Anyone up for a chat thread?

[seeking.IAM]

I cringe right along with you. Cute kids, BTW.

 

[seeking.IAM]

Perhaps our esteemed clergy can give me an answer that will stave off my apoplexy? Shane's comment about cringing leads me to feel a rant coming on. Why is it that priests, ministers, or the church believe it is a swell idea to combine the secular with liturgical observance and worship? I simply don't get it.

There's Father's Day and Mother's Day, and more. I have nothing against mothers or fathers, I have one of each myself and there are good odds I'm having dinner with them right after church. But while you recognize them in church having some special and esteemed status, the infertile in the pews are dying inside. And then there is Veterans Day, when my church adds to the procession members dressed in their ill-fitting 30-year-old uniforms carrying the flag of their service branches. (Thankfully we have a Veteran member of each branch so even the Coast Guard doesn't get left out. One year we even covered the Merchant Marine. Next year I might fall into line with a ploughshare). And don't get me started on the Masons who our service is given over to once a year to have some high potentates and grand poohbahs who aren't even members of our congregation read the scripture. And they process with their ear-splitting bag pipes. Bag pipes for crying out loud! I have nothing against Masons, aprons, or fezzes, but why do we turn over our church to a local group once a year? And why not the Odd Fellows?

And just so you know, there's a reason why you'll see my pew empty on these days.

Why do you inflict this on us? <rant off>

 

[mama2one]

posted in error

 

[mama2one]

x

 

[Paidiske]

Why is it that priests, ministers, or the church believe it is a swell idea to combine the secular with liturgical observance and worship? I simply don't get it.

I myself am not big on that stuff, but I think it's about trying to connect the gospel and worship with the important things in people's lives. If someone's husband doesn't generally come to church, but will come on fathers' day because his family like to make a fuss and he likes feeling special... it's one more opportunity to engage him, isn't it?

I'm not a fan because I don't think that's what the liturgy is for. But I can see where the impulse comes from.

(And remember that some things which have become deeply embedded in our liturgical life - like rogation days and the blessing of crops - probably started in a similar way; trying to engage our farmhands with the gospel!)

The challenge for all of us is always how to help people connect and build relationship with God in ways which are authentic for them, without compromising the core of Christian fundamentals. That's a tricky balancing act, and I think it's more important to keep experimenting and trying things than it is to always get it absolutely right, too.

 

[seeking.IAM]

... I think it's about trying to connect the gospel and worship with the important things in people's lives...

Okay, I get all that. But bagpipes?

 

[Paidiske]

What's that old joke? "Welcome to heaven, here is your harp." "Welcome to hell, here are your bagpipes"?

Only time I've had a piper in church is for funerals, and it seems to "work" okay for that...

 

[seeking.IAM]

My Rector always advises well in advance when incense will be used. It only seems fair to do the same for bagpipes.

 

[gordonhooker]

What's that old joke? "Welcome to heaven, here is your harp." "Welcome to hell, here are your bagpipes"?

Only time I've had a piper in church is for funerals, and it seems to "work" okay for that...

I am of Scottish descent on my mother’s side I love a pipe band.

 

[Shane R]

The official photo from our most recent Ordination service. Three priests were made and the fourth was received in his orders from ACNA and one man was installed as a Canon. It was the feast day of St. Alban. A lot of the clergy were not able to make it for this service for one reason or another so what you see represents about half of our men.

 

[Arcangl86]

What's that old joke? "Welcome to heaven, here is your harp." "Welcome to hell, here are your bagpipes"?

Only time I've had a piper in church is for funerals, and it seems to "work" okay for that...

Here's the thing about bagpipes. If you know what you are doing with them, they are beautiful and haunting. IF you don't know what you are doing it sounds like you are skinning a cat.

 

[Paidiske]

True of so many instruments, though.

I remember when I was learning to play the saxophone, one of our neighbours complained that is sounded like "a cow in labour."

 

[Shane R]

There are different kinds of bagpipes as well. Most people find Uillean pipes (the Irish style) or even Northumbrian small-pipes more pleasant. I don't know that there is a way to mute any of these instruments to conform to the acoustic parameters of something like a church though.

I was down at the chancery a while back and the Archbishop's musician could not make it that day. I joked with him that I had left my banjo at home. He replied that some instruments are not well-suited to the Mass. We held a said Mass that day.

 

[Paidiske]

The sound level can be an issue.

When I worked in the cathedral here, we were having a state funeral, which was supposed to have a piper at the end. He was there early, and had walked out to the lane behind the cathedral to warm up. I had to run out and tell him to move away, he was drowning out the eulogy!

Feast of Mary Magdalene on Sunday. Didn't find that an easy sermon to write...

 

[Shane R]

That is transferred to Monday on my Ordo Kalendar this year. We've got the 8th Sunday after Trinity/Abp. Gordon consecrated for Sunday. Wednesday we've got a major feast for St. James the Apostle but my rector doesn't like to do anything with most of those. He's rather Protestant.

 

[Philip_B]

I have been wondering of late about this, so I would be interested in what others think. We have a reasonable number of Anglican Churches (sub 50) in the Anglican Communion. We also have an extensive list of Anglican Churches not in Communion (maybe a couple of hundred). Whilst I get that may at one level be accurate, but is it possibly more appropriate to see those churches and the Anglican Communion as having an impaired communion?

 

[Paidiske]

It depends what you mean by "impaired communion."

Frankly I'd argue that there's impaired communion, for example, between the diocese of Sydney and just about everyone else; and we're supposedly within the same communion.

 

[gordonhooker]

It depends what you mean by "impaired communion."

Frankly I'd argue that there's impaired communion, for example, between the diocese of Sydney and just about everyone else; and we're supposedly within the same communion.

They are a precious lot LOL - I ran into some visiting Griffith when I was down that way for my wife's mums funeral recently. I have to keep reminding myself of what my mum told me years ago 'if you can't say something nice then don't say anything at all'

I hope this part of the forum livens up shortly because I am finding it very hard to hold my tongue in some of the other areas....

 

[Paidiske]

Sorry, I've been busy and preoccupied.

Coming to grips with the possibility I'm going to have to lead the parish into/through a merger process with the neighbouring parish. Which is a lot to get my head around, even before people here start wanting to beat me up over it.

 

[gordonhooker]

Our prayers are with you as to try and tiptoe through the minefield of Parish mergers. The one positive thing that you can hold onto is; no matter what you do and no matter how much to try to please everyone - you won't please everyone.