Exploring Intergenerational Worship of Interdependence in a Korean American Context
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Understanding Korean Immigration History
1.2. Korean American Christianity, Generational Conflict, and Purpose of this Article
2. Theological Framework of Intergenerational Worship in Korean American Congregational Contexts
2.1. Some Critical Aspects of Common Form of Worship and Sermons within the Traditional Korean American Immigrant Church
2.2. Theological Framework of Intergenerational Worship: Communal and Interdependence
3. Communal Christian Identity and Trinitarian Understandings for Intergenerational Worship Design in Korean American Congregational Contexts
Likewise, all ages have different gifts and abilities, but they are all organically connected and interdependent. In the Gospel of John, Jesus himself is the vine and his disciples are branches, namely they are an interconnected community. Because of the differences in generations and the so-called generation gap, there is positive value in emphasizing the interconnections present among the various generations.As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.(NIV: 1 Cor. 12: pp. 20–25)
4. A Sample Liturgy with Annotations
4.1. Description of the Liturgical Context, Theme, and Uniqueness of a Sample Liturgy
4.2. The Full Manuscript of the Liturgy with Annotations That Call Attention to Distinctive Liturgical Characteristics
LOVE FEAST (AGAPE MEAL) AND PRAISE |
IN THE EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION: |
LIFE STORIES AND ARTS11 |
(Ecumenical) |
(Flexibility and Holistic Artistry: All generations are included in the planning process. All ages are invited to cook and bring the meal, set the table, and clean up afterward.12All ages should naturally gather and welcome each other: children (12 and under), teens (13–18), and adults of various generations. A name tag with a colored dot will guide them to their designated table. As part of the liturgy, the people wash their hands as they come in, and each will bring a candle to the table.13They will join the praise(singing/music) that is already happening. An ordinary table is set with food and drink. Because all are interconnected and interdependent in God’s love and all are made in the image of God. Someone from each generation can be the leader in this liturgy. They can choose one song that would be well-known and comfortable for the children, one for the adults, one for the youth, etc. This is an in-person liturgy, but some might meet online, and this setting can be flexible for both in-person and online participation. In this liturgy, the five characteristics of the Triune God will be applied as the core of the theology in intergenerational worship and as basic guidelines for intergenerational worship design: flexibility (innovation), communication (sharing and empathy), interconnection, ubiquity, and holistic artistry. The format can be customized to any cultural and generational context. Possible language translation can be applied.) |
Leader: Welcome! Those who already believe and those who seek faith.People: We welcome those who live in hope and all who need it!Leader: We welcome the joyful and strong and the mourning and fragile all!People: Welcome to those who know Christ and all who want to know Christ!Leader: We believe that God’s grace comes to all generations.People: We want to tell all who have not been welcomed or rejected elsewhere. We all welcome you with open arms and hearts! (Cheer together!)
ALL: O God, you who desire our healing and transformation, be with us at this table as we seek your will and your vision for ourselves and for one another and for our church and world. Soften the hard places in our hearts as we are fed by your love. Strengthen our resolve to let go of hurt and anger as we feed each other. Open us to the energy of your compassion and hospitality. We count on your grace and mercy. Amen.
(Sharing: Congregational songs need to be easy and simple to sing together. Global music such as Taizé and other international music such as Korean or African traditional song is recommended. I chose Taizé for this liturgy because that music is short, easy to remember, and comfortable to sing with others due to its repetitive nature.)
Bless the Lord (Songs & Prayers from Taizé #9)Laudate Dominum (Taizé Chant: Songs & Prayers from Taizé #35)Magnificat (Songs & Prayers from Taizé #45)
Leader: The Lord be with you.People: And also with you.Leader: Lift up your hearts.People: We lift them up to the Lord.Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.People: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
(Flexibility: The prayer continues on the basis of the liturgical theme related to God’s justice and healing conflict. It would be desirable for persons of all generations to prepare prayers in advance as that will help them develop materials that relate directly to the theme.)
Children and Teens:We are grateful because God is always with us.From the beginning, God made the world and all its creatures.God made us to live for God’s justice and for one another.Adults:Jesus came as one of us,first an infant, then a child,later a youth, then an adult.He rejoiced with those who rejoice and wept with those who wept.To the despairing, he spoke a word of hope.To the sick, he gave healing.To the suffering, he was a friend.Still, people turned away from him.They betrayed Jesus and nailed him to a cross.But you lifted him from the grave and restored him to life,that he might be with us and we with him, alive forevermore!Therefore, we join our voiceswith the whole creation to praise the glory of Your name:ALL: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and mightHeaven and earth are full of your glory.Hosanna in the highest.Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.Hosanna in the highest.
