New words, ancient meaning

It is no secret that I love good liturgy. There is something deeply creative about crafting a service from a sensitive combination of words, symbol, music and movement; and I receive deep satisfaction from leading a service that I have created in this way, knowing that the intertwining of creative elements provided a forum in which the Divine presence could be felt. In this aspect of my ministry, I am indebted to the great riches of the liturgical tradition that has gone before us in the Anglican church and beyond. We have texts of prayers and creeds that have been uttered by our ancestors over centuries of Christian worship. In many of these forms of words, I have come to value not just the meaning of the words themselves, but rather the metre and rhythms of their utterance; it is possible to participate in a liturgical act of worship and, while perhaps not focussing on every syllable, still be moved by the meditative quality of a community in today's world being united in prayer with generations of worshippers.

Yet, that same creative part of me is constantly looking out for new words, expressions of our faith journey that somehow resonate more deeply with today's world and its concerns. During my parish ministry, I loved introducing musical variety by choosing new words to traditional hymn tunes; there are numerous, gifted writers, such as my colleague and friend, The Revd Ally Barrett, who have brought new life into our musical worship by writing hymn words that speak passionately and faithfully into the faith as it is lived today. Drawing inspiration from our Celtic ancestors with their specific attention to the cycles of the natural world, this same desire to reflect changing perspectives on Christian liturgy has been a continuing feature of the work of the Iona Community. Both through words and music, I have often been surprised out of my complacency by hearing and singing fresh words that somehow cut more deeply, inviting me and us to reconsider what it means truly to be a follower of Christ today. It is no surprise that my bookshelves are well-populated by liturgical resources from the Wild Goose Resource Group!

Firstborn of Mary, provocative preacher, itinerant teacher, outsider's choice; Jesus inspires and disarms and confuses whomever he chooses to hear his voice.

Wild Goose Resource Group / Iona Community

During my recent visit to Iona, therefore, I was particularly struck by a new notice being given at the start of every service. Gently, and without undue ceremony, this simple message was given by whomever was leading the worship that day:

"We are very aware that, over time, language changes and there can be times, especially in prayers and songs, when we feel uncomfortable with it. As you sing or pray, feel free to make changes that make sense to you, in a respectful way bearing in mind the original author's intent."

This was a direction that I welcomed. For several years, I have, in particular, felt less comfortable with the male-dominated language with which the Church refers to God. In my personal prayers, I am well-used to amending, for example, the words of the Psalms so as to direct my prayers towards God, the Divine, the Most High, the Almighty, the Creator, the One, and so on, being deliberate in my avoidance of unnecessarily gendered terms. Even within the constraints of leading public worship, and particularly when preaching, I am conscious of the words that I choose. I know that for some people, their attachment to historic forms of words is inviolable and to suggest otherwise is a source of difficulty. And if you love the traditional forms of words (as I still do, at least in part!), there is nothing to say that you shouldn't continue to use them in your own worshipful journey with Christ. For me, however, what the direction given by the Iona Community in the Abbey is saying most clearly, is that our prayers and our worship, even when collective, must still be ours. Opening our inner self to the indwelling of God's Spirit requires of us an honesty about what we truly believe and, consequently, an ability to express our shared faith in terms that make sense to us personally. What use the utterance of words that we neither believe nor respect, or as more often happens, roll off the tongue without us even remembering or being conscious of having said them? In short, we are being reminded to have personal integrity in our offering to the Divine.

This trip to Iona, therefore, also reminded me of my attachment to a different form of words for the Lord's Prayer. Authorised for use by the Anglican Church in New Zealand, I love its expansive praise of God in the first part, its creative exposition of God's kingdom in the second, and the balance and rhythm in the final section. Since my return, therefore, I have substituted this version of the prayer into my own saying of the Daily Office (the form of daily prayer required to be said by those ordained in the Church of England).

Design produced by the Salvation Army

As so often happens, God finds a way to remind us of what we already know, as if the Divine voice suddenly speaks more clearly to our heart so as to be heard. For me, in this current season of life, there are words here that speak with additional power, that offer balm to my soul, in ways that reach more deeply into my very self than the traditional forms. I find I have to focus on these words, I have to give my whole self to saying these words, and I have to rely more fully on God in trusting these words to become reality. In all that I am facing, the Divine prompted me to rediscover these words "that make sense to me", as my time on Iona directed. And so it was that last week, I was able to conduct a service using a liturgy that I had put together, a blend of ancient words and service pattern with new expressions of our faith in God's eternity and our place within it. For me, I know that my faith journey has always been about inhabiting that liminal space, establishing bridges between ancient and new, between that which is sung or spoken outwardly and that which is felt deep within.

So I wonder, which are the prayers, hymns or songs that speak most powerfully to you at this moment? Are they choices you have carried with you for a significant time or have they spoken more loudly into the situation in which you find yourself right now? Or perhaps there are words that you had set aside, or have not heard for some time, and now is the moment to reacquaint yourself with their power for you. Speak to our hearts, O God.

News

I offer praise and thanksgiving that against the odds, I was able to complete the icons needed for September's exhibition at Westminster Abbey. You can find details of how you can visit the exhibition here. As a sneak peak, here is my completed icon of St Julian of Norwich that I mentioned last month:

I shall soon be busy getting on with my next icon commission, as well as preparing for my forthcoming residency at Tewkesbury Abbey. I shall be there during the day from Wednesday to Friday, 13-15 and 20-22 August. Do pop in and see me if you are local.

If you enjoy reading my blog and wish to support my ministry in a practical way, I have set up a page with "Buy me a coffee". This website, designed with creatives in mind, recognises that a whole load of my time goes into maintaining a website, keeping up with social media and writing blog posts, time that is not then available for income-generating work. Given that my passion for good coffee comes not very far behind my love for God and art (!), if you feel so inclined, you can click here to make a donation towards my ongoing ministry (but without any obligation to do so). Huge thanks to those of you who have bought me a coffee in previous months - please don't feel you have to every time or at all!