Religious but not Religious?

 

                                             Last Sunday morning on North Beach, Haida Gwaii

1 God of the sparrow God of the whale

God of the swirling stars

How does the creature say Awe

How does the creature say Praise

                                           Voices United 229

We've probably all heard someone say that they are "spiritual but not religious" -- we may have said it ourselves. People are particularly inclined to trot this one out to clergy and I heard it so many times I confess it makes my eyes glaze over. To be fair, some who say it have been wounded by organized religion and rightly figured that a brand of devotion was more about  institutional power. Some seem to like that idea of "a la carte" spirituality, taking bits from here and there. Still others feel that they experience God as Creator when rambling about outdoors. I would say that I also detect a degree of laziness with certain folk. It's just easier to glom along in a spiritual haze that worship and work with others for a greater good. 

As we walked a marvellous beach on Haida Gwaii last Sunday I wondered about being "religious without being religious." We went prepared for a morning worship moment where we read scripture  and prayed from the book Praying the Earth, and we sang the hymn God of the Sparrow, God of the Whale. We didn't see any whales and I suggested we substitute "God of the Eagle" (there was one perched immediately before us). It was a holy pause in the midst a long ramble with no other humans around. There were many times when we literally gasped in amazement at what we were beholding and we gave thanks often 

                                                                            The pastor is ready

We appreciate our faith family at Trenton United Church. The gang is generally open in worship, there is a group that loves to gather regularly to learn, and there is a strong commitment to the broader community. I readily recommend this congregation in these days of "Cheshire Cat" mainline churches. 

At the same time I continue to ponder how we can connect people with faith in a living, Triune God, Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, that embraces the "outy" kind of faith, not just the "iny". I was aware, once again, during our week on Haida Gwaii that Jesus was an outdoorsy type, not just with his disciples but with crowds. The Sermon on the Mount, the Feeding of the Five Thousand. his pilgrimage walks to Jerusalem, the post-resurrection shore lunch -- none of these had anything to do with synagogues or temples. Even the storm on Galilee was a powerful teaching moment. Many traditional hymns, some centuries old, recognize that God is revealed in the rhythms of the natural world.

We will continue to worship in an indoor setting and it will be good to get back into the TUC sanctuary after a year of waiting for significant repairs to be completed. Still, since our return I wonder how we can be "religious without being religious" as "bewildered outsiders."

                               Ruth praying she doesn't get a crick in her neck pondering a massive tree

Spirit Lake Trail