Our faith can be expressed in different ways. Throughout the history of the church, one of the most important ways of transmitting and capturing that faith that comes to life has been through the liturgy. Of Greek origin, liturgy means “work of the people.” In its classical sense, liturgy was interpreted as a public service. However, when this service was related to the religious sphere, liturgy referred to official worship given to the gods.
In classic German style, there’s a long word used to describe efforts to work through and overcome the past as the nation reckons with the Holocaust and other Nazi war crimes: Vergangenheitsaufarbeitung. After attempts toward the denazification of the government and other cultural institutions amid the post-war rebuilding and reconciliation, this process of working through the past has included the reappraising of academics, corporations, and others who supported the Nazi regime. Such reflection has also included painful but necessary looks at the actions of church leaders.
Before thinking about the digital platforms for our Church, it is worth reflecting on the virtual space that we want to build, the objectives that we will have for this project and the characteristics that we would like our page to have. If possible, consult with members of the congregation about what type of information they would like to find on the page and in what format (text, video, image).
On a recent visit to Cuba I heard Pentecostal worshippers speaking in tongues and singing coritos, songs that are a part of every Latino evangelical worship service. I prayed the Lord’s Prayer shoulder-to-shoulder with Catholics, Nazarenes, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, and others in an ecumenical service attended by hundreds in Havana. I talked openly with pastors about Bible translations with pastors. I worshiped at both registered and unregistered congregations, prayed before meals in homes and restaurants, and nearly broke noise ordinances with loud worship music. When I preached a sermon in the presence of Communist leaders, I felt no threat of harm or silencing.
