Jesus. In assisting people to understand more of how the signs and symbols of our tradition speak to deep truths, we can enrich their vocabulary and broaden their experience of worship.
Therefore, in welcoming those with little or no church background (or perhaps no liturgical church experience) to an Episcopal Church means that we provide ways for people to learn about the rich symbols which surround them.
As a church planter, I created a number of printed materials which I could share with people curious about our practices (see King of Peace’s Resources page). These included an Annotated Eucharist which surrounded the text of a Rite II Eucharist with Eucharistic Prayer A with additional notes to add to their understanding of the rite. I also created materials on infant baptism, the seasons Advent and Lent, and more. To this I added notes in the bulletin and newsletter which opened up some portion of the liturgy and gave additional background. I even used a newsletter posted in the bathrooms to help newcomers learn more about this new cultural and linguistic framework of the Church (a sample issue is online here: The Toilet Paper: Epiphany)
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Yet we all know that nothing beats the more holistic approach of immersion in a culture to learn the language. No book or pamphlet on Christianity will teach us much as a living, breathing, flawed, but loving community of people putting their faith into practice.
The sad fact is that so many people have trouble discovering the grace, love, repentance, forgiveness and redemption which are at the compassionate heart of the language of Jesus, because they hear these words spoken by people who don’t seem to be saying it “not only with our lips, but in our lives.” There can be grace in this disappointment as well. For in Christian community we don’t find perfect people, but folks like us struggling to live into the love God has shown in Jesus. When the Gospel is authentically lived out by a group of people who are also working to teach something of this language and culture to newcomers, something wonderful happens–new followers come to speak that language of God’s love in word and deed. We need not be perfect for this transformation to occur, but we must seek to be faithful and then remain honest and open when we fall short (and we will).
How should we respond?
How might your congregation need to respond to this idea that newcomers don’t always share the language and culture of our faith and so need assistance to better understand? What tools might you need to help them learn the language and culture not simply of The Episcopal Church, but of the Kingdom of God?
The Rev. Canon Frank Logue
Canon to the Ordinary
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