I have been doing a lot of thinking about rituals recently. Rituals are a series of actions or type of behavior regularly and invariably followed by someone. So rituals are a part of every person’s everyday life. Everyday rituals are about things like setting or not setting your alarm clock, always having that first cup of coffee before doing anything else, exercising before going to work. For me one of my rituals is to pray before I get out of bed. Most times it is not a long prayer, something along the lines of God help me to see what you would have me do today. However, if a prayer doesn’t get said I feel out of sorts all day.
The church also has rituals, and the rituals in the church have a deeper meaning. The church rituals touch that part of us that connects us to the mystery and transcendence of God, and are important in our relationships with others. Through baptism and Holy Communion, the two sacraments in the United Methodist Church, we are connected not only to Christ, but also to the centuries of Christians that have gone before us.
The reason for my thoughts and reflections on rituals is because of the last two years and what we have gone through. Many of the rituals in our lives have changed permanently. I live in a county that has never lifted the mask requirement for indoors so one of my rituals is to make sure I have a mask no matter where I go. The church I am serving was closed for more than a year and still has not had a fellowship hour after the service since March 2020. We have missed the time to be able to hold a conversation with people over things that have happened. We hope to be able to hold a fellowship hour at Easter. We are asking questions like, is fellowship time the same as it was before the pandemic? Is it held outside or can we hold it inside? Do we need to wear masks? How do we keep people safe? On February 22, 2022 (2.22.22) I officiated at a wedding. As I worked with the couple, I realized that I needed to think through all the elements of the service to see what changes need to be made because of the pandemic. We started asking questions like, do the guests need to wear masks? Do we have room for the guests to socially distance?
And now we are planning Lent, Holy Week, and Resurrection Sunday, asking once again, what changes need to be made. Sometimes I feel more like an event planner than a minister. And of course, I wonder when can we resume some of our rituals to feel connected to God and to each other. And what rituals have changed and will never be the same again. And then I am reminded that rituals are important and we need to change these visible symbols, but no matter what changes are required, God is still present. God is always in relationship with us.