2007-2008
Sept 07 - roads and maps for the year ahead
come and join us this saturday for the launch of a new year of grace
space for reflection, stories and dreams, and recommitment
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1. welcome - play track wayfaring stranger from the cd triptych by fred deakin
2. chill - video loop of autumn images photos by jonny, and two prayers from tess ward's celtic wheel of the year - praising and morning invocation p190
3. the road in groups. gather round a road with four sections representing lakes (refreshment), mountaintops (highs), valleys (lows/struggle), and deserts (dryness). reflect on your summer and where you are at - share stories and light a candle to place yourself on the road.
4. interlude - who are you - play video identity bites by joel
5. maps - on your own reflect on the coming months. what are your dreams? how will the grace ethos shape your involvement in different areas of your life? discuss and pray with someone else. download map here (pdf)
6. recommit to christ and the grace ethos for the year ahead using three prayers
ethos confession
doors liturgy [3]
we hang our lives on your mercy
7. play track wayfaring stranger by jamie woon remix by burial
a few of the tunes on the theme of journey played...
wayfaring stranger by anita kerr quartet
far i have come by arsenal
traveller by talvin singh
journey by nitin sawhney
roads by portishead
take the lord along with you by sister gertrude
nightwalker by trentmoller
journey inwards by ltj bukem
ramblin man by lemon jelly
wayfaring stranger by jamie woon (burial mix)
Oct 07 - making room
As people arrived, we washed their hands mediaeval-style with bowls and ewers.
Sarah told us stories of hospitality customs around the world.
Opening liturgy – a focus on God's welcome and hospitality to us
This is the house of God and whoever you are, wherever you have been, whatever you have done and whoever you know, God flings the door wide open
Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labour on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
This is the house of God and whatever you have done and wherever you have been God has a place reserved for you
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows
This is the house of God and who ever you are God invites you in
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.
This is the house of God and God is delighted to see you
You're no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You're no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to be called a follower of Christ as anyone. God is building a home. He's using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building.
This is the house of God and God welcomes you here
Responsive prayer
From the Hospitality Eucharist, Alternative Worship, page 117
Song written and led by Jonny
welcoming god
welcoming god
an open home
and a holy table
welcoming god
enfleshing god
enfleshing god
imitate christ
and his welcome
enfleshing god
accepting god
accepting god
grace and care
heal rejection
accepting god
embracing god
embracing god
within the poor
and the stranger
embracing god
welcoming god...
Engaging with the biblical story – Dean led us in Godly play-style wondering about the text and how it impacts us.
The story we used was adapted from Luke 14:12-24.
Here are some of our post-story wonderings;
I wonder what the room where Jesus had dinner was like?
I wonder if it was a private place, or if there were lots of people coming in and out?
I wonder if Jesus felt comfortable at the dinner?
I wonder why the leader of the Pharisees invited Jesus?
I wonder if he wanted to meet Jesus, or if he wanted to trip him up, or if he wanted to show off his power and wealth?
I wonder why Jesus told the pharisee that he shouldn’t invite to dinner only the people who could repay him?
I wonder how the Pharisee felt when Jesus said that to him?
I wonder how the Pharisee felt when he realised that the poor, crippled, lame, blind and lame would probably be unclean according to Jewish law?
I wonder what kind of people you invite to dinner?
I wonder who the equivalent of the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame are for you today?
I wonder if you could invite them to dinner?
I wonder why Jesus told the parable of the guests at the feast?
I wonder which of the people in the parable is most like you?
I wonder if you find it easier to give hospitality or receive it?
I wonder if the parable is a picture of God’s hospitality to us?
I wonder if you will be too busy to accept it?
Confession
From the Hospitality Eucharist, Alternative Worship, page 117
Two symbolic responses
Wall of bricks – to represent fears of/barriers to hospitality, the obstacles we have to interacting with others – people to take a brick to symbolise wanting to address these fears/barriers
Setting the table – have a bare table – people add place settings – napkins, plates, cutlery, candles, salt, pepper, candles – to symbolise wanting to create environments in which hospitality can flourish. People write on place-cards the names of specific people that they want to be more hospitable to.
