at Sausalito Presbyterian Church
by Jim Burklo, Pastor
Worship is a ‘receipt’ given to God in return for the divine gifts of life which we receive…. It is an artful response to our awe and wonderment at the miracle of creation which surrounds us….. It is creative inspiration to live out the law of love in our church community and wider world. Worship centers us, grounds us, and uplifts us, reminding us of who we really are and of what we are called to become. Through it we can prayerfully share truth as God reveals it to us in our emotions and intentions.
Our church employs the rich traditions of Christian liturgy (a Latin word meaning "work"–the holy effort of worship). We recognize that ours is but one of many valid and helpful languages of prayer and praise, so we aim to use our Christian symbols and rituals in ways that are as respectful as possible toward the religious heritages of others. To remind ourselves of the infinite number of ways that God can be named and glorified, we occasionally use liturgical elements from religions other than Christianity, such as chants or readings. We are a congregation of the Presbyterian Church, USA, which is part of the Reformed Protestant heritage, and this history influences the shape of our worship. At the same time, we are a church with a special calling to do worship in fresh and original ways that have inspired other churches. Our Worship Committee plans our upcoming services. (Any member or friend of the church is welcome to observe and contribute to this meeting.) This guide reflects our usual form of worship as it happens today — but this can and will change as the Spirit moves us to worship in ever-changing ways.
Our ‘sanctuary’ is just that — a safe and sacred place. It is an environment that is set apart for worship, but also is set apart for living out the good news of the gospel, even if that means standing against the "powers and principalities" (Ephesians 6: 12) of the world. This is a place that we sincerely believe to be under an authority higher than that of governments or other social forces, for purposes that transcend even those of our church as an organization. We are committed to protecting this space for the work of advancing the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
Above the front “chancel” area is a wooden cross. Some churches, particularly Catholic parishes, have crucifixes with images of Jesus on them, emphasizing the message of sacrifice. Others, mostly Protestant churches like our own, show an empty cross, emphasizing the story of the resurrected Christ. Either way, the cross is much more than a decoration. It is a profound statement that can be understood and interpreted at many levels. The cross was intended by the Romans as a symbol of state power — a reminder of the terrible death that would come to anyone who defied it. Jesus, and the early Christians, turned that meaning inside out and upside down. For the early church, the cross was transformed into the sign of salvation, of the victory of life over death. It demonstrated the weakness of the Roman Empire and the strength of the Kingdom of Heaven. Think of all the ways that nations today try to frighten or threaten their citizens, or other nations, into obedience. The cross reminds us that there is a higher power than the state — a divine power that calls us to civil disobedience against this kind of brutality.
In Numbers 21:9, Moses lifted up a bronze serpent on a pole in order for the people of Israel to gaze on it and be cured of snake bites. Jesus said in John 3: 14 "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up…" The snake on the pole (reminiscent of the caduceus, the snakes on the pole that are an ancient symbol of medicine) was a form of homeopathy, an ancient form of medicine that exists today. Homeopathy is the idea that a dose of that which ails you is the cure — vaccination might be thought of as a homeopathic remedy. A dose of the snake — a confrontation with its image — was the cure for the bite of the snake in the biblical legend. Likewise, Jesus suggested that a dose of evil and death — delivered by gazing at the cross — was the cure for the human condition of suffering. It is a paradox, but despite its seeming contradiction, it works! Healing and reconciliation begin with an honest, direct encounter with pain and its sources. But so much of the time, we avoid paying real attention to this pain. Instead, we buy into the culture around us, which tells us that pain is to be avoided, masked, drugged, denied. We buy into the culture around us that tells us that life is about bigger and better things — the upward trail of progress. Meanwhile, the cross tells us something completely different: that human life is about loving each other through the inevitable suffering that is our human condition.
When you are fully conscious of the true extent of your suffering and that of others, pull back your gaze and notice the cross as a whole. Its arms point out in the four directions. It is empty — the Christ has risen. There is life on the other side of suffering and even death. This, too, is the human condition — to go through suffering, and to find an eternal kind of life beyond it. Receive that life now as you gaze at the empty cross…..
The Eucharist: Focus of Worship
Our church celebrates the Eucharist on the first Sunday of each month. The Eucharist (a Greek word meaning "good gift"), or ‘communion’ or ‘Lord’s Supper’, is the ritual of sharing bread and wine. From the very earliest days of the church, it has been the focus of Christian worship. It recalls the moment (Mark 14: 22-25) when Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples before his death. Some churches (Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, and others) celebrate the Eucharist every week, but most Reformed Protestant churches, including ours, perform it monthly. We also offer a Jewish-style Seder meal and service on Maundy Thursday evening as part of our remembrance of the Passover meal of Jesus and his disciples during Passion (Easter) Week.
