... somewhere between these two schools of thought, they intersect...
The Last Supper is the Feast of the Passover for the Jews.
We celebrate the Last Supper or the Holy Eucharist as one of the sacrament in the Church. On Maundy Thursday, we have a worship service with the Last Supper as a reminder of the time Jesus eat with his disciples on the night he was betrayed.
But this month, the United Methodist hymnals in Davao City were literally in flames after the Cathedral UMC in Davao City was affected by the fire in the neighborhood.
These hymnals held many memories for the early Christian Methodists that grew in faith in the church. I remember when I was a Junior Youth in the church, our yearly project included wrapping these hymnals with plastics to protect it from wear and tear, dirt and stains. Wrapping these hymnals also meant having to make sure that the hymnals are properly taken cared. That is where my affinity in making sure hymnals are physically cared for started.
When I became a youth, I started participating more in the choir. It always involved having practices for hymns that are going to be used the next Sunday. Yes, choirs back then do not only practice the song for the Choral but also all the hymns that are going to be sang the next Sunday. What more, the choir is supposed to know the hymns that are going to be new and introduced to the congregation if it is unfamiliar to them.
As I became more involved in ministry, I started teaching to the congregation that according to John Wesley, our hymns contain our theology and is formative of our faith. The hymnals are important documents in our church as it holds the theology and expression of our faith. The current trend of our churches singing more of the contemporary songs leads us to the desire to have the burning desire to sing our hymns agian in our worship services. The hymnals will keep our Methodist theology aflame.
This year will be great.
We will start a series of blogs on the symbols in worship, church and in liturgy and reflect on how it relates to a significant event that I will participate.
Today is Epiphany Sunday. The lectionary text is on Mark 1:4-11 and the story of the Baptism of Jesus.
The baptismal font is situated in the altar. It is used for the sacrament of Baptism. The water used during in baptism is very symbolic as it relates to the many references of the water in the Bible as a cleansing of the people, the sins, the protection of God, the quenching of the thirst and the living water.
I was invited to talk to pastors, seminary students and community leaders of Malaybalay City, Bukidnon. I focused on the impact of Covid 19 on the mental health on the youth and the need for the church to be a safe haven for those undergoing mental health crisis.
This year, 2023, I will begin a new chapter in my life as an academician. I have accepted the challenge to teach spirituality in medical school. This is a first in any medical school in the Philippines. A whole semester course in Wesleyan Spirituality will be offered in the Wesleyan University - Philippines. The course will focus on the Wesleyan praxis in the context of holistic care to the person.
Throughout the year, I hope to share my lectures, reflections and researches in the hope of adding new knowledge in the field of spirituality and health.
Hope to hear from your comments and feedback as we journey together in this exciting year of learning and discovery on Wesleyan Spirituality.
