It would be simple to assign our loss of
identity to busy schedules or to the lack of Christian education or to the lack
of church attendance, and these certainly are contributing factors. Perhaps the
larger problem is that we do not see Christ as the center of our story. We do
not see Christ as the center of our liturgy, the place where His story—the
story of the world—is told. Such a towering assertion goes against the grain of
our postmodern sensibilities and expectations. Yet the history of the church
testifys that, for centuries, our brothers and sisters in Christ invited those
who did not share our faith to come to the Divine Service, where they heard the
salvation story in its entirety through the rhythm of the liturgy. In our
worship, Christ, the author of life, is present, telling that story through the
words of the prophets and apostles and serving as host of a heavenly feast
where the world’s story is given its heavenly reality.
From:
Heaven on Earth by Arthur A Just,
