Yesterday NPR ran a news brief about KFC's new fish sandwich, which is being added to the menu in an attempt to get Catholics and other Lent observers to keep the cash flowing through their franchises during this meat-less season. In a PR move(or who knows, maybe a genuine shot at reaching for the divine touch) the company solicited the Vatican for a Papal blessing upon the new fish sandwich. Perhaps hoping that the 25% of Americans who are Catholic will favor their "fast spiritual food" over that of their competitors?
Perhaps it would be good spiritual exercise for Lent observers to abstain from giving money to all corporate giant restaurant chains for the season. But my pride might be showing here...
NPR went on to wisecrack that KFC needs all the blessings it can get following the outbreak of e coli that recently affected 100 or so customers at one of their Taco Bell franchises, denting their reputation. Hah.
But then, I doubt NPR would be making cutting jibes and insinuating hypocrisy about a business in the same bacterial/spiritual predicament if it were locally owned and peddled only organic produce. Though the unlucky circumstances be the same. Maybe NPR needs a Papal blessing.
Maybe I do.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
A Bunch of Words I Would Like to Abolish
Or at least completely redefine because their meanings have been disfigured into tools whose primary use is the subtle manipulation and control of people.
- Christian
- Spirit/Spiritual
- Saved
- Church
- Community
- Holy
- Righteousness
- Heaven
- Word of God
- Gospel (actually, this one I would be happier if people started saying it. As it is, it's currently is such disuse that many people probably can't even pronounce it)
- Love
- Blessing
- Grace
Maybe I'm being too righteous by even presuming to suggest the abolition of words. But I cringe at their usage most of the time.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Singing So Hard
I never really want to pick fights with anyone here about their worship preferences in terms of style, newness vs. oldness, structured vs. free-form. Perhaps our first mistake was to link the words "worship" and "music" so tightly in the first place. I'm just going to ramble a bit, and probably not edit myself too much afterwards.
I got really tired(quite literally, tired) of practicing worship as if I was doing some great spiritual work of holiness for God. The typical session would look like this: Get into a group of people. Pick a bunch of songs that were sure to be picker-uppers, appropriately tapering uptempo rockers into downtempo "intimate" songs. Sing proudly that you love God forever, that you will give him everything, and perhaps that he is your "song" or your "light" or some such spiritualized metaphor. If the group is functioning as it should, get an emotional charge and maybe wave your hands around(especially as the song bursts into the rousingly anthemic, major-key chorus where the lead singer aims for that inspiring, sustained, high note right on the word "I" or perhaps "give." As the session progresses, lower your energy, close your eyes, and slightly incline your head towards the ceiling. End with eyes closed with a constipated look on your face as the leader says a prayer that God would "be with us," today and show us ("illumine" if he/she has a particularly big vocabulary) what he wants us to learn from the word.
I am not complaining, honest. I just see a pattern here, and like with all repetitive behavior I see in people, I just have to start laughing at some point. Can the worship experience be so literally the same for so many people, church service after church service? Is God doing the exact same thing in everyone's life, all the time? Why did I get so tired? Why did I start feeling like a total, predictable goose every time the music started?
Am I responding to God's unceasing approach to me, or am I trying to initiate a spiritual behavior that I believe elevates me into the category of "very sanctified," or "godly?" And the more people watching the better. Then later, maybe I'll make a few surreptitious comments to my friends about "those [fill in the blank] Christians" who don't worship right.
Could I just be real with you for a second? A lot of the times that I've been seen at worship services, I haven't actually been worshipping God. I'm not going to beat myself up for this, but I think I might have actually been worshipping my love for God instead of God. Let me take a shot at what I could do differently. Sit down. Open my eyes; or close them. Whichever is most honest. Stop singing. Close the Bible; or open it. Whichever is less of a result of my pseudo-spiritual predisposition towards getting everything straight. Stop evaluating the musicians and the people around me. Say to myself "Abba do you love me?" Say "Lord, have mercy on me." Or don't say anything, and just sit there in silence. Maybe, if something clicks, my spirit will begin to worship, unstoppably, and then maybe my body would follow. I'll stand up, start singing.......
But hell, I might daydream or think about the movie I saw last night. I'd just like to be able to be honest about it afterwards. Then I don't think I would get so tired.
I got really tired(quite literally, tired) of practicing worship as if I was doing some great spiritual work of holiness for God. The typical session would look like this: Get into a group of people. Pick a bunch of songs that were sure to be picker-uppers, appropriately tapering uptempo rockers into downtempo "intimate" songs. Sing proudly that you love God forever, that you will give him everything, and perhaps that he is your "song" or your "light" or some such spiritualized metaphor. If the group is functioning as it should, get an emotional charge and maybe wave your hands around(especially as the song bursts into the rousingly anthemic, major-key chorus where the lead singer aims for that inspiring, sustained, high note right on the word "I" or perhaps "give." As the session progresses, lower your energy, close your eyes, and slightly incline your head towards the ceiling. End with eyes closed with a constipated look on your face as the leader says a prayer that God would "be with us," today and show us ("illumine" if he/she has a particularly big vocabulary) what he wants us to learn from the word.
I am not complaining, honest. I just see a pattern here, and like with all repetitive behavior I see in people, I just have to start laughing at some point. Can the worship experience be so literally the same for so many people, church service after church service? Is God doing the exact same thing in everyone's life, all the time? Why did I get so tired? Why did I start feeling like a total, predictable goose every time the music started?
Am I responding to God's unceasing approach to me, or am I trying to initiate a spiritual behavior that I believe elevates me into the category of "very sanctified," or "godly?" And the more people watching the better. Then later, maybe I'll make a few surreptitious comments to my friends about "those [fill in the blank] Christians" who don't worship right.
Could I just be real with you for a second? A lot of the times that I've been seen at worship services, I haven't actually been worshipping God. I'm not going to beat myself up for this, but I think I might have actually been worshipping my love for God instead of God. Let me take a shot at what I could do differently. Sit down. Open my eyes; or close them. Whichever is most honest. Stop singing. Close the Bible; or open it. Whichever is less of a result of my pseudo-spiritual predisposition towards getting everything straight. Stop evaluating the musicians and the people around me. Say to myself "Abba do you love me?" Say "Lord, have mercy on me." Or don't say anything, and just sit there in silence. Maybe, if something clicks, my spirit will begin to worship, unstoppably, and then maybe my body would follow. I'll stand up, start singing.......
But hell, I might daydream or think about the movie I saw last night. I'd just like to be able to be honest about it afterwards. Then I don't think I would get so tired.
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