"Today's sermon comes from a magazine that I found in a hedge."
Tomorrow's St. Andrew's Day and we the Ren Group just finished singing Evensong sevice for the local Anglican church, though i'm not sure i would even classify it as a service per say. Sure, there were readings but there was no sermon. nothing. Just us, the choir singing thorugh our music like any other concert. At the end we all got blessed but it was almost an afterthought; maybe the vicar was like, "oh, i should actually do something for my flock gathered here."
It bothered me.
Now, that is a rather strange statement coming from good, little, religious *cough cough "bullshit!"cough* me but it really did. Even the UU church that I atteneded as a smaller child had a sermon; the religious focus changed from week to week but it was a sermon none the less. Catholics have strictly regimented, timed and choreographed sermons (yes, we are the drag queens of Christianity, what with all the props, gold, and men in dresses) while Congregationalists and more general Evangelicals have sermons that just go on and on and on. In each of them there is some sort of set protocal about how a sermon is actually delivered and how a congregation participates. You may not like it, you may not believe in what's supposed to be going on, but you know what to do and, 9 times out of 10, you have been pre-programmed to respond to it without thinking. For instance, when I did the second reading from the book of John, I was tempted to say "a reading from the holy gospel according to John", then cross my forehead, mouth and chest before proceeding but not because i believe. No, I almost did this because i am supersticious* and was trained to do so. Here there was nothing; everyone else, in my opinion just showed up and sat for a half hour while we sang. I guess the end result is that I bettter understand the Eddie Izzard sketch about the Church of England that he does in "Dressed to Kill".
Hi, Church of England; no, we don't have control over our neck.
At least I'll be back on familiar ground this saturday when we sing the Palestrina Missa Brevis for the Catholic Society's mass.
*honestly, i thought it was the least i could do since new faux-hawk , lip ring and fire engine red lipstick wearing andi was not a priest and in all likelyhood, would be struck dead by God for disrespecting the Word so. Call it Catholic guilt mixed with sense of "OMG that is just scaralige! The sensation was akin to the first time I saw people writing in and highlighting their Bibles; I didn't know that people could and did do such things.
It bothered me.
Now, that is a rather strange statement coming from good, little, religious *cough cough "bullshit!"cough* me but it really did. Even the UU church that I atteneded as a smaller child had a sermon; the religious focus changed from week to week but it was a sermon none the less. Catholics have strictly regimented, timed and choreographed sermons (yes, we are the drag queens of Christianity, what with all the props, gold, and men in dresses) while Congregationalists and more general Evangelicals have sermons that just go on and on and on. In each of them there is some sort of set protocal about how a sermon is actually delivered and how a congregation participates. You may not like it, you may not believe in what's supposed to be going on, but you know what to do and, 9 times out of 10, you have been pre-programmed to respond to it without thinking. For instance, when I did the second reading from the book of John, I was tempted to say "a reading from the holy gospel according to John", then cross my forehead, mouth and chest before proceeding but not because i believe. No, I almost did this because i am supersticious* and was trained to do so. Here there was nothing; everyone else, in my opinion just showed up and sat for a half hour while we sang. I guess the end result is that I bettter understand the Eddie Izzard sketch about the Church of England that he does in "Dressed to Kill".
Hi, Church of England; no, we don't have control over our neck.
At least I'll be back on familiar ground this saturday when we sing the Palestrina Missa Brevis for the Catholic Society's mass.
*honestly, i thought it was the least i could do since new faux-hawk , lip ring and fire engine red lipstick wearing andi was not a priest and in all likelyhood, would be struck dead by God for disrespecting the Word so. Call it Catholic guilt mixed with sense of "OMG that is just scaralige! The sensation was akin to the first time I saw people writing in and highlighting their Bibles; I didn't know that people could and did do such things.