Tradition!!!

When I hear the word "tradition", there are several things that come to mind. I think of small little random things that families do for holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. I also think of the classic musical "Fiddler on the Roof" (if you haven't seen it then you are deprived of life and culture...go watch it... no no you can read this later...go...GO!). More recently tradition has turned my attention to ancient forms of worship within the Church.

Just to clarify to some of the protestants out there who might be asking "Well, which church are you talking about?" or "Are you talking about the heartless ritualism of that cult in Rome?" or even  may be saying "My church sings the hymns that my grandfather's grand father sang and if they were good enough for Paul and Silas then they are good enough for me!", when I say "Church" I mean the holy, universal Church that transcends time and space. The Church that does not sum up the four walls and a roof that's on the corner of your street. I mean the full Kingdom of believers that are and were and will be. By "ancient" I mean REALLY REALLY OLD! You probably don't have your family traced back this far! To my Pentecostal brothers and sister...no I don't mean meeting in houses/home churches to speak in tongues and dance (please note that I am not bashing these things, I simply am pointing out that this is not a form of worship recorded in the New Testament or early Church history). Lastly, I do not believe Catholicism to be a cult, but merely a segment of the Church with a skewed focus...like pretty much every denomination in some way, shape, or form.

I'm talking about the liturgy, the deeply ritualistic and symbolic worship that was done for many a century...and is still being done in several denominations. At this I want to point out that I am not "running to Rome" as it were...but I am still deeply moved by these services and this form of worship that I grew up without. Why? I could just say "the Holy Spirit", but lets face it...that's a cop out and a tactic used by way too many people who just want to have their way or get their two-cents in without people making a huge fuss. People will punch others of opinions, but "woe unto him who touches God's anointed who doth speak prophetically". I am no prophet, and even though I deeply believe that prophecy and words of knowledge still exist in the Church today, I fear that we have a tendency to speak too quickly out the flesh and label it as God. No, I'm going to break down a little bit of my reasoning and thought process here.

There is nothing "wrong" about ritualistic worship...though I've been taught for years that it is by people who ritualistically lift their hands, dance, and or play the acoustic guitar. The fact is that ritualism and tradition are not limited to robes and weekly communion. No, it can also be found in the Baptist church, the Presbyterian church, and even in Pentecostal churches. I think the problem is that we have so heavily defined those words in association with Catholicism and/or old Baptistic hymn singing that we forget the true meanings of the words. We have been classically conditioned to have a bitter taste for things we understand and know very little about!

I'm beginning to explore these things and see how they are relevant in the life of a Christian today. I am particularly being drawn to a more Anglican tradition, but I have not full let go of my Pentecostal roots. I have personally felt the Spirit's presence in the middle of a liturgical service and that leads me to the conclusion that neither form whether "traditional" or contemporary are essentially right or wrong. God is honored in both. I hope to share more of my thoughts concerning the matter in the future and why I'm being drawn to Anglicanism.

Peace be upon you all,

Stephen