Taize Reflection

Sunday 18-July-2010

I really enjoyed Taise.  In a way, it was just like a church camp.  Each afternoon there was a drama / skit presentation.  The theme was the prodigal son.  In the Taize version, the younger son goes to Las Vagas and blows his inheritance and then hitch hikes home.  In the morning, the kids would go off in age based groups and the adults would listen to a presentation by one of the 'brothers' on the same theme as the kids and the drama.  All very synchronised.

I enjoyed listening to the brother who presented to the adults.  There was a certain frankness and also a light sense of humour that appealed to me.  As an example, he had an aside when he talked about the 'celebration' that the father had at the return of the younger son, he noted that there are other 'celebrations' mentioned in the bible.  For example when the lost sheep is found or when the woman found her lost coin.  In the case of the lost sheep, he said words to the effect that 'Sheep are stupid animas' do we know anyone who has a party when they locate a sheep.  I think I have waited years for someone to say that.  Whenever I hear this reading that is exactly what I think.  Then when it came to the woman who celebrated after finding a lost coin.  Well the party would have cost more than the value of the coin!.  So I guess they are just party people.  Any excuse for a party.

We had some great discussions in our adult small group.  We had people from Russia (500km north of Moscow), Poland, Neatherlands, America and ?.  This brought a real diversity to the discussion.   One lady talked about the rosary in a way that was of great interest to me.  There are 20 beads on the rosary and each is on a different aspect of christs life and ministry (Hope I got this right.  Catholics pease chip in here).  When you pray by your self, your prayer tends to be quite narrow but praying the rosary forces you to consider and reflect on a broad range of topics. 

Another interesting reflection is to consider that the younger son was frced by his own stuipidity to a point of total devistation.  At this point he comes to his senses.  The analogy is that when a person is totally devistaed that they are broken and God can enter through the cracks.  It is unlikely that we are ever likely to be so low that we are forced to a point so low that we cry out to God.  But it is at that time that we are open to God to enter.  So the challenge to us is how do we make ourselves open to God without the situation of failure.  Obviously we are not talking set your self up for total failure here (although as I write this well.... I guess someone might..?) But how do you get into the head space to allow God into you?

Another random thought - In a way the service was very simple and no hype.  Yet 1000 people amny of them young people.  Now I am all for a bit of Hype but I also really enjoyed these services.  It gave time to think and refect.  There was a confidence in God present.  At the same time as I think about it, no collection meant that there was no feeling of 'they have their hand out' or 'how much money do they want?'