Habits. Rituals. Practices. We call things by different names, but all of these are actions we regularly engage in which shape who we are. Throughout church history, though less so in our fellowship, these habits and rituals have been called “liturgies.” Liturgies could be defined as “rituals of ultimate concern.” The practices we engage in during our worship service should form our hearts towards the “ultimate concern.” The narrative of the Gospel should shape the ultimate concern for our lives. Liturgies invite us to participate in the narrative so as to be shaped by the narrative.
Liturgies are the rituals which form identity by instilling particular visions of the good life. They do so in a way that trump other rituals. Both the secular and religious narratives are embodied in some kind of “liturgy.” The liturgies of the church should shape our hearts for God. By contrast, there are rival liturgies in the secular world trying to shape your heart and draw you away from God.
In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul addresses the issue of idol worship. We would all agree that worshipping idols is detrimental for our spiritual growth. The temples presented rival liturgies that were obviously in contrast to the Gospel of Christ. We look back at this situation in Corinth and easily see the problem. But we struggle to allow this text to become a mirror into our lives to reveal to us the rival liturgies we engage in on a regular basis. Take a moment to take inventory of the rituals you engage in on a regular basis. Think about the habits you engage in whether those are intentional or unintentional. How do these habits form you? Where do these habits direct your heart?
When I started taking my habits seriously, I started to recognize how little things I was doing in my life were shaping who I am. It seems pretty mundane, but I had the habit of looking at my phone first thing in the morning. I would open my email to see if there was anything important that needed my attention right away. I would then look at Facebook to see what is going on in the world of my friends. Finally, I would look at a few different news sights to see what headlines there were so I could be informed about what is going on in the world.
These may not seem like terrible habits, but I made a small change and have noticed a world of difference. I try not to look at my phone and do any of those habits till later in the morning. I try to begin my morning with silence, scripture, and prayer where I do very little speaking and I just try to listen to God. I have found that when I’m healthier in this practice, I am less chaotic, less narcissistic in how I compare myself to what’s going on with others, I am less worried about the chaos of the world, and I don’t feel like it is up to me to fix everything. I didn’t realize it, but my morning habits were devoid of God and set the tone for my day. They were shaping me in negative ways. What are some small habits you can change in your life to create space for the Holy Spirit to take root in shaping your heart for God?
It is easy to create bad habits. Simply, do nothing intentional. It is harder to create intentional practices. It takes time, effort, and it is often uncomfortable at first. I guess that’s why these intentional practices are also called disciplines.
When we have a “vision of the good life” that comes into contrast with the narrative of the cross and resurrection we tend to fight anyone who might challenge our understanding of the good life. How does the Lord’s Supper act as a lens to examine the narratives we have adopted into our lives? Who are the rival deities creating rival liturgies in the world? Consumerism? Materialism? Individualism? Comfort? Happiness? What else might you add to this list? As Christians, we need to continually keep these rival deities in check to make sure we are not being shaped by the world. What habits do you have in your life that might be coming from the temples of these rival deities?
In 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, Paul reminds the church of Israel’s story. Here are a few observations:
He is speaking to Gentile Christians and says, “our ancestors” implying that the story of Israel is our story too. We need to learn from the Old Testament stories so we know ourselves better.
Paul points to baptism and the Lord’s Supper in the story of Israel. The parallel here is this, just because you are baptized and take communion every week does not mean that you are right with God if you continue unchanged and worship other gods.
The Christians in Corinth seemed to be continually engaging in the temple practices of their society claiming that they are safe from impact because they have received baptism and communion.
In 10:14-22, Paul speaks against this. Carelessly engaging in the temple practices of their society has a lasting impact on life. This is like the rival narratives we were talking about before. Paul gives a hard warning not to allow these rival ritual practices to shape who they are. He then lifts up the Lord’s Supper as the counter narrative needed to shape our love and desire for God.
As we continue in this study of the Lord’s Supper this week, we will focus on the reality that we are all sinners in need of mercy. We all are in need of reconciliation. We come to the Table recognizing that we are not worthy to be there, but it is Jesus Christ who has made us clean and invited us to the Table. Therefore, the Lord’s Supper needs to be a time of examination where the rival liturgies and rituals are exposed in us so that we might hand them over to God to be redeemed, transformed, or crucified.