So yesterday I went to a Church in Reading for the second time, Greyfriars, with Ben. We’d been a few weeks before but since then events have conspired that meant Kita and I have been unable to make it. It’s an Anglican Church and I had therefore assumed up/down/up/down, congregational response etc. Well the first time we went it shattered a fair number of my perceptions (my experience of Anglican Churches coming largely from playing in brass bands at Rememberance Sunday events and Christmas) which was pleasing and I enjoyed it, sure there was one congregational response to a reading, “Thanks be to God”, which was a little strange but at the same time felt ok and even right
Last night, things were a little different, Holy Communion…
As Ben put it yesterday was a bit weird. I’m guessing less so for me, I’m used to a very formal communion from my time at a Catholic primary school, in fact in fairness to Greyfriars it was a lot less formal than I remember from St. Thomas More (my old RC school) but it was precisely this formalness that turned me off religion from a very young age. I can well remember telling Toni & Chris a few years ago that this was something I struggled with. It’s much less a struggle today and I can see why some people would want formal things and others less so. In fact sometimes I wonder if communion is a bit too informal but that is another post, depending on how busy/bored I am later or tomorrow it could spill out then!
I worry if some and in fact I know of some who the very reason they don’t go to Church is because of this sheep like behaviour. Jay I can’t remember if this was something you had issue with but your input would be interesting to hear.
Nowadays it isn’t the sheep like behaviour that puts me off the formalness but more that I struggle to see how a scripted unified response can minister to someone. For me prayer, and that is what most of the congregational response of the service was yesterday, should be personal, deep and from the heart not read aloud. In fact I had a few moments where I could pray for Kita during some songs, just praying that she has a really great time at Soul Survivor etc and it was really good, good for me and hopefully good for her.
It reminds me a little of the end of Bruce Almighty, the Jim Carrey (Bruce) film. At the end, when Bruce has gone to heaven God tells him to pray and Bruce lists things such as world peace, heal the sick etc and God says do you want to win Miss Universe or some such and to pray what is on his heart. That’s the thing I couldn’t get yesterday, could what was on the script really be on everyone’s heart last night, was it really the most pressing desire from within?
Dan