There's a moment which has stuck with me from Wednesday's service, well, it was just before the service began to be precise. Five members of staff carried in the large heavy ironwork cross which hangs above the main altar table. A wooden cover was on the stone altar, and three colleagues stood on this to attach the cross to chains hanging down from the large sounding board and then uncovered the altar: I loved the earthiness and grittiness of it. It was, for me at least, a gently shocking idea, carried out with grace and poise.
Yesterday I was at the Wharram Percy deserted mediaeval village there's an ancient church, now derelict, which was only abandoned 55 years ago -- the shock was seeing a church so recently abandoned, roofless, with ash on the floor of the sanctuary from a recent 'bonfire' -- it reminded me of the fragility of sacred buildings, the world over.
Tonight in the virtual church there was a well orchestrated hacking operative which substantially disrupted the service -- although I was very shaken by the abuse, and others were too, we carried on and the worshippers themselves buoyed up the ocassion -- it was distressing and oddly inspiring, its not often you get that kind of determined attempt to undermine worship -- it made me much more committed in the event! We went back in for another impromptu night prayer at 11 p.m. -- some of the words were particularly apt: in Psalm 134 where it says, 'Lift up your hands towards the sanctuary and bless the Lord' the whole church had its hands in the air -- it was a wonderful, virtual sight. The other text I enjoyed was 'visit this place, O Lord, we pray ...' what an amazing thing to pray in cyberspace!
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