Second Thursday of Advent
Rumors often begin with a kernel of truth. Two nights ago Marianne got a call from a church friend who was very concerned about me, having heard that I was in the hospital with Covid-19. I'm not. I don't have it. Having established this with the friend, Marianne and the friend tried to figure out the source of the rumor. David Kimball has been in the hospital with Covid. His wife, Mary Ann, also has it but not nearly as severely andis not hospitalized. What likely happened is that somebody told somebody that Mary Ann's husband had Covid. The next person thought Marianne's husband (namely me) was the person meant. My latest information, as of this morning is that David has been moved out of the ICU and into a regular room. You might want to say prayers for the Kimball's.
Today we continue the High Church--Low Church series. In the eleventh century the great Gothic Cathedrals began to arise in Europe. These architectural marvels are feats of engineering that could not have been imagined in the dark ages a century earlier. In one way or another they set the model for virtually all Catholic and Protestant churches that came after. Our geographically closest example of a Gothic Church is Duke Chapel.
The Gothic Church is cruciform, that is, laid out in the form of a cross. The largest part of the church is the nave, which represents the bottom part of the cross. Toward the front of the nave the church branches off on both sides into the transepts, which represent the cross beam part of the cross. The front of the church is the chancel, which represents the top of the cross. The congregation sits (or stands) in the nave and the transepts. Those who have a part, speaking, singing, or playing an instrument, sit in the chancel. A center aisle goes from the back of the nave to the chancel, with side aisles at the far ends of the pews.
The chancel is marked off from the rest of the church by the chancel rail, also known as the communion rail or altar rail. It generally has cushions for kneeling and a rack for putting small communion glasses when they are used. From the chancel rail there are usually three or four steps up to the communion table (low altar). The pulpit is normally, but not always, stage right; the lectern. stage left. The baptismal font is usually between the low altar and the lectern, although in Episcopal and Catholic churches it is in the back of the church, The choir is seated on either side of the central space between the low altar and the high altar, which is at the very front of the church, often built into the front wall.
That's the basic layout. There are many variations. Center pulpit is a common variation. Another common variation is whether the furnishings--pulpit, lectern, table or altar, organ console, choir seats or stalls--are permanently placed or moveable. The trend these days is for everything to be moveable.
Everything carries meaning. A small and rickety looking communion table in contrast to to large pulpit suggests that the sermon is far more important than the sacrament. Moveable furnishings suggest a multi purpose chancel, that can be used as a stage when the furnishings are removed. Permanently placed furnishings show a chancel that is dedicated to worship. Some newer churches have large, long, permanently ensconced altars made out of granite or another durable stone. They suggest both the importance of the sacrament and the permanence of God. Permanent is high church; moveable, low church.
A Large pulpit Bible suggests the importance of scripture for the worship. It also suggests the weightiness of scripture. A small pulpit Bible or none at all suggests that scripture is not important for worship in this church. Hoyt Hickman, who was the most knowledgeable United Methodist on worship, called for a principal of authenticity in worship. A pulpit Bible is there to be read from. A lector's reading from a piece of paper, or note cards, or an I-pad, is not authentic. It diminishes the importance of scripture.
The average church attendees barely notices these things at a conscious level, but at a sub-conscious level they register much of their understanding of worship through what they see, not just what they hear.
Tomorrow I'll start a new little once-in-a-while series on why we believe what we do (or don't).
Faithfully,
Christian
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