Blessing
From the Hospitality Eucharist, Alternative Worship, page 119
Nov 2007 - Hospitality Communion
Grace
Saturday 10th November
8pm
St Marys W5
None are excluded, all are invited
Order of service
1. Sign in as Grace member or visitor and wear a sticker
2. Entry to the church - people will be given a friendly welcome if they have a Grace badge, and a cold welcome if they have a visitor badge. The Grace people are invited to sit in a circle of beanbags, everyone else sits on the benches at a distance. The Grace people in the circle recite a fake liturgy which is pretentious and exclusive, and then pretend to listen to a track on their ipod headphones which no-one else can hear. Then there are fake notices which are worded so that only people who already know what's happening can understand.
[All this is to parody the ways that churches exclude people, accidentally or deliberately.]
3. ‘Welcome’ (verse 2 1st in balcony - Richard; 4 different voices)
The circle is dismantled, large bean bags hurled down. People are invited to sit and tear up stickers
4. Small group discussion – how did the start of the service make you feel; what makes you feel welcomed or unwelcome (Jackie)
5. Hospitality soundbites (1) - at the previous service Ben had recorded people talking about a person they thought embodied or practised hospitality - these soundbites are replayed at intervals in this service as food for thought.
6. Song – Toilet song (Jonny)
7. Introduce Dutch visitors to rest of congregation [we had over 20, who were on a study visit to London churches] - one of them to say how they heard of Grace and why they had come
8. Hospitality soundbites (2)
9. Group discussion: focussing on Grace - how can we be/become more hospitable
reporting back
questions on screen
ensure that each group has a Grace person [Mike]
10. Hospitality soundbites (3)
11. Reading/Meditation (Dean)
meditation about personal boundaries and Jesus becoming the outsider
12. Confession - short, with reflective pauses (Jackie)
13. Song – ‘Table of Christ’ (Jonny)
14. Eucharistic prayer (Dean)
15. Blessing (Dean)
The Journey - worship songwriters consultation nov 07
we were invited to lead worship for the uk worship songwriters consultation. this is a gathering of the likes of graham kendrick, stewart townend, sue rinaldi, matt redman etc... i have to say this was a very nerve racking group to lead an alt worship experience for. we were given the theme of journey. these are the notes we had as a running order...
1. Preparation for the journey
[Give a notice at the end of the previous session or in the meal inviting people to make their way in to the worship space when they have finished the meal rather than 8pm on the dot.]
Have a sign up outside the room saying "take nothing for the journey" and invite people to take off shoes and leave wallets, keys etc to symbolise letting go of comfort for the journey with God (Lk 9). We will put some of our own keys and wallets etc in the box so it doesn't look empty. But when we write the names of a person on a sticker to go on their blindfold we will write another one, take their wallet and keys etc and put them in a party bag (see end) and stick their name on the bag. Shoes can be left outside the room.
2. Multi-sensory journey
Having invited people to take nothing with them for the journey, give them a blindfold, ask their name and then write it on two stickers. Place one on the blindfold and give the other to the person organising the bags (see 1). Then lead them to start the multi-sensory journey. This will incorporate smell, touch etc and at the end they are spun round whilst surrounded by sound. Then through the sound their name will be quietly called until they tune into it and follow into the worship space. The point of the journey is twofold – often on a journey there is uncertainty and bewilderment about what lies ahead, and taking out one sense heightens the other senses – maybe the same is true of our sense of God’s presence on the journey.
3. Arrival
In the worship space we will be playing some tunes and projecting images. When people finish the journey they will be given some printed instructions. These will invite them to do two things - a) reflect on the experience of losing a sense and encourage them to sense God's presence for the worship; b) take a UV pen and draw a line representing a recent or current journey or experience on their journey on one of several maps that will be around in the worship space. The idea with b) is not that they draw a geographical journey but one related to terrain - i.e. a valley or lake etc.
The printed instructions said this:
Jesus said: ‘The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’ We cannot see the Spirit of God with our eyes, so we need to use different ways to sense the presence of the Spirit. Your journey into the service tonight hopefully awoke your senses other than your sight. What was that experience like?