We celebrate communion at the end of our worship, coming forward to receive the bread dipped in wine at the front of the church. The Eucharist has as many meanings as there are members of our church — and more! It is a physical expression of the spiritual reality that we need each other, and we need God, as much as we need food and drink, in order to survive, body and soul. For some of us, the bread and wine are the body and blood of Jesus, offered up to God as a sacrifice to cleanse us of our sins. For others, the breaking of the bread and the pouring of the wine are a breaking open and pouring out of the love that is God, through the Christ who dwells in each of us. For others the ritual is simply a moment of deep bonding and sharing with the other members of our community. As we share the bread and the wine, so we also share the many different meanings that the Eucharist has for us.
All people — young and old, traditional believers and friendly skeptics, baptized and unbaptized — are welcome to share in the Eucharist at our church. But if for any reason you do not wish to take the elements (the bread and wine), you need not be embarrassed to refuse them — we will commune with you simply by being present with you in worship!
We follow an ancient tradition of the church by offering the leftover bread to our children after worship. What they don’t consume, adults are welcome to enjoy during the "coffee hour" downstairs after worship!
So much of the time, we eat and drink mindlessly — we don’t pay that much attention to how it tastes or feels. We don’t spend much time savoring it — focusing our attention on the food itself, rather than on conversation or on other things that are on our minds. The communion ritual offers a chance to mindfully eat bread and drink wine. It’s “soul food” and it’s “slow food”! One meditation to employ during the ritual is to pay attention to everything about the bread — its texture, flavor, sweetness or sourness, yeastiness, saltiness. Then pay attention to the wine. We don’t use fancy wine for our communion ritual, but the cheap wine of today is still vastly better in flavor to the rotgut beverage that people drank in the first century! (There was no clean drinking water, so almost everyone drank bad wine every day — the alcohol in it killed the microorganisms that were otherwise present in the public water supplies.) So savor the flavor, the aroma, and the consistency of the cheap but good communion wine, paying real attention to the experience at every level of your senses. And meditate for a moment on the work of the people who made the bread (often our own members) and the wine. Then, as the chants are sung and the little glasses are collected back into the trays, pay attention to the human beings that surround you in the circle. Savor their presence: notice the beauty in each of them, all ages, all sizes, all shapes, all ways of living and being — open your heart to them. Commune with them with as much attention and intention as you put into communing with the bread and wine. Then, as the chants continue, imagine the millions of human beings who have eaten the bread and wine with attention and intention over the past 2,000 years of Christianity. Imagine that vast community of faith being culminated in this very moment. Imagine that you have eaten bread and drunk wine not just for yourself, but for all of those who have gone before, and for all who will come after you.
Those who wish to come forward and be anointed with oil in the sign of the cross on the forehead may do so after they receive communion, as a way of amplifying intention for the healing of body or soul. Anointing with oil is a very old Christian tradition, and it is a physical way of experiencing the Christ (the word "christos" in Greek means "the anointed one”. The early kings of Israel were ‘crowned’ by having their heads anointed with oil). We rub the oil, or "chrism" as the Catholics call it, on the forehead just above the line of the eyebrow — in many world religious traditions this spot is considered the location of the "third eye" of insight. Quite apart from any esoteric understanding of this spot, most people love it when they get massaged on the forehead between the eyes — especially with a dab of soothing olive oil! The early Christians anointed the sick with oil (James 5: 14), and this ritual became one of the sacraments of the Catholic tradition. The oil is infused with the intentions of the whole congregation for the purpose of being a means of healing and wholeness.
Suggestion: Anointing with Oil
If you wish to be anointed, come forward and receive the anointing with oil on your forehead. Relax your face, your head, your neck, and your whole body as you receive the massage in the sign of the cross. Remember that you have a body, and remember that it is a divine temple — a dwelling place for a soul that is of the same essence and substance as God. Remember that you want and need to be whole — complete, in body and soul. Remember that you not only want to be healthy and whole, but you deserve it as much as any other human being. Pay attention to the part of you that needs healing - a body part, a place in your soul. Consciously and clearly focus your attention on your desire to be complete and whole, to be relieved of suffering, and to find spiritual peace in the midst of suffering. Ask for healing and wholeness, with your heart open to the many forms that this healing might take. For some, it might mean full restoration of the body or soul. For others, it might mean finding peace and fulfillment in the course of an incurable condition. For yet others, the focus may be on what is needed to make life complete – resolving issues in relationships, doing fulfilling work, following the urge to create, or committing to a path of service to others.
