Religion, including the religion of Christians, is always accompanied by rituals, symbols, traditions and specialized language that both communicate to and order the lives of the faithful. These provide a sense of transcendence (i.e. that we are doing something out of the ordinary and significant) and imminence (i.e. that we are mutually participating in the life of God and other believers in ways that seem nature and good) – without even having to think much about it. And yet, when we do think about our theology, our worship and the practices of the Church we are more richly able to live our religion. Thus, in some cases the very fact that we do things over and over again, ritually, it has a way of impacting us and transforming us unconsciously. At other times, when we are meditative and thoughtful about these things we can see them in fresh new ways, and be impacted all the more.
Sometimes it is helpful for us to be exposed to our religion in ways that are initially unconventional and even uncomfortable for us. While some people thrive on poetry, others can be bored to tears by it. The same can be said with recitations of the Bible and theological discourse. The video is an example of something religious that is for some people very appealing and edifying, and to others less so. But notice – it is not everyday speech. It is a theological reflection artistically presented that could make us stop and meditate on the truths presented in a new and stimulating way. Contextualizing the Christian message for various tastes, manners of speaking and cultural backgrounds can not only be appealing and effective for unbelievers and new Christians, it can also provide a innovative way of communicating the truth for mature and faithful believers. In the Church, we need to be open to what God is doing in and through all kinds of people as they faithfully articulate the truths once delivered to the saints in the Bible.