How often are we aware of the spirit of God? We are so used to our busy-ness, to the tangible, demanding world that we live in, that we forget to tune in to the presence of God.
Take some time to tune in to God's presence.
A prayer
Eternal God
Awaken our hearts to the reality of your spirit
Invigorate our senses with the purity of your spirit
Break down our defences with the beauty of your spirit
Fill us afresh with the presence of your spirit
In the name of Christ
Amen
Mapping the Journey
Reflect on your journey with God over the last few months or year. Go to one of the maps and with one of the pens there draw a line to represent that journey. Don't think in terms of geography but of terrain. Have you passed through valleys or hilltops? Have you been in an open space or hemmed in? Beside the sea or in a desert? Near to God or far away? If you're not used to reading a map there is a code, but don't worry about detail. Just draw a line that symbolises your journey
4. We are creatures of comfort
Reading/reflection on journey and letting go of certainities and
Welcome/intro
and prayer (confession and prayer from spirit service)
5. Mountain... valley... plain... - stages on the journey
Three vignettes (short reflections) on mountains... valleys... plains..., some of the range of terrains we might face. During valley one of the maps is painted over with dark paint.
6. Play track: Wayfaring stranger
7. God with us
Take the idea from Nooma video on breath of God being with us and us saying God's name with every breath whatever terrain we are crossing or whatever stage we are at on the journey. Encourage some silence to breathe and pray acknowledging the reality of the journey and the reality of God's presence.
Sing: Breathe on me breath of God to conclude the silence
Then gather around the maps, turn the lights off and the UV lights on and hopefully the journeys drawn earlier will glow in the dark symbolising the presence of Christ with us (idea inspired by vaux)
8. Journeying on from here
Liturgy far I have come far I must go with spoken response [we didn't have time for this]
Writing prayers/hopes for the journey ahead on paper and making origami boats and putting them on lakes on the maps or a blue cloth
Prayer for the journey ahead - invite people to pray in twos or threes.
9. Blessing
John O Donahue blessing
Party bags as people leave which will be named and have their original possessions in along with some other items - sweets, photo, meditation, prayer, duck keyring
Dec 2007 - nine
See the archive for December 2006 for explanation.
The creation -- Genesis 1, vv 1-5, 26-8, 31
God said "Let there be light", and there was... what, exactly?
If I tried to give a comprehensive answer to that question, I would certainly be in trouble for taking too long, so I will restrict myself to a small part of it, beginning on the third day.
I have here something so small that you probably can't see it at all. It is an apple pip. If I planted this pip, all being well it would grow into an apple tree, which would produce apples with more pips in them, and the cycle would continue. We all know that.
We all know that, but do you ever stop to think about how remarkable it is? This tiny pip carries the blueprint which enables it to grow into something much greater, and to reproduce itself. And God, with characteristic lavishness, enabled it to produce many other things along the way -- not only apples, which we can ourselves eat, but flowers and leaves, which feed insects and support other parts of the ecosystem, as well as looking beautiful. I could go on -- a single tree forms part of the elaborate system of life which covers the whole planet. It is only recently that we are discovering just how complex and fragile it is.
Let us not dare to damage it, for it is very good!
And that moves us onto the next day, and the stars. If it is clear and you have good eyesight you can see thousands of stars, but of course there are many more which we can't see. How many are there altogether? Here is an informed estimate: 10000000000000000000000. Astronomers and physicists like numbers with lots of zeros -- either that, or they are coming up with strange terms and you are left not quite sure what exactly it is they are measuring. Has anyone counted the zeros yet? There are twenty-two. So this number is ten sextillion.
It is difficult to grasp the magnitude of a number like that, but perhaps the apple pips can help us. I have a small number here, but suppose I had ten sextillion apple pips? What would they look like? If they were spread out on the ground, what area would they cover? Would anyone like to hazard a guess?
They would cover the entire earth's surface to knee deep (this sounds like a doomsday scenario!) And while you're at it, they would cover the surfaces of Mercury, Venus and Mars as well.
