We kicked things off with my reference to our church's website and its on-line learning page and a few relevant resources available there. In particular I mentioned the Liturgical Year link and how helpful it was for understanding things like the calendar cycle and the colors of the liturgical year.
What had struck me when I re-read the material posted there was how, in the early church, the liturgical year focused on Passover and Pentecost: in short, the death and resurrection of Christ, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Over time layers have been added, but the core of the Christian life is rooted in the cross, the risen life and the gift of the Holy Spirit to believers.
Chapters 4, 5 and 6 touch on the 'otherness' of God (Chapter 4), the mystery of God (Chapter 5), and the relevance of God and His church (Chapter 6). In each case, Galli argues that liturgical worship helps bring meaning and depth to each of those areas:
1. The liturgy is where union with the Other (high, unapproachable, incomprehensible; sacred, holy, set apart) is realized in extraordinary ways, and we become partakers of the divine nature. pp. 44 ff.Our conversation around these and other topics was wide ranging, including spending time talking about a question raised by Fr. Gary, "What does it mean to be 'intimate' with God?".
2. Since God is incomprehensible, authentic worship of this God must, at some level, remain incomprehensible. pp 49 ff.
3. The liturgy begins as a real separation from the world...We are invited into an older and wiser culture: 'ushered in'. pp. 56, 60, 63.
Sunday March 8, we will use Chapters 7, 8 and 9 as our departure point as we continue our Lenten journey exploring the wonder and power of Christian liturgy. See you then; be sure to add your comments, especially if you can't make it!
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