You feel closest to God when participating in ritual and symbol. There’s just something about traditions, especially those steeped in history that help you nourish your faith.

Religious practices often embody spiritual truths in ways that mere words cannot. Scripture is full of such examples, from God’s strict instructions regarding sacrifices (Leviticus 10) to Ezra’s fasts and public reading of the law (Ezra 7:15, 8:21, 35; 10:7, 11; Nehemiah 8:3), to Jesus’ regular worship in the synagogue (Luke 4:16), to Paul’s willingness to undergo ritual purification (Acts 21:26).

Other Traditionalists throughout history include Clement of Alexandria, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Kathleen Norris, and more.

As a Traditionalist, some of your biggest spiritual struggles are serving God without personally knowing God, judging others for worshiping God differently from you, and elevating rites to deified status. Remember that no ritual has value in itself–it’s valuable only inso far as it illustrates spiritual truths. Look for worship experiences that nurture your faith by pointing you to Jesus.

Here are a few creative worship ideas for you as a Traditionalist:

• Use the Book of Common Prayer or Valley of Vision to guide your prayer time.
• Read the Bible chronologically to gain a new understanding of how the events in the Bible fit together (or pick one of the other many Bible reading plans Bible Gateway offers for free here)
• Observe the church calendar, allowing Lent, Pentecost, Advent, and other observances to point you to Jesus.
• Practice “prayer breaks” throughout the day, pausing for a few moments of prayer every hour; set an alarm on your phone to help you remember.
• Learn about Jewish festivals and how Jesus the Messiah fulfilled them; consider incorporating elements of these celebrations them in your spiritual practice.

Please keep in mind that this list is NOT a to-do list to earn God’s favor. Jesus already did that. God won’t be impressed or more pleased with you if you do any or all of the above. Really, He’s after the heart. But if your heart is right with God, this list will give you ideas to seek Him in new ways that may open up fresh paths of communication with Him.