You may have noticed that our congregation has used music from the Taize community in various worship settings - songs like "Nothing Can Trouble" and "O Lord, Hear My Prayer" frame our prayer time; "Eat this Bread, Drink this Cup" moves us through communion, and various other Taize songs have helped us worship in evening Advent and Lenten services.
Tomorrow, the men's breakfast group will be talking about music and faith practice when they meet at 7:45am at the Royal Court Restaurant. When I learned that, I thought that perhaps others of you would like to learn more about the Taize community as well. This 15 minute video gives a nice introduction to the community, and you can visit their website http://www.taize.fr/en to learn more.
I've been reading several scholars (such as Harvey Cox, Diana Butler Bass, and Phyllis Tickle) who study the shifts taking place in how people understand faith and spirituality in our broader culture. They are finding that there is a resurgence of interest in ancient spiritual practices. In her book The Great Emergence, Phyllis Tickle writes, "in the course of birthing a brand-new expression of its faith and praxis, the Church also gains a grand refurbishment of the older one."
We are in a time of exploring and inventing new things, and at the same time, refurbishing older traditions and practices that have sustained Christians through many generations. The popularity of Taize music and the Taize community is one vibrant example. I'm excited to be in a church where we are committed to work together to be a church of both/and - finding a place for both old and new, and learning, growing, and serving together.
Wishing you a lovely week,
Manda
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