A modern UU in King Arthur's Chapel

After almost a full semester here at Austin Seminary, I still find myself going to chapel, and I still find myself trying to figure out what people get out of it. There's an awful lot of scripture reading, an awful lot of praying, a sermon that is more often than not a bible study lesson rather than a lesson in living, and hymns that more often than not lack much energy or ability to motivate - me, at least. So what keeps the Presbyterians doing it this way? Tradition, perhaps. Or maybe it really does move their Spirits in some way that it just doesn't move mine.

I find two things most remarkable about chapel worship here. First, there is a certain choreographed pageantry about it: worship leaders sit in certain places, stand in certain places for certain actions, and never ever interact with the congregation. People who never wear anything more dressy than a t-shirt to class will dress up tremendously for their days as chapel leader (it is my wicked fantasy, should I last that long at Austin Seminary, to give my Senior Sermon in bermuda shorts and a hawaiian shirt). And everything, everything, is done in an emotionally neutral manner, with only an occasional exception of humor or emotion during a sermon. 

Second, there is a fixed attachment to worship as centered around Sacraments. The Sacrament of "Proclaiming the Word" (reading and explaining texts from the Bible) takes up most of the service, with the tedious Sacrament of "The Lord's Supper" (or "Eucharist") taking up an equal space of time when it is celebrated. And they are so serious about this latter ritual that it can only be conducted by an authorized clergyperson at a time and place authorized by a governing body of some sort. Even so, there is an empty plate and empty chalice present on the "Lord's Table" for all worship services, just to show how central this ritual would be if it were being performed.

Which brings me to my second and perhaps even more sacrosanct fantasy: sticking a medium size candle in that chalice and lighting it at the beginning of a worship service sometime. Somehow I don't think I'd last very long after that, though...