But we're not talking about apple pips here. Every one of those pips represents a star, all with their own unique characteristics. Another example of lavishness in creation.
Have I blown your mind yet? If not, maybe this will. Out of all the vastness of space, God has singled us out for special attention, and even decided to pay us a visit. Why was that, and what happened? That's what the rest of the service is about. It's over to you now.
Music: Pavane by Fauré
The people walking in darkness... -- Isaiah 9, vv 2, 6, 7
Please make yourselves very comfortable and place your blindfolds on.
I am going to lead you where we have no God to shine upon us, no Jesus to comfort us.
We are all very small.
We have no body, yet we can feel.
We have no eyes, yet we can see.
We have no ears, yet we can hear.
In the Darkness we are alone.
The walls are black, cold and covered in slime.
We can see no exit that we may leave, only continued walls, yet this space we entered by choice.
We can hear the burden breathing and mourning of despair.
We are without anything that can make sense of this madness.
This is the time spent living and walking in darkness -- we are lost, alone and meaningless.
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will rein on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.
Please take your blindfold off, when you feel ready.
Music: Movin' on up by Primal Scream
The shepherds -- Luke 2, vv 8-16
Thin places by Ben Cohen
Connie was a lovely old lady. But by most people’s standards, stuff seemed to happen to her that didn’t really happy to the rest of us. When I was a good deal younger, my whole family were into yogic flying.
I never left the ground. At least not long enough to trouble the laws of physics. Or Richard Dawkins. But Connie told me she had done once – in a hotel room.
“Go figure” as the Americans say.
As well as a yogic flyer, she was also a devout Catholic, and went off to Medjagore. It’s a village in the former Yugoslavia where some young children had a vision of the Virgin Mary.
Well, we were keen to find out – “did you see the Virgin Mary?”
“Oh, no; only the children get to see that... I just got to see the sun dance around in circles in the sky”
Now what she did and didn’t really see and do, I’m not going to speculate. But Connie was one of those people for whom this World and the next seemed to be joined by a rather thinner curtain than most of the rest of us. Or maybe she had a wardrobe...
Reading this passage got me thinking about Connie – I think it’s all those paintings of the shepherds looking up at a sky ripped open, with angels blowing trumpets and singing praises behind it.
The early Celtic Christians had a word for something a bit like this. They called certain places “thin places”.
It’s somewhere where that thick fortressy wall that seems to separate Heaven and Earth – God’s thoughts and your own, narrows down to a papery thinness.
You may know one yourself
It could be a holy site
Or maybe a retreat house steeped in years of continual prayer and worship.
You could swear you heard God’s gentle voice.
Saw him casting a shadow on the ground.
Sometimes thinness is just there for a brief spell and then it’s gone.
It can be a person.
I’m not sure you can trap thinness or bottle it.
And I don’t think we should get too obsessed with chasing after it.
Every new revival meeting or magic Christian...
Like size zero, it’s not always healthy.
And thin places can be scary too. Look at the shepherds.
But when you find one, make the most of it... Heaven isn’t so far away after all…
Let’s pray:
Dear God, show us the thin places where we can seek and find you more effectively
When we encounter the thin place, help us be sincerely and radically open to you.
And we thank you for Bethlehem, the thinnest place of all.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ
Amen
... so be it ...
(Sarah presents me Samurai sword. I tear muslin screen open leaving white light to bleed out to music – O Come O Come Emmanuel)
The Magi -- Matthew 2, vv 1-12
A recitation of T.S. Eliot's Journey of the Magi over Indonesian instrumental music -- Jeruk Manis by L.S.Gelik
Next Grace - Nine at 8 on the 8th
Volunteer for Nine
Nine readings... nine tunes... nine surprises...
Nine has become a Grace tradition of re-inventing the tradition of Nine lessons and carols. We take the nine traditional readings from a nine lessons and carols service and ask nine volunteers to produce something to reflect a reading and to choose a 'carol', i.e. any tune they think fits, to be played with or after their bit.
