The Episcopal Church claims to be a church for people who think, but putting that ideal into practice is tougher than it looks. At last week’s presentation here at Trinity, Bishop Mathes told a story about attending a production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” with a church member who expected the story to be about Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus (Two Biblical Josephs, yes, but separated by centuries and lots of pages).
We’re not the only ones who aren’t passing this test. Jay Leno regularly does comic bits with people failing to name one of the 10 Commandments or 12 apostles. Blame for Christian ignorance has been placed all around, from Sunday Schools that don’t teach to church members who don’t care. But at the Preaching Conference last week at Luther Seminary, I heard another possibility:
People don’t understand what’s going on in church simply because they don’t expect to understand what’s going on in church. Theological language, biblical images, old-fashioned hymns—we don’t google any of it when we get home because we go to church with an expectation that we’re not going to understand it anyway, so why try?
So, naturally, I ask you, is it true? Do you expect an incomprehensible experience each Sunday? If so, you’re not totally off base. After all, a totally comprehensible God can hardly be called God, so, as St. Augustine discovered back in the 5th Century, try as you might you will never exhaust the mystery of the Trinity. I might add, however, that this insight didn’t stop Augustine from writing volumes of theology about the Trinity, aiming to grow in faith through the journey of understanding, so maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to quit trying.
But it’s harder for us than for Augustine. We also have a problem of history–we live in a world of completely different realities—profits instead of prophets, cars, not chariots, fossil fuels instead of olive oil–you could name lots more, no doubt. So when all these Biblical images wash over us in church, dozens in a given service, maybe we do just let them all go. After all, how many questions can you ask?
Maybe we could ask a few, though. Here’s my first few: Do we go to church with an expectation of incomprehension? What are your favorite incomprehensible church words? I’ve thought of a few: Lamb of God, holy, sacrifice, passover, amen, alleluia…. I’m sure there are others. What ones? We’re a thinking church, let’s start thinking!
I leave you with a last (Latin) word from St. Augustine: “Credo ut intelligam.” Google that, and share your incomprehensible church words!