Worship: Come and Have a Go

Posted on by
Reply

On Tuesday night, I led my house-group for the evening. The previous week had been all about worship – what is was, what it looked like in our day to day lives, what we worship and how there’s a distinction to be made between the worship that should make up our daily lives and specific and chosen acts of worship (participating in a church service, for example).

I decided to run this session as a follow up, focusing specifically on the last of these.

In preparation, I filled a box with a variety of service books, lectionaries, prayer books, my i-pod, speakers, icons, candles, incense, some flash paper, a bottle of wine and a bread roll. Having driven to the venue, I put the bread and wine and two candles on the table in the front room and sought out a glass, a plate and a napkin – these having been found, I went and joined the rest of the group for coffee.

Post coffee and fig-rolls, we regathered in the front room and, once we were all sitting comfortably, we began by recapping last week’s session and followed that up with a discussion of what people thought were the important elements of a service of worship and why. In no particular order, we came up with the following:

  • Silence & a chance to focus
  • Singing Praise corporately
  • Prayer (responsive or otherwise)
    • thanksgiving
    • confession
    • intercession
    • supplication
  • Something that states truth about God / reveals or states his character – bible reading or creed
  • Honesty
  • Liturgical basis
  • Competency (especially in musical leadership)
  • Corporateness: unity of the body
  • Bible
  • Prayers that have been ‘thought about’
  • Communion

In pairs, we spent fifteen minutes or so preparing a section of a service: ‘prayers’; ‘reading and reflection’; ‘Creedal Statement and opening and closing songs’ and I worked out a draft order of service.

Then we ran through the service that we’d just prepared (including the flash-paper confessions) and it was good. There was a sense of God’s being with us, of being connected with what was happening and of the value of each part of the service.  We all left enriched by the experience.

So, question time:
What do you think is important in a service of worship?
Do you agree with the list we came up with and what would go on your list?
What’s essential for every service and what’s essential for inclusion sometimes?
How would you make services more engaging?
And how would this work with a larger congregation?

Liturgical Flash Paper

Posted on by
1

This is for @raquelita_e:

Briefly:
Explain, towards the beginning of a short group service, that “all have sinned”, that “the wages is death”, but that “if we confess our sins, God… will forgive us.”
Hand out pens, and strips of flash paper, asking group to write out something they’d like to confess and give them time to do so.
Whilst the writing is going on, light a votive candle for each member of the group (so the confession remains private).
Hand out the candles, explaining that Jesus is the Light of the World and the darkness hasn’t put out the darkness and that one image in the bible is of God being fire, eradicating sin.
Ask the group to hold the confession strip to the paper and watch the reactions as whatever was on the paper disappears in an orange flash.

Real Life Catches Up

Posted on by
7

So, last night I told the Church Meeting I was leaving.

I’d spoken to the minister previously and he suggested that it might be something I’d like to tell the whole church about. In essence and to cut a long story short (with apologies for the dramatics) as part of exploring the idea of being ‘called to ordination’* it makes sense for me to be involved in a denomination that I’m better suited to than the Baptist Church. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, henceforth I am going to be:
an ANGLICAN!

This has been brewing for a while and was complicated by the fact that Heaton Baptist Church had been my home church for fifteen years or so and I’d settled there like dirt into a carpet. From the start of this year, I’ve been slowly withdrawing from all the bits and pieces here and there that I was involved in and, last night, spoke to the church briefly about what was happening and why I was leaving, and that I’d not be disappearing entirely – especially since Ros is only just getting settled in there. Then they prayed for me.

It was good.

I’m excited about the state of the church I’m leaving behind – and very much looking forward to getting more involved with the congregation at St Peter’s. It’s a big but necessary step and, whether or not I end up ordained, the right one to be taking now.

Any thoughts, prayers or comments would be welcomed.

*the feeling at the back of my head that I’ve not been able to shift that I believe God would like me to be involved in full time ministry.

Guest Post at Changing Worship

Posted on by
2

My good friend, Robb asked me if I’d like to make a contribution to his blog.

Every once in a while, one of my church-going friends will move away from their current church and (probably) begin attending another somewhere else. And every time, every single time, I hear the same complaints from some of those left behind.

Apparently, anybody not completely satisfied with the way things are at their church…

The rest of the mini-article can be found over at the Changing Worship blog. Please have a look at the rest of Robb’s stuff whilst your there – he actually answers comments.

Three days in

Posted on by
Reply

Well, here I am – towards the end of the Friday evening in the merry season of Lent – and I’m still alive, halle…oh-never-mind.

This time around I’ve given up one thing aimed at self improvement, another aimed at being some kind of real sacrifice, and am aiming to do one thing more pro-actively. The three things up for grabs are drinking, snacking and use of social media. Before Ash Wednesday I would have said that you’d have to work out which was which but that would leave me with nothing to write about now.

Self Improvement – Snacking
I eat too much crap. And have tended, in the past, to graze. A lot.
This Lent, I will be foregoing all snacks and only eating at proper mealtimes. The first couple of days walking past the biscuit tin at work proved very tempting. But I hardly noticed it all today.
The idea is that better eating habits form which can be worked on later on – after missing breakfast on Wednesday, I know it’s not clever to make that mistake a second time.

True Sacrifice – Drinking
Much of my social life involves drink in some form or another and pubs have been found to be convenient places to, for example, meet up with wedding invitation designers. Since I started driving, the pint I do have on an evening has become very precious – turning up later on in the evening and having a soda and black currant just isn’t the same…

Getting off my Arse – Social Media stuff
(with especial reference to Twitter).
I’ve decided to use Twitter at least once every day and to write at least one blog post every week. So far, the Twitter thing’s worked out okay but I’m still very much more a reader than writer – and so it is with the blog really as can be seen from the state of this entry.

Have you done anything for Lent? What’s motivated you and what’ll help you keep your early-in-the-new-year-resolutions?
And, what’re good ways to get more involved – especially given my “Nothing really to add, there”ness?

Dull, Real-Life Update

Posted on by
Reply

Ermmm, a quick list of things that haven’t changed:

  • I’m still engaged
  • I’m still working and stuff
  • I’m still in the same old flat
  • I’m still struggling to think of regular things to write about

That being said, I have just done a brief bit of ‘writing to order’ for Silverthorn (currently a link to their facebook page) which was fun and reassured me that I still have it whatever it may be.

I’ve also kind-of started tweeting (or twatting), my tag is the ever-so-original @timbobagginsii.

I’ve just introduced the lovely bride-to-be to Star Wars (a thumbs up for the first two films and Return of the Jedi scheduled soon) – this was a potentially tricky stage of the relationship (and one that should have taken place before the engagement) but, thankfully, she seems suitably impressed. (Hurray!)

Also, I’m about to run out of wine…