*2.2. Theological Framework of Intergenerational Worship: Communal and Interdependence*

It is important for Korean American Protestant churches today to review their theology of worship, theologies in worship, and various practices in worship as they move toward God's call for doing justice and healing conflicts. When one interprets the current culture in the United States from a critical perspective, one can say that various forms of conflict and discrimination are deeply woven into the current culture in many ways, such as ideological conflicts, class conflicts, gender conflicts, conflicts of sexual preferences, ethnic conflicts, church division, the destruction of the ecosystem, sexism, classism, ageism, racism, and other tensions. One can also observe that hate and discrimination, exclusion, indifference, and aggressive hostility, as well as segregation, are also the sources of conflict in the culture of contemporary society that one must overcome.

Korean American Protestant churches are continuously experiencing conflicts in their current culture and context as well, such as the patriarchal system resulting from Confucianism, neo-capitalism and the consequent focus on materialism, prosperity-centered shamanism, and aggressive militarism, due to the partition of the Korean peninsula, ethnophobia, and other matters. These churches are also breaking down because communal experiences are not taking place in positive ways between generations.

To overcome various conflicts deeply rooted in the culture that impact their daily lives in many ways, communal intergenerational worship could be one possible place to start reforming and transforming generational conflict. To accomplish this goal, emphasis needs to be placed on the communal worshipping experience between generations in intergenerational worship. By embracing these goals, one can critically think, judge, and act in the quest to reform and transform these conflictual and discriminatory cultures within the limited bounds of a local congregation and in large settings and can lead to the design of desirable intergenerational worship in a Korean American Protestant congregational context.

In the New Testament, the word *koinonia* speaks of fellowship and solidarity (Yoon 2021, pp. 29–32). To be a Christian means to have a relationship with others and to be in solidarity with God's will and vision. The Bible refers to the Church as the body of Christ, and worship is a time and space to remember and experience the sacred communal spirit together as the body of Christ. Acts 2:42–47, Matthew 18:20, and Matthew 18: 15, each characterize Christian identity with the community and describe the characteristics of communal worship.

Worship has a communal character that means that all are interconnected and interdependent in God's love. Love is a good metaphor and one that the Bible best expresses. It repeatedly refers to the fact that worship was the time and place in which all generations experienced and learned how to love their neighbors and the world, like themselves, and how to love God.7 In this respect, the theology of intergenerational worship, theologies in intergenerational worship, and various practices in worship, such as prayer, congregational songs, preaching, and holy communion, are all interconnected and interdependent so that we can experience and learn how to love each other, our neighbors, and the world like ourselves, and how to love God. Kathy Black sets out a theology of interdependence that helps inform the essence of intergenerational worship:

A theology of interdependence honors the value of all individuals, not by what they do, but by who they are, recognizing that each and every person contributes to the community by being, not by doing. Interdependence acknowledges not only our dependence on God and one another, but also God's dependence on us to be agents of God's healing compassion in the world (Black 1996, p. 42).

#### **3. Communal Christian Identity and Trinitarian Understandings for Intergenerational Worship Design in Korean American Congregational Contexts**

As one tries to identify who they are in terms of all the generations as a worshipping community in intergenerational worship, there are five features to consider: *anamnesis, prolepsis, epiclesis, rex vivendi*, and *egeiro*. These characteristics of worshipping communities can be helpful for intergenerational worshipping communities. One characteristic of a worshipping community is *anamnesis* (remembrance). A worshipping community remembers what God did in the past, what God is doing now, and what God will do in the future. Past, present, and future are interconnected and interdependent when younger and old generations worship together. Intergenerational worship honors the spiritual lives of the older generation, respects those who are in the active years of their lives, and intentionally nurtures the children among them who will carry the faith into the future. All ages are connected in God's time and interdependent upon each other in God's love (Stookey 2010, pp. 28, 31, 41).

