Session Description

Public worship and reconciliation are deeply connected. In worship, we announce the good news of reconciliation in Christ in sermons and songs. But we don’t speak or sing about it. In worship, we also practice habits that are fundamental building blocks of reconciliation: we confess sin, pass the peace to each other, and gather in unity around Christ’s table. At its best, public worship both announces and participates in Christ-shaped reconciliation. Yet this is not easy, especially when congregations are marked by divisions and conflict. What about churches that sing about reconciliation and unity, but seem unwilling or unable to address conflict in healthy ways? What about divisions that keep us separated across ethnic and socio-economic lines? What about centuries-old conflict that seems so much bigger than any congregation can really address?

Conference Title

2015 Calvin Symposium on Worship

Event Date

1-30-2015

Event Type

Workshop/Seminar

Type (recording/text)

Text

Subject Area

Worship

Topic

Contemporary Worship

Keywords:

Reconciliation, Division, Conflict

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Until Justice and Peace Embrace: Worship that Announces and Shapes Reconciliation

Public worship and reconciliation are deeply connected. In worship, we announce the good news of reconciliation in Christ in sermons and songs. But we don’t speak or sing about it. In worship, we also practice habits that are fundamental building blocks of reconciliation: we confess sin, pass the peace to each other, and gather in unity around Christ’s table. At its best, public worship both announces and participates in Christ-shaped reconciliation. Yet this is not easy, especially when congregations are marked by divisions and conflict. What about churches that sing about reconciliation and unity, but seem unwilling or unable to address conflict in healthy ways? What about divisions that keep us separated across ethnic and socio-economic lines? What about centuries-old conflict that seems so much bigger than any congregation can really address?

 

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