Last week's memorial service in Christchurch showed the value of public liturgy in our secular, multifaith society, says Ian Harris.
A big bouquet to those who conceived and shared in Christchurch's memorial service last Friday.
It was significant, both in its New Zealandness and in showing the value of public liturgy, even in a secular society.
The service was dignified, unpretentious and moving.
The Hagley Park venue enabled thousands to participate unselfconsciously, who might have felt ill at ease in a church setting. And participate they did.
They were attentive, overawed as they reflected on the immensity of the damage around them and the grief it caused, eager to show their gratitude to rescue teams and emergency services.
They were not there to celebrate the lives of the victims in light of the calamity that had befallen the city; that would have rung hollow.
They were there to remember; to honour the dead; to mourn as a community; and to pay tribute to the magnificent human qualities shown by rescuers and survivors alike: courage and determination, practicality and expertise, compassion and generosity, thoughtfulness and hope.
And in showing those qualities, consciously or not, they were making what Christians call the kingdom of God a reality in their midst.
Compassion also lies at the core of other religions, and in the emerging multicultural and multifaith New Zealand, it was fitting that not only Maori and Pakeha, and not only Christian denominations, but representatives of Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism and Baha'i should share in the grief and the healing.
For earthquakes have no favourites. When buildings collapse, infrastructure is shattered and lives are lost and broken, the human family is the only one that matters.
Religions will then be judged by the love they show.
A previous column touched on liturgy as the work of the people - but what does that mean? Good liturgy has several features, and the Christchurch service showed them all.
Essentially, it is a way of meeting human needs, in company with others, by.-
• Making sense of our experience. In Christchurch that experience was two major earthquakes in four months, and everyone shared it. People came together to reflect in awe at the power of nature, to grieve, and to express thankfulness that they had survived.
• Expressing what is of ultimate worth to those present. That came through in Christchurch as life, love, compassion, fortitude and hope. Religion would be empty without them. God-talk is religions' way of symbolising their ultimate worth.
• Strengthening community. Services could have been held separately in churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and community halls, but the sense of a city coming together in a time of disaster was greatly enhanced by all uniting in a single commemoration.
• Defining our framework for living. Each religion has its own heritage and framework, but the Christchurch service set them within a wider context of common experience and need. People of no religion are equally part of that context. Without parallel grounding rituals of their own, it seemed many could still feel they had a part in the occasion which those of faith offered.
• Reaching out beyond where we are. Much was said about hope and rebuilding, but liturgy also addresses issues of meaning. Mayor Bob Parker distilled them for Christchurch: "To give meaning to this terrible event we have to have faith in ourselves. People of faith will call on God to help Christchurch to face the future positively, but what eventuates is up to the people on the ground."
• Tapping into a faith tradition. This is a strength for those who identify with such a tradition, even more so for those who are open to its continuing evolution. For Christians, the former was evident in Christchurch in Bishop Victoria Matthews' address, the latter in the service's inclusion of people of other faiths.
• Invoking transforming power or powers. These need not be supernatural or magical powers, though religions usually express themselves as though they were. The important point is that when people open themselves to influences that lead to a better and fuller future, their lives are transformed. The attitude is all.
• Envisioning the reordering of the world. In Christianity, the vision is of people living their lives as though the kingdom of God was already up and running. It is relevant to Christchurch as residents envision the reordering of their city.
Restoring the city will require an abundance not only of money, but of trust and commitment, compassion and hope. The memorial service showed signs of them all.
• Ian Harris is a journalist and commentator
