The Blog: Breaking the Shackles of Routine

by Jen Miller

What routines shape your day? You get up, start the coffee, brush your teeth, get dressed, eat breakfast, head to work, maybe go to the gym after work, walk the dog, scroll through Netflix looking for something to watch until you give up and go to bed. Lather, rinse, repeat.

What routines shape our worship lives? We get to church, enjoy the choir prelude, chuckle at unexpected responses during the children's sermon, share the peace, receive communion, sing one last hymn, and then convene in the Fireside Lounge for coffee and donuts. Lather, rinse, repeat.

We hold onto our routines, both those in our personal lives and those at church, because they are comfortable. They give our lives structure and predictability. They make it possible to live each day, to worship each week, without having to make hundreds of brand new decisions each time. They make sure we don't forget important tasks. They make life easier.

And yet routines can also get in the way. They can get in the way of trying new things. They can make life too easy, so that we overlook the wonder in what we do each day. For those unfamiliar with a routine, that unfamiliarity can create a feeling of marginalization. Certain routines might even exclude certain groups of people--a clear problem, even if unintentional. 

So how can we make sure that our routines at Christ the King are helping our life together, rather than getting in our way? It can be difficult to find time for such introspection during the day to day work of planning worship, organizing budgets, and convening committees. 

To that end, Nate Crary and I are helping Christ the King form a Worship Task Force to look at the bigger picture of worship at Christ the King, identifying ways our congregation's practices can grow and evolve while remaining rooted in the traditions that we find meaningful. You can learn more at Sunday's SALT forum, or by reaching out to one of us directly. Whether you would like to be considered for the Task Force or have an idea you would like to share, we would love to hear from you.