Order of service:
1. Intro - 'invitation to the feast'
2. Thoughts from Mike Riddell 'alt.spirit@metro.m3' pp51-56
3. Songs - 'Heal me', 'Calm Me O Lord' [from the Grace album]
4. A time of confession - including Isaiah 55:1-2
'everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
and you that have no meny, come, buy and eat!
come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
why do you spend your money for that which is not bread?
and labour for that which does not satisfy?
listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.'
a prayer of confession:
we have been taught that possessions and prosperity go hand in hand.
for the times when we have believed it, forgive us lord. [all: forgive us lord]
while we know that we cannot earn your blessings, we have been taught that we are shameful and do not deserve to be blessed. for the times when we have believed it, forgive us lord. [all: forgive us lord]
we have been taught that your hand is an empty, angry fist. for the times when we have believed it, forgive us lord. [all: forgive us lord]
we have failed to recognise that our worth comes from the fact that you find us worth loving, you find us worth dying for. yet we have been taught to expect little or nothing from you. for the times when we have believed it, forgive us lord. [all: forgive us lord]
we have, at times, been sold a model of ourselves as perfectly self-reliant, and we have built upon it, shutting out others, and in doing so, we have shut you out as well. forgive us lord. [all: forgive us lord]
be with us tonight lord and reassure us that you are both giver and forgiver. please bless us with a richness that money cannot buy, in jesus' name. amen
5. Ritual of reflection:
set up around the church are five areas, each with different foods or objects. these symbolise the richness of the feast of life in god. each area symbolises a different issue in life, for meditation while sitting at these areas. you may go to all the areas or just stay in one place.
at the first three areas please taste the foods as you would partake of god's gifts.
the stations:
wine - the wine symbolises the joy that god pours into our lives. not an occasional emotional experience, it is a basic part of a relationship with god. 'the chief end of man is to glorify god and to enjoy him for ever.' [scottish shorter catechism]
bread - the bread is symbolic of justice, the justice needed in this world. everything that we have belongs to god, and is there so that we may share it with others. are we a begrudging people? do we share easily?
milk and honey - to represent the things in our lives that god gives to us which we cannot buy. what are these things in your life?
god, what are we like? - at this place we reflect on how me-centred we can become. we live in a coutnry so rich that we can afford leisure time, within a world so overflowing with people that, for most, harvest is never enough. and yet our god made an earth with more seeds than can possibly be fertilised.
a place of invitation - here you might think of another person who you would like to experience god's feast in a greater. this is a place of invitation for people in need of society, inclusion, love or any of the many blessings of heaven. you might light a candle for this person. [the congregation assembled dinner place settings on the altar, with candelabra etc. the results were so beautiful that we were reluctant to take it down after the service. "does anybody have a camera to record it?" we said, but nobody did. as a result of this, steve collins bought a camera and started to photograph alt worship services to create smallfire.org]
this section of the service will take about 20 minutes.
6. Songs - 'Wild Hope', 'My Heart is Restless', 'Patrick's Breastplate'
7. Reading - the parable of the banquet
8. Intercession - prayers to include the positive and negative, possibly some 'harvest of skills' put together during the time of intercession. intersperse prayers with the taize chant 'o lord hear my prayer'
9. Songs - 'Healing thing', 'All things made new'
10. Blessing/final thoughts
LOPE (Live on Planet Earth) joined us to run a labyrinth. This was a service which they had developed at their home church in Kent. It was the basis for the St. Paul's Cathedral labyrinth of 2000 and after.
There were four 'stations' focussing on our relationship with God, Others, Ourselves and the Planet, of which the labyrinth is the 'God' one. The idea was for people to visit each of the stations, in between they can just chill out, sitting outside the labyrinth. The labyrinth itself took between 10 - 20 minutes for each person to go round but there were loads of people on at the same time.
The main themes for the labyrinth itself were:
'centering ourselves on God'
'letting go' / 'shedding'
'journey'
These were explained along with a general chat about what is going on right at the beginning, this was to explain what will be happening, what people can do and to set their minds at rest. There was also a short meditation at this stage to get people relaxed.
The only other things happening were an overarching meditation and two or three set piece songs that the band did - they went on in the background, people could either use it, if they were just chilling out, or ignore it. They drew the themes together and the meditation incorporated various appropriate Bible readings.
Before entering the labyrinth, people had their feet washed. They then walked the labyrinth barefoot, and there were soft and rough textures to walk on to symbolise aspects of our life journey.
The inward journey:
As you move towards the centre of the labyrinth begin by confessing and letting go of things that hinder your relationship with God. This stage is also about shedding images or projections of yourself so that you can be real with God. Let go of what other people think you should be, their expectations of you, their projections. As you journey, empty yourself, peel away the layers - grow by subtraction. Prepare your inner self - the you of you - to meet with God.
Think of hurtful things people have done or said to you. Draw a symbol or write a word to describe this....
Jesus said, if you let go of the hurtful things people do to you - so God will also let go of the hurtful things you do. Carry the symbol with you for a while as you journey...
Think carefully. Are you willing to 'let go' of the things people have done or said to you? If you are, place the symbol in the bin and let go of it as god lets go of the hurtful things you do.
