a meditation for worship
Close your eyes, and please keep them closed until I say, and imagine...
Imagine you are just waking up somewhere, conciousness is just sort of oozing back into your brain...
...and as it does, you realise you're not in bed, you're sitting up, fully clothed... you must have just dozed off...
...and there are people around you, and you can't remember where you are or how you came here, you've been in a really deep sleep, and you wonder where you are... there's a voice droning on but you can't quite understand what they're saying...
And you don't want to open your eyes, because perhaps people are looking at you, and it will be embarrassing if they are, and you wish you knew where you are, and what to expect...
...and then you hear the word... begotten...
You can open your eyes now.
You know where you are. You're in church! Nobody else uses that word.
Some questions and exercises. There are no wrong answers. These or similar questions may be used with the meditation above, or it may stand on its own. The questions it raises are obvious enough.
Make a list of other words your church uses and you don't hear anywhere else. Inerrent perhaps? What others?
What do these words mean? Do some of them enrich your understanding of God or your experience of church? How?
Do some of them instead form a barrier to you understanding? Might some of them be an obstacle to others?
What other words could we use in their place? Are they as good? Better? Not so good? Does it depend on where they are being used, and who is hearing them?
This meditation is not for every occasion! It can be useful in the context of a service that is geared towards mission and evangelism, and at which the attendees have a heart for mission, and a willingness to be challenged... and a sense of humour!
Or, you can use it on your own, with your eyes open. Perhaps you just did, perhaps even without really meaning to. In any case, we hope that God will speak to you through it.
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