This evening, we observed Ash Wednesday at Christ Church Charlotte, an Episcopal congregation in South Charlotte. As I have mentioned in other blog posts, there is a corridor of large and prosperous churches along Providence Road and Randolph Road. This is one of those churches. From my research, I learned that Christ Church is one of Charlotte's largest churches, having made the list of Charlotte's "Top Sixteen Large Churches" on one website. I am unclear why they chose the number sixteen.
Below is a combination of pictures that I took myself (the ones at night) and some pictures that I got off of the internet to give you a sense of the place.
As is the case with so many of the churches that we have visited locally, I've been driving past Christ Church's campus for decades. Christ Church's campus has always turned my head. To me, it has the kind of beauty that evokes the word "regal." It's a really stunning place, very much aligned with the kind of aesthetics that I appreciate.
This Episcopal Church visit follows two other Episcopal Church visits - Saint Paul's in Key West [link] and Saint Peter's in Charlotte [link]. I won't reiterate what I wrote in those other posts, please feel free to take a look yourself. In those posts, I point out that the Episcopal Church is the American branch of the Church of England and that it is generally very liberal in both the political and theological spheres, often putting a primacy on intellectualism and social justice. The denomination is also in a rapid numerical free fall. It is said that at the current rate of decline, there will be no more American Episcopalians by 2040.
Christ Church had three Ash Wednesday services, one in the early morning, one at noon and one in the evening. We attended the evening service.
The church was about one third full, and virtually everyone was unmasked. This is a sign that Covid countermeasures are clearly diminishing. We also received ashes and took communion in close proximity to other people without masks. This is quite a change from Denver Baptist Church [link] in May of 2020!
Here are some pictures of the service bulletin, the sanctuary of the church, as well as the choir processing. The church has a very spartan interior.
The music that Christ Church performed in tonight's service was simply spectacular. It was ancient, traditional, liturgical, as well as filled with beautiful words.
Here are a couple videos that give you a sense of the music. Really listen and take it in - it was fantastic:
The brief sermon was given by Connor Gwin, the Associate Rector of Family Ministry. It was a very thoughtful and also pretty humorous sermon. He spoke about the importance of now being misled by the idea of being the person you think you "should be."
Gwin referenced two books that are on his bookshelf, in a very conspicuous spot in his home. One title is Infinite Jest, a book that is clever and has enjoyed some popularity in recent decades. Gwin acknowledged that with two children under three years old, he was "likely never to read this book." But he admitted that he was perfect fine if people had the perception that he was the kind of man who read books like Infinite Jest.
Laughs all around.
His larger point was that living in a state of authenticity is an essential component of your relationship with God, who knows each of us completely already. If you want to know where you can deepen your relationship with God, be the whole version of yourself and don't dwell in the illusions of who you think you should be.
Good message.
We also had the imposition of ashes on our foreheads, which we maintained at our dinner date after the service.
A few observations from tonight's service. There is a great deal to say, so I will keep it to two thoughts.
First, Christ Church showed us a form of worship that is declining as a facet of the American ecclesiastical landscape. Fewer and fewer churches are gathering for the kind of worship that we saw tonight. I think it will be only a couple more generations before the style of worship that we witnessed this evening becomes a very small and niche phenomenon.
Is this pending disappearance a cause for concern?
In the sense that we will lose things that have aesthetic value and are rightly described as beautiful - yes, this will be a loss. God created beauty and to see this particular form of beauty go extinct can be seen as sad.
On the other hand, it may be the case that the Episcopal Church is meeting fewer and fewer people's spiritual needs. Before anything else, the church exists to help people understand what they are, whose they are and once that is done, to point people to reconciliation with God through redemption in Christ.
Multiple churches we have visited are bursting with growth, which makes the case that a large number of people remain open to changing their lives and pursuing God. It may make sense for the world's numerically declining churches to evaluate their different fortunes and consider adapting to better meet the needs of more people in this sin-weary world.
It may be fair to consider that what people need most right now is transformation and not ritual.
Second, we can consider if there is an important part of this kind of worship. If there is, it is almost certainly the idea of encountering the "still small voice of God."
How do people encounter God? Let's look at the Bible.
God has many ways to reveal Himself. He communicated through a whirlwind in Job 38:1. He announced His presence through an earthquake in Exodus 19:18. He spoke in a voice that sounded like thunder in 1 Samuel 2:10, Job 37:2, Psalm 104:7 and John 12:29. In Psalm 77:18, God's voice sounded like a combination of a clap of thunder and a whirlwind. In Revelation 4:5, we see lightning and thunder emanating from God's throne in heaven.
And...
We also see in 1 Kings 19:12 that Elijah experienced an earthquake and a fire, and the verse says, "...and the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the sound of a low whisper."
God can and does speak in the quiet places.
To know me is to know that I am currently a fire and earthquake worshipper. But tonight's service made clear that there is also space for quiet and placid encounters with God. Beth certainly feels this way.
***
This is our second and last Lent season as part of this spiritual pivot. This will be a special time where our deepened faith will enable us to truly soak in the forty days of reflection and deprivation, to be punctuated by the celebration of the Resurrection at the end, on Easter Sunday. We'll be in Florida that day, stay tuned!
May this be a pensive and transformative Lent for you, as well.
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