Think of things you do - patterns of behaving that you know are harmful to your relationship with God, others, yourself or planet Earth. Draw a symbol or write something that symbolises those things.
If you are honest with yourself and God, if you really want to let go of these things... "If we confess our sins God is faithful and just and will purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 Jn 1v9) God will help you to move on. Carry your symbol for a while and think about it.
Look at your symbol. Do you want to take it with you? Or do you want to let it go? If you want to let it go - throw it in the bin. Let it go and move on.
Read the passage from Douglas Coupland's book and think about what you would do if the power failed. (Pg 100ish in 'Polaroids')
The centre of the labyrinth:
At the centre of the labyrinth is that point where we symbolically meet with God. Please spend some time here. Relax. Enjoy God's presence. Meditate on God. Commune with God.
The outward journey:
As you journey back out of the labyrinth take your encounter with God with you. Reflect on how this encounter might affect or change you. John said that God became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood - think about how you might allow God to be made flesh in your life and in your neighbourhood.
Walk through the stones. Feel the sandpaper. Stand on the cotton wool. Feel the texture. In what ways does this remind you of your journey?
What boundaries do you need to pass through?
Which of your abilities are you neglecting?
Look around and notice. Even though they may be at different stages, others are on this journey too.
As you approach the end of the labyrinth think about God who has been the host for this part of your journey. If God asked you to fill in a guest book - what would your comments be? Please fill in the book with your response to God, your host.
'you're not alone' plays. the space is fairly dark and sparse.
everyone is given some mulled wine and an unlit candle as they arrive. encourage a time of chatting etc. one candle in the middle of the space.
song: 'author of creation' [bring in some lights]
an advent adventure - readings and thoughts [waiting/prophetic readings from isaiah and others] [dave]
song: 'o come emanuel'
facts - thoughts around luke 1:1-4 [mike]
birth - based on reading from 'the book of god' by walter wangerin, and a meditation about mary [bevan]
lighting of candles [william orbit track 'the story of light'] - light from big candle passed from candle to candle
flesh - readings and thoughts about jesus as a boy/youth ['you are the source' plays over the readings] [steve]
song: 'he became poor' [from the grace album]
response/intercession including 'motherhood' poem. personal response by putting candle onto map:
god's messenger poem - thankyou for entering into our world (moving into the neighbourhood)
which neighbourhoods do we ask god to move into this christmas?
put candles on maps
song: 'patrick's breastplate'
blessing/final thoughts - from late late service - love received & love given poem
Grace 11 January 1998
ANGELS
Running order :
1. Introduction
A happy new year from Grace and a brief intro to the theme. Start by using a few examples of angels from the Christmas story.
[Mike]
2. Song(s)
3. Meditation
[Ana/Kevin]
MEDITATION
Close your eyes and take a deep breath
Hold your breath - maybe count to five and release it
Listen to the rythmns of your body
Hear your heart beat
hear your breathing
Relax and enjoy just being
Imagine yourself at home
Picture where you are and who is with you
Imagine other people in your home with you
Look around - what is it like?
Imagine that relaxed feeling when you dont feel you 'have' to talk
Enjoy the atmosphere
How do you feel?
Now imagine the doorbell rings
You answer it and outside are some people you have never met before
But they seem to know you
What are you going to do?
Do you want to invite them in?
How are you going to react to them?
The story unfolds
You invite them in and the atmosphere becomes tense
They obviously know things about you but you still dont know who they are
Your mind is racing and you feel a sense of panic
Now you find out that they are angels?
And they tell you something amazing and seemingly impossible was going to
happen to you
What might that amazing and impossible thing be?
Would you believe them?
How do your friends react?
Now let the story unfold.
__________________
4. ‘Ambiguity’- bring together some biblical texts and explore different interpretations which have been suggested. text here
[Steve]
5. Opportunity for group discussion, with the chance to report back and to create some artifact. Discussion points :
What are angels like ?
What’s their job ?
Do we have a guardian angel ? If so - why ?
Have you ever encountered an angel (opportunity for stories to be shared, some to be planted to be used if necessary inc. Pete Freeman)
[Jonny/Jenny]
6. Art installation. A collage of photographs etc. Groups will have the opportunity to contribute a physical artifact to the installation. Text available to include Matthew 18:10 - a key text yet one which is overlooked/tactically ignored.
[Dave]
7. Song(s)
8. Story - ‘Horse and his boy (Unwelcome fellow traveller)’ , an upbeat and joyful end to the service.
[Mike]
9. A catholic blessing
[Dave]
as people arrive, film answers to 'who are you?' and 'what are you addicted to?' [mark]
t.v.s - have two ideas running for the whole service - one t.v./projector with images of the busyness/ noise we live with (shopping channel, traffic, sped up people etc.) - the other with still images or a word sequence slowly changing (quiet, still, calm, repose.....).
also have an oscilloscope (mike to get hold of one) running all service to monitor the noise - have a camera on it to project it [mark]
1. intro/welcome... thoughts about usual approach to lent.... brief/light... [jonny]
2. read/retell story of jesus in the wilderness and his temptations [jen]
3. desert reading/meditation - simple idea that many characters in the bible spent time in the wilderness, so for us when either we choose to go into the wilderness or find ourselves feeling like we're in a desert we're in good company.. 'you're not alone' [mike]
consider the process jesus went through, the kind of steps and the importance/inspiration/challenge they might be for us
4. stepping back/getting away from the usual noise. [mark]
perhaps surprising for life in a peasant culture, but if needed then what about in london?
