On Wednesday evening, Douglas Forrester was our Lenten lecture speaker. He spoke on the Doctrine of the Trinity in a wonderfully fresh way. During the course of his lecture, he spoke of "enthusiasm" and mentioned that the origin of the word comes from the Greek "entheos" to be "in God." I love that! So at first chance, like most of us when we have a burning question, I turned on the computer and googled it.
c.1600, from M.Fr. enthousiasme (16c.) and directly from L.L. enthusiasmus, from Gk. enthousiasmos "divine inspiration," from enthousiazein "be inspired or possessed by a god, be rapt, be in ecstasy," from entheos "divinely inspired, possessed by a god," from en "in" (see en- (2)) + theosThea). Acquired a derogatory sense of "excessive religious emotion" (1650s) under the Puritans; generalized sense of "fervor, zeal" (the main modern sense) is first recorded 1716. "god" (see
I don't know how I missed that one, but I love this new understanding that to be truly enthusiastic is to be "in God" to be inspired by God, to rapt and in ecstasy!!!! How wonderful!!! How freeing!!!
Somewhere along the way, however, to have ecstasy in God got a bum rap. No, we need to keep things in control. We need to maintain proper decorum at all times. We can't show positive emotion in connection with God. No, we mustn't show too much joy or excitement. No, we mustn't want to dance or sing or shout for joy! No, no, no...we mustn't. Serious, stoic...that's better. If you have to pass the peace do it quickly, and please, don't enjoy it.
I completely understand that everyone has different comfort levels when it comes to feeling and expressing "enthusiasm." And this is not a plea for us to become Pentecostal, but...I invite us to open up, just a wee bit, to a new way experiencing our lives and our relationship with God.
God is an "enthusiastic" God. A God of joy and life. A God of laughter and love. A God who, as Mr. Forrester reminded us, invites us to dance. Invites us into a wonderful, life giving, inspired, divine and holy dance. A dance of prayer and worship. A dance of service and sacrifice. A dance of hope and joy. A dance of tears and laughter. A dance of death and life. The dance of the Triune God, the sacred dance of life.
God longs for us to live life to the fullest. I believe God longs for us to be inspired, possessed, rapt, and in ecstasy to be truly "entheos." So full of the Spirit we can't help but be ENTHUSIASTIC!!
So my friends, "So long Frozen Chosen! Hello Enthusiastic Episcopalians!"
Let us Praise the Lord!
Every day in every way, let us Praise the Lord!
Paul+
Psalm 150 (A psalm for "Enthusiastic Episcopalians")
Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty firmament!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with clanging cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
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