The art of worship since 1993
This follows up the previous service on psalms -- participants were invited to bring their own psalm.
Some examples:
My Psalm of Complacency by Jonathan Hassell
Oh Lord,
It's too easy to forget you
Your call on me often doesn't get through
Muffled by the bustle of my life
My multi-tasking mind
To you I call
Break through any barriers I have erected
Whether knowingly or by accident
Through trying to be contemporary
Break through
My complacency
My arrogance
My intellect
Help me to be more than observer
Finding new neuroses
To keep life full
And yet empty
Guide me
Make me unable to contain your gifts
Move me
Help me to hold on until it hurts
Because although I crave your peace
I need your justice
Agitate
Do not leave me in my self-sufficiency
Help me to need you more
Take me places where I must turn to you
To get me through and find you're all I need
And when I need it
As you often do
Send your irrepressible joy
Blowing through
Leave me startled
Grinning uncontrollably
Almost giddy
Embarrassingly happy
A gift bestowed by a spendthrift
The Inspirer of all
Oh Lord,
It's too easy to forget you
Break through
______________________________________________
I am frustrated by the mundanity of life
the superficiality of what I am offered each day
or my own lack of energy.
My life threatens to stagnate
when what I really want to do is fly away, to run for the horizon.
But what will happen to the people I leave behind?
I remember moments when things were different.
The most intense times
when someone kissed me unexpectedly or cried on my shoulder
when God spoke to me or took hold of my hand.
I thank God for those times.
And I thank God for stability day-to-day -- for I can't stay on the mountain top.
______________________________________________
I can no longer praise God like I once did.
Once I could follow formulas
sing songs ("Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee...")
say the standard prayers ("Almighty and most merciful Father...")
spend certain specified times in a church building.
Now I see that praise must be earned.
Now I see that it is not tied to words or times.
My soul longs for something -- but what?
6pm start for setup
problem of seating - everone bring rugs, picnic blankets etc.
mark - please can you sort some videos of match of the day, sporting events?
[we haven't got stations, but what about people bringing sports clothing/equipment to make some kind of display/scene-setting - even if we can't get a rowing machine. eg a pair of nike trainers for the altar ;)
possibles:
bicycle
wetsuit
shoes
sports bra
football shirt
skateboard
snowboard
tennis racket
hockey stick
shin pads
cycling jersey
cricket bat/whites
that's just me thinking of what people here have got]
intro:
not sport as evangelism but the spirituality of sport [jen]
word association game -
think of the positive & negative aspects of sport - write on cards
mark a line from positive to negative on display boards
stick cards up on display boards with velcro [velcro roll from greenbelt] at positions of plus/minus along line
group feedback - all gather round to contest card positions and move them
[who's doing this bit?]
prayer [jen?]
discuss: [mike]
make a question sheet for small group discussion
selection of questions covering things we've discussed in the planning group
eg
what makes an activity sport? can any activity become a sport eg ballroom dancing? if not why not?
is sport spiritual?
is sport a substitute for god in contemporary life?
does god intervene in sport to determine outcomes? is it right to pray to win?
is the extreme focus on self and sport needed to succeed at the highest level compatible with christian life/values?
are women's sports given a lower value?
is competition right? what about non-competitive sport?
centre of service:
three people present stuff - their personal view of spirituality and sport
steve on the spirituality of snowboarding
jen on triathlon
mike - spirituality of extreme exercise - state like fasting - focus on person, cutting out of distractions
meditation on body - vigorous [mike?]
still meditation - [anna]
'this is my body' track to listen to [words on screen?]
end: [steve]
how can anything human *not* be spiritual
our problem is that we think some parts of being human are spiritual and not others
in the kingdom there is no distinction etc
football match showing afterwards
cafe - everyone bring drinks - jackie will do vaguely turkish food plus pizza
'Ten' was Grace's tenth anniversary celebration. It was our first service in the newly restored church, so we were able to clear the seating from the whole nave. The installations from 'Moments of Grace' [Greenbelt 2003] had been set up around the church for people to play with. photos here. There was also a corner with Grace memorabilia.