It's a Grace service that lets anyone get involved in planning a bit of it (about a ninth of it to be precise!) and until the night is over no one really knows what is going to happen.
If you'd like to volunteer to take part we'd like to know! You can volunteer as an individual, a couple, a family or a few friends together. We'll give you a reading from the nine below or if you have a burning desire to do one in particular then let us know (on a first come first served basis!) then you just have to come up with an activity to go with it.
The readings are:
1: The creation, Genesis 1, vv 1-5, 26-8, 31
2: The fall, Genesis 3, vv 8-15, 17-19
3: The people who walked in darkness... Isaiah 9, vv 2, 6, 7
4: Isaiah's vision of the kingdom, Isaiah 11, vv 1-3a, 4a, 6-9
5: The Annunciation, Luke 1, vv 26-35, 38
6: The Nativity, Luke 2, vv 1, 3-7
7: The shepherds, Luke 2, vv 8-16
8: The Magi, Matthew 2, vv 1-12
9: The Word, John 1, vv 1-14
Your activity could be a film to watch, a meditation, a ritual, something to make, an activity everyone can join in, a story (maybe with pictures or actions!) it could be anything you think of. What it doesn't have to be is you standing at the front giving a talk.
Your bit should last about 5 minutes (so that we have time to also read out the readings and finish the service in about an hour!) and cope with all 30-40 people that may be at the service doing it at once. Please also think about your activity being family friendly, ie kids can take part with a parent.
Your music track can be played as background to your activity or at the end as a space for reflection. It doesn't have to be a carol, it doesn't even have to be 'Christmassy', equally it could be a full-on cheesy Christmas single. It could just be a good bit of music to go with what you are doing because it's the right mood or has appropriate lyrics. It could just be your favourite tune and you've always wanted an excuse to get it played in church! (Music will have to be brought in one of the following forms: on CD, on your own mp3 player, or as an mp3 on a memory stick. If you want to use music that you have in another form, such as an LP, please contact us.)
We don't need to know all the details about you bit before the night but it would help us, to plan the flow of the service, if we knew the type of activity you have chosen to do. Also if you are doing something techie, eg something to be projected, then we would love to know so we can make sure it'll all work on the night.
Jan 2008 - Visits
For the first Grace of 2008 we explored the visit of the Magi, concluded our thoughts on hospitality, and welcomed visitor Cathy Ross who shared her wisdom on hospitality as creating space. Cathy is from New Zealand, and heads up the CMS Crowther Mission Education Centre in Oxford.
Order of service:
1. Welcome/intro
2. Opening prayer
3. Song: In the east (on the album spirit of the new)
4. Cathy Ross talk, followed by discussion
5. Confession
focussed on Walled Nativity from Amos Trust in centre of church
7. 'Backbone' track No place like home with Bethlehem video by Adam Cleaveland
8. Stations:
invite people to go round in groups of three
each station needs printed instructions
8.1 Gold - best of our selves/lives as gift
[chocolate coins in bowl]
gold represents the offering of our wealth to god
what is your wealth?
what is your greatest possession?
share with your companions
what you think and why
then together offer your wealth to god in prayer
and eat a chocolate coin
8.2 Frankincense - giving to God in worship
Worship of God through his names, using Isiah 9:6 as a focus people were asked to write down their names for God. These included:
Friend; Lord of Everything; Comforter; Peace Maker; Life Giving God; Benevolent Protector; The way things should be ; Giver of Peace; Him Upstairs; Father – Calmer of Souls; An abstraction of all that is good; Yahweh; Reconciler; You; God; God of Everyone; Always Constant; Helper; The Main Man; Boss; Father my Father; Peace Bringer; Keeper; Friend!!; Lord God Servant of All; Lord of All; Divine Creator; Servant-who-is-ruler; Almighty Servant; Lord Everlasting; My Saviour and my Friend; Source of my comfort, source of my unrest; Love; Time Giver; Loving Father; Light; Tatal Norstru!; Creator; Din Ceruri; Friend/ Listner/ Father; Creator of atoms and Galaxies – Total Symmetry; Prince of Peace – Lord your are bigger than I; Creator God, Listening God, Still God, Stable God, Wild God;
Then it was suggested that people made an offering of incense in burner in front of high altar.
