Sacred Drama: A Spirituality of Christian Liturgy

by Patricia Wilson-Kastner

Overview

Patricia Wilson-Kastner's wonderfully crafted work views the liturgy as a cosmic drama, enacting a sacred meal that grounds us in the universe, draws us into God's creation and redemption, and poses stiff ethical challenges "deep in our bones" to Christians in community. "Liturgy reconnects us with God and with all creation, rekindles in us the vision of the restoration of all in God, and clarifies and nourishes again in us the hope in which we can live now in justice, peace, and love with each other," she says. Though we don't have all the details of this script, we are deeply implicated in the plot.

A gifted preacher and writer, and no stranger to church battles, Wilson-Kastner brings a confident faith in the transforming power of worship. Her rich, ecumenically oriented introduction to the liturgy leverages people's great hunger for spirituality and community into deep commitment to justice within church and society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780800626044
Publisher:	1517 Media
Publication date:	05/03/1999
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.05(d)

About the Author

Patricia Wilson-Kastner was, until her recent death, Rector of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, New York, and a former homiletics professor at General Theological Seminary, New York City.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Praying the Liturgy, Each Day and Forever

The Liturgy as Sacred Drama: Its Shape and Movement

The Shape of the Liturgy

Liturgy: What Is It?

The Role of the Sermon

How Does the Drama Unfold?

People, Time, and Space: The Inclusive Community

Liturgy: Who, When, Where?

Sacred and Profane

Liturgical Time

Liturgical Space

The Word and the World: God's People at Worship and Work

Gathering the Baptized

Liturgical Greeting and Gathering

Liturgical Assembly and Christian Identity

The Word of God: Uttering the Dialog

Preaching: Incarnational Prayer

Preaching: What Do We Expect?

Sermon as Liturgical Prayer

Preaching and the Transformation of Life

Bread for the Journey

Eucharist: Communion and Community

The Sacrificial Meal: The Symbolic Action

The Sacrificial Meal: What Is It?

Eucharistic Prayer: The Dramatic Elements

The World Becoming Itself: Liturgy and the Future

Eucharist and the Eschatological Ideal

What Does God Want the World to Become?

Hope for the Future

Editorial Reviews

Patricia Wilson-Kastner has written a wonderful introduction to the spirituality of ritual drama in the rite of Christian Eucharist.
— Cross Currents

Scott S. Elliott