Merry Christmas

Six months ago, I began a journey to find a new house of worship. Living near Hollywood, and noting how many churches there are in the area, it seemed as good a place as any to base my search. I made my way through Hollywood itself, Los Feliz, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Little Armenia, North Hollywood, and even dropped by Downtown LA and San Diego. I visited churches backed by Presbyterians, Baptists, Catholics, Episcopalians, Russian Orthodox, non-denominational Christians, Scientologists, and -- Lutherans, to name a few. I even tried (and failed) to visit two mosques. I never made it to a synagogue, but I did visit Canter's Deli a few times, and many of my Jewish friends have told me that suffices.

I had a few goals in mind when I began my quest, but first and foremost was finding a place where I felt comfortable giving praise and thanks to God. I decided to blog about the experience because I wanted to ensure I gave each church due consideration, and because I am always trying to find new and distinct ways of flexing my writing muscle.

Some would say there is a dichotomy between God and Hollywood, but I find more than a few similarities. The most glaring ones are that both feature the concept of faith and hope. A belief in God can be likened in many ways to the Hollywood dream. It can be a hard road, there will be obstacles and naysayers, and there are no guarantees. Yet I still maintain if you ever watch the sun go down on Sunset Blvd., then you know there is a magic and a mystery to Hollywood that cannot be explained. And I still maintain that if you have God in your heart, you can endure far more than if your heart is empty.

Christmas is upon us, and it means different things to different people. My godparents were missionaries in Africa back in the 1980s, and one year they sent me a gift for the holidays. It was a hand-carved Nativity scene, made of wood by the locals of their village, and in what some have described as blasphemous, obscene, or just plain wrong, the Nativity depicts all the major players as black. And I love it. I love that it offends; I use it as a barometer for who really understands Jesus at His core. God made us in His image -- why wouldn't a group of Africans carve Him as a black child? And why would any Christian lose sleep over it? Christmas is upon us, and it is the time of year we are most united in faith and compassion. It is the time of year when appearances do not count; action counts. Intentions count. Anyone who misses the action and intention of an African Nativity has missed a great deal more than that.

I sometimes hear people say, "I'm not a very religious person," but that makes no sense to me. You either are or you are not, the modifier has no place in that sentence. I am a religious person; I don't ram it down anybody's throat, because it isn't generally my style to do that. If you question me about my faith, politics, beliefs, etc., then I will likely respond and even debate you, but if you don't really care, I'm just as content to smile and move on about my day.

After visiting two dozen places, I have not yet found a church to call my own. I've made peace with that; I've actually made peace with the fact I might never find a church to call my own. A church should not belong to a person or even a congregation -- it is God's house, after all. Setting aside all the creeds that narrowly define who we are, we are all children of God. Christmas began as a celebration of the birth of Jesus, but it has expanded to become a celebration of life itself -- of giving, of family, of friends, and of love. This blog began as a means of deconstructing churches, but it expanded to become a place where faith is celebrated, hope is encouraged, and love is mandatory.

I wish everyone who reads this the merriest of Christmases, and I wish the very best for you and yours in the coming year. May God bless you and strengthen you, and may He fill your hearts with faith, hope, and love.

Amen.

St. Thomas the Apostle

Here is how a longtime member of the St. Thomas the Apostle congregation described his church to me: "We're the church of bells and smells."

We'll start with the bells -- according to the church literature, the organ features more than 4,000 pipes. That's a lot of pipes. It equates to a lot of bells. 

As for the smells, this church really likes incense. They use the shaky-shaky delivery system and spread incense whenever the priest walks and/or whenever the Bible is moved from place to place. Sometimes they spread incense for other moments, as well, such as when we pray or when we kneel or when we stand. That's a lot of incense. It equates to a lot of smells. 

Of course, the church is more than that, and I'd contend the reason these elements are the focus is because they call back to a series of ritualistic behaviors seldom seem in this age. The church boasts a well-balanced choir of voices capable of singing in Latin, a skill demonstrated several times throughout the service. I confess, I like elements in the original Latin. 

In this church there is a ritual for everything. All parts of the worship service are deemed of equal import, and the result is a focus on details other churches overlook. I have to admit, I found the experience to be interesting but exhausting. It felt like every few seconds you had to bow or make the sign of the cross or my doused with holy water or breath in the smoke from the shaky-shaky incense thing. There were several call-and-response portions of the service, a few in Latin. I can see how some people might be overwhelmed by it all.

I liked it. 

I am prone to distraction, and I have had a lot on my mind lately. This church doesn't really allow for that. Congregants are active, not passive, and the rituals are things the people there clearly took pride in, not for themselves, but as a way of honoring God. By the time the homily was delivered, we were ready for it. 

