As I was thinking about faith the other day (even musicians try to do this from time to time), that led me to thinking about Living Faith, that little green booklet which states our basic Christian belief. That got me thinking about another living faith, the one we Presbyterians practice, day by day and week by week, especially when gas is up, blue chips are down and our backs are against the wall. So here, tongue more or less in cheek, is my version of our living faith.
1.1 In the Beginning
We started our life in Canada as Settlers. Some say we’ve been settling ever since: settling down and settling for.
We believe in settling for what worked before.
Settling works better if both feet are planted firmly on the ground. You need both feet on the ground when you’re clearing trees. That’s why…
1.2 …That’s why we prefer looking down to looking up, except when the trees are falling. Looking up can lead to being uppity. (See “uppity” below.)
We believe in our past, the accomplishments of our forebears. We believe in our history.
1.3 We believe in our seniors. I’m not convinced we believe in our young people. We wish we had young people, and believe that’s the same thing. When we do have young people, we give them ceremonial roles.
1.4 We believe in family and clan connections. We recognize them; we trust them. That’s why we put our trust in nepotism.
1.5 We have a harder time with those whose lineage is doubtful, who come from Outside. “They weren’t really Presbyterians,” is a true saying, worthy of all acceptation. It comforts us in a strange, cold way—like a wet blanket.
2.1 God
We believe in God. God is ceremonial, formal.
2.1 Jesus
We have a hard time with Jesus. He broke—okay, bent—too many rules. He never got proper permission. He never asked forgiveness for not getting proper permission.
2.3 Spirit
We like the part in the Pentecost story about the tongues of flame. We know that if they get out of hand we have plenty of wet blankets.
If you’re looking, we store the wet blankets beside the door mats. (See “Welcome” below.)
3. Worship
3.1 We believe in talk, in well-moderated discussion. I have seen more joy, more child-like playfulness on Presbyterians’ faces at a well-run committee meeting than I ever have in worship.
We believe in stripped-down, lean, simple worship services. The fewer and shorter the better. If they are fewer, we reason, that makes them more special, like Christmas in Little Women (see “Women” below). If worship services are both fewer and shorter, that’s best of all, because, if our worship skills are dated and rusty, it doesn’t show so much. Musicians have learned firsthand how valuable a technique this can be.
We learn more from committees than from worship services.
We believe in ceremony. Celebration does not come naturally. We don’t trust celebration. Celebrating is messy, sometimes not decent and orderly and you never know when it’s going to end.
We believe in sermons more than the Anglicans and the Catholics. We don’t trust liturgy, which God intended for the Anglicans and the Catholics.
We believe in well-administered, orderly events. This leads logically to:
4. Church Discipline
4.1 We believe in “No.” It means we’re being responsible. “Yes” is hard. It means being responsive. “Yes” means taking risks, practicing a living faith.
We don’t like uppity (see “falling trees” above). Uppity didn’t work for our forebears who cleared the land and staked boundaries, and it won’t work with us. People with vision and genius get uppity; people who refuse to settle for what worked before can get uppity. Women sometimes get uppity.
We took a risk and let women become ministers in 19…whatever. We’ve been living it down ever since. We trust that someday they’ll be made of sterner stuff. Settler stuff.
We like “Settlers” more than “pioneers”. We’re not sure about pioneers. Pioneers are more wild, more American. Pioneers have faith in their dreams. Dreams are dangerous and unsettling to Settlers.
5. Faith
5.1 We don’t like sharing our faith. Our faith tends to be a private matter, best made public through the structures of the church. We don’t like inviting people to church.
We like people to come to us. That’s what “All Welcome” means.
“All Welcome” means “Come and Be Like Us.”
Living Faith—the real one—has been a real and well-deserved publishing success. Why was it published by Wood Lake Books, and not by the Presbyterian Church in Canada?
Just asking.