Another characteristic of intergenerational worship is *prolepsis* (anticipation), that is, a worshipping community that foretastes and experiences the justice, love, peace, and feast of God's realm. This foretaste occurs in the present (Stookey 2010, pp. 31, 98). A third characteristic is *epiclesis* (invocation). Joel 2:28–32, one of the scriptures, speaks of a worshipping community where younger generations see the vision, where older generations dream, and where all generations experience freedom, liberation, and salvation (Stookey 2010, pp. 46, 56, 102, 117, 120). Fourth, *rex vivendi* (so we live) is a feature of intergenerational worship where the acts of worship and preaching are interconnected with

life itself (Martineau et al. 2008, pp. 28–29). Finally, one needs to think of a worshipping community as *egeiro* (to raise), that is, as a community of resurrection and as a worshipping community rising from the dead. Intergenerational worship seeks to transform all forms of discrimination and all dehumanizing powers (Malia 2013, p. 179), especially those that exist between generations. These five features can be essentially intergenerational Christian identities for Korean American Protestant churches that can help reform and transform their generational conflict and beyond.

Aspects of the doctrine of the Trinity can also be helpful in developing a theology of intergenerational worship and as guidelines for the design of these services. The Trinitarian aspects helpful to this discussion include flexibility (innovation), communication (sharing and empathy), interconnection, ubiquity, and holistic artistry (Stookey 2001, pp. 87–91; Segler and Bradley 2006, pp. 91–102).

*Flexibility and Innovation:* The Triune God is flexible and innovative. God is transformed into Jesus. Jesus is God. The Holy Spirit is God. God was present to Moses in a burning bush. God met the prophet Elijah in a small voice. The Holy Spirit was present like a raging fire, like a dove, and like a wind. Jesus came into a human body, lived with people on earth, and ate and drank with people. The Triune God coexists everywhere and is present in tangible and intangible ways. This points to the characteristics of flexibility and innovation in intergenerational worship that includes a meal.

*Communication, Sharing, and Empathy:* The three persons of the Trinity are distinct and yet, one in their communion. Communication and intimate sharing are such that the three persons function as one. The members of the Triune God empathize, resonate, and coordinate with each other. The key to this sharing is a compassionate heart and love. The Triune God's compassion and communication are not limited to the three persons within the Trinity. The Triune God also communicates with people in various ways and reveals God's revelation differently and desires our communication with God openly. Being empathetic and sharing with one another are important characteristics of intergenerational worship.

*Interconnection:* The three persons of the Trinity are organically connected to each other, but the Triune God also connects heaven and earth, men and women, children and seniors, human beings and nature, and individuals and communities. I Corinthians 12 speaks clearly about the interconnection that is essential to the body of Christ:

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)

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.

*Ubiquity:* The presence of the Triune God is ubiquitous. Times are interconnected. Place and space are also interconnected. God is omnipresent in all things. God's compassion and love are not limited by any particular time, place, space, or age. Valuing the presence of God in the youngest and oldest within the communities of faith is a theological foundation for intergenerational worship.

*Holistic Artistry:* God created existence out of nonexistence which is, itself, an awesome work of art. How wonderful is the holistic artistry of the invisible Word becoming a visible body! The fact that the Bible is the subject of works of art from Genesis to Revelation is related to the fact that the Bible, itself, has an artful dimension and the Triune God, likewise, inspires artistic creation and the reception of artistic expressions. Thus preaching, worship and ministry are sacramental and special interconnected holistic forms of art. The Triune God's holistic artistry uses everything possible as material for revelation.

Here, the word "holistic" is an integrated concept encompassing all the senses. Holistic artistry is about beauty and emotion and feeling more so than informational thoughts/knowledge. Holistic artistry is a catalyst that helps one think deeply and feel intensely, experience wonder, and be inspired. One's senses of seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting come alive in an integrated way when holistic artistry is employed effectively. Intergenerational worship, combined with a meal, needs to be designed with the characteristics of holistic artistry in view. Such a service can have an artful dimension (Duck 2013, pp. 77–96).
