After supper, we went to the evening prayer. Outside the sanctuary at each entrance stand people with large signs that say "silence", "stille" "silencio". As we step in the door, there are boxes which contain the songbooks, a sheet of scripture, and a sheet with a few new chants that haven't made it into the books yet. There are also stacks of rectangles of cloth, available for those (male and female) who may have uncovered shoulders, or midriffs, or thighs.
The sanctuary with all the rolldown gates up is cavernous. (check out a picture here: http://www.pontelandstmary.org.uk/taize.htm) But they have these gates and they are all down when we first enter. It is only when the areas closest in fill up that they open another section. There are no chairs. There are some prayer benches. Mostly you sit on the floor. As we settle in, we hear for the first time the bells of Taize, calling people to worship. They ring for a fair amount of time. Finally, as they die out, the singing begins. Up on the walls are illuminated signposts where the chant numbers are posted as we sing them. Some know the chants by heart, and start singing immediately. Others of us have to search in the book. We sing that night in German, in Latin, in French, in English...we sing the chants over and over, and they begin to sink down in you.
We chant, we hear a psalm and sing alleluia with it, we hear scripture and respond with an alleluia to that too, scripture read in several languages, printed in others. We hear the word, and we digest it in silence. 3500 of us, and it is pretty silent for that number. 8 minutes...
Then we come out of the silence and raise the intercessions. We pray, the brothers speaking the words, and the congregation singing the kyrie. And still the chanting goes on. We finish this prayer, and the brothers rise and exit through the front of the chapel. And then the most amazing thing:
the chanting continues.
The brother who has been leading and playing the piano leaves. And the chanting continues. The numbers stop flashing on the board and the chanting continues. Some of the brothers come back, and station themselves throughout the room for folks to come up and speak to them. And the chanting continues. The crowd thins, and the chanting continues.
These are young folk. Mostly in their early 20s. These are the young adults that organized religion say aren't interested in God. Or church. They have spent their own money to get here, they have taken their vacation time, and they have come to pray with a world community. I am awe-filled.
God bless us all.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Being Fed
Dinner is at 7 pm on Sunday pm. We settled in, and then walked up the hill to the tent where the "adults" are fed their meals and their bible study. We mill around, no one really being sure what or how this will be. Finally, 2 young women came out, and climbed up on chairs at the front of the crowd. One of them, Margarethella, asked for 10 people to volunteer to serve this evenings meal. They moved forward and accepted the plastic gloves. Then there was the call for 10 people to volunteer to wash up after. They were told the good news: they get to eat first. When 10 volunteers came forward (a little slower than the last group) then we sang a blessing, and the lines moved forward. You are handed a tray with a large bowl, a large spoon and a small bowl. The small bowl is for water. The large bowl that evening was filled with a scoop of lentil, potato and carrot stew with a little ham added. The rest of the meal included: a container labeled sweet white cheese which had some similarities to yogurt, a fruit that seemed a cross between an apple and a pear, a hunk of bread, and 2 sandwich cookies: large flat not too sweet biscuits with chocolate between. I didn't take pictures of the food, but a simliar meal may be seen here: http://picasaweb.google.com/magdalena.goryl/Taize06#5063424914684072914
There were lots of little flying bugs around, inside and out. No screens on the window, no screens anywhere that I could see.
There were lots of little flying bugs around, inside and out. No screens on the window, no screens anywhere that I could see.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
A Moment of God
In chapel today, I was in community. How do I explain this. I was in community. I mean, I get it, we are a community of God. Yada, yada, yada. But today, in chapel, something clicked. I looked around at all those faces, and said to myself, it really has nothing to do with me as an individual. It is about me being part of a whole. During the anthem, Heather sang a difficult solo. When she completed it, she did a little leap in the air. When she leapt, she carried all of us with her. We had formed ourselves into one body: the body of Christ. Even now, I am overwhelmed. God's grace and love, carried through the gathering.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Taize at last
Sunday July 27
Hustled out of bed early, get breakfast and your bags to the street level, the buses come and we are loaded and on the road about 9 am. Two stops along the way, one included a lecture on proper behavior. The Bishop was awakened at 430 am by the desk clerks, who had received complaints about noise. It seems that some of the GNJ group were trying to sneak out of the hotel, or into each others rooms. Counselors did not get much sleep. It is unclear what the role of the Drewids is (are?) Are we supposed to step in, act as counselors? Or are we strictly hands off? We have had both intimated to us. It is a difficult edge to walk.
We arrived around 3-4 pm. Getting checked in was not easy. Sit here in this group, while Bob, the man with the money goes off to register us. Then Benjamin from Belgium invites us to sit there, and he orients us to life at Taize. Jeff is sent to the line to get meal tickets, and after a long wait is informed that no, Bob had to get them as he was the one who was paying. Bob did, but they were the wrong color, and would admit us to the under 30 feeding lines but not to the adult lines where they wanted us (and I wanted to be: 3000 under 30 and 500 over 30. No brainer.) Back to Bob and finally the correct ones were obtained. A spot of tea and cake, then off to our rooms.
