Today we went to two St. Patrick's cathedrals, one Roman Catholic and one Church of Ireland. It was interesting to compare the two services, both of which focused on Jesus's baptism. After church, we went to a small cafe called Fat Sam's that was Cassablanca themed and played Broadway show tunes. After lunch, we headed back to the B&B for a Sunday afternoon nap, and we gathered in the common room of the B&B around five to discuss dinner plans and veg out in front of the TV. We decided on another night of pizza and movies because none of us really wanted to get out in the cold and wind. Tomorrow we will travel to Belfast and then to The Giant's Causeway, but today I am thankful for another day of sabbath.
Traditionally, Catholicism and Protestantism have never blended together. The whole impetus of the Reformation was to separate from Catholic doctrine, yet when we separate ourselves, we forget that we all worship the same God. I was reminded of this today after participating in both Catholic and Protestant mass. I think too often we let theological differences impede our ability to worship, and when we do this, we miss the purpose of Jesus's ministry. Our responsibility as Christians is to separate ourselves from the world but certainly not from each other. Participating in Catholic and Protestant worship and appreciating both worship styles is one way that we can set each other apart. We can refuse to let trivial differences dominate our attitudes towards the faiths of others and appreciate worship for what it truly should be: an expression of religious devotion.
Our day of worship began at St. Patrick's Cathedral RC, where we had an abbreviated mass honoring Jesus's Baptism. The cathedral was beautiful, albeit brand new by cathedral standards (I think it was only 150-200 years old), and though worship seemed a little rushed, the mass was a beautiful expression of the significance of baptism, not only in the life of Jesus Christ but also in the life of the average Christian. In the eleven o'clock service, the priest announced that they would be recognizing all of the babies who were baptized in the church that year, which I thought was a good way to re-emphasize the importance of baptism.
During the sermon the priest talked about the role of baptism as the beginning of the journey to knowing Christ and showing Christ in our lives. As we think about baptism, we must ask important questions like: What does it mean to be part of the church? What is our baptismal call? My favorite part of the sermon, however, was when the priest said that our place of baptism is where our spiritual journey begins. This made me think about my own baptism just a few short years ago at Greenwood First Baptist Church, and I would venture to say that, in my own case, the priest is right. I am so thankful that I was baptized at GFBC and that it has become my spiritual home and place of nourishment. GFBC has encouraged me in my spiritual journey and has helped me grow in my walk with Christ in ways I could not imagine.
After 9:00 mass, we strolled over to the Church of Ireland cathedral for 11:00 mass. We met the dean of the cathedral, an adorable, older gentleman who was as erudite as he was affable, before the service, though the treasurer delivered the sermon this morning. St. Patrick's was an one thousand year old church and the final resting place of the great Brian Boru of Cashel fame. It is also the original home of the Book of Armagh, which contains the writings of St. Patrick. The book is now in the Trinity College library in Dublin; however, they have a copy of both the Book of Armagh and the Book of Kells in the church.
While the Catholic service focused on the role of the Christian with regards to Baptism, the Protestant service focused on Jesus's baptism as a symbol for how how we should behave as Christians. The sermon focused on the idea that Jesus's baptism is a symbol of his connection with the baptized. The treasurer quoted Swiss theologian Karl Barth who said, "Pointing to Jesus is the one aim of the theologian and the preacher." Yet, this is also how the Christian should behave. Just as John the Baptist's role during Jesus's baptism was to point towards the ministry of Jesus and the advent of the Holy Spirit, our role as baptized Christians is to point to the work of Jesus Christ. He then asked three important questions:
Do we seek to follow the example of John the Baptist and point others to Jesus?
Are we willing to declare that Christ is the beloved?
Do our lives demonstrate that the heavens have been torn apart and that the Holy Spirit as descended upon us?
As we move away from the liturgical season of Christ's birth and into the shadow of the cross, I think it is important to keep in mind the role of baptism as the beginning of a spiritual journey and as another way that we are all connected as Christians, regardless of whether we are Protestant or Catholic. We are unified in baptism just as we are unified in our belief in Christ. Furthermore, we are all unified in our spiritual journey, a journey that necessitates Christlike behavior and precludes our egotistical attempts to self aggrandize our own theological musings. Instead of making our trivial differences important, we should make Christ important because after all, when it is all said and done, all that really matters is Jesus Christ. Today, I went to two different churches united by the same name and the same devotion to Christ, and I left feeling that maybe we would all be better off if we were the same way.
No comments:
Post a Comment