easier, in some ways

[jay]

As the nominal "holiday" season moves into its more-intense mode... not just shopping and secular consumerism, but various spiritual or philosophical observances... in some ways, being on the road is easier than being at home, in that I'm not caught in-between the social and spiritual. Good friends are hosting pagan events... Yule or Solstice... today and next Tuesday. Many of my local SF-area friends are likely to be at one or both of these... if I were home they'd be unlikely to accompany me to a Christmas service, so I'd feel funny about joining their observances likewise as a non-participant guest. Even certain local parties with pagan overtones leave me feeling a bit uneasy at times, and I generally miss those that are tied to specific dates or observances. Meanwhile, even at our home church (St. Timothy's Episcopal, in Mountain View) I'm viewed there as an outsider, somewhat suspect because of my other relationships (and not allowed to serve in volunteer roles).

Last year, we stayed in CA and it felt a bit divisive or isolating around this time, for me. This year, that isn't an option... more a matter of deciding which local church to attend as visitors on Christmas. Easier, if still rather disconnected from friends and community.

Comments

Worship services

[suspira20.livejournal.com]

Many are obviously yearning for fulfillment that they are not finding in their current modes of worship. I see in the other posts that many have left Christianity based on traumatic experiences with the Catholic church and its rituals and politics. I am a practicing born-again Baptist, and I can not imagine attempting to navigate life's trials and tribulations as well as joys and celebrations without the strength and love of Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

I have a number of friends who find Catholicism rigid, unforgiving, and sometimes hypocritical. Others find comfort in the rules and ritual of the faith. Might I suggest visiting Christian churches of other denominations that may better meet your personal convictions and fill the void you may be experiencing in your life? Even different churches within the same denomination vary in worship services. The large church I now attend affords more opportunity for involvement, but lacks the intimacy of the smaller churches I have attended. It is well worth the effort to find a church home.

Re: Worship services

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

(nod)

I used to involved in a church that was primarily gay and lesbian, and that drew a lot of its members from Baptist backgrounds, and a lot from Catholic backgrounds. The members wanted and needed to keep Jesus in their lives, but their former churches taught a message that you can't be actively gay and actively a member of that church (and I know that there are people within those churches that believe you can). It left some people wanting worship just like what they are used to, whether that was ritualized and contemplative, or joyful and exhuberant...and others wanting something different in a worship style.

My own experience of St. Tim's is that it IS a good choice for the kids, but that in choosing to be kid-friendly (and to attend the kid-friendly service, which makes sense for him), it means not getting as much in terms of what might be spiritually nourishing for him.