The Sacramental Life
Many people are unfamiliar today with the idea of sacrament and ritual. What little they do know often makes them suspicious. Surely everyone sitting and hearing the same words and looking in the same direction has something magical about it. Where is the place for human freedom? This very question comes about because of the journey that we modern human beings are on. The dominant, western-European inspired culture of our time sees human beings progressing towards freedom and autonomy from all external authority. This journey has been accomplished through the power of thought, which turned to what the senses could perceive. All that remained from an earlier age - spiritual traditions, the teachings of the Church - had to be examined and rejected if it could not pass the tests of the critical intellect. Thus if there was any place left for religion, it became a purely private affair of the human heart. Any idea that rituals or sacraments had a real effect on the world had to be dismissed as magical mumbo jumbo.
The sacraments in The Christian Community stem from a newly-won understanding of the nature of the world. They demonstrate that there is an objective world of spiritual reality behind and beyond, but also within the things we can see and bear, taste and touch with our senses. They are not `otherworldly', however, for they show that the spiritual world is the source of our world, and that the two worlds are in reality one. This can be experienced in relation to the substances of the earthly world. In the Sacrament of Baptism, three substances are used to introduce the child to the world of earth: water, salt and ash. Each one is consecrated: before the congregation, words are spoken that reunite the substances with the spiritual forces out of which they once formed. In the Act of Consecration of Man, bread and wine become bearers of the transformed earthly world that Christ wrests from the forces of death. These truths can be experienced by anyone who attends the services with an open heart. To understand them fully is a life's work; but through the science of the spirit, we no longer have to say that they have merely to be accepted dogmatically. The path of knowledge, which leads to a conscious grasping of the spiritual nature of the world, is open to anyone.
It would be easy to see a church that takes seriously the objective working of the sacraments as a fall-back to an earlier age, where a priestly caste made the link with the divine world on behalf of the congregation. Here, The Christian Community represents a new step in the development of the Church: a new conception of the congregation that gives space both for the objectivity of the sacraments and the freely-given participation of everyone who attends them. The answer to this seeming paradox is the spirit or angel of the congregation. We learn from the Book of Revelation chapters 3 & 4 that every church, every congregation, has an angel. Members of a congregation are called upon to enter into a relationship with this angel, and to bring their own strength to help the angel in his task. Without the congregation there cannot be Christian Community; yet the reality of the sacraments does not depend only on the spiritual strength of any individual member. It is a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. As a community gathered in freedom for a common purpose, we can do far more, go much further, than we are yet able to as individuals. But it is no longer the case that the individuals can do nothing at all, and can only wait patiently for the priest to bring us the spiritual substance they need.
The sacraments in The Christian Community stem from a newly-won understanding of the nature of the world. They demonstrate that there is an objective world of spiritual reality behind and beyond, but also within the things we can see and bear, taste and touch with our senses. They are not `otherworldly', however, for they show that the spiritual world is the source of our world, and that the two worlds are in reality one. This can be experienced in relation to the substances of the earthly world. In the Sacrament of Baptism, three substances are used to introduce the child to the world of earth: water, salt and ash. Each one is consecrated: before the congregation, words are spoken that reunite the substances with the spiritual forces out of which they once formed. In the Act of Consecration of Man, bread and wine become bearers of the transformed earthly world that Christ wrests from the forces of death. These truths can be experienced by anyone who attends the services with an open heart. To understand them fully is a life's work; but through the science of the spirit, we no longer have to say that they have merely to be accepted dogmatically. The path of knowledge, which leads to a conscious grasping of the spiritual nature of the world, is open to anyone.
It would be easy to see a church that takes seriously the objective working of the sacraments as a fall-back to an earlier age, where a priestly caste made the link with the divine world on behalf of the congregation. Here, The Christian Community represents a new step in the development of the Church: a new conception of the congregation that gives space both for the objectivity of the sacraments and the freely-given participation of everyone who attends them. The answer to this seeming paradox is the spirit or angel of the congregation. We learn from the Book of Revelation chapters 3 & 4 that every church, every congregation, has an angel. Members of a congregation are called upon to enter into a relationship with this angel, and to bring their own strength to help the angel in his task. Without the congregation there cannot be Christian Community; yet the reality of the sacraments does not depend only on the spiritual strength of any individual member. It is a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. As a community gathered in freedom for a common purpose, we can do far more, go much further, than we are yet able to as individuals. But it is no longer the case that the individuals can do nothing at all, and can only wait patiently for the priest to bring us the spiritual substance they need.
