The cloisters of the cathedral were built between 1317 and 1340 in Gothic style, and shows the influence of the cloisters of Lisbon Cathedral. Source: Image used with permission by Faith for Living, Inc.
What approach to take in Maundy Thursday this year? What call to worship is best? Do I stay with the Lectionary readings for the Easter sermon or do I go elsewhere? The questions of the season that press a pastor can also cause the shepherd to miss the miracle of the event in his own life. I share some thoughts from another fellow practitioner and scholar on the theology of the act of what we do in this and every season. I found it helpful and I offer it to you. Slow down and enjoy the beauty of the very services that you are building and leading for the people of God and for the glory of God.
A WEDDING. A HANDSHAKE. A kiss. A coronation. A parade. A dance. A meal. A graduation. A Mass. A ritual is the performance of an intuition, the rehearsal of a dream, the playing of a game.
A sacrament is the breaking through of the sacred into the profane; a ritual is the ceremonial acting out of the profane in order to show forth its sacredness.
A sacrament is God offering his holiness to men; a ritual is men raising up the holiness of their humanity to God.
– Originally published in Wishful Thinking
Buechner, Frederick. Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC. New York: Harper & Row, 1973.