The first part of the event ran from 4.30pm to 6pm, for parents and children. There was no formal service as such in this part, just some words of dedication and a cake with candles for the children [the adults would get theirs later]. photos here
At 8pm there was a short informal service. photos here. For the first 20 minutes people were invited to play with the installations. Steve Lawson played his distinctive ambient bass guitar with loops and sound effects as background for this part. Then a number of people associated with the beginning of Grace spoke - Mike Rose and Mike Starkey who started it, Jo Valpy [above] who was in the original team, and Dave Tomlinson who was guest speaker at the first service. The there was Holy Communion, using an adapted version of our Greenbelt 1999 Eucharist liturgy. After this the Bishop of Willesden led prayers and a blessing. We then had birthday cakes and champagne, and went outside for some fireworks.
this is the text from the service booklet:
welcome!
We’re delighted you could join us at our tenth anniversary event. Whether you’re a regular, an old friend or here for the first time, we hope you have an enjoyable and relaxed evening in the presence of God.
on arrival
Please spend some time with the ‘Moments of grace’ installations. You will have about 20 minutes to do this before the ‘formal’ part of the service begins, and you are welcome to return to them afterwards.
Music by Steve Lawson
moments of grace
In thinking about how to mark the occasion of our tenth anniversary, we found ourselves examining the concept which gave us our name. What is grace? How does it operate? How do we receive it?
These installations, first shown at Greenbelt Festival in August, don't present a complete theology of grace, but they try to capture some aspects of it. We hope they help you to be more aware of God's grace in your own life and the world around you.
In no particular order the installations are:
Hidden grace: you can’t see grace through the wrong glasses
Junk mail: is God trying to get a message to you?
Brownie points: are we trying to earn God’s love?
Peep show: which of these things is grace for you?
Grace on the edge: where the space and possibilities lie
Generous grace: you get back what you didn’t put in
Mirror mirror: nothing can make you unacceptable to God
Grace to be seen: you don’t need eyes to see, you need vision
Grace in the making: creativity and imagination are divine gifts
The mystery of grace: now you see it, now you don’t
Pursued by grace: God as a persistent cat
Visitors’ book: tell us what grace is for you
remembering grace
Founder members Mike Rose, Mike Starkey and Jo Valpy look back.
the grace of god
Dave Tomlinson, speaker at the first Grace service, has some words on the subject.
song
come holy spirit
eucharistic prayer
The Lord is here
God’s Spirit is with us
Lift up your hearts
We lift them up to God
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
It is right to give God thanks and praise
You are the God who does new things,
and we thank you for a decade of discovery.
You brought us together
as friends and fellow travellers in Christ,
each one revealing a different facet of your beauty to the rest,
each bringing news of you from unexpected places.
You helped us to discover and grow our gifts.
You asked to be surprised,
gave us freedom to experiment,
space to create new toys and tools that express our lives to you.
You led us to treasures of the past in the storehouses of the Church.
When few could help or few could come, you sustained us.
When opposition and obstacles arose you strengthened and taught us.
You made it all worth while.
You brought us far-flung friendships,
visitors from around the world.
You sent opportunities to help others in their journeys with you
beyond anything we ever hoped for.
You opened unexpected doors
and showed us undeserved favour.
Therefore with angels and animals,
microbes and mountains,
and all that lives for you
we proclaim how wonderful you are,
we pour out our thanks to you
in song that never sleeps:
Holy holy holy lord
Holy holy holy lord
God of power and might
God of power and might
Heaven and earth are full of your glory
Heaven and earth are full of your glory
Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna in the highest
And now we ask that by the power of your Holy Spirit
this bread and wine may be to us Christ's body and his blood;
who, on the night that he was handed over to suffering and death,
took bread, thanked you and broke it
He gave it to his friends saying
“Eat this, it is my body given for you. Do this in memory of me.”
Later after supper he took the cup,
thanked you, and gave it to them saying
“Drink this all of you, this is my blood of the new covenant
which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this whenever you drink it in memory of me.”