story about internal and external noise (from 'alt.spirit@metro.m3' by mike riddell)
5. discussion in groups - what is the noise we live with? external and internal? do we know how to stop? are we afraid to stop? thomas merton reading on noise..... [dave]
6. songs: 'calm me o lord', 'i will wait'
7. fasting/emptying - one of things about fasting is that you begin to realise what your addictions are and what you are driven by ('reach for creature comforts for the filling of our holes' as peter gabriel put it) .... perhaps some comments from 'celebration of discipline'?...
playback voxpops recorded at start of service
what are we addicted to? [kev and ana]
8. song: 'my heart is restless'
9. identity - what is the you of you? [steve]
10. refer back to vox pops - how many descriptions of who we are relate to what we do?.... can you hear god's affirmation?
have some affirmations/texts written on paper (jen to write them out) buried in a tray of sand.
everyone takes one (finding identity in desert?!) - time to take it in [steve and dave]
11. focussing on calling - where are you going.... easy to just carry on without reflecting on the way we live individually, corporately, nationally, globally... jesus came back into life focussed for next three years.... what does it mean to follow christ then?... story about whether to keep car from 'fearfully and wonderfully weird' - what would you do?/should a christian drive a porsche?... mention shaker pledge and slides that have been up and will be up as one response [jonny]
12. song: 'counter to the culture'
13. blessing - give everyone copies of shaker pledge and adbusters credo as two focussed responses to take away and use (and discuss at pub next time?...). thomas merton quotes from late late service of only reason for stepping back from life being to live more fully etc.... [dave]
The wise monk, Thomas Merton, said that we must only leave the world to learn to love it more. We must only leave behind needy people in order to become more committed to serving them. We must only embrace celibacy in order to deepen our love for men and women and ourselves. We must only vow poverty as a way of learning to see the true value in the world. We must only “waste time” with God as a way of discovering what the time of our lives is for.
The Shakertown Pledge
Recognising that the Earth and the fullness thereof is a gift from our gracious God, and that we are called to cherish, nurture, and provide loving stewardship for the Earth’s resources,
and recognising that life itself is a gift, and a call to responsibility, joy and celebration,
I make the following declarations:
I declare myself to be a world citizen.
I commit myself to an ecologically sound life.
I commit myself to lead a life of creative simplicity and to share my personal wealth with the world’s poor.
I commit myself to join with others in reshaping institutions in order to bring about a more just global society in which each person has full access to the needed resources for their physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual growth.
I commit myself to occupational accountability, and in so doing I will seek to avoid the creation of products which cause harm to others.
I affirm the gift of my body, and commit myself to its proper nourishment and physical well-being.
I commit myself to examine continually my relations with others, and to attempt to relate honestly, morally, and lovingly to those around me.
I commit myself to personal renewal through prayer, meditation and study.
I commit myself to responsible participation in a community of faith.
Media Manifesto (by Adbusters)
We will take on the archetypal mind polluters--- Marlboro, Budweiser, Benetton, Coke, McDonald's, Calvin Klein -- and beat them at their own game.
We will uncool their billion dollar images with uncommercials on TV, subvertisements in magazines and anti-ads right next to theirs in the urban landscape.
We will take control of the role that the tobacco, alcohol, fashion, cosmetics, food and automobile corporations play in our lives. We will hold their marketing strategies up to public scrutiny and set new agendas in their industries.
We will culture jam the pop culture marketeers -- MTV, Time Warner, Sony -- and bring their image factories to a sudden, shuddering halt.
On the rubble of the old media culture, we will build a new one with a non-commercial heart and soul.
Rationale :
The service sits between, and is linked to, the service about lent and the Easter communion service. It’s focus is about personal choice; whether to go with the crowd or to take the more difficult course of action - the narrow gate. In our preparation for Easter, we look at two occasions in which crowds were very important. Firstly the crowd in Jerusalem as Barrabas is freed, the same crowd who had welcomed Jesus so recently. Secondly we see Jesus alone in a crowd as his disciples sleep.
The service includes a section in which people make a short meditative journey. This section will be quite lengthy and similar in nature to the labyrinth in as much as people can lead themselves through at their own pace.
Running order (songs to be added later):
1. As people arrive there is a signpost near the door. At the front, at the end of the central aisle there is a ‘wide gate’ erected through which people will pass. Matthew 7 : 13&14 is displayed on the screen.
2. Images of loneliness (use slide and video) - an introduction to the theme which explores (briefly) the difference between solitude and loneliness and relates the service to both lent and Easter. Mark will refer back to the Shakertown pledge etc from the last service and explore the whole notion of making decisions and having decisions made for us.
3. Group identity - a psalm (to be decided)
4. In the crowd. Reading from Mark 11 followed by a meditation focussing on the crowd in Jerusalem.
5. Jesus alone in the crowd - reading from Jesus’ perspective at the Mount of Olives on the night of His betrayal. He was tempted to take the easy route, even more so perhaps than we discussed at the last service.