Decorating the Chancel
The appearance of the front “chancel” area in the sanctuary changes from week to week. The decoration of the sanctuary by members of our Worship Committee is a form of worship in itself… a loving offering of beauty to God, a creation which will be seen today and gone tomorrow. The decoration itself reminds us of the transitory nature of our physical existence, the temporality of our gifts and our achievements. Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount to "consider the lilies" in the grass of the field which "is alive today and tomorrow is thrown in the oven". "Even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these." (Matthew 6: 25-33) Everything we achieve and produce will wither and fade, just as the flowers and other decorations grace our lives for only a short time. Our lives are like decorating a church for an hour on Sunday — an opportunity to worship God with the care and creativity and intentionality we can bring to every big and little task that we do, accepting its fleeting nature. (It’s a practice reminiscent of the Native American tradition of sacred sand painting, and the similar tantric art made and then promptly ritually destroyed by Tibetan Buddhist monks.) Sometimes the church is decorated with beautiful stark simplicity that harmonizes with the simplicity that the early Protestant Reformers sought in their churches. At other times, the church is adorned with flair and drama, or with nothing but items from nature, celebrating God’s creativity. The decor celebrates God’s creativity in giving each of us a unique way of expressing ourselves.
To prepare for worship, and to prepare for volunteering to assist in decorating our church, take care each evening to decorate your dinner table with flowers, objects, cloths, candles, or anything else that is meaningful to you and your family. Take the time and trouble to do this, changing it daily or periodically. And when you remove the table decorations, do it with as much loving attention as you took in placing them, meditating on the transitory nature of all beauty and creativity.
The service begins with an organ prelude to get us into the mood for worship. Often, these pieces of music are written by our own Ralph Hooper, Music Director at SPC. This is followed by an “introit”, a piece of choral music to which the choir often proceeds to the chancel area. Next, the liturgist – the church member who leads the “liturgy” or worship service – speaks a call to worship.
Then the liturgist invites visitors to share their names, invites all to greet the people around them, and asks for brief announcements about events in the life of the church. If you would like to get our monthly newsletter by email or snail mail, put your addresses on the sign-in form. You can also jot comments or even draw pictures! (Some of these doodlings wind up becoming the art on the covers of our worship bulletins! By the way, if you have some art you’d like to have used for this purpose, or have an inspirational quote for the back of the bulletin, feel free to propose them to the minister.) Signing your name helps all of us to learn and remember each other’s names as the clipboard goes around, and is later very helpful to the minister in getting to know people in the church.
After another sounding of the bell, we listen to an offering of music — usually instrumental. Then comes the first hymn. We use an eclectic mix of hymns and songs in worship, ranging from folk to jazz to traditional Protestant church hymns. In addition to the Presbyterian hymnal, we have our own home-made “Rejoice” songbook as well.
Many of the hymns sung in our church are beloved by our members for reasons that have little or nothing to do with the words! Some hymns have timeless melodies, but that is often not the case with the lyrics. Most of our members have evolved away from the sexist or exclusivistic or complicated theology reflected in the words of a lot of the hymns we sing. For instance, most of us love the heartfelt intention embodied in “Amazing Grace”, but not all of us really believe that divine grace “saved a wretch like me”! A lot of us believe we are recipients of “original blessing” rather than “original sin”, that we are born as reflections of God rather than as “wretches” in need of salvation. If you find yourself distracted by strange hymn lyrics, you are in excellent company at our church.
A way to make good spiritual use of a hymn that has outdated lyrics is to focus on the sound of the hymn, the sound of the words, rather than the specific content of the words. What does the sound of the hymn inspire in your soul? It might be something that has nothing whatever to do with the lyrics or the title of the hymn. Try focusing on the sounds, and allow the melody and the harmony and the pitch to find a place in your heart that needs to be touched, letting go of any worry about whether the lyrics make sense to you or not!
This is followed by a quiet time for the writing of our prayerful intentions. A long tradition of our church, this time allows worshippers to write down the things for which they are grateful, as well as the life-issues they wish to bring before God. The slips of paper are turned in to the ushers and then are summarized aloud by the ushers before the silent prayer time after the sermon. The prayer intentions are also read every Tuesday at 6:30 pm at our church’s Healing Prayer Group, and are ”prayed over” at that time.