The head priest, Father Ian Elliot Davies, is as British as his name implies. So not only were there all sorts of rituals dating back to the days of old, but the guy running the show had "ye olde English" accent. It was like stepping back to a time when people celebrated the details and took satisfaction in a good end result. Further, his sermon was more of a history lesson (I've noticed a lot of those lately) about the Council of Nicea and how they worked to structure what Christianity was (and what it wasn't). Immediately after the sermon concluded, all in attendance recited the Nicene Creed, which in this church included reverential bowing and signs of the cross. 

First-time visitors to the church are given a coffee mug and greeted with a round of applause; not a nod to any past tradition, but -- hey -- this is Hollywood so swag is a given. It is customary for many priests and pastors to shake hands and say hello to people after church. Everyone at St. Thomas the Apostle was hugged. And the conversations were not like the cliche stewardesses at the end of a flight. 

When deluged with as much ritual and tradition as this church has, there is a tendency to make the actions the focus, but I didn't feel that at St. Thomas the Apostle. I felt like the actions taken were a way of praising God and centering hearts and minds. I'm not sure I could realistically have that much focus every week, but I was appreciative of it in this instance. 

Amen.

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Sunday Scorecard

This will be a regular part of my weekly reviews, a series of short-answer questions about the day's experience.

What is the contact info for the church?

St. Thomas the Apostle

7501 Hollywood Blvd.

Hollywood, CA 90046

323/875-2102

http://www.saintthomashollywood.org

What was the denomination?

Episcopalian 

What Bible verses were referenced?

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16, Romans 16:25-end, Luke 1:26-38

What are the demographics of the congregation?

A good mix of ages, less diverse ethnically 

Was the atmosphere formal or casual?

Very formal in structure and tone

What was the music like?

Organ and choir who sang in Latin

How was the use of PowerPoint?

None, and there was much rejoicing

Being Hollywood, were there celebrities in the congregation?

Yes there were

The First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood (fourth visit)

Yes, I went back to The First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, and I did so for several reasons. Among them:

1. I wanted a place that would put me in the Christmas spirit, and I assumed the church would be nicely decorated. I assumed correctly.
2. I needed to focus more on the message instead of the aesthetics today. Not sure I can explain why, but today didn't feel like a day to be critical of the paint job, the music, or the size of the cross above the alter.
3. I wanted to pray.

I have not really focused on my personal faith over the last several months, largely because I still feel the sting of having been judged inferior by my former church. I am reluctant to share, but here goes.

I'm not big on praying in public. I'm not saying it is a bad thing; I'm just saying my words to God are generally private (one reason I'm not a Catholic -- I don't like the concept of middlemen in the prayer chain). I've been to churches where one is expected to hold hands with strangers while praying. I've been to churches where people gather around a person and -- well -- lay hands upon he or she while praying. Many people experience an energy from such a tactile experience. I'm just not a fan.

While it is true that one can pray anywhere, I have felt compelled to pray lately, and I wanted to do so in a church. I'm not one of those cheese-balls who will spout off about "the power of prayer." Sorry, that was less kind than it should have been. I just don't automatically assume prayer, for lack of a better word, works. But I have some friends going through some stuff, some family going through other stuff, and I had a few personal prayer requests of my own. When the list starts to pile high, I tend to go to church and, as the song says, "take it to the Lord in prayer." I don't know if it helps in every instance, but I know it has never hurt.

Today's service began with a prayer by the pastor that we be "participants, not observers" in worship. I propose the same needs to happen in life. I suppose that might be one reason so many prayers go "unanswered." In some cases like the illness of a loved one, there is nothing we can do except pray. But often we pray for something to happen, then sit back and wait around to see if it does -- we could be trying to make things happen, or we could be asking others for help. Instead we take no action other than prayer, and I'm not sure that is the correct approach.

Lately I've been more proactive regarding certain things -- things I also pray about. It isn't that I feel prayer is not enough. As an example, it is that I don't tend to pray for God to help others -- I pray to God that I can provide help to others... if that makes sense. I believe prayer is a part of a partnership or alliance, and both parties need to do their part. I may pray for my own happiness, but I'm really praying for the ability to make myself happier. I don't see God as a genie granting wishes. As the protest phrase goes, I believe we need to be the change we want to see in the world. I believe God wants us to make the changes, and it is perhaps asking too much of us to be asking/begging Him to do it for us.