8.3 Myrrh - bad/sad things in our lives offered to God:
[dead leaves in a bucket - slips of paper with bible quotes are hidden in the leaves]
a fragrant resin
burnt at funerals
an ingredient of embalming fluid.
conceals the smell of putrefaction and death.
also used as balm for the sick
an agent of healing and wholeness.
Jesus received the gift of myrrh as a sign of his death.
Also as a sign of healing and new life.
life and death
death and new life
crucifixion and resurrection
inextricably linked.
sometimes we need to face death in order to find life.
rummage through the bucket of dead leaves until you find
words of life.
read them with your fellow travellers.
reflect together:
• how can you find new life in the midst of death?
• what might need to put to death in you, so that you can find new life?
9. Blessing
10. Café
we had about 20 students join us from calvin college in the USA and they put together the montage below which subsequently won an award on yotube...
Feb 2008 - hagar
order of service:
1. intro [sue]
about this being a difficult passage - nobody behaves well
2. reading
genesis 16 - sarai gives hagar to abram and the consequences
plus poem - part of section 5 of 'the waste land' by TS eliot
[sarah to invite readers from the congregation]
3. what would you take for the journey?
three large rucksacks, paper and pens beside each one
write the one item you would take, put into the rucksack
then go to the water jug
drink some water and read the holocaust story
[sarah][sarah/steve/sue to each bring a large rucksack]
4. reading
genesis 17 17-21 isaac is chosen
plus poem - part of section 5 of 'the waste land' by TS eliot
[sarah to invite readers from the congregation]
5. chosen and not chosen [sue]
get people into small groups
hand out envelopes - inside each is a note to say 'chosen' or 'not chosen'
also questions:
how do you feel about being chosen/not chosen?
why do you think god dealt with humanity this way?
what's the downside of being chosen?
discuss
[ishmael and isaac - with and without the promise
the psychology - feeling good if chosen, angry if not chosen - like ishmael
but the one who isn't 'chosen' doesn't get nothing
chosen for what?
the responsibility of being chosen]
6. reading
genesis 21 1-21 the birth of isaac, hagar and ishmael are sent away
plus poem - part of section 5 of 'the waste land' by TS eliot
[sarah to invite readers from the congregation]
7. god's provision and the kingdom [steve]
pages from magazines on the floor
bibles marked with post-its to read the passages:
matt 6 25-34 [do not worry about clothes etc] and 7 -12 [ask and it will be given to you...]
john 2 1-11 [the wedding at cana]
exodus 16 [manna]
1 Kings 19 [elijah flees to the desert]
cross, bread and wine among the magazines
printed questions among the magazines:
god provides for the 'mistake'
god looks after something that wasn't meant to happen
god provides material needs and a path for the future
what has god provided for you?
has god ever given you water or a path in the desert?
what would you like god to provide that god isn't providing?
is god saying wait or no?
how do you deal with the absence?
god's provision is a sign of the kingdom, of the values of god
how much of what we have comes to us through kingdom ways?
which of these things are in god's kingdom?
what are we providing for ourselves,
that is not in god's kingdom?
8. the god who sees us [steve]
[despite choice/not choice, despite provision or lack, despite the moral mess, hagar is one of the few people who sees god!]
blessing
March 2008 - Elijah [desert journeys 2]
this service followed elijah's desert journey in 1 kings 19...
adam and kathy had done a neat flyer
1. "elijah was afraid and ran for his life"
as people arrive a bike on a turbo trainer with jen riding is in the centre of the worship space
Projected on screens is the text above scrolling through questions such as
When do you run? What causes you to panic?...
When people arrive at the service they are met at the door and told that there will be no formal start to the service and given a newsheet. There will be no notices slot.
