There is in the soul a something in which God dwells, and there is in the soul a something in which the soul dwells in God.”
— Meister Eckhart
Tonight was an Oregon Synod training session on Creative and Meaningful Worship. Our homework was to remember a memorable worship experience we had during Advent, Christmas, or during the Epiphany season, and what made it memorable.
A worthwhile endeavor.
I'm also thinking about the presenter, Kevin Yell's, book “Keeping the Ink Wet” while reading Elaine Pagels' Miracles and Wonder.
All this is offering a rich, complementary vision of Christian meaning that emphasizes mystery, embodiment, and encorages ongoing participation through worship.
Elaine Pagels reminds us that worship is not primarily about explanation or doctrinal precision, but about entering into the mystery of God, particularly through the lenses of grief, beauty, and awe. Worship at its best, should make space for the unexplainable: silence, lament, wonder, and paradox. Music, art, and ritual can combine to become vehicles of mystery. Rather than explain God worship can gesture toward the depths we cannot fully name.
Congregations may find courage to tolerate ambiguity and, conceivably, can find God in the absence we sometimes feel, as much as in presence.
Keeping the Ink Wet focuses on worship as performance. Services can move from static and formulaic to dynamic enactments of faith. Like theater, they aim for a fresh re-telling of the gospel, with congregants becoming participants in a divine drama shaped over time through ritual, word, and song.
Together, these views call us to a kind of worship that is both reverent and creative, rooted and open, structured yet spacious. Ultimately, both authors strive for a thin or cerebral worship aiming beyond simple, mental agreement or passive consumption. Instead, they invite us to worship as re-enchantment where God is not pinned down but encountered, and where the church rehearses the gospel story in a way that keeps the ink wet and the mystery alive.
| Theme | Miracles and Wonder | Keeping the Ink Wet |
|---|---|---|
| Narrative | Examines how miraculous stories shaped Christian identity | Emphasis on personal engagement with storytelling or creative continuity |
| Faith & Doubt | Seeks understanding rather than certainty; respects mystery | Explores faith through metaphor, writing, or personal journey |
| Content | Explores why Gospel stories persisted across millennia | Suggests methods to preserve expression, identity, or memory |
| Form | Academic nonfiction | Poetic and reflective worship resource |
| Voice | Scholar-historian with personal elements | Personal, expressive, artistic |
For my recent memorable moment homework, I chose the Gathering Song as performed at Creator on January 5, Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying. Lasana Kenneh's vocal improvisations over the congregation's prayer-like performance of the music added a depth and richness to this familiar hymn.
That day, the worship music definitely kept the ink wet.
01/05/2025 Service: https://www.youtube.com/live/q6JYniSQbro (go to song at 11:00 minutes) Blog
No comments:
Post a Comment