SHIMMER PART 2: "DISEQUILIBRATE & WORSHIP CURATION" - or two phrases you've probably never heard of...

Ian Cron - www.thomasclark.com

Disequilibrate:

“A good book, good art always destabilizes [people’s] egos…it knocks them off their equilibrium. It bring them into a counter-imagined space…suddenly you’re caught off a little bit…it de-centers the self and helps us to acknowledge, and even enter in to, the chaos of our life and think about who we are and the ultimates of life…”

-       Ian Morgan Cron, http://vimeo.com/24286777

I think this is one of the big “shimmer” nuggets for me.

Many conversations at the Gathering revolved around the concepts of beauty, art, ritual, and mystery.  It was good to hear some of my personal curiosities articulated and clarified.  (Don’t you love those “YES, EXACTLY!” moments?)

As worship leaders we are challenged with the task (as seen by most) of “creating an experience” for others to attend.  We all know it’s beyond a concert or performance.  Yet the truth is, it rarely reaches the level of sacred.  But isn’t that what our gathering are supposed to be? Sacred?

A second tension we navigate is one of authenticity and manipulation.  We don’t want to affect people’s emotion and perspective simply by the music or setting.  I’ve always wanted to hopefully anticipate where God might be moving and add a soundtrack, lyrics & melody, to help articulate and express where we would be as a congregation.

There’s an entirely new conversation going on in the worship circles right now regarding “Worship Curation.”  Ever hear of it?  Probably not (Apparently Microsoft hasn’t either because “Curation” has a little red squiggly line underneath.)

"We are starting to see a shift away from a linear, programmed approach to leading worship towards a multi-layered, nonlinear approach where environment is valued as much as content.” A Guidebook for Visual Worship, Stephen Proctor http://worshipvj.com/store/a-guidebook-for-visual-worship/

I’ve been taking my own steps on a journey to mine for the deeper gems available in our worship services.  Over time I’ve adopted the vision/mission/purpose of our Worship & Arts ministry:

            to create an ENVIRONMENT where

             people can ENCOUNTER God and

                              ENGAGE Him in worship.

I’ve always been leery of the word “create” because I’ve felt that God ultimately is creating the environment.  If we are the soul creators, then it will always feel superficial or forced. Maybe Co-create is a better phrase.  But I’m liking the word “Curate.”  It seems to be more true.

So getting back to the other word of this post, “disequilibrate.”

My SHIMMER came when I realized that part of curating the environment is making sure beauty and mystery are part of what is presented. While there is definitely a place during our gatherings for a 3-chord rocking worship song, there is also the necessity for music that is more appreciated than understood.  And by understood, I don’t mean that it is impossible to understand musically or technically.  But there is a mystery, a deep source of wonder at the foundation of the song.  This is the Soul of the Creator, the sacred heart beat that has been passed on to all of us who create in His Image.

We can choose songs that accentuate people’s emotions – often, that’s part of what we do. There’s an emotional, spiritual, psychological journey that we’re taking with them.  We have happy moments, pensive moments, times of reflection and times of revelation. Beyond that, I’m feeling led to find music that tells the story on multiple levels. Let the lyrics direct the mind and the music – the tempo, timbre, tonality, harmony – direct the heart, and the art and beauty direct the soul.  They all need to be there.  God’s Story is a mystery unfolding.  It centers us and disequilibrates us simultaneously.  It reminds us of the reality that we live in a now/not yet reality – a spiritual and mortal world – a Kingdom present and still yet to come.

Could music, our worship services, our time together help that mystery to resonate?  Could we create (or curate) moments that de-centers us while simultaneously draw our plum line to God’s center?

 

Before I event went to the Gathering, God began bringing me thoughts about how to more completely tell the Story.  Beyond music, what other forms of Art can be used?  What artists exist that are telling the Story?  And does it have to be ART that brings us into this mystery?

Gathering Reflections: Part 1 "Shimmer"

There are moments and events that are so harmonious, to deny the divine orchestration of God is impossible. Our Worship Mentor Gathering at Villa Rockledge was one of those times. Ask anyone of the 40 or so guests of the Pacific Edge Hotel during our time together and they’ll all share similar accounts:

Amazing…wonderful…community…retreat…surrender…self…Spirit…

Let me take a second to say that I truly am grateful to be invited and allowed to be a part of the Gathering. So many sages and servants that have and continue to shape the worship landscape – to be a part of this community is an honor.

We were all equally honored to spend time with Ian Morgan Cron, an author, artist, priest, musician, and now we can all say friend. Ian is gifted with a great amount of insight. He is also a gifted story teller. And while he would probably deny it, he has been given the ability to articulate shades of the Mystery that very few have seen. It is apparent that God preordained Ian’s temperament, talents, torments, and triumphs to amplify a testimony of grace and wonder. (Pick up his new book “Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and ME: A memoir…of sorts” to read about how he got from there to here.) What Ian shared with us, and what we all shared together, was a time of ministry, mystery, and majesty.

So much could be said about the few days in Laguna Beach. But I will try to focus in, as much as my ADHD will let me, on a few. (Everyone with ADHD should have blogs. If they are disciplined enough to proof-read…. Sorry tangent) So in the next few posts I’m going to attempt to work through some of the moments that continue to, for lack of a better word, haunt me.

SHIMMER
There are phrases, nuggets, moments during our time together when something “shimmered” above the rest of the conversation, as Ian would put it. I’m certain many of us shared similar “shimmer” moments, where Truth or Mystery resonated a bit louder in our souls. It is a phrase or concept, an “aha” that is worth writing down, worth revisiting. Beyond that, it is worth pondering. Not necessarily to figure out and ingest, but just to let it rest, or to let us rest in it. If something “shimmered” it meant that it was worth slowing your pulse so you could experience the thought from every angle, like the 360° camera shots on the MATRIX. It is the seconds between when a symphony ends before the ovation begins, or the black screen between the closing scene and rolling credits of a film. It is weightlessness and gravitas, like when a rock lands on the ocean floor and impact sends sand and debris floating around…Wait for all of that to settle and that sort of describes the sensation.

I’m thinking that God wants us to experience these “shimmers” all the time. But our pace and priorities of life disallow it. When have you had the “shimmer” moments? I’m guessing it was during a retreat, a time of solitude, a vacation in the wonder of creation, or just a short moment of absolute clarity. But they are few and far between, at least for me. 

My first “Shimmer” was the fact that I don’t allow God to “shimmer” enough. Either my eyes aren’t open, or my mind is to closed, or my pulse is to quick. God wants my life to be rich, but right now I can hardly afford to pay attention. How about you? The truth is it only occurs at places like the Gathering, or a long walk in the woods (if I had a beach to stroll on...).  Let's face it, our days - our hours are packed to the max.  I'm sure this isn't what Jesus had in mind in John 10:10.  But the reality of life allows for few breaks.  Unless we plan for them. If we don't choose to stop, we won't.

So this will be a good place to stop for now. Next I’ll begin to actually unpack some of the content of the time on the beach. But for the next 4 minutes or so, stop and listen. Enjoy the rhythm of the waves, the pulse of the ocean, the beauty of the beach, the shimmering sunlight...I think you get the idea. Rest in wonder.