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sga_flashfic's latest challenge.
I'm really enjoying attending the Warner Robins parish. The congregation is very diverse--the presence of all ages, a variety of ethnicities, and differently abled people. This church feels very inclusive and everyone is very friendly. This congregation sings! Yay! I hated that about the Oxford parish. If, as I learned in RCIA, the singing of the prescribed parts of the service like the "Alleluia" and the singing of hymns is a form of prayer, then participating in the singing is very important. The Oxford parish was always silent except for me, making a joyful noise.
Which brings me to my only beef so far and this isn't just a beef with this parish but with all Catholic churches in general. Every single church sings the prescribed parts of the service to a different tune and it's ALWAYS A DIFFERENT TUNE THAN IS PRINTED IN THE MISSAL! This is very frustrating to me. I can read music, so with hymns, I'm always good. I can follow along and not make a dumbass of myself. But the "Glory to God" they sing at this parish? Not only is it not the tune I know from St. Richards or St. John's or the one printed in the missal, the words are not quite the same as printed in the missal and I screw it up every time. I really wish that if the church is going to use different music, they would provide it to the congregation, if for no other reason than me not feeling stupid. They must have the music because they have a choir and a band.
So, the real meat of the post. I've been (slowly) reading Marcus J. Borg's Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary. (Thank you,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
executrix!) I've made it to page 22. LOL Something he wrote on the 6th page was an epiphany for me.
Thus, for Christians, Jesus is utterly central. In a concise sentence, Jesus is for Christians the decisive relevation of God. Slightly more fully, Jesus reveals, discloses, what can be seen of God in a human life and what a life filled with God looks like. This affirmation defines what it means to be a Christian. (Borg 6)
( I kinda feel like a dumbass but clearly I've been doing it wrong )
sga_flashfic's latest challenge.I'm really enjoying attending the Warner Robins parish. The congregation is very diverse--the presence of all ages, a variety of ethnicities, and differently abled people. This church feels very inclusive and everyone is very friendly. This congregation sings! Yay! I hated that about the Oxford parish. If, as I learned in RCIA, the singing of the prescribed parts of the service like the "Alleluia" and the singing of hymns is a form of prayer, then participating in the singing is very important. The Oxford parish was always silent except for me, making a joyful noise.
Which brings me to my only beef so far and this isn't just a beef with this parish but with all Catholic churches in general. Every single church sings the prescribed parts of the service to a different tune and it's ALWAYS A DIFFERENT TUNE THAN IS PRINTED IN THE MISSAL! This is very frustrating to me. I can read music, so with hymns, I'm always good. I can follow along and not make a dumbass of myself. But the "Glory to God" they sing at this parish? Not only is it not the tune I know from St. Richards or St. John's or the one printed in the missal, the words are not quite the same as printed in the missal and I screw it up every time. I really wish that if the church is going to use different music, they would provide it to the congregation, if for no other reason than me not feeling stupid. They must have the music because they have a choir and a band.
So, the real meat of the post. I've been (slowly) reading Marcus J. Borg's Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary. (Thank you,
executrix!) I've made it to page 22. LOL Something he wrote on the 6th page was an epiphany for me.Thus, for Christians, Jesus is utterly central. In a concise sentence, Jesus is for Christians the decisive relevation of God. Slightly more fully, Jesus reveals, discloses, what can be seen of God in a human life and what a life filled with God looks like. This affirmation defines what it means to be a Christian. (Borg 6)
( I kinda feel like a dumbass but clearly I've been doing it wrong )
