Well, as I finished up packing at the end of last week and started unpacking a few boxes on Friday in the new office, I have to admit - liturgical catechesis does not travel light! Seasonal fabric swatches and objects, various crosses, candles, Bible stands, pictures and icons, tabletop statues, bowls for water, music CD's... Even when I culled them down to the really good stuff - it was still a lot.
To be sure, I have lots of books too, but the liturgical objects are what felt like a particularly precious cargo. These are the sensory manifestations of the sacred - the building blocks for prayer tables and presentations - the things which connect us visually to a sense of holy ground when we gather as God's people, to pray and to learn together.
A good collection of liturgical objects takes years to build. I have been gathering things I see for years - from stores, donations, and even rescued objects from thrift stores and garage sales (I have found some beautiful crosses and statues that way.) When these objects are combined - a Bible enthroned near a candle and a bowl of water, on a seasonal fabric, enhanced with a seasonal object or two - they evoke the liturgical season without words. They engage the senses in other ways - and teach with immediacy about ritual, appropriateness and hospitality without my ever having to speak.
To be sure, I have lots of books too, but the liturgical objects are what felt like a particularly precious cargo. These are the sensory manifestations of the sacred - the building blocks for prayer tables and presentations - the things which connect us visually to a sense of holy ground when we gather as God's people, to pray and to learn together.
A good collection of liturgical objects takes years to build. I have been gathering things I see for years - from stores, donations, and even rescued objects from thrift stores and garage sales (I have found some beautiful crosses and statues that way.) When these objects are combined - a Bible enthroned near a candle and a bowl of water, on a seasonal fabric, enhanced with a seasonal object or two - they evoke the liturgical season without words. They engage the senses in other ways - and teach with immediacy about ritual, appropriateness and hospitality without my ever having to speak.
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