Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church - Issaquah, WA - March 27th, 2011

      Hey everybody! On the issue of the blog being a ministry or not. I talked to one of my friends who gave me good explanation on why she thinks it is. I hope my and others' insights and experiences  outside and through this blog can help or continue to help you on your journeys, and hopefully I will be able to do faith visits with more of you in the future!

      How would I describe Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church? My experience with the community was one of the greatest ones I've had. It was the first time were I was told I could take communion. Which I will talk about later in the blog. The music was amazing! They have an old choir and the old hymns I have always found peace in. The church building is under construction and the community is fair size and extremely kind.

    At service there was a call for people with birthdays to come up and receive a blessing from the Priest. She didn't notice me at first, and I was surprised I took the initiative, most visits I tend to stick around in the back and not sit in the front. I wasn't noticed at first, but I got a few birthday wishes. My birthday was the next day.

     The sermon was about sticking to the end to discover how Jesus can change you. The example of the Samaritan Women who ended up seeing him as Christ and took responsibility for her questionable past was contrasted with Nicodemus who wasn't willing to give up his wealth to follow Jesus. In the story it laid down some of the signs for what would happen on the cross and at Easter with the resurrection.

    After the Nicene Creed was quoted (which reminded me of Catholic Mass where it's roots come from). It was at that time I was also aware how I am not a Christian. I see the possibility of it being true metaphorically (Three in One being/Trinity, resurrection, ect.) I just don't see it as probable, and think their are enough doubts about the texts for them not to be literal events exactly recorded. The theologian Marcus Borg's thoughts about the what happened (they were recorded by his followers post his death, and that they did experience something that inspired them to believe Jesus was God and rose from the dead) makes more sense to me. Regardless, it's the actions that I do, and that people do that matter I think. That's what defines us more so then any belief about reality.

     It was for this reason I was surprised that I was offered communion. Me, a total stranger who has great appreciation for the virtue in many of Jesus's messages (not all of them I think are virtuous though) and who is the Outsider was offered communion.

    I think I understand a bit more now why the Eucharist and communion is so central to many Christian churches. When the Priest gave me the wafer dipped in wine, it was the most aware I've ever been of what I was eating. "This is the bread of life." She said. I don't know if that's true, but the reverence of those around me (and that I myself showed for the symbol) transcended to the experience...or maybe something outside of me touched me. I'm not sure. Regardless, I felt alive.

     Afterwords I talked to the Priest, the Choir director and the old gentlemen who was sitting next to me during Mass. Involvement again became a huge theme...and honestly I need to think about it. It really depends on both parties. There is me the agnostic Theist who is clearly not a Christian, who calls himself outsider invited to take part in another's community in song and volunteer work. Whatever I decide on, I'm not going to stop exploring and visiting different communities. If I do settle somewhere where their is mutual acceptance then the community will have to know that this blog won't be stopping. Which means some Sundays I'll be missing. Strangely enough, the Outsider has found many places that he has connected to and hopes to return to as well as the journey and exploration continues here in Washington and beyond.

   




Saturday, March 26, 2011

Eastridge Church - Issaquah, WA - March 26th 2011

       What is worship? Is this blog a ministry (is it helping anyone or is it a journal only)?

      The reason I bring these points up is because of my experience today. First worship, I realize now why I'm so drawn to the dirges and the silence...it's in the those places where the words of the music have their strongest meaning and bring the greatest reflection for me. At Eastridge their is a stage, and how it's set up is akin to concert stage. There is white drapery that turned multi-colored by the lights, their is the base, rock and roll music and a catchy tune at all times during the songs of worship. They still come off as love songs to God, which I think are the point...but I find it's easy for me to get lost in the rhythms, they are the ones I hear on the radio and in the process the words can be lost in the experience.
     I wished I could have talked to the people about it...what do others experience when the music plays? Do they have the same questions as me?
     Most of the service was music. This is why the question came up. I missed the sermon because I had to pick up my little sister, but the Pastor has been going through John leading up to Easter...but it felt like the music was an escape, though it could in fact be an inspiration.

      I talked to older woman today. She was really sweet and is in charge of the youth group. She was able to give me the history of Eastridge (there was a falling out with a Pastor in the West Seattle Campus at one point, but the West Seattle campus asked to rejoin and is now a part of the main campus again). Eastridge also was once a smaller building before the large Mars Hill like (in technology, music, diversity). There old building is now a youth center and may be a Christian School someday.
      I told her about my visiting other churches and talked her about life, being graduated, being on the Newman Choir and planning on teaching English in China. She told me of the ministries at Eastridge I could get involved in...

    I don't know if I could though. If I was I wouldn't be doing this blog, there wouldn't be faith visits. I need to find a way to get involved volunteerwise to help in the community, and perhaps I could do that through Eastridge on Wednesdays...but Sundays, and weekends are the weekends of exploration. Those weekends are when I share my experiences with everyone and what I discover and learn.

   Is that a ministry though? Am I helping anyone with this blog? This blog is an exploration, but I hope it's more then that and I need to do what I can to make it more then that. It's about the messages of the faiths, the experiences, and most of all the people (which sadly some of my posts lack), and recently letting others tell their story from their own words, not from discussions I've had with them, as well as my experience with all these things. Is it a ministry though? Should it be a ministry?

   Part of what it means to be human, to be a writer, to live, is to grow...and I hope this blog has grown, but I feel it can grow in ways I'm not aware of. 

   That's the question I don't know, and I would love to hear your thoughts on.