Now it's your turn!

A few weeks ago, I wrote about our plans to change things up a bit at St. Aidan's.  For the last three weeks, we've spent the first half of the service, The Liturgy of the Word, in a modified "choir" style seating, with rows of chairs facing each other and a big aisle in the middle. 

Then the entire congregation came up to the Altar and stood around it for the entire Liturgy of the Table. 

As with any change, there were a few logistical difficulties, especially for the first part of the service.  It was hard to know where exactly to process, where John and I should sit to officiate, where readers should stand since we had no ambo, where to keep the Gospel book.  But, for me at least, there were also some wonderful high points.  I loved reading the psalm responsively and hearing the voices echo back and forth.  I loved when the kids were part of my sermon on Pentecost and it felt like we were gathered in around them. 

I loved our youth service on Trinity Sunday with the 4th-8th graders passing the microphone in the center.  It felt like we were gathered together more closely; like we were more of a community, learning together and experiencing this new thing together.  Maybe even making more room for the Holy Spirit to act amongst us by getting out of our comfort zones.  One thing about the seating arrangement particularly struck me:  For me, the strangest part was having half the congregation seated behind me.  I wasn't able to see everyone, which is the normal experience of the congregation but not of the officiant who traditionally sits up front and can see everyone spread in front of them.

There were some logistical difficulties with our new configuration for the Liturgy of the Table as well.  It took some explaining each week:  If you don't want to stand, there are seats for you over here...  If you don't want to receive communion, please come up anyway and you can receive a blessing...  Once you have received communion, please just step back and allow another group to come forward...  We'll stay up here for the rest of the service, so please bring your bulletin so you'll have the words for the final hymn...  There was sometimes a tiny bit of confusion about who had received communion and how to make sure everyone has been included, although surprisingly little, I thought.  We heard a few complaints from folks for whom it is difficult to stand for a long period of time, so just having available seats nearby didn't seem to help meet those concerns.  I also wondered if newcomers that would rather remain anonymous felt overwhelmed.  But overall, I loved the vibe from this half of the service.  There we all were, gathered like a family (sometimes rowdy and jostling, but family!) around a table. 

To me, it felt like we were all praying the Eucharistic prayer together rather than most of the group listening while the celebrant prayed.  The kids tended to gather in the front and seemed much more engaged and interested than usual.  And for me it felt like the music during communion (we used Taize chants that required no learning) was a prayer that supported us as we received the bread and wine.

In the liturgy of the church, as with any community endeavor, there are always kinks to work out.  But overall, I have really enjoyed these past few weeks.  Certainly all that we've learned from this experience will be helpful in some future season if we decide to try this or some other formation again.


We'll be going back to normal this coming Sunday, with the chairs back where they were and communion once again served to small groups who come up by turn rather than as a group.  We'd be very interested to hear how both of these  experiences felt for those of you who were able to worship with at St. Aidan's during this time.  How did it feel to face others in the congregation as you worshiped?  How did it feel to have such a distinction between the two halves of the service?  Did your experience change how you think about church or how you felt God working during the service?  Did you feel uncomfortable?  Challenged?  United?  How did the experience feel after being part of it for 3 weeks?  And, as a practical matter, what glitches did you notice that you'd want us to think through if we were to go back to one of these experiences in a future season?

Lastly, thank you for your flexibility.  This is an amazing and unusual congregation in that it is so willing to try new things.  You make being a priest among you so much more interesting!