Benches out for people to sit on – fatboy cuishons in the café area (see later)
music: panic attack by UNKLE
2. "i have had enough, take my life"
The person running/cycling stops and collapses
Music changes mood
Read that part of the story
Cut to videos of athletes collapsing – e.g Paula Radcliffe and marathon etc
Discuss questions in groups - have you ever felt exhausted? Where was god? Have you ever just given up, or wanted to give up? Have you ever collapsed after running? Is it time you did?
3. “Get up and eat”
Tell story and connect with a shift of perspective –
physicality vs spirituality?
connect with lent! eat and drink instead of fast and pray.
Make link to get people to go to café
Fatboys, warm breads and drink, café runs for half hour as per normal with fatboys rather than tables and chairs
On screen or on audio words – relax, eat and drink or “get up and eat” etc appear every so often along with video of chairs.
4. “I am the only one left”
On the video screen in the café show a video of someone whining the passage “I am the only one left” etc...
[this never happened - instead we had someone enact it]
5. “the lord is about to pass by”
Give instructions to step outside the café into the presence of God as he/she is about to pass by in the church. Everyone goes back in. “listen” is on the screens.
Videos of earthquake/wind/fire – maybe traffic or white noise or whatever. On the screen after each one
“god was not in the fire” etc...
[wind was sourced from bbc, earthquake and fire from dvd semiconductor worlds in flux]
Then silence – light a central candle? Project “god is in the quiet whisper” “listen” and give plenty of space for people just to be quiet.
6. “go back the way you came”
go back the way you came blessing using the line go back the way you came over desert footage from planet earth desert programme where water gushes in the desert and then flowers bloom
Easter Day Communion
We met for communion and breakfast. During the service we created a liturgy that became the final entry in the 2008 Lent Blog.
Lent Blog 2008
Grace's annual blog through lent returns for 2008.
Usually an eclectic mix of thoughts from members of the Grace community reflecting on their journey through lent.
You can read the whole blog here.
If you are contributing to the lent blog please check these instructions to find out how.
how to post on the lent blog 2008
This guide will hopefully explain how you can post on the Grace lent blog for 2008.
Get an account
To post on the website you will need to create an account. Click here to go to the registration page. Enter a Username and your email address, then follow the instructions in the email you receive.
Before you can create a blog post the permissions on your login need to be changed. Please email Adam and let him know your user name and he'll set the permissions.
login and start a new post
Once you have an account and the permissions are set, then you are ready to post.
The first step is to login - use the Login/register link on the left hand side of website, enter your username and password.
Once logged in you will see a fairly blank page telling you how long you have been a member. On the left a new box has appeared with your user name as the title at the top of it. In this box click the link 'create content'. The next page gives you the option of creating a story or an image. Click on 'Story'. This will give you a blank form to create your blog post.
Entering your post and formatting it
First thing is to give your post a title. Enter your title in the box at the top of the form.
Ensure the Blog Cats drop down box has Lent Blog 2008 selected otherwise you will post in last years blog!
Then type (or cut and paste) your post into the main 'Body' box.
You can format your text by adding simple commands. To find out more you can look at the 'More information about formatting options'.
have a look at this image for more clues:
click on the image to see full size
(but remember to check that the Blog Cats box is set to 2008!)
adding images
(This assumes you have the image you want to add on your PC)
To add an image into your text, position your cursor at the postion you want the image to appear and press the green cross at the bottom of the box.
A pop-up window will appear. In this new window click on 'Add Image' in the top left of the window.
In the next form that appears, give your image a Title and Description. Find the image by pressing the 'browse' (or 'choose file') button. Find the image on your computer and select it. Once you have chosen the image, and entered the information press 'Submit'.
This will take you back to the first page in the pop-up window. Now scroll down the list to find your image by its title, click on the title. At the bottom of the window a new set of options appears. Choose if you want your image to appear fullsize or as a thumbnail, then press 'insert image', this will close the window and put a line of code, wrapped in square brackets [], into your text. Next time you preview your entry you will see your image appears where this line of code is.
Preview your post
Once you're happy with your post you can preview it by clicking the preview button at the bottom.
This will show your entry with the form at the bottom for you to make corrections and changes.
You can keep previewing as many times as you like.
