As a child I was deeply marked by the Byzantine High Mass. To get ready for the drama of the Mass, the first half of the service was mostly chanting, led by a cantor and/or choir, a capella, in Slovak or Old Slavonic. The purpose of the endlessly repeated responses was to loose the bonds of time and place, to empty the Self from the Mind, and to detach from the Profane and enter into the Sacred, a world of power. Words fail.
After our children arrived we were drawn to Presbyterianism. I liked the simplicity of the services, the notion that each adult is his/her own priest, and governance was bottom-up. Small groups, study groups, out-reach, “busy hands”: and an un-ending discussion about propriety. The mathematician in me (who loves good definitions) came to define a Presbyterian ceremony as “ at least three Presbyterians trying to walk in a straight line for the same reason.”
A few years ago I visited a Catholic church in Pennsylvania, hoping to enlist their help to buy new mattresses for the City Mission in New Castle. Waiting in the office I noticed a bulletin board, covered with notices about Bible studies, a Habitat for Humanity project, and photos of the youth group on a recent mission trip. It seemed that these Catholics were stealing our thunder. The truth is even more interesting than the suspicion: the major streams of Christianity are busy cross-fertilizing each other.
The recent Taizé service at First Church of Youngstown, Ohio, was another example.
We filed silently into the sanctuary, sitting interlaced with the choirs of our churches ( Poland Church of Poland, Ohio), First Church, and St. Columba Cathedral of Youngstown. An ocean of randomized candles lit the room; the choirs and/or a cantor began the singing of repeated short verses. At least one round was in Latin. Time and place began to melt. We were leaving the Profane behind. My wife and I were home again.
Americans hunger for the Sacred, while standing neck-deep in the Profane. I’m overjoyed that the Reformed Faith is busy Re-forming: busy hands, small groups, spirituality — we can incorporate it all! The next time a Taizé service happens in your area, look into it; try not to count the candles!
TAD SHURA is a retired mathematics professor living in Poland, Ohio.
