Simon Says ...

This evening we hosted a Taize service at church. About 50 people came, and it was a really refreshing change to be in the older half of the congregation! We were also fortunate to have Brother Paolo from the Taize Community with us. He gave a little encouragement on prayer and praying to begin with. Much of it chimed with my experience. Prayer, he said, is not something we can get better at. It is more like eating lunch. We can all do it. We need to do it regularly. A very helpful image for me. The service itself was beautifully put together (and I can say that because I had nothing to do with it). Thanks to Heather and all involved. It was a rare treat to sit on a prayer stool and enjoy meditative singing, silence and scripture. My lunch was late today, but it was worth the wait!

Earlier this week I was in Windsor for a consultation on the Ministry of Cathedrals and Greater Churches. It's the first time I've ever had to get past armed guards to get into a church event! As well as the surroundings, which were fantastic (thanks to Graham for taking the photo), and the train journey, an opportunity to read and think, it was a worthwhile trip. We spent most of the time in groups reflecting on our own experiences and learning from one another. I think the idea that stood out for me was that Cathedrals and churches are custodians of tradition, but that they only fulfil this vocation by experimenting and taking risks. This can be seen in art, music, liturgy, prayer, debate and other ways in which these places can contribute to the wider church and to the wider world. As someone said (I think it was GK Chesterton), 'the only untraditional thing is never to change at all'!