All Saints Day

as julie & i settle in to our life here in phoenix, one of our goals is to find a church home. For the past few weeks, we've attended Dayspring United Methodist Church as part of that search.

we attended there this morning, and witnessed an interesting tradition that the methodist church carries on. all saints day. all saints day is the day after halloween, when churches celebrate the lives of those we have lost in the past year. dayspring commemorated this by reading off the names of those from their congregation who have passed on, one by one, while one of their loved ones stepped up to the front of the sanctuary and lit a candle in their honor.

i found that this moved me. it was a solemn reminder of how important our past is, and how important those who have gone before us are. it's those memories and traditions that shape individuals and cultures, and remind us of who we are deep inside. it also reminded me of my grandpa, who passed away this past february. i'm thankful for the role he played in my life, and the man he was. the way he would tell stories of his childhood growing up on a farm in mid-michigan with his 10 (yes, ten) siblings. the memories of him making oliebollen when my 3 siblings & i were kids and the 4 of us running around his yard playing tag. i remember he used to scare me when i was young when he would take out his dentures. i hadn't realized there was such a thing a fake teeth.

i'm grateful for the reminder that the tradition all saints day gives.

grandpa, this candle is for you.

do this...but not that (again)

i felt the need to write a "part 2" to my recent post about rituals. it wasn't quite complete, my thoughts not completely hashed out. i've received responses from my friends josh and jim , and i thank them for their thoughts.

in my other post, i came across as if i am totally against rituals, and that i think they are useless. i actually feel the opposite. i have quite often witnessed people using ritual to enhance their life, be it spiritually or otherwise. and i think that's the difference, if it's used meaningfully or not. when a ritual is used with a sense of sacredness, there is an inherent beauty to it. it can give that reminder, that it's not just about us, it's about the people & things that have gone before us...and will come after us. it gives that sense of place and purpose. along with that comes humility. i think of meditation, buddhist mantras and the 5 pillars of islam as some of these that can be used in this way.

on the other side of the coin is what i typically think of when i hear "ritual". i think of people of faith doing something only out of a sense of obligation, habit and practically without thought. the way i've experienced going to church on sundays, reading the bible, praying, etc within the christian context. it has often felt like if these (and others) are not done, then god's gonna get getcha and god won't love you anymore. as if you have to earn god's love. this is contradictory to what is commonly taught that "god is love" and god's love is unconditional. when ritual is done this way, it loses the sense of connectedness and purpose that the ritual exists to create in the 1st place.