What felt very real was that each of our shared experiences of God tonight was experienced by God at the same time. The distance shrank - some sacred depths felt entwined in our meeting place. To love God this evening was about loving those depths and experiences of life, for these two are ultimately one in the same. The service's setting of vespers was Holden Evening Prayer, the service that is planned for all the Wednesday evenings this year in Lent. Creator will follow Open My Life, Lord as this year's Lenten theme.
Holden Evening Prayer highlighted how individual Creator's Holden Evening Prayer had become over the years and how it is followed by other congregations. Pastor Michelle lead with a slightly slower tempo and a different kind of richness. The memories this past service of vespers were different. A slightly new, yet familiar rendition Holden Evening Prayer emerged and I look forward to how the service evolves in the coming weeks.
The reading was Isaiah 42:5-9. The following verses were the ones that affirmed what felt real tongiht:
Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
The narrative arc of the gospels which have been turning scripture into living word came ot in the following verses:
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
To open eyes that are blind and to free captives from prison linked back in with the scripture Jesus read to the synagogue, the powerful Gospel readings of January 24th and January 31st.
The subject for this particular evening was Open My Eyes. Paul Stromberg delivered the message. He opened his talk observing that Pastor Michelle probably invited him to give this particular message because he is an ophthalmologist. .
Paul talked about his Mother and Dad, particularly that they gave saints names to all their children. Paul moved to the story of Paul's conversion, his blindness and the disciple Ananias who was instrumental in giving Paul his sight back. After referencing the conversion story Paul talked about community sight and particularly what we might find hard to see as a community.
Paul pointed to our tremendous privilege as being something our community may find hard to see. He spoke of his own experience and, by extension, his family's. To see our privilege Paul recommenced traveling to other countries where that privilege doesn't exist and getting to know and learning from the people who live there. Another way he submitted as a way to see was working towards social justice.
Definitely there was the sense of being filled with, connected to, and secured in, a greater experience.
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