Tenebrae
One by one the candles sputter
And die.
The lessons have been read,
All has been said,
And Christ hangs lifeless on the tree.
The Book has been slammed shut
And the people file out wordlessly;
The joy of Christmas
Replaced by endless sorrow.
Our God is vanquished,
Darkness reigns,
And the devil laughs to himself
In hell
As people cry out in agony,
"All is lost.
The battle is over.
The enemy rules supreme."
The cries rush like the tide
Through my soul,
Mouthing what I've known for years --
Death is victorious,
Christ lies dead and rotting
In the tomb.
He lies in the tomb,
But just for the weekend.
Easter morn shall surely come
And the Son of Man
Shall rise again in splendour.
(c) J S Phillips
Friday, April 06, 2007
Thoughts on Good Friday
Today is Good Friday, the day of Christ's crucifixion and death in the Christian religion.
Back when I used to go to church, Good Friday was perhaps the most moving day in the religious year for me. (I hesitate to call it "my favourite", which would make me a bit ghoulish I suppose.) There was something moving and powerful in the suffering and self-sacrifice that was being commemorated. These days, though, Good Friday does not have the same impact for me.
I must confess that I found Good Friday to be most powerful when the tenebrae service was being held. Tenebrae is a rather "high church" service that includes psalms, hymns, and Bible readings, but never Holy Communion. During the service, the lights are gradually extinguished until the church is left in total darkness, representing the death of Christ.
Throughout the service, altar cloths may be removed and crosses and crucifixes covered with plain cloths. Sometimes, the service begins with a full choir and organ and other instruments, which followed by the departure of the choir and then the musicians. After the Bible is slammed shut, the congregation and clergy leave the church without speaking. The service itself is not considered finished until everyone has left the church.
The minister at the last church I attended would not have felt comfortable officiating at such a service, because he is an evangelical -- even though he is nominally Anglican -- and therefore frequently expresses a bias against "extra-Biblical" practices. I think this is a real shame, though, because a God who ostensibly created the pageantry of northern lights or ocean sunsets surely would not oppose His followers engaging all their senses, including their senses of wonderment and drama, when seeking to connect with Him.
Back when I used to go to church, Good Friday was perhaps the most moving day in the religious year for me. (I hesitate to call it "my favourite", which would make me a bit ghoulish I suppose.) There was something moving and powerful in the suffering and self-sacrifice that was being commemorated. These days, though, Good Friday does not have the same impact for me.
I must confess that I found Good Friday to be most powerful when the tenebrae service was being held. Tenebrae is a rather "high church" service that includes psalms, hymns, and Bible readings, but never Holy Communion. During the service, the lights are gradually extinguished until the church is left in total darkness, representing the death of Christ.
Throughout the service, altar cloths may be removed and crosses and crucifixes covered with plain cloths. Sometimes, the service begins with a full choir and organ and other instruments, which followed by the departure of the choir and then the musicians. After the Bible is slammed shut, the congregation and clergy leave the church without speaking. The service itself is not considered finished until everyone has left the church.
The minister at the last church I attended would not have felt comfortable officiating at such a service, because he is an evangelical -- even though he is nominally Anglican -- and therefore frequently expresses a bias against "extra-Biblical" practices. I think this is a real shame, though, because a God who ostensibly created the pageantry of northern lights or ocean sunsets surely would not oppose His followers engaging all their senses, including their senses of wonderment and drama, when seeking to connect with Him.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
My Humps? My God!
Sometimes I feel that I am always the last to know about the elements that comprise popular culture in North America. Other times, I seem to be ahead of the curve. I think I am somewhere in between today. You see, I just came upon a disturbingly fascinating video of Alanis Morrissette doing a laid-back version of the Black Eyed Peas song "My Humps":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W91sqAs-_-g
To be honest, I am not much of a BEP fan, so I had only passing familiarity with the song. I remember that it seemed to be in constant rotation on the air at one point despite its silly lyrics. Now, thanks to Morrissette's slowed down version, I realize just how silly the lyrics are.
