Preface: Get Over Yourself; Reflection: The Miracle of Birth

(Preface: I have a problem posting. I write something, then self-consciousness kicks in, and I file it away as a draft. Worse, sometimes I put it in a word document. It lengthens, usually to about 2500 words, and is left, forgotten.

So, Zach, what's the lesson here?

Don't take yourself so seriously. )

Two weeks ago, a couple [S&M] with whom I'm friends had a child. I visited them in the hospital the day after and was struck by two events. The first occurred upon seeing the child for the first time -- I felt my spirit swell with delight as when seeing a friend for the first time in months. I can't explain why. My emotional state on my way to the hospital was flat; I looked forward to seeing S, M and A, but didn't expect to be spiritually moved. So, yes, that was the first memorable moment. Lesson learned: the sight of a child awakens within the soul a "yes" to life -- my soul saw what was made and spoke, "it [she] is good".

The second notable moment happened later in the afternoon. When I'm at home, I spend most sunday evenings with S&M participating in their small house liturgy -- a fresh break from the mega-church service I attend in the morning. Since this afternoon happened to fall on a Sunday, we held liturgy in the hospital room; only this time, it was a special service: a ritual blessing for A. We, the grandparents, parents, relatives and visitors, about 12 in all, each read part of the blessing. Now, if you've gone to church dedication services before, this blessing might not seem particularly moving or interesting, but there was a uniqueness to it this moment. There was no place for spectacle, the necessary distance for 'pure' observation could not be found - everyone simply knew each other. Furthermore, there was no pomp or pretense. There was no church. There wasn't even a minister. There was only a small group of people, believing fully that the Christ stood in their midst, dwelt in their hearts, watched over the child and blessed him -- either embarrassing foolery or profound reality, the experience was memorable.

Lesson learned: Ritual Blessings (naming, included) have value; they play important parts in spiritual expression and are a derivative of the broader category of prayer and worship. Therefore, we should take them seriously.