We see in a mirror, dimly
February 2, 2007
This week marked the first ritual prepared by Katie, and it was really excellent. As I understand it, the ritual was largely about the limited capacity of language (and, by extension, scripture and theology). It’s pretty hard to adequately describe that kind of ritual with words, so instead I’ll just describe my experience of it.
The ritual began by setting up paper lanterns, taping pieces of paper together and setting them around a candle. Each candle had two quotations on it, one from the Christian tradition and one from an Eastern tradition. Not only did this create a beautiful effect, but the texts actually obscured the light – a very important metaphor.
The sides of the lanterns which did not have texts had rorschach inkblots on them (abstract shapes used in psychological evaluation which look like whatever the viewer wants them to look like). Once again, another very important metaphor for the Bible and theology.
After several minutes wandering around them room, gazing at the inkblots, and reading the texts, Katie called us together again and handed out 12 inch square mirrors and dry erase markers. We were told to take some time to express our ideas about God. Trying to write about God while staring at myself in the mirror was surprisingly difficult – I was forced to remember that my conception of God is suspiciously similar to myself (just like Malcolm X’s God seemed quite a bit like Malcolm X, Bonhoeffer’s God seems a lot like Bonhoeffer, etc). So I eventually gave up on being objective and instead just drew a picture of myself with some incarnational words. I thought I was being all creative but two other people also incorporated pictures of themselves into their mirrors…
After finishing our mirrors, we set them up, wandered around, meditating and praying with the each other’s mirrors just as we did with the texts. Finally, Katie brought out a big basin of soapy water and we washed the mirrors clean, reminding ourselves that it is God whom we worship, not our conceptions of God.
This ritual worked for several reasons. First, the activities engaged us visually, verbally, and tactilely. Secondly, although we were given things to think about, we were also given the opportunity to explore our own ideas, share them, and get to know one another just a little bit better. Finally, the ritual made no doctrinal demands of us; Transmission is made of a pretty diverse group of people and the ritual allowed everyone to participate regardless of where they fall theologically.
All in all, a great service.
The texts used are reprinted below…
Katie’s Mirror
February 2, 2007
Katie’s Mirror, originally uploaded by bowiesnodgrass.
Katie planned an awesome ritual last night (which hopefully she or Ike will blog about – hint, hint). One part involved meditating on readings from sacred scriptures and Rorschach inkblots, taped into a rectangle, set over a candle. In another part, we were all given mirrors and dry-erase markers and asked to reflect on our faith in God. We then traded mirrors, and later shared our personal reflections.
* You can check out photos on flickr.
* And here’s my favorite reading from the evening –
Whence all creation had its origin,
He, whether He fashioned it or whether He did not,
He, who surveys it all from highest heaven,
He knows – or maybe even he does not know.
~ Rig Veda
Baby Jackson Gets a Bris!
January 18, 2007
Excerpt from letter: John to Jackson, Jan 13, 2007
To read full text, see more pictures, and read more letters, visit
www.myspace.com/thomasjsnodgrass5
Dear Jackson,
Tears and laughter, blood, betrayal, singing and dancing, Hebrew and primal scream – this has been your second week.
I guess this biggest news of this week is your conversion from Animism to Judaism. The Jewish midwife, who was good enough to assist with your birth on the Sabbath, recommended I call 1-800-BABY-BOY, which connected me with a really nice Rabbi named Jehoshua Krohn who exclaimed that you needed a Bris right away, and offered us a cut rate for letting you be a quick stop between other gigs.
TRANSMISSION resumes + field trips
January 13, 2007
MON, Jan 15 : MLK field trip!
Some of us are planning to go to St. Ann’s Episcopal Church in the South Bronx, where the new Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will be preaching at the annual Bronx MLK Day Service starting at 10am. * John was born in the rectory of this historic church and hopes to bring along baby Jackson. Isaac and Elaina both work at a Lutheran church in this area. * Please email epiphany.ny@gmail.com you’d like to join us.
WED, Jan 17 : Transmission resumes! Baby Blessing & Avalon Vision
We are hoping to do a short baby blessing ritual for Thomas Jackson, followed by a discussion of our vision for Avalon. Isaac and are drafting a vision statement/project proposal that we’d like to workshop with you all (in small groups and as a whole group), and we’re inviting a few people who are also interested in helping us develop the project. * Please let me know if you’d like to bring food or drink to share.
BACKGROUND ARTICLES
* Background on Avalon “Twilight for old Limelight as owner shops mall idea”
* William Augustus Muhlenberg, founder of Holy Communion Episcopal Church
* Muhlenberg’s 19th Century “Midnight Mission”
UPCOMING
MON, Jan 22 – field trip!
My web guru friend from the west coast, Bob Carlton (who keeps up an excellent blog) will be in town and we’re going out to dinner. Any and all Transmissioners are invited! * Please rsvp if interested.
SAT, Jan 27 – field trip!
MOBIA @ the American Bible Society is putting on a concert which will feature a commissioned piece by Mario Diaz de Leon. I know Mario from working with the 20/30 Connection at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and plan to attend to support this amazing young composer. I will also be inviting members of the 20/30 Connection. The event is free and I’ve reserved some spots. * Let me know if you’d like to come.
Wed, Jan 31 – next Transmission!
* Anyone want to plan the evening, our ritual, or the food?
We Forget.
January 13, 2007
two poems from our Advent stations apt.church. I found them while cleaning up my place. written by two of our participants. collage below by Gareth, our friend from Moot.
In darkest despair
In brightest light
Oh holy star
Oh sacred night
I cry out to you Lord
Take this pain away
Bring unto us
The dawn of a new day
We are a forgetful people.
