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Synopsis: Most people, even non-Christians, know that Christians
gather for worship once a week, and that they are right there to
support each other when there is a baptism or a wedding or a
funeral. But what about other poignant, vulnerable, or
life-changing times? How does the church help people handle changes
that in the past, in Christendom, were considered "secular"? Does
the church have a role at retirement when one's ministry changes,
or when a family's children leave home and familiar patterns seem
to grind to a halt? Is there any rite possible for someone who is
called to Christian ministry but not to ordination? Or to someone
whose vows are broken in divorce? Christian Ritualizing and the
Baptismal Process asserts that baptism marks the beginning of a
process of participation in Christ's ministry, so that no part of
life can finally be considered secular. Susan Marie Smith shows how
every passage, healing, and ministry vocation is "holy," and she
lays the groundwork needed for every church to create the rituals
necessary to lament and celebrate the endings and beginnings that
happen in every Christian life. Endorsements: "Critical analysis
not only of major past theologians, but of former and present eras
in ecclesial history, coupled with a wide-ranging draw on
contemporary liturgical theologians, provide a splendid foundation
for the third part of Susan Smith's book, which effectively and
creatively sets forth the reciprocal connection between liturgy and
life. Pastoral implementation is, after all, the aim of any and all
liturgical renewal and she succeeds in this as well." --William H.
Petersen Bexley Hall Seminary "Christian Ritualizing and the
Baptismal Process invites us to recover and renew our
understandings of the baptized life. Emphasizing growth in Christ
(our baptismal becoming), our lives in the world as response-gift,
the relationship between the one and many in the Body of Christ,
and the importance of planning and conducting pastoral
ritualizations to mark life passages, Susan Marie Smith
enthusiastically and convincingly summons all to a realized
baptismal ecclesiology. Rich in storied examples and informed by
patristics, ritual theories, and contemporary liturgical and
sacramental theologies, this is a book of singular importance for
teachers and pastors in this post-Christendom time." --Jennifer
Lord Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary Author Biography:
Susan Marie Smith is an Episcopal priest and teacher of liturgy,
ritual, and preaching. She offers worship consulting, teaches
classes, leads retreats, and facilitates the creating of Christian
ritualization.
Caregiving practices in churches often center around listening and
giving counsel, making referrals, and creating support groups for
specific needs. In Caring Liturgies, Susan Marie Smith proposes
that Christian ritual is both a method and a means for helping
people through liminal times of transition and uncertainty, even
vulnerability and fear. It teaches readers to recognize the ritual
needs of fellow Christians and thus create post-baptismal rites of
passage and healing that might strengthen and support them in the
fulfillment of their ministries.
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