More Good Friday ponderings

Looking back on yesterday, probably the most important day of the Christian calendar, it's amazing how a couple years of being under the influence of St. Olaf-ism (whatever that is) can change how I view the type of church service that I grew up going to. Before the service at St. Paul's started, I found myself praying that I could just let everything go and give it up all to God, a rather standard prayer before any type of worship service. On this day, it would seem the most sense to give up a prayer such as that one, particularly given the profound nature of the Good Friday service, what with the reciting (or incantation) of the Passion Gospel, the singing of the Reproaches, the extended Prayers of the People with all the kneeling and rising, etc.

As a kid, the order of the Good Friday service was never something I could remember. Growing up Episcopalian, I was pretty well immersed in orders of services, since most of them were either Eucharists or Evensongs, with occasional Morning Prayers thrown in for good measure. With Good Friday (especially the way we did them at St. Thomas), there were enough deviations (i.e. what I listed above) that it was usually hard for me to keep track of during the service, let alone remember it all afterwards.

Of course, that was all before I learned I could actually have a relationship with God, as opposed to simply praying and praising just because I had to. Ever since January 2005, I kind of morphed from an Episcopalian to a Lutheran/Methodist/Baptist mix; in other words, a Christian.

I went to a weekday evensong at St. Thomas while I was in New York a few weeks ago. I looked around, hoping to find anyone I recognized. All I discovered was I was the only one not dressed up (I had been running around serving the homeless all day), and that I was surrounded by a bunch of rich people. While at St. Thomas I had lived a sheltered New York life, so I had assumed that everyone that surrounded me was the true New York. Of course I learned a hell of a lot more about the city; more musings can be found in my post from April 1st.

But even the service itself (and at St. Thomas, of all places) just seemed rather bare to me. I was surrounded by people that didn't know me and probably didn't care to, and the service itself was kind of a "plug-n-chug as we go" sort of thing. After a year and a half at FCA, I've been expecting more out of a worship service such as connecting with God Himself, and connecting with my fellow worshippers. When I went to Rejoice Church (which was held in the auditorium of Northfield High School) earlier this month, I learned so much more of God's message (which that day was to forgive others as He had forgiven us), and I got to connect spiritually with several other worshippers as well.

This is not to say or even suggest that last night's service at St. Paul's was bare or unmoving. True, it did feel a little run-through-the-motions (probably a fault of the Episcopal Church as a whole more than anything). But, knowing the people at this particular parish, and knowing their sense of community, I think that they do care, both in their relationship with God, and with each other.