God is faithful –
we forget. God sustains –
we forget. God provides –
we forget. God delivers –
we forget. God’s ways endure
– we forget. God made us
in His image – we forget!
Peace on Earth originally uploaded by bowiesnodgrass.
January Transmissions
December 21, 2006
Hey, all~
So I’ve heard two requests for things from the Transmission community. First, I heard a request to dig deeper into all this Christianity stuff. We claim that we are a community for people who are not being fed by traditional church and yet we haven’t yet really delved into what it is about modernism and traditional church that leaves us so unfulfilled. It’s high time to start wrestling with some of our major presuppositions and other religious baggage.
Second, I heard a request for more contemplative, emotional worship. We definitely tend to stay inside our heads and it would be really nice to leave some space for prayer, song, and communion with God.
These two needs seem to be somewhat at odds with each other and yet, ironically, I find myself agreeing with both of them. Here’s what I suggest for January:
January 3: The idea of personal diety is central to western and near-eastern religions, and it’s also the idea that is most frequently challenged and attacked. What better time to unpack this than on the tenth day of Christmas? The idea of Christmas, the idea of incarnation, suggests that God is both transcendent and immanent, both redeptive and incarnate, both like us and very unlike us. Is it reasonable to think of God in human terms? Does ascribing thoughts, feelings, and will to God make any sense? Are we making God into our image instead of the other way around? I feel the need for a little Depeche Mode…
January 17: The next Transmission after that is in the season of Epiphany, the season when wise men saw a star in the heavens so arresting that they left their homes to follow it. Epiphany is all about kneeling in awe and worship at the foot of a manger. Let’s use this day to get away from theology and just spend some time worshiping together. We can bust out “Brightest and Best” and “We Three Kings.” We could dig up some praise and worship music or we could dig up some old-fashioned monastic mysticism.
What do you think?
christmas cookie church !!! wednesday
December 15, 2006
09.03.2006-032, originally uploaded by Aktivistin.
“When two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the cream of the cookie…‚Äù
Yup, you heard right, dawgs. Come ready to bake your butts off for Jesus.
We’d like to learn some Christmas songs too and do a little caroling around my building. Strong singers are most welcome! You might even end up with a solo ;-)
The fun begins at 7pm.
RSVP to epiphany.ny@gmail.com so I can prepare accordingly…
“Lord, you now have set your servant free to go in peace as you have promised; for these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, whom you have prepared for all the world to see: a Light to enlighten the nations and the glory of your people Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32)
Two Visions of the Emerging Church
December 11, 2006
Embracing Worship 2.0 – an Architecture of Participation
by Johnny Baker, excellent column published in Church Times
Brian McLaren shared this poem with me at the end of October, after it was shared with him on a recent trip to Mexico City. It resonated with me so strongly that I recently got permission to publish the English translation (trans. by Amy Stabeno and Elisa Padilla). Many thanks!
Do You Know Someone Like this?
A poem by Pablo Alaguibe
Could there be someone out there,
someone else,
who would be interested
in participating in an experiment
of Christian community
’model 2006,’
Read the rest of this entry »
WAITING : AN ADVENT MIX
December 7, 2006
badass nina., originally uploaded by canela_miel.
j.Snodgrass mix for Transmission apt.church 12.06.06
MILES DAVIS: SOMEDAY MY PRINCE WILL COME
LEONARD COHEN: WAITING FOR THE MIRACLE (FULL LENGTH)
THE DOORS: WAITING FOR THE SUN
ANNIE LENNOX : WAITING IN VAIN
DEPECHE MODE : WAITING FOR THE NIGHT
NINA SIMONE: LILAC WINE
LOU REED : WAITING FOR THE MAN
CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN : COME ON DARKNESS
ISAAC EVERETT : EXPECTATION
DEPECHE MODE : WAITING FOR THE NIGHT (REMIX)
DISNEY SOUNDTRACK : “SOMEDAY MY PRINCE WILL COME”
You can check out and download (a slightly modified version of) this iMix from iTunes:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=208077971
Yay, Advent!
December 4, 2006
When I was at Church of the Apostles a few weekends ago, I was impressed with something they did called “open space.” Basically, after the service broke down: Some people started group discussions, others knelt at altars, and others just sat and listened to the music. It was cool. One of the dangerous things about innovative ritual is that not everyone will want to participate and COTA made it possible for everyone to be comfortable doing whatever they felt a need to do.
I’d like to do something similar this week at Transmission – so far our rituals have been focused and participatory, but I think Advent lends itself to a plurality of activities because Advent is an extremely complex time with lots of layers of meaning. It’s a time of hope, a time of darkness, a penitential time, a time for shopping, and much more. Rather than trying to pick a theme for the service and going with it, we thought we’d go ahead and use ALL the themes, giving each theme a separate station and not trying to reconcile them with each other.
So here are some station ideas – please contribute your own as well, and we’ll try to incorporate them!
~Advent represents preparation for Christmas, and thus for Jesus.
~Advent acknowledges that the world is a dark, scary place. Frankly, we still need hope and we’re still desperately praying for deliverance. It’s not just about waiting for the birth of Christ, it’s also about waiting for the second coming of Christ.
~Advent is about tension with our own society. It is difficult to observe Advent since the secular world considers this to be “the Christmas Season.” There’s something amazing with spirituality vs materialism and jesus vs santa.
~Advent is about mulled cider and pumpkin bread.
~Advent is about supercessionism. Have you ever actually read the lyrics to O Come O Come Emmanuel? How do I sing that song with a straight face around my Jewish friends?