Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Spectacle or Spectacles?

Twenty some years ago, i got home from leading two worship services and sprawled on the couch to watch (or doze through) PBS’s Great Performances, but on this particular Sunday, i discovered a dream not for the drowsy – the Earth Mass at New York City’s Cathedral of St John the Divine. A few weeks ago, i experienced the Earth Mass (now named The Feast of St Francis) at that great gothic pile in Gotham City.


The music (much of it by Paul Winter) was stunning, incorporating the howl of wolves and the sonic soundings of the humpback whale, creature cantors. As well as the Paul Winter Consort, worship was deepened by two dance companies, a puppet artist, 8 guest choirs joining the Cathedral choir, and the presence of animals throughout the sanctuary (mostly dogs, who sometimes added their thoughts to the proceedings). The Cathedral was packed – i imagine it is not this full on Christmas Eve – and the high holy event was not the sacrament of communion, but another sacrament, the procession of animals.

An air of reverence and awe enveloped the requested silence as, lead by a service dog, the procession of creatures to the altar went by: camel, yak, tortoise, llama, gibbon, macaque, swans, sheep, snake, pig, bunnies. i experienced a deep sense of thankfulness for Creation, for the amazing diversity of life on this planet. Each creature reminded me of my own creaturlyness, the marvel of DNA and adaptation. i will have some further reflections on this part of the worship in a subsequent blog, but for now, i am pondering the role of spectacle in Protestant worship.

The Cathedral of St John the Divine is Episcopalian (that’s American for “Anglican”), and there was certainly a high church tone to the proceedings, including incense, several processionals, chanting, and the recessional. But there was also dance – exquisitely beautiful dance – filling the aisles, fabric ribbons on what appeared to be fly-fishing rods expertly floating overhead, an amazing fish puppet that swam through the air above us, and, of course, the spectacle of the animals.

In mainline Protestantism, there is nothing like it. Crazy Appalachian Bible churches have a frenzy culminating in handling poisonous snakes (no thanks),

and evangelical churches are not adverse to people clapping, dancing, ecstatically harmonizing. But we mainline Protestants have let our deep love of education erect a wall of suspicion about any emotion-provoking form of worship. Yes, we are permitted to shed a tear or two at a funeral or baptism or wedding...less so if something else in worship moves us deeply. We place our emphasis on the arts of music, preaching, liturgy, and are suspicious, if not snooty, about ritual, drama, spectacle.

Of course, few of our churches have the budget of a St John the Divine (see below for their current list of artists and ensembles in residence (thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s budget!). And if we Protestants believe that liturgy truly is the work of the people, is our reluctance about spectacle in worship that we are afraid it won’t be “good enough”? Would we be willing to risk liturgical dance that had some fumbles and flaws if it was honestly offered by a local dancer? Can we receive the gifts of the people, not just in money, music, baking, pastoral care and the church’s assorted administrative tasks, but also in drama, dance, clowning, acrobatics, visual arts – stuff that moves us to a place of ecstasy?

There is a legend about Amish quilts and Islamic carpets – that a mistake is built into the art, because only God/Allah is perfect. Might we mainline Protestants, while seeking to offer our best, also make room for what is not perfect in our worship. It doesn’t need to be Broadway quality. It just needs to move us, to open our hearts as well as our minds.


Artists and Ensembles In Residence at St John the Divine:

Mary Buckley, Painter

Jason Robert Brown, Composer

Judy Collins, Musician

Glen Cortese, Conductor

Early Music New York

The Forces of Nature Dance Company

i Giullari di Piazza

Jean Claude Marchionni, Sculptor

The Mettawee River Theatre Company

The Omega Dance Company

Christopher Pellettieri, Stonecarver

Philippe Petit, High Wire Artist

Simon Verity, Sculptor

The Paul Winter Consort

Greg Wyatt, Sculptor

Cynthia Zarin, Poet