Is it really February already? I wonder how many of you kept to your New Years Resolutions. If you have, then well done…for myself I fail miserably every year. In fact for 2024 I’ll probably make a resolution not to make any resolutions…so at least I stand a chance of keeping it.
New Years Resolutions are almost ritualistic in nature. They are a widespread, cultural reality of life in our society. Mind you, we all have our own personal and family rituals, don’t we? I think such family rituals make us feel good and help to create a sense of identity, security and belonging. Even simple rituals like a song or story before bed can hold a special meaning for children and families. Rituals are a feature of all known human societies and come in all shapes and sizes. From religious rites and sacraments to rites of passage, oaths of allegiance, even marriages and funerals. The list goes ever on and on.
This month will see a variety of ritualistic celebrations, from the Jewish Tu Bishvat and Muslim Lailat al Miraj to Nirvana Day (for Buddhists). Not forgetting Valentine’s Day, Shrove Tuesday (don’t forget the Lemon Juice) and Ash Wednesday leading us towards Lent. Contrary to some views I have heard expressed, rituals are not arcane unfathomable actions whose meanings are lost in the depths of time. They actually inform us. They help us understand where we came from and where we are heading. But quite importantly they do not define who we are or what we must do. Furthermore they should not stop us from moving forward in life and making changes which embrace the ever changing society we live in. Everyone will have different rituals, just like every human society. Or religion for that matter. However when we look at the life of Jesus we realise he was not defined or beholden to specific rituals. He didn’t follow a specific plan. Quite the reverse because Jesus challenged the status quo. He challenged the 100’s of obscure Jewish Laws and rituals trapping the Jewish people in a never-ending cycle of sin from which there really was no escape.
Jesus preached a new way, one where God was the focus. From his teachings a new Church arose, although initially it was simply a ‘sect’ within the Jewish faith. Originally its meetings were held in Jewish temples before it gradually found a divergent path from its roots and began shaping a new way to worship God. Over the intervening centuries the Church has fragmented into various denominations because the rituals (the how and why we do things) have once again become more important than our relationship with God. It seems to me we’ve come almost full circle, forgetting the teachings of Jesus in our efforts to follow them, and placing our rituals at the centre of our worship, rather than a personal relationship with God. Jesus taught us that loving God with all our hearts and each other as ourselves were the most important commandments. Everything else pales into insignificance compared to them. Perhaps we need to re-focus on doing just that. With that comes a fresh understanding of what it means to be children of God, and within that new opportunities to grow and flourish.
May this February bring you such opportunities and understandings, whatever you believe…
with every blessing…
Rev Paul