Steve Allen used to do the same thing back in the fifties, reading the lyrics of rock 'n' roll songs as if they were poems, to take the mickey out of popular culture phenomena like Little Richard and Elvis Presley. In this case, however, I don't think he could have come anywhere close to the true horror revealed in Morrissette's version of a truly loathsome song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W91sqAs-_-g
To be honest, I am not much of a BEP fan, so I had only passing familiarity with the song. I remember that it seemed to be in constant rotation on the air at one point despite its silly lyrics. Now, thanks to Morrissette's slowed down version, I realize just how silly the lyrics are.
Steve Allen used to do the same thing back in the fifties, reading the lyrics of rock 'n' roll songs as if they were poems, to take the mickey out of popular culture phenomena like Little Richard and Elvis Presley. In this case, however, I don't think he could have come anywhere close to the true horror revealed in Morrissette's version of a truly loathsome song.
The Great Adventure: Episode 4
When I tell people that I am going to be spending two months in Africa I get one of two responses: "Take me with you" or "It is going to change your life". Usually, I get both responses from the same person.
I don't know what it is about Africa, but people -- Canadians, at least -- seem to have some sort of unspoken bond with the continent and its people. It is not just a sense that Africa is exotic, even though Tanzania promised to be different than anything I have ever seen (with the possible exception of a bus trip through shanty settlements en route to a mountain plantation in Jamaica). No, there is something magical, even mystical about Africa.
I share the sense of a hidden bond. I have wanted to travel to Africa since I was a teenager, living at home and dreaming of escaping Abbotsford for other lands. It only increased when I attended university, fueled on by exposure to African music, participation in African history and politic science courses, and introduction to African students. Since graduation many, many years ago, my path has been crossed by travellers from throughout the entire continent, from Cape Town to Cairo and from Sierra Leone to Dar Es Salaam.
People who have been to Africa tell me -- promise me, really -- that this trip is going to change me life. As my friend Mary told me on Monday, "You are not going to come back the same person." That is both a scary and an exciting thought, and I can't wait for the journey to begin.
I don't know what it is about Africa, but people -- Canadians, at least -- seem to have some sort of unspoken bond with the continent and its people. It is not just a sense that Africa is exotic, even though Tanzania promised to be different than anything I have ever seen (with the possible exception of a bus trip through shanty settlements en route to a mountain plantation in Jamaica). No, there is something magical, even mystical about Africa.
I share the sense of a hidden bond. I have wanted to travel to Africa since I was a teenager, living at home and dreaming of escaping Abbotsford for other lands. It only increased when I attended university, fueled on by exposure to African music, participation in African history and politic science courses, and introduction to African students. Since graduation many, many years ago, my path has been crossed by travellers from throughout the entire continent, from Cape Town to Cairo and from Sierra Leone to Dar Es Salaam.
People who have been to Africa tell me -- promise me, really -- that this trip is going to change me life. As my friend Mary told me on Monday, "You are not going to come back the same person." That is both a scary and an exciting thought, and I can't wait for the journey to begin.
My Reading List: A Tale of Inefficiency
At what point does multi-tasking become attention deficit disorder?
I am currently in the middle of reading a couple of books. Well, technically I am in the middle of reading five books:
I am currently in the middle of reading a couple of books. Well, technically I am in the middle of reading five books:
- Bambi vs. Godzilla: On the Nature, Purpose, and Practice of the Movie Business by David Mamet
- The Death of Hitler by Ada Petrova and Peter Watson
- Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy by Barbara Ehrenreigh
- Coaching for Results: A Skills-Based Workshop (Leader's Guide) by Donna Berry, Charles Cadwell, and Joe Fehrmann
- The Rough Guide to Tanzania
I am reading the fourth one because I am studying for a professional certification exam through the Canadian Society for Training and Development, and I am using the last one in regards to my upcoming trip to Tanzania. As for the other three, I am either (a) not interested enough in any one book to concentrate on it, or (b) too interested in all of them to concentrate on a single book. I guess it doesn't matter in the end, doesn't it?
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