Over at Rev Helen's blog, and at Eternal Echoes, a debate is going on about what we might describe as "good" worship" in its different ways - considering depth and spontanaeity and liturgy and structure.
I always find that worship is safest on your own. If two or three are gathered together in Husborne Crawley, you end up with a bunch of waxed gibbons running around the place, or a tea light exploding or the sound and smell of the sin-shredder burning out as someone shoves a pound of Play-doh into it or the choir floating gently over Aspley Guise. And then the Archdruid gets busy with her Slazenger V400 and the sound of weeping is heard in Husborne Crawley.
And I guess that comes down to an endless desire for novel experience. If you seek to come before the Divine in worship, you may well find what you're looking for. But if you are constantly looking for a new way of playing the bodhran, or the spiritual effect of the G#m chord, or radical and exciting ways of burning incense, then it all becomes a "what's next" kind of worship.
So instead of looking for the heart of God you're always looking over your shoulder wondering when someone's going to release the balloons, or the flock of doves, or the sheep, or the Beaker Bread's going to be delivered to your seat on the model railway or whatever it may be.
Personally I just find digging holes spiritually fulfilling. I like digging holes and filling them in again.
Shame the earth's frozen solid.
you really do have to be careful with the sin shredder, it is best not used wioth play Doh!
ReplyDeleteThe best way to play the bhodran is on your own in a sound proof room. With a muffle.
ReplyDeleteIt is a widely acknowledged truth that the most effective way to play the bhodran for the benefit of the worshippers is to do so in a soundproof room on your own at 2 am.
ReplyDelete