6. Guided meditation. There is the opportunity for everyone at the service to focus on the wide and narrow gates. The wide gate can be ‘adorned’ with words/pictures from magazines etc which are people’s views as to what is keeping them from entering through the narrow gate. Along the side aisle there will be lots of card footprints and displays of biblical text leading to the narrow gate through which is a chalice and some bread to symbolise the gifts of heaven.
This section of the service will need careful introduction to relate it to the rest of the service. This is not about people making life-changing decisions but about accepting that wherever we are in our relationship with God we often take the easy route when faced with decisions.
Key texts :
Mark 10:25 Romans 8:17&18 Matthew 16:24-26 Matthew 6:19-23 Matthew 10:21 Matthew 5:48 Matthew 5:8&9 Matthew 7:13&14 Matthew 5:3-6 Matthew 5:10&11 Matthew 6:25 Matthew 6:33 Matthew 6:24 Matthew 5 43&44
you are in a hot dusty land, nearly two thousand years ago. for many years you have been told to wait in expectation for the messiah, the christ. over the past couple of years friends have taken you to hear this man called jesus. something about him, som of the words he has spoken, some of the things you have seen him do, have left you strangely moved. recently he has been less popular, derided by those around you. late into the evening he has remained the topic of conversation, a madman from galilee no-one seems able to forget. some say he is the long-awaited christ. you look back to a week ago. you were out in the marketplace when everyone converged on the road leading into jerusalem. "jesus is coming", came the cry. swept along with the crowd, hoping this was the promised saviour, you remember pushing forward to catch a glimpse, not quite sure why you are there. it seemed this man had become the hope of a nation. was he a king or a fool?
suddenly a man pushes against you, bringing you back to the present moment. you push against the sweaty, pushing bodies around you, jostling to keep a sense of space. you are in the same crowd. friends, zealots, religious leaders, fishermen, tax collectors, lawyers, it seems as if the whole of jerusalem is here. you hear mutterings. some are confused like you, not sure why they are here, but sensing a momentous event is about to happen. others are huddled together conspiratorially to one side. you see friends and wonder why they are here. but doesn't everyone follow the crowd, aren't the crowd always right.
you are standing outside a resplendent building. looking upwards you see a man you hate and fear. like most jews you resent the oppression of the roman occupying forces, long for the promised messiah to set your nation free. with him is the same man the crowd worshipped a week ago. your heart sinks. this man is not going to set your nation free, he's now a roman prisoner. the crowd surges forward. as they do you notice those who had been huddled to one side, disperse themselves among the rest of the crowd. the man called jesus is beaten and scarred. as you strain your eyes to see jesus more clearly you can see someone has forced what looks like a crown of thorns on his head. you sense the disappointment and frustration of a nation is directed at jesus. the roman governor asks the crowd what he should do with a man he can find guilty of no crime.
a babble of noise erupts around you. some are confused, what else cn you do with an innocent man, other than letting him go. others say he has broken religious laws which the romans cannot understand. you try to examine your own feelings. suddenly the crowd is no longer a homogenous place to be. you feel hemmed in, unable to think for yourself.
the cry "crucify, crucify" begins jsut behind you. it becomes louder and louder as others take up the cry. confused, you look around you as more join in the cry. the roman governor motions and silence falls over the crowd. you wait in anticipation. he offers to free one prisoner. should it be jesus?
you feel the shock move from your gut to the rest of your body as some begin to call for barrabas, a local terrorist and murderer who had shocked jerusalem, to be freed. surely we can't release him instead of this innocent man. unsure as you are of jesus, he couldn't be any worse that such a lowlife. could he?
the shout of crucify begins again. it seems as if hysteria has taken over, this crowd is baying for blood. your head is spinning, confusion reigns. maybe he has done something to incite this hatred. caught up in the frenzy you too begin to call "crucify, crucify". it feels good to be in the majority, you begin to feel an identity with the crowd. zealots, lawyers, friends, the crowd has become one. anger and frustration well up inside you. your voice becomes stronger until you feel completely at one with those around you.
the man is grabbed to be taken away. as he turns away he looks out on the crowd. you are drawn to his eyes and they seem to bore straight into you. in them you see understanding, compassion and purpose. in that moment all the things you have seen and heard about this man make sense, except it's too late, he's going to be crucified. as a chill runs down your spine you feel... alone in the crowd.
[mike rose]
SONG
MEDITATION
'Jesus without nails' - includes explanations of the pieces of art, slides showing images of life with and without nails etc
LAMENTATION / CONFESSION :
(Leader)
As we draw near to the place of at-one-ment:
Give us tears to see the wonder of Your presence;
Give us tears to see the wasting of Your people,
Give us tears to see the wounding of Your Son.
(All -)
We are the race that helped make the wood on which You were crucified, and still we misuse Your creation;
We are the race that helped make the nails that pierced Your body, yet still we use work for gain at others' expense;
We are the race that did nothing to stop Your betrayers, yet still we are ruled by comfort or cowardice.
Nails are hammered into pieces of wood
SONG: 'Wash me clean'
THE PEACE :
The opportunity for absolution and sharing of the peace. People cross each others foreheads with water and the phrase 'Through the cross we are forgiven'
SONG: 'I Believe'
INTERCESSION :
THE OFFERING : (Bread and wine brought to the table - a carpenter's bench)
(Leader)
We bless You, High King of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread and wine to offer, which earth has given and human hands have made. It will become our spiritual food and drink.
