Mark Metcalfe
13th January 2006, 02:52 PM (14:52)
Symbology:
1. the art of expressing by symbols to convey meaning
Symbol:
1. An arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance
2. Something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible
The "Pulpit" note got me to thinking about other things that are losing or have
lost their meaning and therefore are rendered ineffective and useless. Lest
you think I am pining for "the good old days," I am not. What I want to do is
to draw our attention to the symbols we have around us, especially in the
church.
Everyone uses symbols everyday. It is on our road signs, it is in our artwork,
throughout our computers (:basic01), and even in our clothing. In a sermon
entitled, Dress for Dinner, my father wrote:
A. Have you ever thought about THE MEANING OF CLOTHES?
Dress is one way in which we respond to reality. How
many times have you said, "I'll listen to the weather person today to
see what I should wear"? A reasonable approach to clothes, certainly.
But warmth or protection from the elements are only one reason,
and perhaps not even the most basic or primary reason we wear
clothes. Perhaps you haven't thought much about it, but we wear
clothes because of modesty; we wear clothes as ornaments or fashion
statements; there are occasions when the wearing of clothing expresses
meaningful symbolism; think of a long white gown of lace with a sheer
veil; think of a khaki uniform with four stars on each shoulder; think
of a shirt with black and white stripes (which way do the stripes
run?); you see, we wear clothes for much more reasons than simply
protection from the elements.
http://www.enc.edu/org/wollynaz/rmetcalfe/dad.dress_for_dinner
P.S. This is one of my favorites.
Carrying on the clothing motif a little more, it used to be that people wore
their "Sunday Best" supposedly under the rationale that we want to present
our best to God. I prefer to believe that today's culture of casual dress
has more to do with a reaction to people who used their dress (as proud
peacocks and peahens) for show, rather than for honoring the Lord. Social
norms have changed, and wearing the suit and tie has lost its meaning as a
symbol of respect - at least by convention; though pockets of meaning still
remain. Those people are generally older and thought of as "old fashioned"
or "not with it."
You see, I think that some changes are good. However, I think that
intentional change more often results in good things than unintentional
change does.
What symbols do we have in the church?
Why are they symbols?
What meaning do they still have, if any?
Are there symbols that we should carefully preserve, perpetuate,
and pass on?
What symbols are good riddance?
Mark
1. the art of expressing by symbols to convey meaning
Symbol:
1. An arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance
2. Something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible
The "Pulpit" note got me to thinking about other things that are losing or have
lost their meaning and therefore are rendered ineffective and useless. Lest
you think I am pining for "the good old days," I am not. What I want to do is
to draw our attention to the symbols we have around us, especially in the
church.
Everyone uses symbols everyday. It is on our road signs, it is in our artwork,
throughout our computers (:basic01), and even in our clothing. In a sermon
entitled, Dress for Dinner, my father wrote:
A. Have you ever thought about THE MEANING OF CLOTHES?
Dress is one way in which we respond to reality. How
many times have you said, "I'll listen to the weather person today to
see what I should wear"? A reasonable approach to clothes, certainly.
But warmth or protection from the elements are only one reason,
and perhaps not even the most basic or primary reason we wear
clothes. Perhaps you haven't thought much about it, but we wear
clothes because of modesty; we wear clothes as ornaments or fashion
statements; there are occasions when the wearing of clothing expresses
meaningful symbolism; think of a long white gown of lace with a sheer
veil; think of a khaki uniform with four stars on each shoulder; think
of a shirt with black and white stripes (which way do the stripes
run?); you see, we wear clothes for much more reasons than simply
protection from the elements.
http://www.enc.edu/org/wollynaz/rmetcalfe/dad.dress_for_dinner
P.S. This is one of my favorites.
Carrying on the clothing motif a little more, it used to be that people wore
their "Sunday Best" supposedly under the rationale that we want to present
our best to God. I prefer to believe that today's culture of casual dress
has more to do with a reaction to people who used their dress (as proud
peacocks and peahens) for show, rather than for honoring the Lord. Social
norms have changed, and wearing the suit and tie has lost its meaning as a
symbol of respect - at least by convention; though pockets of meaning still
remain. Those people are generally older and thought of as "old fashioned"
or "not with it."
You see, I think that some changes are good. However, I think that
intentional change more often results in good things than unintentional
change does.
What symbols do we have in the church?
Why are they symbols?
What meaning do they still have, if any?
Are there symbols that we should carefully preserve, perpetuate,
and pass on?
What symbols are good riddance?
Mark