(The Word of Institution for Bread: If the church by its rules or tradition designates certain persons such as ordained people to only preside the administration of the Word of Institution, participants, who belong to that tradition, need to respect that arrangement. If the church is free from such regulations, any generation can read it as a story.)
We gather at this table to remember that on the night before he died, Jesus ate with his friends, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it, he broke it and gave it to them, saying: ”Take, eat. This is my body, given for you. Each time you do this, remember me.”
(While signing, the first course of the meal, bread, and salad, is served family-style)15
(While signing, the main course of the meal is served, family-style)
(Ubiquity and Sharing: This part of the service will take place while the congregation eats. All generations share their reflections, feelings, and thoughts/concerns with one another at each table on the particular liturgical theme of the day17and they may suggest the life applications with each other. They can talk freely while they eat.)
(While signing, the last course of the meal, tea and dessert, is served)
(The Word of Institution for the cup: If the church by its rules or tradition designates ordained people to only preside the administration of the Word of Institution, participants, who belong to that tradition, need to respect that policy. If the church is free from such regulations, any generation can read it as a story.)
That same night, Jesus also took a cup, and after giving thanks, passed it to his friends, saying: “Drink. This cup, poured out for you, is the promise of God. Whenever you drink it, remember me.”
A small serving of grape juice can be placed in their cups for the blessing and sharing of the cup.
(The group drinks the cup at this point and proclaims the mystery of faith)18
Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again!
(Flexibility: Any prayer types, forms, modes, traditions, and structures with responsive song and/or praise can be used for the intercessory prayers, such as “O, Lord hear our prayer when we call answer us” or “Lord, have mercy.” Each generation can pray for a particular context and subject related to God’s justice and healing conflict with eyes wide open.)
Sing Praises (Songs & Prayers from Taizé #48)(Interconnection: As an integrated part of the liturgy, the meal is the holistic process of the people’s work, which literally means liturgy. This liturgy emphasizes the sense of unity that results from communal worship. In this regard, liturgy has a deeper meaning as communal worship created by the community rather than simply a typical formal written ritual.)
Laudate Dominum (Songs & Prayers from Taizé #35)
(Flexibility and Sharing: The Benediction can be led by a person from any generation or the ordained pastor, if only ordained people can give the benediction. This depends on each church’s regulations. It would probably be advisable to have one member prepare the benediction ahead of the service to ensure that the benediction is appropriate and clear. So, if there is a written benediction with parts to be read/said by different generations, there will be a chance that the people from the varying generations will bless one another.)
4.3. Evaluation of the Liturgy with Its Benefit and Challenges
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
1 | Rhee (2009, p. 253): “The social impact of the U.S. military on Korean life can be seen in that approximately 28,000 Korean women who married U.S. G.I.s between 1950 and 1972 and became the largest group of Koreans to emigrate to the United States.” |
2 | Yoon (1997, p. 230): “Between 1945 and 1965, about 6000 Korean students came to the United States to seek higher education at colleges and universities. Many of them, however, settled in the United States after finishing their studies and laid the foundation for chain migration from their homeland.” |
3 | Gebeloff, Robert, Denise Lu and Miriam Jordan. 2021. Inside the Diverse and Growing Asian Population in the U.S. Available online: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/08/21/us/asians-census-us.html (accessed on 1 December 2021). |
4 | Available online: http://koreatimeshi.com/?p=10418 (accessed on 1 February 2022); Oh, John J. 2022. From “Silent Exodus” to “Silent Divergence”: How Immigration is Changing the Unchanging Immigrant Church. Available online: https://sola.network/article/from-silent-exodus-to-silent-divergence/ (accessed on 1 March 2022); Oh also articulates that “Along with decreasing church attendance, the number of Korean churches has decreased from 4500 in 2017 to only 2800 in 2021 for a precipitous decline.” |
5 | Munoz, Anabel. 2021. Korean American Churches, in Los Angeles since 1906, continue to shape the community’s story. Available online: https://abc7chicago.com/koreantown-la-korean-christians-american-churches-koreans-in-los-angeles/10557685/ (accessed on 1 June 2021): “By 2010, 71% of Korean Americans living in the U.S. identified as Christian, including 61% who are Protestant and 10% who are Catholic, according to Pew.” Available online: https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/religious-diversity-in-korea/ (accessed on 7 February 2022): “A 2012 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that 61% of Korean–Americans are Protestant Christians. Another 10% are Catholic.” |
