Celebrating the faith with Bono

Last night's U2charist was a blast! Ben's right that notwithstanding a couple of technical hitches, the evening went really well.

I'd wondered whether the format would work but about 15 minutes in, I realised it did. I felt myself being caught up in an act of worship, not just enjoying some of my favourite U2 songs. I saw and heard things in familiar U2 tracks that I hadn't really been aware of before because of the context in which I was now hearing them. When it came to breaking bread, I felt I'd been really well prepared to remember and reflect on Jesus' sacrifice for us.

Nearly everyone from our church who came - and that included quite a few retired people - said how much they'd enjoyed it even if U2 wasn't quite their cup of tea. One or two older ladies were even seen swaying their hips and moving to the groove - something they don't usually do in church!

I think Ben's point about putting the words up for all the songs (we only displayed them for some) is a good one. A number of people expressed similar sentiments. I think using concert footage as well as CD tracks and song videos helped to capture something of the immediacy and excitement of a U2 gig. And on Bullet the Blue Sky the 'message' of the song was greatly enhanced by footage of the US gun lobby played on the big screens ahead of Edge's guitar intro. But we do need to put the words up and select which live tracks we use because, as Ben rightly notes, some are quite long.

So all-in-all, I think the format really works. I'd certainly do it again.

Catching up

I've been on blogging lite recently as I'm still catching up on stuff post Spring Harvest and the Baptist Assembly. Why do they happen within a couple of weeks of each other?

I have finally caught up with the study notes for Mark. So this week's should actually be posted this week. I've also begun to think about the two courses I'll be teaching in Sri Lanka in July. News from that troubled island continues to be grim - whether the war is over or not, there'll be fall-out for Tamils for many months.

This morning I'll be reflecting on Psalm 104 in the first of a brief series running up to Pentecost and our church anniversary looking at the work of the Holy Spirit. Today, I'm looking at the role of the Spirit in creation. This is the Sunday version of the material that I'll be using at our next Alternative Wednesday gathering looking at God and Darwin where I'll be reflecting more fully on how we might read scripture in the light of evolutionary science.

We also have our long awaited U2charist this evening. I'm really looking forward to it because I'm intrigued to see whether the format actually works. In preparing for it, I have been struck again by how much theology there is in Bono's lyrics. His biblical allusions are well-known but they are not just scattered randomly in songs, they are part of a quite mature reflection on the way of the world and the call of Christ to a life of discipleship within it.

Now, I'm off to messy church for breakfast and fun, stories and songs - and the chance to see half my leadership pogo-ing with toddlers!