Ritual and Tradition: Bible Study Blog for July 13

Our study text: Luke 2:21-38

When the baby Jesus was eight days old, he was circumcised and given the name Jesus. When Mary completed her time of purification according to the Law of Moses, she and Joseph presented Jesus in the Jerusalem temple, offering the sacrifice of two pigeons or turtledoves.

Photo credit: churchart.com

 

To an outside observer, Mary and Joseph's actions will appear trivial or even silly. As Christians, we are not in duty bound to such rituals. We are, however, given the commandment to make disciples of all nations through baptism-- and many of us were baptized as infants or young children. 

Once again, to an outside observer, this ritual may appear silly. Unfortunately, more and more parents are choosing to forgo baptism for their children, even if they were baptized. It is said, "I know God loves them whether I baptize them or not;" or, "They don't need to be baptized to be saved."

Baptism isn't the only ritual that has fallen by the wayside. We all know that church participation is declining at a rapid rate, and that the pressures of modern life mean that fewer and fewer families are even sharing meals together. Participation in patriotic observances like Memorial Day are declining as well. Instead of honoring our fallen troops, we're using it as a day off to do as we please.

Those of us who do participate in church may not understand what many of our rituals and traditions even mean. Did you know that the hymn of praise that we sing every Sunday was inspired by the angels' singing at Jesus's birth? Did you know that we do not light the Christ candle except during the Sundays of Easter, because the light of the Holy Spirit shines within us? Did you know that the green paraments symbolize our growth in grace? If you answered no to any of those questions, you are not alone!

Even though we trust that God's love is not contingent on our observance of rituals and traditions, that is no reason to discard them. Rituals and traditions within the Christian faith serve to ground us in the activity of God. Our participation ascribes value to the actions of God. The fact that we participate in rituals together means that we are bound to one another by our shared values. In baptism, we are working in concert with the Holy Spirit, who gives the gift of faith. Together, we work to nurture and support each other in faith, hope, and love. Coming to church on Sunday, practicing the liturgy, receiving the Holy Supper, we are grounding our lives in the promises of God. God's love becomes very real in the lives and gifts we share with one another.

The abandonment of sacred ritual and the failure to gather as people of God is not just detrimental to our faith, it's detrimental to our flourishing as human beings as well as the health of our society. Rituals and traditions teach us to value to what matters. We live our best lives not in competition but in cooperation. If you are not part of a beloved community, and if you are abandoning faith practices for life's pressures and the world's pleasures, you are not living for what truly matters. You are living obliviously to the presence of God in the ordinary things of life. You are leaving God's peace, hope, and guidance on the table. You are passing up on positive relationships which embody God's faithfulness and love.