On Wednesday afternoon, Rev. Dr. Lydia Muñoz led a Learning Lab session centered on building resiliency through worship. She began the session by reflecting on a gathering with Hispanic/Latinx leaders, where they shared words that identified them as a community. Words such as “fiesta” and “resistencia” were mentioned frequently, leading. Muñoz to ask, “What if fiesta is an act of resistance? What if enjoying each other’s company and celebrating life and God in the midst of community was actually the greatest act of resistance we can do?”

“What if everything we do on Sunday morning had the power to transform how someone who walks into your church service, how they viewed God?”

Muñoz then facilitated small group discussions and challenged attendees to think about what the space in their sanctuaries communicates about God.

Muñoz emphasized that worship is a chance to remember and rehearse – remembering God’s goodness and rehearsing the Kin-dom of God here on earth, while also acknowledging past mistakes.

Muñoz pointed out that all cultures and communities have fiestas or celebrations that help them remember and help them continue a journey of becoming a community. Fiestas offer ways to express gratitude, reinforce social bonds, pass down cultural knowledge, and provide respite.

She noted that fiesta is not only a chance to build resilience, but also a way to be discipled into a new understanding of God.

Discussing orders of worship, she highlighted the significance of Prayers of Confession. They offer space for lament and repentance but are also part of fiesta.

Continuing the conversation about the structure of worship services, Muñoz posed another series of challenges: “What if we saw worship as a circle? What if our worship experiences were informed by the community? How would that change our fiesta?”

She stressed the importance of hearing the stories from the people in our communities and creating opportunities for fiestas. “If everything about worshiping God is about remembering God’s goodness and rehearsing what the kind of people God wants us to be, then what better place to do that than in the community, as opposed to waiting for the community to show up Sunday morning?”

Muñoz encouraged the group to reflect on any barriers that might prevent them from experiencing worship before closing the session with a heartfelt prayer, sending attendees forth to build resilience through spaces of worship in their communities.