You must submit your post before you leave, otherwise it will not be saved.
click on image to see full size
submitting your post
To save your post you press 'Submit' button at the bottom of the page.
your entry will appear on the front page of the website and at www.freshworship.org/lentblog08
All done? or did you get something wrong?
That's it... all done and dusted... Unless you've made a big mistake!
In that case whilst logged in go to the page for your entry, this can easily be got to by clicking on the title of your post on the front page.
At the top of your entry there will be tabs for view and edit. Press edit and you'll see the editing form to correct your mistakes.
Tell your friends
Of course once you are really finally happy, tell your friends. email them the link for the lent blog: www.freshworship.org/lentblog08 - they can also pick up the RSS feed using the orange XML button of the lent blog page.
May 2008 - Signs of the Spirit
Six large sealed cardboard boxes are arranged around the worship area.
cynical by default by Cheryl Lawrie.
Song; Come Holy Spirit by Grace
Participants explored six stations exploring signs of the Spirit. Each station invited reflection about what each sign reveals about the Spirit.The stations were;
fire
A barbecue set up outside. Invitation to write on paper something about the aspect of your life you least want to open to God, and allow the paper to be consumed in the flames.
water
Jug of water and glasses. Reflection on the refreshing qualities of water.
light and cloud
Room filled with smoke from a smoke machine. Reflection on the transfiguration.
dove
Origami and reflection on Jesus baptism.
wind
Sit on a mat with fans all around.
anointing
Reflection on call and anointing of David. Opportunity to anoint each other with oil.
Confession (Steve)
After the confession, each cardboard box was opened to reveal a sign of the spirit, corresponding to one of the stations.
Like the Wind (Alternative Worship p.106)
Blessing
Choose Life - Grace 14th June
Choose Life Confession
heap in the middle
everybody stands around
say confession piece:
this heap is the evidence against us
the embodiment of human wastefulness
our desire for more and cheaper
our forgetfulness of the cost
plastic from oil, a million years in the making and minutes to use and throw away
paper from trees, twenty years to grow and twenty minutes to read and discard
packaging is protection
maybe we wouldn't have to protect it if it hadn't travelled so far
packaging is advertising
we added advertising to the apple
'eat this and be like god, knowing good and evil'
we have turned the garden of eden into a landfill
let us make a physical confession
take it in your arms, as much as you can carry
burden yourself, remembering how you burden the earth
take it to the sanctuary and drop it on the floor around the altar
as you do so, remember that all of the earth is god's holy place that we are defiling
when you have dropped your burden,
look at the cross and remember how christ takes the burden
of your sin, and of his damaged creation
because the earth is the lord's, and everything in it
ask god's forgiveness
repeat your journey until all the rubbish has been dumped around the altar.
*****************************
let's start by doing something necessary and symbolic
[here] are recycling boxes
labelled for cans, plastic, cardboard and paper
let's take the rubbish from the altar and put it into the appropriate boxes for recycling
GRACE ENVIRONMENTAL PLEDGE 14 JUNE 2008
I pledge to:
Calculate my carbon footprint, and find a way of reducing it by 10%. A calculator can be found here.
Switch to a renewable electricity supplier -- either Good Energy (0845 456 1640), or Ecotricity (0800 0326 100) . (If you choose Ecotricity, choose the New Energy Plus option).
Take one fewer return flight this year.
Make one fewer car journey this week.
Change all the incandescent lightbulbs in my home to low-energy lightbulbs, and turn lights off when I leave the room.
Find out more about the Climate Change Bill (information can be obtained from Christian Aid -- click on "stop poverty"), and write to my MP to tell them that 80% cuts in emissions are required.
Substitute a Fairtrade product for something I currently buy.
Get somebody else to do one of the above things.
Something else:
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Signed: __________________________
Name: ___________________________
Date: ____________________________
Grace Sat 12th July 08 - Labyrinth + summer BBQ
Walk the labyrinth, hang out and eat with us.
Eating and walking from 8pm, through the evening, Saturday 12th July.
We'll be on the grass outside St Mary's, Ealing.
Please bring a bottle and something to put on the BBQ.
