So, maybe the metaphor employed in the above title does not properly reflect the actuality of a Taize experience, but our Third Tuesday Prayer services are beginning to employ elements of this contemplative and contemporary style.
The Third Tuesday service was begun a year ago with the conviction that Trinity needed space – space for listening, being with God, reflecting, thinking, and being in silence. As the months have gone on, the music of the service has grown, and the music of the Taize community seemed more and more appropriate.
Taize is a place in France that experienced a spiritual revival not too many decades ago. People from all over Europe were drawn to what God was doing with the community, so they were pressed to develop together a way of making space for God’s Spirit at work that would bridge the differences of language and culture.
What resulted was a service of Scripture, of silence, of intercession, and of reflective, chant-like singing. Each element of the service is understood as another form of the same, continuous prayer.
Such a model seems to fit well with what we were hoping to observe in our time together, so we’ve been learning the music and practicing our ‘contemplative space’. Next Tuesday is our next service, so be in the sanctuary at 7p Sept. 20 to experience what you’ve been reading about.