Loud Contemplation

I read something not long ago that woke me up; as if something knocked me over the head. My experience of contemplation has been God speaking to me through silence and solitude; a very Euro-centric view. So have I been narrow-minded in my approach to creating a prayer room for General Assembly? What about those who pray and contemplate with loud music, rhythm and drumming? This is a world I do not understand but must embrace as another way of union with God. So over the next few weeks as we continue preparations for thousands of guests to enter into worship, work and contemplation, I will be praying that we might “draw the welcome circle wider,” as Mary Louise Bringle speaks of so eloquently in our newly commissioned hymn. The “door” artwork above is part of the exciting depiction of this hymn by artist Marilyn Smith. Some ideas have been floating into my mind, which they tend to do when moving with the Spirit. Stay tuned!

Joy Unspeakable is not silent, it moans, hums, and bends to the rhythm of a dancing universe. It is a fractal of transcendent hope, a hologram of God’s heart, a black hole of unknowing. ~ Barbara Holmes