What are some rituals you practice?

Rituals can get a bad rap in modern society. I think one of the main reasons for this is that the concept of a ritual has been associated with the mindless practice of rituals and is often associated with hypocrisy. The disparaging of ritual may also be associated with an effort by some in our society to disconnect people from the past.

Rituals, however, can be good things. In fact, psychologists have found that having certain rituals in our lives and our families can help connect people, bring a sense of comfort and safety, help us to implement and pass on important ideals, and provide order.

One example of a good ritual is family devotions.

When I was growing up, my family had family devotions every evening. Today, my family does the same. It’s a time of prayer and Bible reading/discussion. There are many benefits of these family devotion times:

• Time together as a family
• Praying and reading the Bible together
• It keeps my wife and me in the practice of daily prayers and Bible reading and teaches this practice to our kids
• It sometimes leads to bigger discussions about what’s going on in people’s lives or about God
• Since we do it at night, it starts the time for the kids to get ready for bed

Rituals can be bad or at least meaningless things, too.

Sometimes our rituals lose their meaning and become a meaningless activity. I’m reminded of the old story about a young woman who was making a ham in preparation for her family coming over for Christmas dinner. She cut off the ends of the ham and put it into the oven. Her husband asked why she cut off the ends. She responded, “I don’t know. That’s how my mom did it.”

When her family arrived she asked her mom about it. Her mom said she did it because that’s what her mom did. So, they both went and asked grandma. Grandma got a big smile on her face and told them she did it because the pan she had back then was too small to fit a whole ham.

Most rituals start with meaning, but they can lose their meaning if they become a mindless habit or we don’t teach the meaning to the next generation.

The Rituals of the Old Testament
The People of Israel had a lot of rituals. Those that were given to them by God had meaning. In fact, they had a very important meaning. Those rituals informed them about Jesus, the coming Messiah. From the ritual cleansing to the sacrifices they pointed to the savior, to Jesus, who cleanse them of their sin and be the great sacrifice for them.

There are many ways the Old Testament Scriptures told Israel about Jesus and one of those ways was by teaching them through ritual. These rituals were shadows of the coming savior. They found their fulfillment in Jesus.

I strongly encourage having good and meaningful rituals. They can teach and engage us in great ways.

Examine the rituals of your life. Most of us have them, even if it’s just how we get ready for bed.

• Are the rituals good, meaningless, or harmful?
• What rituals might be good to add?

Heavenly Father,

You have shown us the work of Jesus Christ in so many ways in the Bible and in our lives. Continue to draw me closer to You by Your Word and my actions.

Amen.

Before you go, I’d love to hear your comments below…

•  What rituals do you have in your household which you find helpful and why?
• Are there any rituals we practice at church for which you aren’t sure the meaning?

Let me know. Thanks!!