We were told that we would be put into tents and barracks with people from all over the world, and that they might not speak English. This was not the arrangement. They placed the Drewids as follows:
All females under 30 (and their counselors, in the case of the GNJ group) in 2 tents.
All females over 30 (9 of us) in one barrack.
The two men over 30 in our group went into a barrack with 2 Italians and one German.
The under 30 men got split up, and placed with young men from other countries and/or the jersey group.
Bob and Margie were off in a family spot together.
So much for the mixing. Our dorm did get a woman from Rumania late this evening. She spoke no English, but had a friend who helped her settle in who did. So we learned her name (Lily) and where she was from.
Housing: the nine of us were in a barrack set up for 12. 6 bunk beds, 2 small desks, 2 small shelf units. One large window which opened and had no screen. But did have curtains. We were a little raised, so no one could look in the window. Which was good because it certainly was too hot to pull the curtains if you wanted to dress. Plain linoleum floor. The beds were a foam pad. You had better have remembered your bedding, because there was none here.
I will leave you here, as we settle in to these spartan surroundings, before we head up to our first meal at Taize.
Hustled out of bed early, get breakfast and your bags to the street level, the buses come and we are loaded and on the road about 9 am. Two stops along the way, one included a lecture on proper behavior. The Bishop was awakened at 430 am by the desk clerks, who had received complaints about noise. It seems that some of the GNJ group were trying to sneak out of the hotel, or into each others rooms. Counselors did not get much sleep. It is unclear what the role of the Drewids is (are?) Are we supposed to step in, act as counselors? Or are we strictly hands off? We have had both intimated to us. It is a difficult edge to walk.
We arrived around 3-4 pm. Getting checked in was not easy. Sit here in this group, while Bob, the man with the money goes off to register us. Then Benjamin from Belgium invites us to sit there, and he orients us to life at Taize. Jeff is sent to the line to get meal tickets, and after a long wait is informed that no, Bob had to get them as he was the one who was paying. Bob did, but they were the wrong color, and would admit us to the under 30 feeding lines but not to the adult lines where they wanted us (and I wanted to be: 3000 under 30 and 500 over 30. No brainer.) Back to Bob and finally the correct ones were obtained. A spot of tea and cake, then off to our rooms.
We were told that we would be put into tents and barracks with people from all over the world, and that they might not speak English. This was not the arrangement. They placed the Drewids as follows:
All females under 30 (and their counselors, in the case of the GNJ group) in 2 tents.
All females over 30 (9 of us) in one barrack.
The two men over 30 in our group went into a barrack with 2 Italians and one German.
The under 30 men got split up, and placed with young men from other countries and/or the jersey group.
Bob and Margie were off in a family spot together.
So much for the mixing. Our dorm did get a woman from Rumania late this evening. She spoke no English, but had a friend who helped her settle in who did. So we learned her name (Lily) and where she was from.
Housing: the nine of us were in a barrack set up for 12. 6 bunk beds, 2 small desks, 2 small shelf units. One large window which opened and had no screen. But did have curtains. We were a little raised, so no one could look in the window. Which was good because it certainly was too hot to pull the curtains if you wanted to dress. Plain linoleum floor. The beds were a foam pad. You had better have remembered your bedding, because there was none here.
I will leave you here, as we settle in to these spartan surroundings, before we head up to our first meal at Taize.
The End of the Day
Saturday July 26, continued.
Do you really need to ride the boat? We saw mostly the same sights that we saw on the bus. If not the same, then they might as well have been. Government buildings, churches, someone famous lived there, etc. The boat was supposed to leave at...say 6:20, and we were told there were no bathroom facilities in the waiting area, and would be none on the boat. It was 6 pm. Two of our women went off to find public facilities, and were not back when the boat left the dock at 6:15. I was sorry that they missed the boat, and unhappy with an owner who says one time, then changes it for another. Also with them for not just waiting it out. Turns out there was a bathroom on the boat. Unfair. But life is unfair. All the time. God never promised to be fair, only just. And I guess I should be thankful for that.
Anyway, we ate from street vendors on the way to the boat, then headed back to the hotel after. We gathered for worship for the first time as a full group, both the youth and counselors from Greater New Jersey and the Drewids. A number of us headed into the train station next door to the hotel to call home (I guess we all had a distrust of how much it would cost to call from the rooms). While there, I was able to track down a candy bar in a vending machine. There were ads for this candy throughout the station, and it looked good. It tasted even better. Here's a little info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinder_Bueno
Extra: Lillian the tour guide for the day recommended Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth". It is an historical novel about the building of a cathedral in the 12th century. She felt it would help us to understand the building of Notre Dame.
Do you really need to ride the boat? We saw mostly the same sights that we saw on the bus. If not the same, then they might as well have been. Government buildings, churches, someone famous lived there, etc. The boat was supposed to leave at...say 6:20, and we were told there were no bathroom facilities in the waiting area, and would be none on the boat. It was 6 pm. Two of our women went off to find public facilities, and were not back when the boat left the dock at 6:15. I was sorry that they missed the boat, and unhappy with an owner who says one time, then changes it for another. Also with them for not just waiting it out. Turns out there was a bathroom on the boat. Unfair. But life is unfair. All the time. God never promised to be fair, only just. And I guess I should be thankful for that.
