One of the Lutheran churches in our neighborhood recently sold their building to a Roman Catholic church. As I drove by the other day I saw on the outdoor sign the title "Divine Liturgy" giving the time of the mass. I actually said the words out loud:"Divine Liturgy". Since I am not well versed in the various kinds of masses of the Catholic church, this could be a service for something very specific. But what struck me is that the word 'liturgy' literally means 'the work of the people.' Divine liturgy…..the divine work of the people. Doesn't it sound wonderful?
What if every morning we woke up with the idea that today we were going to be about divine work? What if every time we walked into our places of worship we really set about engaging in divine work? What if we saw all our work as a relationship between us and the Divine? How do you think your work would be changed by this intention? It is an intriguing thought, isn't it?I am imaging how I might approach that difficult person if I truly believed the Divine was standing right in the midst of us. Wouldn't I see this person with the eyes of compassion? I am imaging all the mundane tasks I do, we all do, daily. How might I approach them differently if I saw the Presence of God intricately woven into each little detail, each form, each copy made? The meals made and eaten, the hands touched and held, the eyes met, the words said, all wrapped in the breath of the Divine One.
Those who have declared many times "God is in all places." forget the truth of this with great regularity. Those who have heard these words also allow them to roll off their backs with ease. It is our way.
But what if today was the day, the real beginning of a new way of employment? What if today is the day to begin our Divine Liturgy? A snowy Monday in October seems as good a day as any to begin the work of the people anew. It couldn't hurt and it just might make all the difference in the world.
When we get together to make liturgy
we share things,
no hierarchies,
We are wordsmiths and story-tellers
sculptors of images
explorers of silences
music makers
singers of songs.
We move chairs
create sacred spaces in living rooms
set off fireworks in back gardens
dance in cathedrals
picnic in rain-threatening weather
float candles in baptismal fonts.
When we get together to make liturgy
we rejoice with the saints and the angels,
discovering our creativity,
being ourselves
in the image and glory of God.
~Ruth Burgess