The Second Movement: Proclamation

This is the hauntingly beautiful first stanza from one of my favorite poems: "The Second Coming" by W.B. Yeats:

Turning and turning in the widening gyre   

The falcon cannot hear the falconer; 

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; 

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, 

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere   

The ceremony of innocence is drowned; 

The best lack all conviction, while the worst   

Are full of passionate intensity.

What a description of the world we live in. Things fall apart; the center cannot hold. The best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity. It seems we've lost the ability to hear the voice of the Falconer.

The world is not the way that it's supposed to be. It's true in the world around us, and, sadly, it's true in the church. Statistics tell us the the majority of those who consider themselves to be Christians don't believe large portions of the Bible nor the key tenets that hold it together. Other statistics back that up by showing that the behavior and attitudes of those inside the church bears no significant difference from those outside the church. Things are falling apart; the center cannot hold.

How do we approach God when everything seems so out of control? 

The first movement in the liturgy, the Invitation, reminds us that we are part of a larger community – one that spans peoples, places, and history. We are not alone. 

The second movement, the Proclamation, ties us back to those peoples, in those places, throughout history.

When everything is falling apart, we must look for a solid foundation. That foundation is found in the ancient creeds of the church. We declare that which we believe; that which always ties us back to the bedrock of Christ and His work of redemption.

Glenn Packiam likens the Proclamation to an old farming practice. Farmers would tie a rope between the door of their house and the door of the barn, and in the event of terrible weather - particularly a bad snowstorm – the rope would guide them from the barn back home. It's a beautiful and poignant illustration. When we find ourselves lost in the storm, it is the Proclamation that grounds us and points us back to where we belong.

The Invitation reminds us that we are part of a larger community. The Proclamation ties that community back to our home.