Christ has died, Christ is risen
Christ has died, Christ is risen
Christ will come again
Christ will come again
In this place where heaven and earth meet
under the rainbow of God's promise,
in this sharing of bread and wine
future hope becomes reality now
So bring your scorched earth
bring your harvest
bring your open sky
bring your restless guilty waters
bring your swift unbending road
bring your urgent inner city
to the table where your host says
“I make all things new”
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
Have mercy, mercy on us
Have mercy, mercy on us
sharing of bread and wine
song during communion:
I will receive you now
after-communion prayer
All-saving God,
Thank you for feeding us with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ
whose death and resurrection have purchased the future healing of all things
We who have tasted the coming Kingdom
offer ourselves as its bearers and signs in the power of your Spirit
and as lovers and guardians of all that you have made
until you come
Amen. Come Lord Jesus.
blessing
Prayer and blessing by Rev. Pete Broadbent, Bishop of Willesden.
song
dancing to a new expression
afterwards
Join us in the Polygon for birthday cakes and bubbly!
We hope you’ll stay for a while to celebrate with us. The installations are still available, and later there will be fireworks in the churchyard.
Music in the Polygon by Yrekcirtcele, visuals by Timmy Holme
[We regret that no food and drink can be taken into the church itself to prevent staining of the stone floor]
See December 2004 for explanation.
These are the nine readings and music we used this year:
1. Genesis 3:8-15, 17-19; Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones
2. Genesis 22:15-18
3. Isaiah 9:2, 6-7; All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
4. Isaiah 11:1-3a, 4a, 6-9; Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles
5. Luke 1:26-35, 38; Angels by Robbie Williams
6. Luke 2:1, 3-7; Cat’s in the Cradle by Harry Chapin
7. Luke 2:8-16
8. Matthew 2:1-12
9. John 1:1-14; Mad World by The Darkness
Lesson 1: the Fall
So this is freedom...
Something later generations will curse us for.
They will say it all started here.
Conflict, starvation … stress at work …
concentration of power in the hands of a few,
separation from one another,
lives driven by fear.
They will retreat into the trivial -- you know, celebrity watching, tabloid television, the National Lottery...
or build fortresses to keep everyone away. Especially the asylum seekers.
They will say it all started here.
This is what it means to be fully human, to be fully alive -- to face bleakness and death.
But could I go back to the way I was before? Before, all was light, I was dazzled, I saw nothing.
Now I see that the world has texture.
Now I see that we need darkness as much as light if we are to see anything.
Now I am no longer an infant who expects to see God walking in the garden in the evening.
Now it is possible for me to relate to God as an adult.
And I believe that is what God wants.
But first I must face my freedom. And I must face death.
service led by guest philip roderick.
start:
psalm of ascent, process from polygon into church [mike to sort out]
introduction to subject of service
songs:
look for songs that are akin to psalms rather than just versions of them
stations:
one for each theme:
anger/vengeance psalm 109 [questions][jackie]
desolation psalm 88 [dark room]
lament psalm 137 [pictures of burnt house etc][adam]
thirst for God psalm 42 [jonny] [radiohead video?]
praise/thanksgiving psalm 104 [post-its - speech bubble ones][jen]
protection psalm 91 [duvets on fatboy][bakers/jackie]
confession/forgiveness psalm 51[random prophet][jonny's laptop]
grace psalm 130 [sweets][mike]
history/storytelling psalm 136 [stones - put stone on cairn][steve]
cry for help psalm 40 [list - people for prayer][mike]
each station has full text of psalm [mike to download from biblegateway.com and print at A3]
then
call people back together, present responses from the stations as appropriate
prayers
[from ps40 list, thanksgiving, etc]
end - structures:
give out jason's stuff - written or diagram [steve]
ask people to write psalm or do picture or stuff for next time
ask people to arrive early for ps2, if possible to email stuff to us before service so we know how to plan and how much extra material to have
Set up in the polygon with a café - food and drink served from the start not just the end.
Start with Steve recapping the Psalms 1 service and the homework sheet, introducing the psalm structure twister idea - the twister positions were performed by anna and joshua. And explaining that this service is our own presentation/creation of psalms.
Mark will then lead us in a psalm (maybe read by two halves of the room alternately) - Ps 40 I thnk? We’ll then play 40 by U2 and which is about waiting and there will be a prayer lighting three candles on each table.
It’s then over to the Psalms – somehow we need to MC this? Maybe we need to get a list of who has psalms and get an order so they can run one after the other.
Jonny will end the service with a psalm – city type theme with the video of traffic in tokyo (arrive) and a prayer to close