As we bring this bread to You, we offer also: our energies and creating; our relationships and achieving; the sap of life rising; the seeds of life flowering; the resources of life acquiring; the fun of life enjoying; the raw materials of life building; the intelligence of life organising; the feelings of life communicating. You who put ear in corn, take these ordinary things and transform them into the glory of Your presence.
We pour out this wine and offer to You the woes of life outpouring; the waning powers of life, the diseases and disappointments; the hurts and the handicaps; failures caused by our stupidity or by circumstances beyond our control. As grapes are crushed to make the wine, so we offer all who are crushed by hunger or loneliness, violence or abuse. You who put beam into sun and moon, take all this and transform it into the deep, rich wine of everlasting life.
SONG : Lift up your hearts
THE EUCHARIST :
(Leader)
High King of the universe, who sustains the worlds, who brought forth the earth; You breathe wisdom into all your creatures, till we reflect Your three-fold friendship. In our pain and sorrow we cry out to You, Tender Lamb, slain before the world began, perfect sacrifice for our sins. Grant that by the power of the Holy Spirit these gifts of bread and wine may be for us His body and blood who, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, gave You thanks, broke it and gave it to His disciples saying : Take, eat, this is My body which is given for you. After supper He took the cup, gave You thanks, and said to them : this is My blood of the new covenant which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of Me.
SONG :(All - words on slide)
Christ has died !
Christ is risen !
Christ will come again !
THE INVITATION :
This is the table not of the church, but of the Lord.
It is to be made ready for those who love Him and who want to love Him more.
So come, you who have much faith and you who have little.
You who have been here often and you who have not been for a long time.
You who have tried to follow and you who have failed.
Come. Not because I invite you; it is our Lord.
It is His will that those who want Him should meet Him here.
Use your eyes and your heart.
Here is your Lord coming to you in bread and wine.
These are the gifts of God for the people of God.
Draw near with faith.
Receive the body of our Lord Jesus Christ which He gave for you, and His blood which He shed for you.
Eat and drink in remembrance that he died for you, and feed on Him in your hearts by faith with thanksgiving.
SHARING THE BREAD AND WINE :
'Easter Song [by A Man Called Adam]' and 'I lift my cup' played over suitable video images with the words on the screens.
MEDITATION:
'Walk On By' - a journey which explores what might have been without the resurrection of our Lord
SONG: 'And Death Has No Dominion' [from the Grace CD] and 'Thine Be The Glory'
A BLESSING :
includes an invitation for people to collect a nail and take it away as a symbol of the truth
(All - words on slide)
May the power and the mystery go before us,
to show us the way,
shine above us to lighten our world,
lie beneath us to bear us up,
walk with us and give us companionship,
and glow and flow within us to bring us joy. Amen.
This service was a follow-up to the 'Reimagining Worship' conference of that weekend in Hackney.
1. welcome
2. songs:
'adoramus te domine'
'bless the lord my soul'
steve's psalm read over music
3. reflection on god from psalm 34 - taste and see that the lord is good; god hears/listens to our frustrations and desires; god delivers and changes
(jenny)
4. prayer with incense (o lord hear my prayer loop)
(dave)
5. report back on weekend and story of grace to now
(mike)
6. what is the way forward? questionnaires and groups - refreshments during this bit
(dave)
7. core group feeling need for more. what about you - groups and feedback
(jonny)
8. prayer
(steve)
9. song: 'i bind unto myself today'
grace questionnaires 10/5/98
some analysis
34 questionnaires filled in as follows:
1 vicar
4 grace team
5 from lbc
3 from gillingham who heard about grace at spring harvest
7 a youth group from sunbury-on-thames who heard about grace at brainstormers creative worship day
4 from st. mary's
4 others who live in ealing but worship elsewhere
1 ruislip
1 heathrow
1 west twyford
1 croydon
2 sussex
ages:
0-13 1 (baby)
14-18 8
19-25 9
26-35 7
36-45 6
46-55 4
56+ 0
29 out of 34 said grace was a supplement to other church activities
note - everyone not on the team was involved in regular church activity elsewhere
familiar faces:
paul wainwright
pete clouston
pete freeman
neil hopkins
6 want to get more involved:
neil hopkins [ideas, help set up, open house for those in nw london (?)]
3 other lbc attendees [one-off services, youth camps etc] [keyboards] [art, words, singing]
paul wainwright [ideas, songwriting]
one of the sunbury youth group [lighting]
things people want us to do more of:
wider/more publicity
small groups/social functions
On the questionnaire we asked, 'Is there anything you'd like to ask us?' Here are some of those questions, with our replies.
If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?
If you did a morning service would it take a different format?
The visuals would be a problem due to the daylight, but the general format and methods would work. The atmosphere would be different - would meditation work well without low light conditions?
Do you write/invent the stories/ideas etc - if not where do you get them?
Much of the stuff we do write or invent ourselves, but we also quote directly from a wide variety of sources including Mike Riddell, Douglas Coupland, Thomas Merton, Celtic liturgy and poetry both ancient and modern, CS Lewis, and traditional Anglican practice and writing. Of course what we do is also informed by all the Christian activities we have been involved in, services we have been to, theology we have read, music, magazines, television, film etc...and our experiences in life.
