A new moon, a not so new sacramental act.
Exploring the holy supper as a way to honor all that we receive.
So as the name of my Substack suggests I’m interested in making worship a part of all of life, not just something that is done in a particular way, in a particular holy place, with a particular holy people. The essence of this life of worship for me drills down to an intention to be loving, honest and useful to the best of my ability all the time. AND, obviously if the state of our world tells us anything this kind of living is not automatic, it is challenging and difficult, and nearly impossible to do in isolation. Hence the paradox: intentional worship times and locals do not define a holy life AND a holy life often needs the support and nurturance of intentional worship times.
Make sense?
In this vein, as I step away from the intentional worship times and ways and schedules of the traditional parish, I’ve been wondering about what kind of worship rhythms would best support my own spiritual growth and possibly others. What has emerged is a new (and perhaps old) worship rhythm that I’m excited to introduce and explore.
Instead of grounding this worship rhythm in our traditional weekly calendar I’ve decided to ground it in the cycle of the moon, as it waxes and wanes in the sky. Something about this feels right, connects me to my ancestors before wrist watches and calendar reminders. One of the needs I feel in myself is to be more grounded in the actual physicality of my being and the natural world around me. I feel excited to pay attention to when the moon is high and bright in the sky and when it is hidden and dark. To take note of something that is just plainly and obviously and observably true about our shared world. I also am aware of how the invitation of the spiritual life IS necessarily often at odds with the invitation of the life of the material world we have created together with its deadlines, identity cards, and economic obligations. I like the idea of holding sacred rituals that don’t follow the paradigm of this world, but instead the paradigm of the universe that presumably will continue carrying on as it is no matter what stories we make up about it.
Grounded in this cycle of time, I will turn to the sacramental cycle of baptism and the holy supper, the two primary sacraments that my ordination calls me to. Last year when I held a study of Emanuel Swedenborg’s New Jerusalem I was struck that baptism and the holy supper made an appearance as a part of this new church that was coming into being when most of what was being described were inner experiences (goodness, truth, love, will, understanding, regeneration, conscience, etc.) It led me to deeply consider what it is about these sacraments that make them substantially important to the spiritual life. What emerged was a recognition that these two sacraments, like the new moon and the full moon, represent a cycle, a cycle of receiving and a cycle of letting go.
In the holy supper we are nourished, nourished by food that Jesus tells us is in fact his very body, we are reminded that we are receiving divine nourishment all of the time, that we are not isolated from the divine life but continual recipients of it.
In baptism we are cleansed, releasing whatever might be in the way of us knowing ourselves to be beloved children of God, false ideas/beliefs/identities, guilts, fears. In the waters of baptism we die to all this and are reborn, letting go of what no longer serves us so that we have room to receive the new life emerging within.
These sacraments feel to me like the in breath and the out breath, a ritualization of the processes that sustain human life, receiving and releasing. If we are to be spiritually growing we will necessarily engage continually in these two movements.
I also love how these sacraments correspond with Be Love, Be Honest, Be Useful. The holy supper is the ultimate Be Love act. And baptism requires that we bring what needs cleaning into the light, the ultimate Be Honest act. (I am interested in exploring anointing as a ritual to represent the movement of Be Useful…more to come….)
And while we can eat and wash alone, how much more powerful to do so together. If you are someone who is also seeking to make all of your life an act of worship and looking for new ways to nurture this process join me! All are very welcome. And what we create will be made more beautiful, more effective, more holy, the more unique souls who enter in.
Tonight, on this night of the New Moon, the sky is dark. Not unlike I’m sure the dark night before Jesus was crucified when he sat with his friends at the table and shared that first sacramental meal. On this New Moon night I invite you to consider how you are being sustained and nourished by the divine life, and what new nourishment might be on the verge of emerging within. Perhaps enjoy a bit of food in the darkness and a drink and give thanks for all that sustains you.
And if you are interested in joining me over ZOOM for any of the upcoming Virtual Worship Gatherings (specific times to be determined) please message me and let me know!
Full Moon BE HONEST Virtual Baptism Ritual - What is getting in the way of love?
(Tuesday September 17th, Thursday October 17th, Friday November 15th, Sunday December 15th)
New Moon BE LOVE Virtual Communion Feast - What is loving us into being?
(Wednesday October 2nd, Friday November 1st, Sunday December 1st, Monday December 30th)
Love this, Sage! There is a very good reason why Swedenborg brings in these two sacraments, and only these two. I love your reflection from a Swedenborgian perspective, with addition of an alignment with nature. <3