The Intensive couldn’t be going better. Our 15 gathered are delving deep into so many ideas that are changing us – even we who are teaching. Over the past few days, building a strong theology (and anthropology) of worship was our business, and it just plain got out of hand.
Using N.T. Wright’s For All God’s Worth, our audio interview, Reclaiming Worship, and other references, our explorations of God, Trinity, the imago Dei, and incarnation took us all over the macro world and the micro world. Snails and bio-luminescence, super novas and cellular biological systems, physics and mathematics, art and beauty, relationships and politics – they all got involved!
The air was so electric with a sense of wonder and the nearness of such a majestic God that we had to stop talking, and sit for two minutes in complete silence just to process the unfolding that was taking place. I wish I was exaggerating, on one level, but I’m not.
The mix of great human beings in this class so evidences the artwork of God, and I expect His next paintings to be as selective in color and as rich in contrast as this living piece that is our Intensive.
The dream of creating a training Institute where worship leaders can connect in a creative atmosphere with the riches of history, theology, spiritual formation ideas and practices, the whole of the Church story, cultural interface ideas, emerging worship reflection, historic worship practices, passionate worship times and diverse backgrounds, is coming true. What a privilege.