We went to a Bat Mitzvah Saturday morning. Congratulations to Hannah, who did a wonderful job during the beautiful ceremony. The party afterward was great, too.
I haven’t been to many Jewish services, and I was struck by the deep spirituality and symbolism. It made me feel a connection to to an ancient time, and its similarities to my own faith were unmistakable – like the blessing of the wine and challah. Where have I seen that before?
Naturally, I whispered to my wife, Ann, “Does this count as church?”
That’s a question that always comes up when we attend a wedding, a funeral, or other event with significant religious content, especially close to the weekend.
Wedding on a Saturday. Maybe that’s church. With Communion? That’s definitely church. A Friday funeral? That’s a stretch even with Communion and probably not counted as attending mass. Everybody has different rules.
So, for me to suggest that the Bat Mitzvah Shabbat service could count as church was going out on a limb. Surprisingly, Ann agreed and we all slept late on Sunday.
And how could it not count? To say that would be like suggesting what I believe is better than what you believe. I don’t want any part of a God who would tell you that.
I think that making the jump of judgment to a difference of opinion forgets that believing in a religion is not always an individualistic experience. Community is also keeps us honest and draws us in when we begin to withdraw. Like a family. The story of the Bible is a story of how God’s people struggled to remain faithful.
Well, I’m not absolutely certain there is a God, but if there is, I think there’s only one.
Call him by any name, worship in any manner. At the end of the day, he’s probably puzzled by what we’ve come up with down here.
If that counts , then so does my praying for the New England Patriots every Sunday