While I was sitting in the eye doctor’s office with Emma, I began, as most of us do, to run through the list of things that I still need to accomplish today. Emma’s appointment was later in the afternoon so, by this point, this was less of an exercise in planning and more about panicking. 'There is so much still to do today,’ I thought. Then, as I thought more about what remained on my list, as I looked at it on my iPhone, I began to see a pattern forming—a pattern that I wonder if you have as well.
I have noticed that when we create to-do lists they are a mixture of things that need our attention (tasks) and rituals that we adopt. Today I want you to notice the difference. . . Tasks must be completed but rituals are our choice. They are a choice that we can either enhance or put aside.
What are some of our rituals that take center stage?
Now I know what you are thinking. . . Didn’t we talk about routines a few months ago? Isn’t that the same thing?
Well I did reflect on the routines of our days previously, and no, that is not the same things as a ritual. Our rituals are important to us. They help us remember who we are and ‘whose' we are. For example in the church, the Lord’s Supper is a ritual that we participate in regularly. That act reminds us of our redeemed nature and it also reminds us of how deeply God’s love extends into our lives. The Sacrament reminds us that we are all part of God’s larger, loved, family, and as such, we not only have value to God, but we have value to each other. As I will say on Thursday evening, ‘anyone who sees a meaning and purpose in these elements may. They have been prepared for you out of God’s great love.'
Baptism is another ritual that we engage in as the church. It reminds us of "signed and sealed state.' As the water is applied to our bodies, we bear the mark of Christ upon our very flesh. We are marked as different and, yet in that difference, we become a larger family. Both of the sacraments unite us to God and each other. They are rituals that we embrace.
But rituals also take place around this time of the year in our homes—and we cannot forget this. . .
Immediately after worship on Christmas Eve some of our families will gather around the Christmas tree at Plains for their yearly family picture (The Marotta family will do the same). Once that ritual is complete, my family will travel back to our home for the ritual of cookies, cocoa, and hot cider. Everyone will change from their “Christmas best” and into something much more informal and comfortable (pajamas). It is the ritual of our family. This act says something about the value that my family places in being with each other and eating together. Like many others we could retreat to bed or watch television is silence. But we want fellowship. We are Italian and so we are loud too. We want to practice caring for each other by feeding each other snacks and cheese. In fact, we will welcome a new person to our Christmas Eve ritual, and we will be all the better because of it.
And so these thoughts about rituals make me wonder about you and the rituals that you are going to either embrace or enhance as the Christmas season comes to its end for 2020? Those rituals can become milestones around our neck that limit what we can become, or we can choose to positively embrace what remains on the list as a way to deepen our relationships.
I wonder which of those rituals have been enhanced so that you ‘be’ family in a deeper more meaningful way? Take some time today and think about them, and as you do, consider how enhancing them could bless you and your family.
Blessings
Rev. Derek
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