Is alternative worship actually becoming the new mainstream?
Not yet it isn't. We should be so lucky.
How do you become more inclusive and less led from up front?
If we had a bigger proportion of the congregation involved as part of the team there would be less of the same faces and voices. We are also considering forms of service which could run themselves to a greater degree - at the moment it is necessary to guide people through what is going on. We always try to include activities and discussions that the congregation can do without intervention from the front, and can give feedback on, but inevitably there has to be some leadership to give direction and shape, and to provide the stuff that has to be prepared earlier.
Is there room here for people who want to celebrate life and worship God, but who don't necessarily believe that Jesus is more important than any other 'enlightened mystic'?
Yes, but we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and God the Son, so you won't agree with everything we say or do.
Is the girl with long blonde hair single and what is her phone number?
I'm sorry I can't tell you that.
Why are there so many things in St. Mary's for me to knock over?
There aren't - you're just clumsy.
Is it usual to have these feelings about the other members of the group?
Yes, entirely. Come and see me about it later.
This was handed out to the congregation at 'Whose alternative?' We were trying to get a feel for where we were and where we should aim to go.
your age?
your sex?
alone or in a group?
where do you come to grace from?
why do you come?
how did you hear about us?
is grace your only church experience or is it a supplement to other church activities?
what is your main source of spiritual input?
where do you find god in the world?
what would you like to see grace doing?
would you like to get more involved in grace? [for example: ideas, music, helping set up and take down, slides, video, lighting etc]
is there anything you'd like to ask us?
'culture is not a means to an end for christians to use to get people into heaven. it is the purpose of their creation and re-creation'
graham cray
'the gospel must be constantly forwarded to a new address because the recipient is repeatedly changing his/her place of residence'
helmut thieliche
'the life experience of young people in modern industrialsed societies has changed quite significantly over the last two decades'
finlay and cartmel
'how we consume is an integral part of the kind of person we are and the kind of person we present to the wider world'
wyn and white
'the spirituality of our culture has a motor of addiction - so if we don't disciple well we produce christian consumers not culture transformers'
graham cray
'choice is at the centre of consumerism, both as emblem and core value'
gabriel and lang
'it is the characteristic of our age that there is little sense of community, of any real sense of history, as the present is all that matters'
jon savage (the face)
'if the savings book was the epitomy of modern life, then the credit card is the paradigm of the postmodern one'
zygmunt bauman
''i'm a non religious person looking for a religious experience'
chris carter (x files writer)
'the church is bottom of the confidence ratings for those under 35 but ranks third (out of thirteen institutions) for those over 50.'
european values survey
'the word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood'
john (gospel writer)
'artists express the soul of a culture'
dean borgman
'music is the breath of god breezing out into the universe'
mike riddell
'the drugs don't work'
the verve
'it's a bittersweet symphony this life
trying to make ends meet you're a slave to money then you die.....
i'm a million different people from one day to the next...
i never pray but tonight i'm on my knees
i need to hear some sounds that recognise the pain in me'
the verve
'they ask where the hell i'm going at 1000 ft per second
hey man slow down! idiot slow down!'
radiohead
'there ain't no real truth
there ain't no real light
keep on pushing because i know it's there.....
i just can't make it alone'
the verve
'life is instantly repackaged as advertising or cartoon, as tabloid drama or household brand'
the face (essay on nineties)
'perhaps one of the things the nineties has been about is the search for authenticity as opposed to all these disneylands'
the face (essay on nineties)
'if it's the real thing we're wanting just where do we find it? the nineties quest for life and some sort of authenticity coupled with a gradual loss of faith in the capacity of big and beliefs to save our souls has led us to make up our own truths, build our own small worlds as best we can'
the face (essay on nineties)
'what is there left to believe in? only yourself, your friends, your humour, your obsessions, your idea of a good time, your idea of what matters. and the great thing about the nineties is that your idea can matter'
the face
'if there's a key to the nineties i think it's that perpetual insecurity. never have peple thought so hard about their lives and come to such indecision or felt further apart..... if there's going to be an epitaph for the nineties it will be 'by the ned we all felt like victims''
damon albarn (blur)
'we inhabit a civilisation of crumbling confidence, in which it is hard to be sure of anything'
felipe fernandez-armesto
'an evangelist must respect the culture of a people not destroy it. the incarnation of the gospel, the flesh and blood which must grow on the gospel is up to the people of a culture'
vincent donavon
'perhaps it is unsurprising that many christians perceive the emerging culture as the enemy and look for ways to protect themselves against it. but faith requires risk'
mike riddell
'in recent decades we have passed like alice slipping through the looking glass into a new world'
walter anderson
'post modern simply says that the previous culture 'modernism' is at an end and something else is emerging to take its place'
mike riddell
'the greatest barrier to the gospel in contemporary western culture is the church'
mike riddell
'culture is a living thing which can only be developed from within. it can not be imposed from above'
pete ward
'the world looks suspiciously like a 20 channel satellite t.v. with a madman holding the remote control: before you have time to make sense of the story, the screen beams other images, to be replaced with yet other images, before you begin to know what they are images of; and all comes from nowhere and melts back into nowhere again'
zygmunt bauman
'remember at the start of the decade it being pronounced that these would be the caring nineties in direct reaction to the materialistic eighties? well, excuse us while we bathe in frothy irony and knock back our 'testosterone and black', but it hasn't happened yet'
miranda sawyer (the face)
'the postmodern refers above all to the exhaustion of the modern'
david lyon
'we emerge from our mother's womb an unformatted diskette: our culture formats us'
douglas coupland (polaroids from the dead)
'you're born; you live; you run around a bit; you die; so you might as well look foxy while you're doing it'
frontier clothes shop
the service will be in two parts. the first will be a mix of readings about the spirit from the bible and songs. the readings will not be huge chunks, rather a few verses with plenty of space for people to reflect and contemplate these scriptures. the second will be a response that involves visiting three stations/areas.
