Sacred Icons of the Church
1969 found Ruth, the boys, and I living in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. I was teaching junior high math and we belonged to a big denominational church. The church ran two services on Sunday morning. At the young age of 29 I was the chairman of the congregation. I have thought about that a few times through the years and have wondered why they would promote a man that young to such a position. I sometimes think that people confuse zeal with maturity. What I lacked in maturity I made up for in zeal. The fact that I allowed myself to be in such a position at that age would certainly point to my maturity, or lack of it.
I remember one Sunday when the pastor was to be away, I was asked to give the sermon. Another man in leadership was asked to give the liturgy. During the liturgy the pastor used different areas of the front of the church to read the different portions of the liturgy. During one of the prayers, he would go through the altar rail and kneel in front of the altar. I remember the instructions that he gave us in performing our duties during his absence. One of the important items of protocol was that since we were not ordained, we were not to pass through the altar rail and approach the altar. I can still remember something going through my young, immature mind, like this, "I wonder what the cleaning lady does?"
When Ruth and I arrived here at the church in Slidell, LA where we are staying and hosting teams, we were told, "This kitchen is yours, use what ever supplies you find and what ever equipment you need."
We had a team here last week from Wisconsin and one day while I was talking to the Pastor in the Kitchen I told him about our kitchen privileges here at the church and I also told him that we have not had one single women even come into the kitchen while we have been here to inspect the kitchen. He then told me, "That would never happen in his church because the kitchen is a sacred place." It would seem that it could only be approached by invitation and or with a chaperone.
A while back I wrote about the experience that Ruth and I had as we headed up a summer youth program in a suburb of Los Angeles where a handful of women quenched the spirit of the program. I can still see women sentries standing in the kitchen doorway with their arms folded, guarding the entrance to the kitchen. You can just about imagine the expressions on their faces as they stood guard duty.
Isn't it interesting that we hold certain things or places as sacred and the thing that is most sacred, we abuse.
I Cor. 3:16 & 17 says, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you. If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is SACRED, and you are that temple."
1969 found Ruth, the boys, and I living in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. I was teaching junior high math and we belonged to a big denominational church. The church ran two services on Sunday morning. At the young age of 29 I was the chairman of the congregation. I have thought about that a few times through the years and have wondered why they would promote a man that young to such a position. I sometimes think that people confuse zeal with maturity. What I lacked in maturity I made up for in zeal. The fact that I allowed myself to be in such a position at that age would certainly point to my maturity, or lack of it.
I remember one Sunday when the pastor was to be away, I was asked to give the sermon. Another man in leadership was asked to give the liturgy. During the liturgy the pastor used different areas of the front of the church to read the different portions of the liturgy. During one of the prayers, he would go through the altar rail and kneel in front of the altar. I remember the instructions that he gave us in performing our duties during his absence. One of the important items of protocol was that since we were not ordained, we were not to pass through the altar rail and approach the altar. I can still remember something going through my young, immature mind, like this, "I wonder what the cleaning lady does?"
When Ruth and I arrived here at the church in Slidell, LA where we are staying and hosting teams, we were told, "This kitchen is yours, use what ever supplies you find and what ever equipment you need."
We had a team here last week from Wisconsin and one day while I was talking to the Pastor in the Kitchen I told him about our kitchen privileges here at the church and I also told him that we have not had one single women even come into the kitchen while we have been here to inspect the kitchen. He then told me, "That would never happen in his church because the kitchen is a sacred place." It would seem that it could only be approached by invitation and or with a chaperone.
A while back I wrote about the experience that Ruth and I had as we headed up a summer youth program in a suburb of Los Angeles where a handful of women quenched the spirit of the program. I can still see women sentries standing in the kitchen doorway with their arms folded, guarding the entrance to the kitchen. You can just about imagine the expressions on their faces as they stood guard duty.
Isn't it interesting that we hold certain things or places as sacred and the thing that is most sacred, we abuse.
I Cor. 3:16 & 17 says, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you. If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is SACRED, and you are that temple."
posted by Jim Burton at 8:05 AM
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