Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren
Week 8: Chapter 7 — Sitting in Traffic: Anger, Liturgy, and the Slow Work of Peace
Read Chapter 7 of Liturgy of the Ordinary. Key passages: James 1:19–20; Ephesians 4:26–27.
Previewing Week 8 of Liturgy of the Ordinary
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 11-week guide when you’re ready.
Traffic is a minor inconvenience that reliably produces a major spiritual revelation — Warren explores what our anger in small frustrations reveals about the deeper formation of our hearts.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Warren describes the way traffic (and minor inconveniences like it) becomes a kind of spiritual stress test — revealing what is really forming us beneath the surface of our presented selves. Have you had a recent 'traffic moment' — a small frustration that produced a disproportionate reaction? What did it show you?
2.She is interested in anger not simply as a moral failing to be managed but as a signal — something that points to what we love, what we fear, and what we are trusting in. How does anger (even minor road rage) function as a diagnostic tool for the soul?
3.Warren connects the liturgical practice of confession — which is built into many Sunday services — to the daily need to acknowledge the anger, impatience, and pride that traffic (and a hundred other small things) expose. What is the difference between managing your anger and confessing it?
a.Does your Sunday worship include a regular practice of corporate confession? What effect does it have on you?
b.What would it look like to bring the anger from your morning commute into honest prayer?