section 1
1. introduction/welcome.... explain outline of evening, introductory thoughts, and prayer [jen]
2. readings from the old testament [dave]
3. song - 'mighty wind' [from the grace album]
4. readings from the new testament [steve]
5. song - 'come holy spirit' [from the grace album]
6. video scroll of words to do with pentecost [mark]
section 2
1. wind station
in the side chapel we will enclose the space with muslin/drapes with images projected on them. inside will be a couple of fans blowing. this is a space for personal prayer. people go in and ask to be filled with the spirit and stay in as long as they like
2. fire station (nee naa nee naa)
in the room used by cyfa we will have three televisons with the flames flickering. a tape will play a retelling of the story of pentecost in acts 2. people sit in the middle of the flames and imagine the story and give thanks for the gift of the spirit.
3. trinity station
we didn't decide where this would be (main area?/between choir stalls?). we will set up a whirly bird clothes line (one of those triangular rotary lines). the three sides symbolise the trinity. we will also have a television with a video of washing in a machine. this station is a place to reflect on the relationship of the father, son and spirit to the world. there will be some things made and hung on the trinitarian whirlybird before the service and at the station people create things/write prayers etc to hang on the line.
4. we will also make available a list of the scriptures that were read in section 1 and a pile of bibles for anyone wanting to sit and read them during this time.
5. final blessing - when everyone is back together we will close with a final blessing/prayer e.g. 'send us out in the power of your spirit........'
tasks for the stations:
mark will redo the pentecost scroll, do the washing video, work out how to get some more televisions and video players for the service, and borrow some fans from work
dave will try and get a whirlybird and base, contact kev and ana and come up between them with what will happen at this station
jonny and mike will record a tape of the pentecost story with appropriate music....
jen will get a couple of mini kites
mike will make a couple of triangular frames with muslin in to hang to project on
1. intro - words about bringing senses & culture into worship [mike] - light candles
2. three personal stories of people's experience of God in their lives - one through bad times [steve], one through good times, one in the everyday.
3. exploration of jesus' humanity - blank postcards with things people do in life written on them - laugh/cry/get angry/road rage/have favorites/get drunk etc. get people into small groups, hand random bunches of these cards out and ask people to discuss whether they think jesus ever did any of them. some cards will have a bible reference on the back if it exists, others will simply ask the question 'do you think jesus did/felt this?'
4. meditation [one recently written by dave] on the pleasures & pains of human life & the presence of God in all these leading into a time of reflection on our own lives
5. more blank postcards handed out - people asked to imagine the course/pattern of their lives so far as colours, drawn with paints/crayons etc on the postcards. when people have drawn the colours of their lives they are invited to pin them up on a board at the front so we can see the communal pattern of colours. [steve will donate his huge collection of coloured pencils to help this]
6. then people invited to come up and take & eat two elements, one bitter, one sweet, to symbolise their acceptance of the presence of the two in our lives and of all that God sends [dave][music - 'bittersweet symphony' the verve]
7. leading into closing prayers from team re God is always with us in the good times [when we forget him] and in the bad times to share the suffering and sustain us [not sending the bad times but using them for good if he can]
we feel that there should be people available to talk/pray afterwards with anybody for whom this service might summon up difficult feelings [the pattern of my life is all bad/God has sent bad things/where is God in all this etc] - if needs be we might try and get the presence of one or two trained counsellors just in case.
Grace ran 2 events: life-bittersweet and the last supper
saturday 'life - bittersweet'
this combined elements of our february 98 lent service, about noise and journeying into the desert, with elements of our july 98 'life' service - postcards, the bittersweet ritual.
1. intro/welcome
2. song
3. track 'inner city life' by goldie + oscilloscope - noise internal and external meditation + traffic
4. meditation - journey into the desert
5. song: 'calm me o lord' [from the grace CD]
6. introductory thoughts on life - when we get away, chance to step back and reflect on life
7. postcards - did jesus experience these? (anger/road rage/sexual desire etc etc)
8. story - pleasure and pain
9. bittersweet ritual - lemon and honey + tracks 'bittersweet symphony' by the verve + 'easter song' by a man called adam
10. song
11. blessing
monday - the last supper
so-called because it was the last communion service at greenbelt 98 and, if the festival had not continued, would have been the last greenbelt service ever!
1. intro/welcome
2. song
3. the table - thoughts on leonardo image of last supper and our contemporary interpretations (people at GB having meals/mcdonalds/etc)
4. invitation - all are welcome - isaiah 55.....
