34 mins
The Big Question
QUESTION
Dr Andrew Weir, reader, Killearn Kirk,
Naomi Simpson, Outreach Worker, World Mission Council
“Killearn Kirk sits in darkness –the Voice of God rings out:
I, God, that all this worlde hath wrought, Heaven & eairth, and all of naughte, I see my people in deede and thought, Are sette full fowle in synne.
“And so began two amateur performances of Noye’s Fludde, the opera by Benjamin Britten, as a church and community collaboration in 1983 involving about 220 amateurs with one visionary drama teacher as director.
“The Kirk was transformed by a pew-top ramp running its full length leading to an elevated stage containing the ark. I recall two especially memorable moments. Ffirst, the audience’s surprise as 88 children in masks and animal costumes tramped two by two down the ramp at eye level into the ark chanting Kyrie Eleison. The second moment was when Noye lifts the small child dressed in white playing the dove and sings:
‘ Ah Lord, blessed be thou aye, Thou me hast confort thus to-day.’
“Why was this opera of importance to me? I believe the lasting impact on the community was the realisation that their local church could worship and embrace Biblical story telling in new ways. As our churches seek renewal of their role in community life there remains a place for such events. Vision, time and hard work is all that is required. I played Mr Noye, so I know!
The last word is God’s –
“My blessings, Noye, I give thee heare, And nowe farewell, my darling deare.”
“I have a very short attention span, so I always appreciate creativity in Church services. “I also really love advent and the run up to Christmas.
“So for me, one of the most memorable artistic displays I’ve seen was a puppet shadow show performed by a youth group, to tell the nativity story through music and lights.
“I think it had taken them a lot of practice to co-ordinate it all and perfect the timing to make sure it all lowed. They built the ‘stage’ from scratch and designed all the cut out puppets themselves, which was impressive and the end performance was so lovely.
“I think it was especially memorable because it was the nativity story which we’ve seen done so many times in quite often a similar format. It was great to see kids being creative with it.
“For a later project they kept going with the theme of lights and silhouettes and did larger cut outs to it along the bottom of the wfindows of the Church to share the Jesus’ miracles and the Easter story. These could obviously also be seen from the outside so anyone walking along the street could see them.
“Again, it was simple but efective and a little bit diferent. It made you stop to look as it took a minute to igure it out.”
Marion Stewart, DCS, Skene Parish Church
Lyndsay Kennedy, elder and choir member, Edinburgh: Greenbank
The Rev Will Stadler, minister Methlick Parish Church
“In May 2000, Midmar Church in Aberdeenshire put on a Passion Play.
“The Church is situated up a narrow country road, so to avoid traic congestion, the audience was taken by mini bus up the hill.
“The play began with the Last Supper inside the small church.
“Being so close to the actors you felt as though you were actually re-living the event with the disciples.
“This was even more evident when everyone followed outside to be with ‘Jesus and the disciples’ in the garden. Everyone was caught up in the mayhem of the arrest and ensuing trial.
“As ‘Jesus’ staggered by carrying the cross, a gasp rang through all of us gathered as the ‘crowd’, and we had to stop ourselves from wanting to help ‘Jesus’ carry the cross.
“Everyone stood in silence at the site of the cruciixion and later as the body was laid in the garden tomb.
“In time came the word ‘Jesus is risen’ – the silence and sadness broken by music and songs of joyful celebration.
“As we walked down the hill back to our cars, we were in groups and feeling a bit like the couple on the Emmaus Road. There was much talk about all that we had seen and heard and our hearts were on ire.
“Later on in the year a group from Skene Parish Church travelled to Oberammergau to see the famous Passion Play. That too was a very moving experience, but nothing like the one at Midmar!”
“Last month Greenbank Parish Church held a concert for the whole congregation featuring a wide range of musical talent. “Titled ‘Thank You for the Music’, the concert was a celebration of the dedication and service of our retiring organist and Director of Music, Alan.
“The choir contributed a large portion of the programme, which included a wide selection of music from hymns to musical theatre numbers. People were encouraged to join in and sing along, and I particularly enjoyed, during a Les Miserables medley, seeing and hearing many of the men sing Bring Him Home.
“Throughout the evening we heard from folks of all ages, including two young singers who sang Mary Mack/Furrem be me heen in both Scots and Gaelic for us. One of our older choir members provided us with a comic recitation for the occasion, and our makar, Louise, penned an alternative version of the old favourite Oom Pah Pah in Alan’s honour.
“The evening was very popular and was a huge achievement for all who contributed. It was fantastic to see people coming together to show their love and appreciation for all the hard work Alan has put in over his fourteen years at the console.”
“One of the most memorable artistic events I’ve seen in church is rooted in what Celeste Snowber Schroeder calls ‘embodied prayer,’ or the invitation to ‘pray with the bones.’
“As a typical ‘hands-in-your-pockets’ worshipper, I normally skim over psalms like Psalm 134 with smug findiference, stroking my spiritual ego with the thought that what really matters is that I worship in ‘spirit and truth.’
“I get uncomfortable when those around me wave their hands about in worship. “However, what I too easily forget is that human beings are comprised of body and soul (and spirit), so to worship in “spirit and truth” should not preclude or exclude physical expression.
“After all, the Bible is replete with examples of all kfinds of ‘embodied prayer’ and worship, and so Psalm 134:1-2 says: ‘Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord… Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.’
“With that proviso, I present my memorable artistic event, or rather memory of ‘embodied prayer’ and worship that really touched me. “It was at a university chapel service.
Hundreds of students were singing away, but then all of a sudden, I spotted some members of the deaf community in front.
“Unable to vocalise their adoration, they lifted up their hands in worship, passionately, ardently, signing the words as they appeared on the screen with a spirit akin to King David’s as he danced before the ark of the Lord.
“I will never forget it.”
This article appears in the August 2018 Issue of Life and Work
If you would like to view other issues of Life and Work, you can see the full archive
here.