Synagogue and Church
What could synagogues and churches possibly have in common? Quite a bit, actually, for churches are the offspring of the synagogue and despite each institution's development along separate lines over the centuries, there are easily recognizable features that both still share.
Every time a Christian hears an invocation, participates in a responsive reading, listens to the Word read aloud, prays in unison, sings a hymn, receives a benediction or even says "Amen," he or she has been doing something that has been a continual, living part of Jewish worship from the days before churches even existed. And although many would be unwilling to admit it, the synagogue (especially as it evolved in Europe) owes something to the church - particularly regarding architecture and the use of music in worship.
There are further commonalities between churches and synagogues that spring from our need for community. The word "synagogue" comes from Greek by way of the Hebrew beth keneseth, which means "house of assembly." The Middle English word from which we derive "church" likewise owes its meaning to the Greek term for "Lord's house." Both concepts describe a group of individuals joined together to find a fuller identity in connection with others in the presence of God.
It is no surprise that both institutions face the same formidable challenge in this post-modern age of BlackBerries and iPods. In a culture where identity is defined almost solely by individual autonomy, churches and synagogues confront similar difficulties in attracting and keeping members.
There are, however, two overwhelming advantages that synagogues and churches have in their favor. The first has to do with our connection to others. Sooner or later, most people realize and understand that they cannot "make it" alone. We long to find meaning in relationships, and the meaning we find depends on the community we choose. Those communities are most often religious (a person does not normally mark a major passages of life in a bowling league).
The second factor in favor of religious institutions involves the individuality that many people claim to prize so highly. We cannot in fact define ourselves any more than a mirror can see itself or a knife can cut itself, however sharp its edge may be. We are creatures who discover ourselves through others, and the most important "other" is our Creator. This is why we enter the "house of the Lord" - to find ourselves in the context of creation and to remind ourselves that this context is given meaning by its Creator.
Of course there are important differences in churches and synagogues - as well as important differences even between some synagogues and others and some churches and their counterparts. But their purpose is practically identical: to find oneself and to connect with others while in the presence of God.
What makes worship alive for followers of Messiah is the shared experience of a God who is not far removed from the sphere of human experience, but who has chosen to enter it, standing with us and lending His voice to ours even as we pray and sing.
