Thoughts on ritual and tradition

I came across this in my personal study about the practice of communion this week. It's a wonderful quote form Ben Witherington in his book Making a Meal of It: Rethinking the theology of the Lord's Supper. The context is the ritual of foot washing that some traditions include along with the Lord's Supper but the implications of the thought reverberate much deeper into other rites and rituals within the church.

Here is the quote:

 "I was reminded in a telling way that ceremonies, if one partakes of them in an open and worthy manner, are more than just sign language, more than just symbols. They are opportunities for a spiritual interchange that produces communion with Christ and with one another. Perhaps we need more ceremonies, not fewer, more occasions to enact and depict our faith and serve one another. For if the Lord of Hosts is the Host and unseen guest at his own Table, then we too have a rebirth of understanding and wonder when it comes to such ceremonies. This is not because there is something magical about the ceremony, or because it has some inherent dose of grace to pass along. It is because Jesus meets us on such occasions, and there cannot but be blessing and communion and cleansing that happens. And that is something we all need with regularity."

An interesting thought as we move toward celebrating the Lord's Supper this weekend at church.

Chris