6 | Aghahowa (2001, p. 357): “For African Americans to affirm their own distinctiveness in no way constitutes a denial of others. On the contrary, to deny the uniqueness of Black worship constitutes a kind of liturgical imperialism.” Aghahowa defines liturgical imperialism as a paradigm that states that the worship of Black people should be similar to the worship of a prevailing culture. This definition suggests that those of another culture who currently possess greater power and privilege may enforce a type of worship practice that diminishes the diversity of their individual relationship with God. I would expand this definition to encompass any denomination that creates legalistic regulations that limit and exclude the meaningful worship of any other members of the Body of Christ—the Church. Any person or group of persons that claim their worship style is superior to another commits liturgical imperialism. |
7 | e.g., in Matthew 14:13–15, 19–21, 19:13–15, 22:35–40; Mark 5:19; John 8:9; 1 John 4:7–11; Acts 16:15, 33–34; and 1 Corinthians 12:13, 13:4–7. |
8 | e.g., Dinner Church: https://dinnerchurch.com; St. Lydia: https://stlydias.org/ (accessed on 7 May 2022). |
9 | e.g., in Joshua 1:9; Exodus 3:12; Matt. 1:23. |
10 | There are still debates and conflicts about open and closed tables in Korean American Protestant churches. |
11 | This sample liturgy combines the Eucharist and the Love Feast. According to the Last Supper, the very first Eucharist was instituted in the context of a meal. The first book of Corinthians (11:20–34) indicates that the Eucharist was celebrated at the end of the love feast. In the Didache (which illustrates the conditions of the early church around A.D. 100), there is, yet, no sign of separation between the Eucharist and Love Feast. As a whole, the Eucharist and Love Feast were the core of early Christian communities’ life and worship. This sample liturgy is intended to experience both so participants can understand the Triune God’s stories through the Eucharistic Blessing and the Word of the Institution. Additionally, this liturgy is intended to show how to love each other through an Agape meal as early Christians experienced. |
12 | The language of invitation is very appealing, but it may occur that few may accept the invitation to cook, set the table, or choose to clean up, etc. Thus, some will have to sign up in advance to cook, set the table, and clean up unless there is a committee within the church that will do that for this service to take place. |
13 | For this liturgy, each participant can find a place to wash their hands. However, there could alternately be a washing station in which people could either pour water on their hands or another’s. Each person can bring a candle with them from home, which can be placed on each table in advance. All the candles can be the same or they can be, for example, different colors, different sizes, and different shapes. Someone can hand them a candle, or each participant can choose their candle. |
14 | Berthier, Jacques. 1991. Songs & Prayers from Taizé. Chicago, IL: GIA Publications, Inc. |
15 | The first, main, and last courses are not already on the table. The decision needs to be made about who will be doing the serving, because either way, it will be served in the end. |
16 | Byars (2011, p. 18): He provides the readers with various biblical implications, imaginations, associations, and connections on Eucharist from both Testaments, even though they “may not immediately appear to have anything to do with the sacraments.” It encourages all ages to pay attention to other biblical texts that may have informed or influenced the passage or to be sensitive to other passages that may simply come to mind amidst the process of storytelling, related to eating and drinking in the Bible. |
17 | Questions, such as: how many people will take, who would attend, how we invite people, what food should be served, when the meeting time should be, and what the liturgical themes related to doing justice and healing conflict are needed, will be considered as this liturgy is designed. There can be given questions that will guide the conversations in Word III. |
18 | In this liturgy, there will be an introduction to the mystery of our faith. Throughout this liturgy, there will be transitions from one section to the next. Instructions by the pastor or anyone in the congregation could provide leadership. |
19 | The Lord’s Prayer was composed by Albert Hay Malotte in 1935. It is a well-known musical setting of the biblical Lord’s Prayer, on the basis of the book of Matthew 6:9–13 (KJV). It was also translated into Korean, and it is included in Korean New Hymns #635, published by the Hymn Society of Korea in 1962. |
20 | His book title, In the Beginning Was the Meal, reminds us of the origin and essence of Christian worship. |
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Kim, N. Exploring Intergenerational Worship of Interdependence in a Korean American Context. Religions 2022, 13, 1222. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13121222
Kim N. Exploring Intergenerational Worship of Interdependence in a Korean American Context. Religions. 2022; 13(12):1222. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13121222
Chicago/Turabian StyleKim, Namjoong. 2022. "Exploring Intergenerational Worship of Interdependence in a Korean American Context" Religions 13, no. 12: 1222. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13121222