Medley abstract

The human vocation is to see and act rightly by participating in the triune life of God. This is inseparable from participation in Christian community and practices. Personhood is formed, transformed and cultivated through the practices of the Christian community. How does this participation enable such living? This essay argues that sacramental and liturgical practices are the central means by which “the ecclesial self” is shaped. In worship, Christians “practice who they are becoming.” This essay engages and extends David Ford’s thesis that salvation comes by participating in worship and living worshipfully before God with others. Ford argues that Christians are called to live eucharistically: remembering, hoping, and loving in Jesus Christ. Through worship, habits and character, the whole of life, is formed.