The Progressive Worship Podcast from Sacredise John van de Laar

But our souls feel the sensory deprivation of contemporary worship experiences and they long to return to the spiritual play of sensory-rich liturgy. And for many worshippers the call of the senses is moving them out of the Church altogether and back into nature where the senses can feast open divine glory at every turn. And while those who are invested in the Church as an institution may view the choice of creation over Church as apostasy, it’s really the opposite. It is a return, in Spirit and truth, to extravagant worship of the God who is everywhere and in all things. And it has the wonderful potential to reignite the passion and creativity that has been lost in our sanctuaries, if we will let it.



In this final episode of The Progressive Worship Podcast we explore how when we worship through creation, she becomes a portal through which we can encounter God in a deep and more life-expanding way.



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Theologically, creation is, as Richard Rohr teaches, the first incarnation. The Cosmos is filled with the divine presence and spirit and is an embodiment of the divine consciousness and life. It owes its life to God, and as every part of the creation, individually and together, expresses their life, so they reflect and honour the Divine nature and goodness. It may not be a personal and intentional expression of praise, adoration, thanksgiving, awe, wonder, and communion as we would know it. But there is a sense in which the Cosmos does experience union or intimacy with the divine and expresses worship in response.



In this episode of The Progressive Worship Podcast we explore the worship of creation and how we can join it, learn from it, and bring it into our sanctuaries to enrich our worship gatherings and make them transforming and life-giving.



For an expanded version of this episode which goes deeper and offers more practical suggestions for progressive worship practitioners, sign up for the Sacredise Patreon. You'll also get additional bonus content from time to time, and exclusive discounts on premium Sacredise Resources.



To check out the new Sacredise Substack, click here. And to ensure you don't miss any content and resources from Sacredise, click through to our website and sign up for one of our email lists. 

Although there is always benefit from spending time in nature, in our busy and stressful lives, it can be easy to move through creation blindly, with little awareness of the beauty and life around us and with no real connection to the Earth. That’s why it can be helpful to bring a liturgical approach to our time in the natural world. What this means is that we can help ourselves to be more mindful, open, and receptive to creation when we use the same movements and practices in communing with nature as we would in a worship service. Doing this can significantly enrich our engagement with nature and make us more aware of the Divine presence, life, beauty, truth and goodness that we encounter in the natural world.



In this episode of The Progressive Worship Podcast we explore communing with creation as a spiritual practice and how we can enrich our lives by worshipping in the natural world.



This podcast is a little longer than usual because it isn’t just a part of my post for today. This episode contains the full content of this week’s post. I hope you enjoy it.



To check out the new Sacredise Substack, click here. And for the Sacredise Patreon, click here.



And to ensure you don't miss any content and resources from Sacredise, click through to our website and sign up for one of our email lists. 

Human beings are of the Earth. We are born of the Earth and we return to the Earth when we die. Genesis speaks of humankind being created from the dust of the Earth and on Ash Wednesday we remember this with the words “From dust you came and to dust you will return” as we place the ashen cross on our foreheads. And finally, we rely on the Earth for our survival. The Earth feeds us, clothes, us, shelters us, and provides us with the air and water we need.



When we recognise how deeply connected we are with the Earth, we cannot deny that it is essential to include, in our worship of God, the Earth which is our divinely created, God-given home. And, along with our planet, we also need to include the other God-created, God-beloved, and God-imaged creatures that share it with us.



In this episode of The Progressive Worship Podcast we begin a new series that will run through September and that will explore how creation teaches us to worship God more wholeheartedly and authentically. In this first episode, we explore three principles that we can use to allow a creation-centred approach to deepen and enrich our worship and spirituality.



Here’s the link to Michael Dowd’s The Advent of Evolutionary Christianity audio series that I reference in this episode.



For an expanded version of this episode which goes deeper and offers more practical suggestions for progressive worship practitioners, sign up for the Sacredise Patreon. You'll also get additional bonus content from time to time, and exclusive discounts on premium Sacredise Resources.



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Our spirituality and sexuality may be inseparably linked, but they are not the only things about us that are inseparably linked. We are all complex, magnificent, multi-faceted creatures and we are each an intricate network of mental, physical, emotional and spiritual elements that connect and combine in infinite ways and shape who we are, how we understand and experience the world, how we relate to others, and how we connect with God.



In this episode of The Progressive Worship Podcast we explore what it would mean for us to honour and value our complex and diverse experiences of sexuality and gender while also going beyond gender in our faith, spiritual practice, and worship.



For an expanded version of this episode which goes deeper and offers more practical suggestions for progressive worship practitioners, sign up for the Sacredise Patreon. You'll also get additional bonus content from time to time, and exclusive discounts on premium Sacredise Resources.



And to ensure you don't miss any content and resources from Sacredise, click through to our website and sign up for one of our email lists.

Patriarchy is so entrenched in our culture and minds that we automatically view anything else as wrong, abhorrent, or even evil. Yet the injustice perpetrated by patriarchy is the true evil. You do’t have to look far to see the control, abuse, and rejection that many women, LGBTQIA+ and non-binary people have experienced in patriarchal churches. So, if we seek a world of peace, justice, and love, we need to remove the influence of patriarchy in our communities. And to do that, we need to ensure that our worship stops promoting and legitimising patriarchal values, ideals, and attitudes.



In this episode of The Progressive Worship Podcast we explore how patriarchy impacts our worship and people in seen and unseen ways. And we consider how worship can free us all from the negative effects of patriarchy by becoming more visibly and intentionally inclusive.



For an expanded version of this episode which goes deeper and offers more practical suggestions for progressive worship practitioners, sign up for the Sacredise Patreon. You'll also get additional bonus content from time to time, and exclusive discounts on premium Sacredise Resources.



And to ensure you don't miss any content and resources from Sacredise, click through to our website and sign up for one of our email lists.