#deconstruct church

[revdrewdowns]

A Postscript on Starting to Deconstruct Church

A Postscript on Starting to Deconstruct the Church

My favorite part of exploring ideas is seeing how ideas affect other people.

The other day I shared an article suggesting that instead of tinkering with Daylight Savings Time or opting out of it, what if we adopted it all year round? It is not as novel a concept as one would think and has far more benefits than it does any of the alternatives. And it is one I’ve selfishly supported for years…

View On WordPress

[revdrewdowns]

Exit

Exit - Last Day - Deconstruct Church

When I leave a party, I always look for the host: I want to thank them. It seems respectful. It also gives me a sense of conclusion after the party. I say to myself “OK, now it is OK for me to leave.”

This isn’t the only way to leave a party. The more social among us need to announce to everyone within earshot that they’re leaving. The less social just slip out because who really wants to say…

View On WordPress

[revdrewdowns]

Liturgy & the Event

The earliest rule I remember about church was my Mom telling me when I was 4 or 5, sitting in the balcony at the back of Trinity, Alpena and she pointed to the Lord’s Prayer and said to me that this is the one thing she expected me to memorize. The rest of the service, I can do other stuff, but at this point, I need to stop playing or reading and I have to pray with everyone else by heart.

As I…

View On WordPress

[revdrewdowns]

Membership

Membership - Deconstruct Church

When I used to walk into a church for the first time, I’d show up within 5 minutes of the start of worship. I’d try to find a seat in the back, and I would just sort of find my way in.

I didn’t really want to be shown how to worship there. I knew what I was doing. And If I didn’t, I’d fake it.

And during the whole service, I would think about how I fit into this place, this moment, and how this…

View On WordPress

[revdrewdowns]

Announcements

Announcements - Deconstruct Church

I truly value communication. It has always been one of my top priorities.

For a church, I’ve built a website, set up social media pages, published a weekly email newsletter, not to mention planned the weekly liturgy, written letters, visited with people, and made the obligatory announcements on Sunday morning.

And strangely, one thing has been true in every church I’ve served: people still say…

View On WordPress

[revdrewdowns]

Nicene Creed

Nicene Creed - Deconstruct Church

The strangest moment in worship happens in the middle. For many of us it is sitting right in the center of our worship. And everything around it is far more worshipful and embodies the people at prayer.

We open in prayer and we read scripture and we sing and pray a psalm and we proclaim the gospel and we unpack the Word. And the second half we pray and confess, are absolved and reconcile. Then we…

View On WordPress

[revdrewdowns]

Epiklesis

Epiklesis - Deconstruct Church

The epiklesis is the magic moment of the Great Thanksgiving. It is the great crescendo of the service of Holy Eucharist. It is the “shhh, everybody, shh! Here it is!” moment of the preparation of the table for communion.

The prayer, which begins in a great gathering, tells of the great story, and reminds us of Jesus’s command to his disciples to break bread and remember, drives to a moment, this…

View On WordPress

[revdrewdowns]

Words of Institution

Words of Institution - Deconstruct Church

The Eucharistic Prayer begins with the Sursum Corda, a conversation between the presider and the people.

The Lord be with you! And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give him thanks and praise.

This is how we offer our gratefulness to GOD. We call this part of the Eucharist “The Great Thanksgiving”, which given that it…

View On WordPress