The Ritual of Rituals: What a Fifty-Year Reunion Taught Me About Going to Church

Life is filled with rituals—unnecessary but intentional activities we share with others. Over the past year, I have attended weddings and funerals, celebrated birthdays and anniversaries, commemorated Independence Day and Memorial Day, gathered with family for Thanksgiving Day and Christmas, and attended annual church services that didn’t take place on Sunday. Each of those activities included traditional and predictable elements.