Rituals
One by one the cars pulled into the parking lot at Hardees bringing retired gentlemen from around the community. As they emerged from their cars, the breakfast crew assembled as they did each Monday morning for fellowship and food. On a Saturday afternoon, cars streamed into town and filled up all the parking lots. Tents were erected. Tables and chairs set up and for the next few hours thousands of people turned parking lots into tailgates. The graduates gathered in the gym while their families waited in the auditorium. Twelve years of schooling was coming to a close. Soon the notes of Pomp and Circumstance would begin, tassels would be moved, and these young people would no longer be students, but high school graduates.
Every community has rituals and traditions that shape individuals, create shared experience, and express the hopes and dreams of the people living in that place. Some of these liturgies of life, both formal and informal, are religious in nature – baptisms, weddings, funerals, but many are not. Learning the rituals in your community will give you insight into what people truly value, how they mark the significant moments in their lives, and what opportunities exist to build bridges to connect God’s story and the community’s story.
Use the following questions to help gain insight into rituals that are a part of your community’s life.
Reflection by Pastor John Wertz, Jr.
Reflection Questions for Rituals
The list of questions is adapted from The Church as Movement, pg. 195.
- What activities do people engage in that give them a sense of worth?
- What holidays are celebrated with the most vigor? How are these holidays celebrated, and how do they shape people’s ultimate desires?
- How do people approach their work? As a career or a calling?
- What do people do in their free time, and how much free time do they have?
- Other than work, what do people devote the most time to?
- What third spaces (such as cafés, clubs, parks) do people engage with the most?
- How do people spend their time, their money and their talents?
- In what ways do people seek to meet their need for beauty?