Devotion - Thursday, December 11

Empty rituals.  Don't you just hate them?  And God hates them too. A few weeks back I referred to the verses in Amos/Hosea in which God's displeasure at "solemn feasts" was noted.  

The interesting thing is that a ritual might be "empty" for one, and full of meaning and purpose for another.

This morning I was reading from Luke 22. Here, Jesus sends his disciples into Jerusalem to prepare for Passover.  If you haven't been to a Seder, it is a lot of ritual. When share Passover with the Jewish ministry, some of our students start to loose interest around the 75th minute.  "Empty" might be whispered among them.  But the ritual of Passover gives rise to the ritual of Eucharist.  Hardly an empty event.

Rituals become empty when we engage in them without purpose.  Rituals are despised when they are merely checking off a box, as in "done it!"  Rituals are pregnant and full of purpose when we remember them as opportunities to encounter that which is greater than the events themselves; more meaningful than the words which are spoken and the actions which are taken.  The purpose of rituals is to connect us or re-connect us to that which is larger than our ordinary routine.

You are likely to be engaged in many rituals over the next couple of weeks. Some will be shared with a wide circle, others may involve only your immediate family.  I was always intrigued to see which rituals my children looked forward to when they returned home for Christmas break.  I could see the importance of the ritual when I allowed myself to look through their eyes.

You are connected to those things which are larger and greater.  The rituals of Sunday worship, Christmas Eve worship, opening the doors on an Advent calendar, writing a Christmas note - all of these are ways to be reminded and to celebrate those connections.

My prayer is that God will bless your rituals and you through them.  

See you in January!