Another important tradition at our church is the youth reading – a short inspirational passage read by one of our children. We are very proud of the way that our youth learn to become comfortable public speakers and full participants in worship through this practice.
The minister then invites the youth of the church – all ages through junior high school – to come forward to the front chancel area. It’s a time for a story or a prayer or another brief interactive experience. Afterward, the children return to their seats until after the anthem.
Then the choir usually performs an “anthem”, or there is another special musical offering. Our choir meets at the church for practice on Thursdays at 7 pm. After they sing, the children are invited to go to classes for kindergarteners through junior high youth.
Then it is time for the reading of the scripture, which usually is a passage from the Hebrew texts or from the New Testament. Different members of the church volunteer to be readers, and often add a few words of their interpretation or sense of the context of the passage before they do the reading. It is a reminder that the scripture is raw material for the imagination: there are an infinite number of meanings to be found in each passage. Our church is grounded in the Bible, but not bound by it. We take the Bible seriously because we don’t always take it literally. We understand that while some of it is factual, much of it is mythical and poetic — but we take myth and poetry very seriously! Sometimes the myths and poetry of scripture are more truthful than cold, hard facts. The unfathomable riches of the Bible keep being revealed to us week after week as we open up our big, heavy pulpit Bible and read it to each other afresh every Sunday. Occasionally, we will use the scriptures of other religions for the reading, honoring the fact that other religions may be as valid as our own, and may have much to teach us.
This is followed by the sermon. Our church is a descendant of the Reformed Protestant worship tradition in which the purpose of the sermon is to interpret the Bible, edifying the congregation with ways that it should be followed in everyday life. While this is certainly part of what happens in our sermons, it isn’t the only thing that happens! Our sermons are completed by the congregation in a conversation after the preacher is finished talking. The fact that the sermon will be completed by the whole church has a big effect on the kinds of sermons that you will hear at our church - bringing them down to earth, focusing them on how life actually is, as opposed to how some theologian might say life should be! The conversation also shapes future sermons, giving the preacher ideas about issues that matter to the congregation. As a result, the sermon is always part of a larger and longer conversation, a reflection of the ongoing spiritual growth and development of the congregation.
To prepare for prayer, we sing a meditative chant, repeating it three or more times. Chanting is a practice crossing all religious boundaries. A simple phrase of music is repeated, the words becoming a kind of “mantra” or repetitive message that stills the mind and makes the soul ready for prayerful meditation.
Then the ushers offer a review of the prayer intentions written earlier by people in the congregation. The minister offers a short introduction to prayer. The Tibetan “singing bowl” is then struck to begin silent prayer and meditation. After a few minutes of silence, the chant begins — a short piece of music which we repeat meditatively. The silence is broken by the repetition of the Lord’s Prayer in traditional old English. We say “Our Creator” instead of “Our Father” as a way of remembering that God includes and transcends both genders:
“Our Creator, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
One way to paraphrase this prayer in modern English:
“Our Creator in heaven, your name is holy. May your rule and intentions dominate the earth as well as heaven. Every day, give us the food we need. Forgive our mistakes, as we forgive the mistakes of others. Please don’t test us with temptations, but help us avoid evil. May your rule and your power and your glory go on forever. Amen!”
Silent prayer and meditation is a very important part of the life of our church, and of the lives of many of our members. A GUIDE TO MEDITATION AND PRAYER
Some Christians have a supernatural conception of prayer — that it is communication with an all-powerful being that literally hears our verbal prayers or literally reads our minds when we think a prayer. Others, including a lot of us at Sausalito Presbyterian, look at it differently: as a discipline of direct connection with God. One form this can take is the following meditation:
During the time of silence, and through the time of chanting, pay attention to your thoughts and feelings — both mental and physical. What is going on in you, body and soul? What are you thinking about? What are you sensing within and around you? After a while of observing yourself, you may notice that you take on the role of the observer rather than that of the observed. This inner observer of yourself is God. Continue to lovingly observe yourself and the environment and people around you. If you have a judgment about yourself or others around you, observe it — but release your identification with it. Notice your attachments and your desires, your sentiments and your resentments, but identify with the One who lovingly observes them, rather than just with the one who is wallowing in them. Focus this love and acceptance on others, as well — notice your intentions toward other people. What can you be or do for them? How can you translate your best wishes for others into concrete actions that can be helpful to them?