The Sacraments
The Baptism is celebrated for children up to the age of puberty. Through it, the child is received into the sacramental community, which is represented particularly by the two god parents. In this way the soul, which has its origin and true being in the world of spirit, finds a welcome in the earthly world. There is no question here of anticipating the decision, which can only be made by an adult, to become a member of the church. Much rather, the community creates a protective space in which the child can develop in soul and spirit.
From this task of creating an appropriate space, all the activities around children in the community flow. In many communities, the Christian festivals are celebrated with children in a wide variety of ways. A Service for Children is celebrated on Sundays for children of school-age.
Religious instruction for children may also be given, depending on the circumstances of the local community.
Confirmation takes place at the age of 14. It marks the moment of transition from childhood to youth, and points the child towards Christ as the source of blessing in life.
The Act of Consecration of Man is the centre of the life of the congregation. Its name tells us that to be human is not only a naturally given fact, but a dignity towards which we can aspire. With the help of Christ and in the context of a community we can grow towards the full dignity of the human being. Through hearing the Gospel, which always tells of Christ's coming into the world, the congregation is prepared for the celebration of Christ's presence and the participation in the meal to which he invites the whole of humanity. They are then invited to offer up the highest faculties of their soul to the divine. This is followed by the transformation of bread and wine into substance utterly permeated by Christ's love, which leads in turn to a communion in which all partake who wish to. This renewed form of the Mass brings healing and peace to the individual and, through him or her, to the world.
Sacramental Consultation (by request and confidential) offers a space for reflection and for finding deeper meaning and support in one's life through a conversation with a priest, that culminates in a sacramental reading. This sacrament also prepares for full participation in the Act of Consecration of Man.
Marriage blesses the decision of a couple to share community of life, supported by two chosen witnesses and the whole community.
The Sacrament of Ordination confers the power to perform the sacraments on one who has undergone training for the priesthood. In The Christian Community there is only one grade of Ordination. However, the Priesthood has an internal ordering (hierarchy) in which responsibility for ever-wider areas is delegated to office-bearers. A Lenker (steerer or guide) has responsibility for a region; Oberlenkers have responsibility for the world. A body of lenkers and oberlenkers is responsible for accepting candidates for Ordination and sending them to their congregations.
The Last Anointing, along with the funeral services, helps the dying to free themselves from the body and move into body-free spiritual life, reflecting the reality that the soul goes on to a continued existence after death.
From this task of creating an appropriate space, all the activities around children in the community flow. In many communities, the Christian festivals are celebrated with children in a wide variety of ways. A Service for Children is celebrated on Sundays for children of school-age.
Religious instruction for children may also be given, depending on the circumstances of the local community.
Confirmation takes place at the age of 14. It marks the moment of transition from childhood to youth, and points the child towards Christ as the source of blessing in life.
The Act of Consecration of Man is the centre of the life of the congregation. Its name tells us that to be human is not only a naturally given fact, but a dignity towards which we can aspire. With the help of Christ and in the context of a community we can grow towards the full dignity of the human being. Through hearing the Gospel, which always tells of Christ's coming into the world, the congregation is prepared for the celebration of Christ's presence and the participation in the meal to which he invites the whole of humanity. They are then invited to offer up the highest faculties of their soul to the divine. This is followed by the transformation of bread and wine into substance utterly permeated by Christ's love, which leads in turn to a communion in which all partake who wish to. This renewed form of the Mass brings healing and peace to the individual and, through him or her, to the world.
Sacramental Consultation (by request and confidential) offers a space for reflection and for finding deeper meaning and support in one's life through a conversation with a priest, that culminates in a sacramental reading. This sacrament also prepares for full participation in the Act of Consecration of Man.
Marriage blesses the decision of a couple to share community of life, supported by two chosen witnesses and the whole community.
The Sacrament of Ordination confers the power to perform the sacraments on one who has undergone training for the priesthood. In The Christian Community there is only one grade of Ordination. However, the Priesthood has an internal ordering (hierarchy) in which responsibility for ever-wider areas is delegated to office-bearers. A Lenker (steerer or guide) has responsibility for a region; Oberlenkers have responsibility for the world. A body of lenkers and oberlenkers is responsible for accepting candidates for Ordination and sending them to their congregations.
The Last Anointing, along with the funeral services, helps the dying to free themselves from the body and move into body-free spiritual life, reflecting the reality that the soul goes on to a continued existence after death.