The focus of the sermon today was "Trust God," and I do -- sort of. I believe that God is a sort of a "big picture guy," that he is looking at the whole universe at any given time. I trust that God is looking at the big picture; I just don't believe that means he's looking out for me as an individual. I also don't think He has anything against me. I just don't know if, as the saying goes, God is on my side. We don't see the big picture. At best, we see a microscopic fragment of it. We cannot hope to understand why bad things happen to good people (or vice-verse). And rather than try to find out, I choose to pray for wisdom or strength to try to lessen the number of bad things that might happen. I trust that God has the power to grant me the ability to become wiser and stronger.

Amen.

_______________________________________________

Sunday Scorecard

This will be a regular part of my weekly reviews, a series of short-answer questions about the day's experience.

What is the contact info for the church?

The First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood

1760 N. Gower St.
Hollywood, CA 90025
323/463-7161

http://www.fpch.org

What was the denomination?

Presbyterian

What Bible verses were referenced?

Isaiah 7:9-14


What are the demographics of the congregation?

A children's choir sang, so there were more parents than usual

Was the atmosphere formal or casual?

Formal in structure and tone

What was the music like?

Organ and a voluminous choir

How was the use of PowerPoint?

Very little, just for the Bible verses and song lyrics

Being Hollywood, were there celebrities in the congregation?

I'm 99% certain one of my favorite all-time actors was near the front of the church, but I didn't want to intrude

Our Mother of Good Counsel

I had plans for the late morning on Sunday, and something I've done in the past in such instances is to locate a Catholic church so I can -- bluntly -- quickly burn through a mass and get on with my day. It is the absolute wrong approach to worship, especially during the holiday season. God, like Santa, knows if you're being bad or good, so be good... or He'll send you to a mass that seems to go on forever as punishment.

Our Mother of Good Counsel is, quite possibly, the only thing in Los Feliz with ample parking. It is also a Catholic church with a music program. Mass included a decent-sized choir, a pianist, flautist, and bass guitar player. Multiple hymns were sung, and the call-and-response portions of the liturgy featured an array of musical arrangements. The priest was dressed in the same color purple as the alter fabric and fabric of the ceremonial tapestries at the front of the church. In short, at times during mass the priest seemed to vanish. I found this more amusing than a should have.

The homily wasn't really centered on the quoted passages in the Bible. Instead it was a cultural history lesson of the Catholic church, all five branches... or maybe six (the priest himself seemed uncertain). By way of clarification, not all Catholics are Roman Catholics, and there are differences amongst the other branches. Some are identified by their cities of origin, while others are just -- well -- different.

Some Catholic priests are allowed to marry and do not need to remain celibate. That's one of those facts that often slips past laypeople. Then there is Christmas itself. Advent is not universal to all Catholics, and those who do count down the days have unique traditions. Some consider the weeks leading up to the celebration of the birth of Jesus as a somber time, a time not to be filled with parties and lights and song. Others have not agreed on when to celebrate Christ's birth, and reserve Epiphany (January 6th) as the day to sing happy birthday to the Lord.

When I lived overseas, I got to experience this up close and personal. Multiple branches of Catholicism, as well as other Christian faiths, celebrate different ways on different days. Only us westerners celebrated on Dec. 25th, while others celebrated on the new year itself, then there were those who celebrated on Jan. 6th. And as Christians, we were basically allowed to celebrate all of the above instances.

Here in the west, where Christian denominations have intertwined and meshed together, we often forget there are differences. Certainly, the atheists who actively campaign for the removal of God from our lives tend to lump us all together as one. And more often than not those TV punditry shows will list any believer merely as a Christian. That is not altogether bad. There is more that unites us than divides us, but there are times when it is important to recognize the differences. Just as not all atheists are out to close church doors, not all Christians are picketing at the funerals of soldiers. On a base level, regardless of whether we are talking about religion, we need to be able to embrace differences and celebrate similarities.

We also need to remember that praising God is not just another trivial item on somebody's "to-do" list. At least, I sometimes need to do a better job of remembering that.

Amen.

_______________________________________________

Sunday Scorecard

This will be a regular part of my weekly reviews, a series of short-answer questions about the day's experience.

What is the contact info for the church?

Our Mother of Good Counsel

2060 North Vermont Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90027

323/664-2111

http://www.omogc.org/

What was the denomination?

Catholic

What Bible verses were referenced?

2 Peter 3:3-18 and Mark 1:2-15

What are the demographics of the congregation?

Mostly Asian and Hispanic, mostly older

Was the atmosphere formal or casual?

Formal mass

What was the music like?

Decent choir, accompanied by piano, flute, and bass guitar

How was the use of PowerPoint?

No... I don't think Catholics believe in Microsoft

Being Hollywood, were there celebrities in the congregation?

None that I could see