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[Back to index of Special Issue articles] VIEWPOINT: Ann Moczydlowski By Ann Moczydlowski While musing about my experiences in Christian formation, the word sensual came to mind. There are the "smells and bells" of the more Anglo-Catholic worship experiences. Then there's holy touch in the prayers for healing accompanied by anointing with oil. At table we share the holy feast of bread and wine, tasting and seeing God's love for us in concrete ways. We hear the sounds of Scripture being read, chants sung, clapping, prayers offered and rhythmic and melodious hymnody - sounds that sometimes remind us of God's love, sometimes challenge us and call us to "fret not" as we risk living in new ways. From cradle to grave, worship and pastoral care are certainly part of Christian formation. Not only a physical reality, Christian formation "works us" inside as well as out. Consider the potter's wheel. The artist throws a lump of clay onto the wheel and begins her work: slowly, patiently forming earth and water into a vessel. Not a purely mechanical action, in my mind's eye, the potter gazes at the lump of clay with love for what is and delighted anticipation for what can be. She moistens the clay so that it can be molded and shaped according to her desire. The old Carey Landry "hum and strum" hymn Abba Father comes to mind:
Mold us and fashion us…Can you imagine hands that are at once strong and sensitive, shaping the clay, inside and out? Wouldn't it be painful to be clay in the hands of anyone? Perhaps even worse, it sounds as though we are not in control of ourselves. Why would we willingly allow anyone to mold and fashion us? And yet, whether we readily accept it or not, something is always forming us, fashioning us into the people we are. Our culture promotes in us the fear of "not being enough." We're told how to dress, how to smell, what to drive and even how to heal ourselves - all in order to be acceptable to others. Family expectations, societal messages and our own hopes and dreams help to shape our sense of self. In stark contrast, being formed through imitation of the life of Jesus means that we listen to the words of love our savior offers us in the silence of contemplative prayer. It means hearing and believing one who cares deeply for us. It means trusting enough to cry out to God when life is scary. It means believing in our deepest places that God - the potter, if you will - considers each one of us "beloved daughter" or "beloved son." The good news is that Christian formation is practiced in our homes, our workplace, our churches, even on the Beltway! Activist and contemplative Franciscan priest, Richard Rohr, says that during the first half of life we must teach our young the basics of our faith, the Bible stories, the prayers, the expectations for living. These provide us with "a container" in which to feel safe enough to explore and participate in the life of the spirit. Godly play, traditional Sunday school curricula, Sunday forums, walking labyrinths, singing Evensong at the cathedral or playing drums in a praise band, learning church history and the catechism or making Anglican rosaries to support our prayer - it's all good! Bedtime and mealtime prayers, compline, story circles, music, drama… whatever acts as the moistening water, allowing us to be malleable in the hands of the potter is gift. Gifts were meant for sharing. So, too, Christian formation often happens within the comfort and challenges of community. But if we stop there we risk self-righteousness and boredom. From infancy through our vintage years, Christian formation is certainly part and parcel of our lives of service: through our smiles, our hard work, our valuing of the earth and her creatures, our faithful listening, learning, the gift of tears, feeding the hungry, caring for others, speaking truth to power. Venue is less important than who and what motivate the action. Christian formation is not so much linear as it is a process that seeks holy balance. Our inner lives nurtured through prayer and holy rest are the force behind our service. And often that outer journey of service leads us back "inside" where we can do some serious soul searching, some listening to the potter as she works in silence, the divine hands molding us yet again: teaching us, leading us to serve in new ways and places, forming us more deeply into the image of Jesus. That molding touch is always done in the spirit of perfect love that entices us to take greater and greater risks outside of our "container" during the second half of life. It is then that we can leave behind rigid rules, literal interpretation of even our favorite stories, and "the way we've always done it" in our churches. Because the potter has proven herself trustworthy we can learn and be formed even in the ambiguity of all that we taste, see, feel, hear, experience… Indeed, Christian formation is sensual. [Back to index of Special Issue articles]
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