Worship continues with another hymn, followed by the offering. If you are a visitor to Sausalito Presbyterian for the first time, you are our guest — feel no obligation to contribute in the plate as it passes while we chant. Our members and other "regulars" contribute to the church in many ways — with regular pledges of money mailed to the church or put in the plate (ask the minister if you would like to have a pledge card or a copy of the church budget), with occasional or designated gifts of money, and most of all with love and time and effort. The members and friends of our church are responsible for its maintenance and most of its decisions. All financial and policy decisions are made democratically — through a Session of “elders” elected by our membership. Most of what happens in our church is the result of volunteer efforts by our members — ministering to the sick or lonely, conducting groups and classes, and even doing maintenance work on the buildings and grounds. You are invited to be part of this community, to give and to receive as one of us…. We make a financial pledge to the wider Presbyterian Church, USA, from our budget. This money is used to do ministry and service worldwide.
The gifts we make to the church are important, but even more important are the ways we live our lives. We vote with our money every day. Some of it goes to items and enterprises that help to build the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, and some of it goes to things and to corporations that are working against the Kingdom. As the plate circulates among the congregation, meditate on this: how can I spend my time and effort and money this week toward the end of building the community of love, dignity, beauty, equality, democracy, and realization of human potential? As a resident of the most powerful and rich nation on earth, what can I do — as a voter and as a consumer - to reduce global warming and pollution, increase the sustainable development of poor nations, and advance the causes of justice and peace in the world? My involvement in the church is just the tip of the iceberg. The effects my gifts have on the church are just a microcosm of the effects my way of life and my financial and time commitments have on the world around me. The offering is a time to contemplate prayerfully the choices I want to make that affect those around me, beginning with the choices I make about supporting my church.
After the offering is collected, the liturgist makes a prayer and then we stand and sing the Doxology – which means, in Greek, “the good word”. This piece of music is a very ancient part of the Christian worship tradition, to which new words have been given as a way to clarify our intentions for the use of the offering.
Then the minister dismisses us with a benediction (Latin for "good saying"). Worship in the sanctuary is over, and the worship of God through our actions in the next seven days has just begun!
"Coffee Hour" welcomes all after worship downstairs in Thomson Hall — it's that all-important time when we meet and greet each other, learn more about what is happening in our lives, and offer support and assistance to each other through all of life’s changes. This is a time to ask the minister or any of the members for more information about our church.
at SAUSALITO PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Thanksgiving Vespers: The Sunday night before Thanksgiving, we have a 1/2 hour meditative candlelight vigil in the sanctuary followed by a big potluck meal downstairs, to begin the holiday season with a thoughtful and convivial spirit. This is one of the most beautiful celebrations of our church year, with many people coming from far and wide to make the event a "reunion" for our whole church family.
Advent and Christmas: Advent is the four-week period culminating with Christmas and Christmas Sunday. Each Sunday in Advent, we light one of the four Advent candles in the hanging wreath — symbolizing Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy, the spiritual gifts of Christmas. The scriptures for these four Sundays illuminate or tell parts of the Christmas story, and the sermons usually focus on these themes. The last Sunday before Christmas Day (or the Sunday of Christmas, if it falls on that day) is Christmas Sunday — our choir performs special music, and the Christmas story is read from scripture. On Christmas Eve, we gather for a special worship at night, listening to and singing the "lessons and carols" of the story of Jesus’ birth from the gospels, and lighting candles. We also offer a singing “Posada” walk through downtown Sausalito on Christmas Eve, remembering Joseph and Mary’s search for shelter on the night of Jesus’ birth, ending with the first “lessons and carols” service at the church.
Lent and Easter: The season of Lent (from the "lengthening" of the days in late winter and early spring) marks the forty days leading up to Easter. The forty days symbolizes the length of time that Jesus spent in the desert, meditating and praying, before beginning his ministry. This period also recalls the forty years that the people of Israel wandered in the desert before coming to their Promised Land. It begins with Ash Wednesday, when sometimes we hold a special service to impose ashes on the forehead in the sign of the cross. Palm Sunday, marking the entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem a week before his crucifixion, marks the beginning of Passion Week: the sanctuary is decorated with palms, reminding us of the festive way that people greeted Jesus by putting branches in front of the ass he rode into the city. Maundy Thursday is celebrated at at our church with a Seder service, the traditional ritual and meal of Passover that Jesus and his disciples held on the night before he was sent to his crucifixion. Easter Sunday worship is a celebration of resurrection — the life that defies death and prevails over it: resurrection found in the gospel story, as well as resurrection found in our lives. Our choir performs, with other special music offered.