Caroline led prayers on this today and it's a good question, although I'm perhaps going to take it to places that she didn't intend, taking some of the topics from earlier and turning them into questions. The temple needs to be cleaned regularly, some things thrown out, and some things put back. Obviously also implied is "What don't we need?"
Do we need liturgy to praise God in suitable language and style?
Do we need to deny ourselves in Lent to improve our spirituality?
From today's lecture: Does the Methodist Church need bishops?
Do we need dissenting voices to help us clarify our thoughts and theologies?
There are two things we clearly do need. One is prayer. The other is space. So here is some of the latter, which may help with the former.
Was that helpful?
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7 comments:
I think it's more about desire than need. desire is hugely forgotton and shunned by christians. Its time to reclaim it. Desire is God given. Try re-phrasing your questions using 'desire' instead of need.
We may need prayer - but imagine desiring prayer and how when we truly desire it we can honestly connect with God - or space in the same way.
Yes, The questions also work with "desire" and I will tackle them with that replacement in due course. But I also want to examine what should be stripped away, and for that I need the questions as they are.
In order for the temple to be refurbished, the old out-of-date stuff had to be removed first.
No - I think your missing something here. Look at your language 'should' etc. What I'm sayig is that the church has created that language and thats what you 'need' to strip away. If you examine desire first before need or obligation , i believe you will find it's not about what we 'need' to worship God but about how we can listen more effectively to our souls and find out how they are best at worshipping/ communicating with God. thats how desire fits in.
We do seem to be not communicating. I think you're looking to put in what helps worship and I'm looking to take away what hinders it.
But I think the idea of 'need' hinders it.
'desire' thats like liquid church, by pete ward. I think that sometimes liturgy can get in the way. You can say words so fast in liturgy that you cant really take them all in and express what the words are saying. [Maybe im slow], sometimes it would perhaps be good to have the same phrase more often if liturgy were used. sometimes i find myself reading but not thinking. dan
I completely agree with you on saying things too fast Dan. Even the Lord's Prayer, familiar as it is. I find myself trying to think about it and suddenly I'm three lines behind. New post on this topic arriving soon ...
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