Anyway, we ate from street vendors on the way to the boat, then headed back to the hotel after. We gathered for worship for the first time as a full group, both the youth and counselors from Greater New Jersey and the Drewids. A number of us headed into the train station next door to the hotel to call home (I guess we all had a distrust of how much it would cost to call from the rooms). While there, I was able to track down a candy bar in a vending machine. There were ads for this candy throughout the station, and it looked good. It tasted even better. Here's a little info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinder_Bueno
Extra: Lillian the tour guide for the day recommended Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth". It is an historical novel about the building of a cathedral in the 12th century. She felt it would help us to understand the building of Notre Dame.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Notre-Dame
Back on the bus by 4 pm to go on to Notre Dame. There is more elaborate art within, but the sanctuary is darked.
Behind the altar a path leads around in a semi-circle. On the outside walls are chapels, confessionals, prayer rooms, statuary. On the inside are: ? More worship areas? Space for worship leaders to gather? I am not sure, nor sure of the terminology for the space. If I find anything, I will post further.
But on the inner wall, to the left of the altar as you face it, is a bas relief depicting the life of Jesus from the Annunciation through Jesus in the garden. I didn't go round the other side to see if the passion continued there, or was it the pulpit and the table in the center of the altar that told the rest of the story.
Studying this sculpture, I realized that a part of it depicted the killing of the innocent babies as the holy family fled to Egypt. Something we often leave out of our remembrances. From the very beginning there was blood. And violence. The world has never been very much in favor of what Jesus has to offer, and has wanted to kill it (and him) from the very beginning. Jesus and his gospel are a threat. If no one is very much threatened by most of us Christians these days, if no one is out gunning for us, perhaps it is because we are not very Christlike in our living.
Brian noted the footwashing in this sculpture seemed to come AFTER the meal. Jeff meditated on the message in that: we can only serve others after we have been fed, perhaps.
Vespers was about to start, people were gathering for worship, and there were ushers about, giving out bulletins. We spoke to one who said he was a church volunteer. The care of the building is paid for by the state, but the care of the worship and ministry is supported by the congregation. Interesting to talk about the similarities and differences in church when the state has a part in it.
We stayed for vespers. It was a sung service, and beautiful. There is something wonderful about these stone walls and floors, something that speaks of so many generations of prayer. Let's stay a few moments in silence, before we board the bus that will take us to the boat ride.
Behind the altar a path leads around in a semi-circle. On the outside walls are chapels, confessionals, prayer rooms, statuary. On the inside are: ? More worship areas? Space for worship leaders to gather? I am not sure, nor sure of the terminology for the space. If I find anything, I will post further.
But on the inner wall, to the left of the altar as you face it, is a bas relief depicting the life of Jesus from the Annunciation through Jesus in the garden. I didn't go round the other side to see if the passion continued there, or was it the pulpit and the table in the center of the altar that told the rest of the story.
Studying this sculpture, I realized that a part of it depicted the killing of the innocent babies as the holy family fled to Egypt. Something we often leave out of our remembrances. From the very beginning there was blood. And violence. The world has never been very much in favor of what Jesus has to offer, and has wanted to kill it (and him) from the very beginning. Jesus and his gospel are a threat. If no one is very much threatened by most of us Christians these days, if no one is out gunning for us, perhaps it is because we are not very Christlike in our living.
Brian noted the footwashing in this sculpture seemed to come AFTER the meal. Jeff meditated on the message in that: we can only serve others after we have been fed, perhaps.
Vespers was about to start, people were gathering for worship, and there were ushers about, giving out bulletins. We spoke to one who said he was a church volunteer. The care of the building is paid for by the state, but the care of the worship and ministry is supported by the congregation. Interesting to talk about the similarities and differences in church when the state has a part in it.
We stayed for vespers. It was a sung service, and beautiful. There is something wonderful about these stone walls and floors, something that speaks of so many generations of prayer. Let's stay a few moments in silence, before we board the bus that will take us to the boat ride.
Taizé service upcoming.
My poor pilgrims, I deserted you by the side of the road, waiting for the bus to Notre Dame. Life in Queens gets hectic, and I find it difficult living in two places at the same time. Three, if you count Staten Island.
Next Sunday, the 7th of September, we will have prayers in the style of Taizé at 6 pm in Astoria. We will be at Good Shepherd UMC, 30-44 Crescent St. I hope you can make it.
Good Shepherd does a 6 pm service on the first Sunday of every month. A different sort of worship gathering each month. A chance to worship God in different ways, with different words. Or no words at all.
Next Sunday, the 7th of September, we will have prayers in the style of Taizé at 6 pm in Astoria. We will be at Good Shepherd UMC, 30-44 Crescent St. I hope you can make it.
Good Shepherd does a 6 pm service on the first Sunday of every month. A different sort of worship gathering each month. A chance to worship God in different ways, with different words. Or no words at all.
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