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Religion Forum Index » Christian Methodist Forum » Contemplative Services Encourage Closer Connection With God
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| zayton |
 Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2004 10:39 pm |
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By Amy Green
(UMCom) -- It sounds new age, but to Linda Maynard it was nothing short of
sacred.
She gushes as she describes a recent service she attended at West End United
Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn. No preaching took place. Instead, in a
darkened sanctuary lit by candles, worshippers chanted Scripture and
prayers, some curled up in the pews with pillows.
"It was just sacred," says Maynard, 56, who usually attends a different
United Methodist congregation. "In a traditional Sunday morning service,
there's certainly some time to meditate, and everybody is allowed to say
their own prayer. This whole service featured that. It gave us much more
time to be with God."
"You can light candles and sing, but there's no sermon. There's
nothing preached at you. It's not something that's done to you. It's drawing
you into the mood and the ambiance of the experience."
A growing number of United Methodist congregations, aiming to offer a
reprieve from today's fast pace and the rigid structure of traditional
church services, are embracing more contemplative styles of worship. With
candles, chanting and meditation, the services sound unorthodox, but many
are Taize or compline services rooted in old Christian traditions. They are
meant to encourage a close connection with God through deep relaxation.
The services appeal to those whose busy week leaves them eager on Sunday not
for the enthusiasm of a praise team, but for a quiet worship setting, or
those worn out by the formalities of traditional worship. They especially
target the teens and young adults who yearn for traditional Christian values
in fresh, new settings.
"They're gaining popularity," says the Rev. Daniel Benedict, worship
resources director for the United Methodist General Board of Discipleship, a
governing arm of the denomination. "You can light candles and sing, but
there's no sermon. There's nothing preached at you. It's not something
that's done to you. It's drawing you into the mood and the ambiance of the e
xperience. I just think there is a great hunger for this."
The services are rooted in liturgical Christian traditions, but are
beginning to crop up in mainstream and some evangelical congregations.
Taize services, marked by repetitive singing and long silences for
meditation and prayer, have grown so popular among United Methodists the
denomination's publishing house included songs for the services in hymnals
and is at work on additional resources for youth. The services are inspired
by the community in France, now popular among Christian pilgrims, founded
during World War II to promote peace.
Compline services are less structured. They are inspired by the services
monks long have held to mark the day's end and feature no preaching, only
chanted Scripture and prayer.
"Once I quiet myself, the chances of myself hearing the voice of God go up,"
says Betty Brandt, director of the Spiritual Life Center at St. Luke's
United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, which draws about 3,000 on an
average Sunday. The congregation is one of five in a local ecumenical group
offering Taize services on a rotating basis.
"It's not intellectual. It's supposed to bypass the problem solving,
intellectual part of the brain and go straight to the soul," Brandt says.
"For people who are younger, they're so bombarded with computer stuff
and TV and so much high energy all the time that I really think people are
missing that peacefulness in their lives."
Chapelwood United Methodist Church in Houston began offering contemplative
communion services to appeal to Catholics and others from liturgical
traditions visiting the congregation, says the Rev. Wick Stuckey, associate
pastor of the church, which draws about 100 on an average Sunday. The
service includes Taize elements. For example, a passage of Scripture is read
four times to allow worshippers to meditate on it more deeply.
West End United Methodist Church offers both Taize and compline services.
The services especially target students attending Vanderbilt University,
located across the street. Don Marler, director of music at the church,
which draws about 700 on an average Sunday, believes the services eventually
will become mainstream, with elements making their way into traditional
services.
"For people who are younger, they're so bombarded with computer stuff and TV
and so much high energy all the time that I really think people are missing
that peacefulness in their lives," he says.
Maynard says she sometimes is turned off by nontraditional services, but not
this one. Even at home she finds it hard to put aside quiet time to read her
Bible and meditate. This service gave her that opportunity, she says.
"I like a very reverent service,'' she says. "I want something that lifts my
spirit up to where I feel like I'm raised to a higher plane. The compline
service at West End certainly did that." |
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