The Chill Out Church
Sanctuary First was well received this month. I think those who attended the event really connected with the theme of God's Spa. The idea was to try and create a service that would allow worshippers the freedom to explore and also to encounter the majesty and the glory of God. The concept was to invite those who attended to come and rest a while in the presence of the God. To listen to his Word and to allow God's word to take root in hearts as we move out from the sanctuary into the every day hustle and bustle of life.
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The service started by trying to create mystery and wonder. We used the smoke machine to create an element of mystery while the lighting was arranged to throw long beams of light high up into the arches of the Church. The idea was to create a sense of reverence and wonder to lift our eyes up to think beyond ourselves. We used the passage fro Isaiah 6 as a template to talk about the glory and compassion of God. We created a light pattern on the video and then added the sound track of Alec Shuttleworth's amazing voice to call us all to the place of repentance and forgiveness.
From here we played the Hallelujah Chorus by Handel and used the northern lights in Norway as a visual for the video we created around the topic of the Glory of God. We followed this up with a video I found on Youtube entitled "How great is our God" I asked our video editor Rae Manger to rework the video around the theme of God's Glory in creation. It worked a treat.
The second part of the service was all about helping us to see something of the glory of God while recognising our own shameful and shabby lives. The invitation to move forward and have water placed on your hands to remind you of your baptism and to have water placed on your lips as a sign of inner cleansing was a powerful experience for many. Those who came forward then moved into the chancel of the church to relax. Some just lay on the floor others sat cross legged. Whatever the position it was making sense as more and more people came forward to engage with the process of drawing near to God. the whole experience was a beautiful one for those who entered into the chancel area. later some people shared their experience of feeling renewed and one person felt they had had an encounter with the Lord in a very personal way.
Using different mediums to help people engage with the majesty and awe of God is nothing new. The important thing is to realise that these a are aids to public worship. However true worship can never be manufactured or manipulated. True worship comes from the heart. the act of creating the worship space for others was indeed an act of worship by those who worked so hard to create the atmosphere. So why not now go and check on to Sanctuary First and experience the service. tell me what you think. http://www.sanctuaryfirst.org.uk/themes/live/
Posted By: Mike Munro On: 18 Feb 2011 At: 2:00pm
Enjoyed watching the service, having arranged to be elsewhere on Sunday evening.I liked the format of a time of worship, preparing each for reflective meditation in God’s presence. We all need more of this.