Categories: uncategorized
Date: 04 March 2010 22:07:16
Anybody who knows me IRL and has had the misfortune of being near me when things like chairs have changed position in church will know that I get a little irrationally spectrum like when it comes to these things. I know what I like and like what I know. Additionally, I have this strange thing going on where I fully believe in the need for churches to be functional and user friendly and see this as the top priority but love wood, pews, pulpits and symetrical looking stuff. So imagine what is like for me going along to listen to changes to our worship area at church, it totally brings out the worse in me. Before anybody who has witnessed one of my outbursts on such things panics, I didn't go off on one this time, but I did feel it welling up with me in the discussions going on.
I have realised that "contemporary" looking church overhauls can bring out the worse in me. Tonight I realised a little bit about why. I have a thing about "the preaching of the word". Now, practically I'm one of those people who likes to see people preaching from the lecturn, but I need to see a pulpit there, for symbolic purposes only and a plain cross above it. It's mad I know, but I like to see it the pulpit there even if I know/hope it won't be used because it distances the preacher from the people. Within this though I also like the concept of having spaces which are suitable for alternative forms of worship and have a desire to see space for people to chill and sit on the floor and stuff. This juxtoposition of the traditional and the (post)modern being important for me came into focus as I sat through the meeting tonight when I saw the picture of my "ideal worship space". The picture was of a worship space with a wooden pulpit to one side and then a labyrinth in the middle.That was one of the most beautiful pictures I had seen in a long time.
There was lots of stuff being discussed which to be honest I didn't care too much about one way or the other and some of it I seemed to care about but I didn't really. I mean I like chairs in proper rows but I know why curved stuff makes sense in worship even if it makes me feel vulnerable and awkward. What did make me have a real adverse reaction was the engraved glass and tapestry type look which is so common these days. It bought out something in me that I can't describe, a kind of panic. I think the panic comes partly because to me the pulpit and plain cross thing communicate "low church" or "chapel" to me, and that connects with me in a way the wood on the deus being in the form of sacramental objects (font and communion table particularly) doesn't. This post I did a few weeks ago on sacremental positions may sum up a bit of why I react as I do.
Anyway, whatever, I know that I will just have to come and worship in whatever space we end up with...it's not about my tastes, it's about coming to worship God.