5. song
6. small groups
7. food - eat in groups and share memories - about christ (remember me) and greenbelt (it's the last one in its current format) - the storytelling could be facilitated by a couple of stories from the front
8. confession - handwashing after meal, confession and absolution + track forgiven
9. cup and bread (after supper he took the cup......) - words of institution and sharing bread and wine in groups
10. songs
11. prayer for future of gb and everyone going back to home situations
12. song
13. blessing and incense (burn some incense and give everyone a few grains to take away to offer up on fires around GB or at home as ongoing prayer)
later that night steve did a meditation 1am-2am tuesday in the arts cafe based on john 21.
make yourselves comfortable
find a position in which you can relax and be still
and when you have found that position
close your eyes
now take a deep breath - long, deep, fill your lungs
hold it for a few seconds then breathe out - all the way out
and again a deep breath in - hold - then out again
now become aware of the space around you
let the walls of the tent fade away
leaving you exposed to the night sky and the cold...
several weeks ago, your world fell apart.
when the big test came, you just couldn't cope
you blew it for yourself
and you blew it for someone else when they needed you more than ever.
and so you left the city and came back to a place where they wouldn't know what you'd done
and took up the job you'd left in the days of hope
and now it is after midnight
and you are alone
in a boat on a lake
the net is over the side, submerged in the water
and you are waiting.
draw up the net.
how do you feel when the net comes up empty?
let the net down again
watch it slip away silently into the water
and wait. watch the water. watch the sky. and listen.
then draw up the net again.
it is still empty.
how do you feel?
let it down again into the water, maybe in a different place.
and wait. watch and listen.
are you sleepy or alert?
draw up the net
how do you feel when it comes up empty the third time?
row the boat to a different place
let the net down again
are you hopeful? are you resigned? frustrated?
wait
draw up the net.
it is empty
how do you react?
you have come back to something you know well how to do, and now even that skill has deserted you.
how does it feel to be a failure?
it is beginning to get lighter.
the sky is turning from black to blue
it is cold
there is a mist drifting in patches on the lake
above it you see the hills silhouetted against the slowly brightening sky.
far off on the shore, you hear a bird start to sing
what kind of song is it?
is it melodious or harsh?
few notes or many?
at first it is alone
then another starts to sing, a different song
then two more, then many at once and you cannot count them any more.
listen to the dawn chorus.
there is no other sound except the gentle waves against the boat.
something moves on the shore.
you cannot make it out clearly through the drifting mist.
there it is again.
what is it?
an animal? or a person?
it is a person
how do you feel?
are you glad to see them or not?
do you want to meet them?
suddenly the person on the shore is calling to you
asking you if you have caught anything.
will you lie to them or admit your failure?
now they are telling you where to let down your nets.
how do you feel? you are the fisherman. who are they?
are you going to take their advice?
row the boat to a different place
let the net down again
are you hopeful? are you resigned? frustrated?
wait
draw up the net.
it is full
how do you react?
the net is too full to drag into the boat, so you start to row towards the shore, hoping it won't break.
suddenly the first light of the rising sun breaks over the hills and across the shore, full onto the stranger.
and you see who it is.
it is Jesus.
the friend you have hurt.
how do you feel?
are you glad to see him or not?
do you want to meet him?
as you approach the shore you see that Jesus has already lit a fire
there is a smell of cooking fish
but you don't understand where he got them
as you step out of the boat he comes to meet you
your eyes meet
what do you see there?
how do you feel?
what are you going to say?
he seems not to notice your feelings
he offers you breakfast
you eat in silence
after breakfast, you and Jesus walk along the shore.
he asks you if you are really his friend.
how do you feel? what is your reply?
he asks you if you are really his friend again.
how do you feel at being asked twice? what is your reply?
he asks you if you even like him.
how do you feel now? how do you reply?
he has something he wants you to do for him.
how do you feel?
how do you feel when he tells you this is something only you can do?
when he tells you that this time you won't fail?
what is it that he is inviting you to do?
that only you can do?
ask him about it
be open about your fears and questions
what are his answers?
are you going to accept?
when you have decided
say goodbye for now to Jesus
and get back into the boat
put out into the lake
in the blazing sunshine of a new day
the sun is warm
and your eyes are closed
slowly become aware of the tent again
as you do so
bring with you
any insights you have had
into the world after Greenbelt
now open your eyes
here we are in the midst of greenbelt on a saturday night
and it's noisy
we thought we were coming to the countryside
but all around us is the noise of a city here for a weekend
noise is unwanted sound
what's music in the dance tent is noise over here
but noise isn't just about sound
it's about information
noise is whatever drowns out or conceals meaningful information
our lives are full of noise
too much information
too many messages that don't add up to any coherent whole
all competing for our attention
and the noise on the outside
makes its way inside us
seeping into our minds and hearts
until we don't know any more
which voice inside us is our own
society and the media have moved in
and each of us is lost in our own inner city.
god is pushing through the crowd
searching the amusement arcades
department stores and burger bars inside us
for a face that only he will recognise
the face of our true selves
he knows we need to get away
to leave the city and be alone with him
so that he can teach us how to recognise ourselves
next time we're lost in the crowds of unknowing