Sacramental Church

An important aspect of the role of the church is to link the world and God. Simon and Garfunkel famously sang of a “bridge over troubled waters”. I think that is what the church is called to be and do. One of the words that we sometimes use to describe things that convey the special from God to us is the word “sacrament”. Sacraments bring us special things from God. In my tradition, on the whole, we only recgnise two sacraments, Holy Communion and Baptism, though there are other things that bring us the sheer joy and wonder of God’s presence. This is certainly superbly demonstrated in these two sacraments which offer us something, which we sometimes call “grace” from God. In “A Generous Orthodoxy” (Zondervan, 2006) Brian McLaren reminds us that: "A sacrament .... carries something of God to us .... all things ... can ultimately carry the sacred: the kind smile of a Down's syndrome child, the bouncy jubilation of a puppy, the graceful arch of a dancer's back, the camera work in a fine film, good coffee, good wine, good friends, good conversation" (p. 254). Let’s be ready to see the special things of God in a wide range of places!