Struggles
Today I was in service and was looking at the young ones during communion. Then a thought struck me.
But before I share it with you, let me (like all good teachers) put you in context.
Over these past 4 years, each year has been marked with spiritual stuggles of different kinds. No, not the kind you're thinking -- although there's enough of that kind of struggle: asking God why-why, real life struggles, blah blah blah. Nah, I'm talking about doctrinal struggle.
Every time, there's always new ground in this area that needs to be disputed, struggled against, exposed. Three years ago, it was about baptism and communion. Baptism-- that everyone can baptise, communion: that anyone can conduct it, and that it should be done as often as possible, rather thana dry, sterile, regular ritual that takes place on the 1st week of every month, in a portion that constitutes the partaking of the "Holy Crumb and Blessed Sip".
Sometimes, I think the young ones really don't appreciate our struggle. As in, really. THCC has had its communion every week, because pple like me (and others) supported the idea that we should have it every week. The sharings change every week because we passed the idea to U. Charley that every communion should be elaborated upon, rather than the endless recital of 1 Corinthians and "that's why some of you have fallen asleep" (to the slow in wit, it means they DIED).
Today, however, I saw young ones who've taken it for granted. It's a ritual, to them. Not something we fought for, but something that happens every week, something "no choice", need to take. Albeit it's still the Holy Crumb and Blessed Sip-- but hey, we fought for a better tasting Sip and Crumb. (HA HA).
Dunno. Maybe each generation really needs to relearn EVERYTHING. Somehow, we take for granted lessons we have not learnt, struggles we have not fought. Knowledge, hard-earned by blood, becomes assumed knowledge, then non-knowledge.
That's the thought that struck me. "Maybe, all our advancement in theology and in being so regimental and idealistic about the truth: maybe we will come to some achievement. But will it last?" For me, as a teacher, I dunno-- I'm not disheartened, but certainly disconcerted. Somehow, someway, there must be a way to pass everything down. After all, that's the hope of a teacher isn't it? To pass it all down so that others can build on it? And to leave a stable foundation so that things can be built on it (so that it won't get torn down, yet again, like in our case?)
Pple like me had to reevaluate everything that was taught, from Sunday school all the way till Youth. Lots of things had to be thrown out of the window, not 'cos they were wrong, but b'cos they weren't really RIGHT. And that's the way I suppose it's supposed to be. We need to know our Word: not so that we detect the wrong, but so that we can formulate what is right.
Hard, hard. Argh. I shall stop here so that Nick, who's sitting beside me, can play his LAN on Zion. (Not to mention I wanna play too lol). *hint hint*
But before I share it with you, let me (like all good teachers) put you in context.
Over these past 4 years, each year has been marked with spiritual stuggles of different kinds. No, not the kind you're thinking -- although there's enough of that kind of struggle: asking God why-why, real life struggles, blah blah blah. Nah, I'm talking about doctrinal struggle.
Every time, there's always new ground in this area that needs to be disputed, struggled against, exposed. Three years ago, it was about baptism and communion. Baptism-- that everyone can baptise, communion: that anyone can conduct it, and that it should be done as often as possible, rather thana dry, sterile, regular ritual that takes place on the 1st week of every month, in a portion that constitutes the partaking of the "Holy Crumb and Blessed Sip".
Sometimes, I think the young ones really don't appreciate our struggle. As in, really. THCC has had its communion every week, because pple like me (and others) supported the idea that we should have it every week. The sharings change every week because we passed the idea to U. Charley that every communion should be elaborated upon, rather than the endless recital of 1 Corinthians and "that's why some of you have fallen asleep" (to the slow in wit, it means they DIED).
Today, however, I saw young ones who've taken it for granted. It's a ritual, to them. Not something we fought for, but something that happens every week, something "no choice", need to take. Albeit it's still the Holy Crumb and Blessed Sip-- but hey, we fought for a better tasting Sip and Crumb. (HA HA).
Dunno. Maybe each generation really needs to relearn EVERYTHING. Somehow, we take for granted lessons we have not learnt, struggles we have not fought. Knowledge, hard-earned by blood, becomes assumed knowledge, then non-knowledge.
That's the thought that struck me. "Maybe, all our advancement in theology and in being so regimental and idealistic about the truth: maybe we will come to some achievement. But will it last?" For me, as a teacher, I dunno-- I'm not disheartened, but certainly disconcerted. Somehow, someway, there must be a way to pass everything down. After all, that's the hope of a teacher isn't it? To pass it all down so that others can build on it? And to leave a stable foundation so that things can be built on it (so that it won't get torn down, yet again, like in our case?)
Pple like me had to reevaluate everything that was taught, from Sunday school all the way till Youth. Lots of things had to be thrown out of the window, not 'cos they were wrong, but b'cos they weren't really RIGHT. And that's the way I suppose it's supposed to be. We need to know our Word: not so that we detect the wrong, but so that we can formulate what is right.
Hard, hard. Argh. I shall stop here so that Nick, who's sitting beside me, can play his LAN on Zion. (Not to mention I wanna play too lol). *hint hint*
posted by theChosenCan at 4/15/2006 06:55:00 pm
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