Archive for change

Canticle of the Turning

Christ Enthroned Book of Kells Trinity College Dublin

Christ Enthroned
Book of Kells
Trinity College, Dublin

 

I was feeling flat and tired one day when a Goshen college choir came on the radio to sing a rousing version of this hymn. The crowd roared their approval, and I too was energized. Turned around, if you will. The lyrics seem to me a curious mix of fury and tenderness, but not unlike the world itself. Perhaps that’s why people vary the tempo so much when they sing it. Meanwhile, I did find the creator’s blog and I’ll quote his thoughts below.

The idea of “turning” in the title was both a nod to the inner conceit of “revolution,” (derived from the Latin “volvere,” which means “to turn”) and to the message of Jesus’s preaching in all three of the synoptic gospels, the core message of which was, “Repent, and believe the good news.” “Repent” translates a Greek verb the noun form of which is metanoia, that is to say, a complete change of the self, of mind and heart, which might also be rendered as “turn around.”   — Rory Cooney

 

Canticle of the Turning
Author: Rory Cooney
Tune: STAR OF THE COUNTY DOWN

1. My soul cries out with a joyful shout
that the God of my heart is great,
And my spirit sings of the wondrous things
that you bring to the ones who wait.
You fixed your sight on your servant’s plight,
and my weakness you did not spurn,
So from east to west shall my name be blest.
Could the world be about to turn?

Refrain
My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
and the world is about to turn!

 

2. Though I am small, my God, my all,
you work great things in me,
And your mercy will last from the depths of the past
to the end of the age to be.
Your very name puts the proud to shame,
and to those who would for you yearn,
You will show your might, put the strong to flight,
for the world is about to turn.

3. From the halls of power to the fortress tower,
not a stone will be left on stone.
Let the king beware for your justice tears
ev’ry tyrant from his throne.
The hungry poor shall weep no more,
for the food they can never earn;
There are tables spread, ev’ry mouth be fed,
for the world is about to turn.

4. Though the nations rage from age to age,
we remember who holds us fast:
God’s mercy must deliver us
from the conqueror’s crushing grasp.
This saving word that our forebears heard
is the promise which holds us bound,
‘Til the spear and rod can be crushed by God,
who is turning the world around.

When the changes come, what will you take with you?

 

The newspaper was a great invention. I’ve spent hours and hours happily reading newspapers, and have recycled great quantities of newsprint in my day.  My house is also full of vinyl records and CDs. But as surely you have noticed, journalism and the music business are not the same businesses they were twenty years ago. If you worked at a newspaper or in a record store back then, I’ll bet you don’t any more, even if you want to. The internet has changed where we get our news and our music, and how we keep up with our friends. When was the last time you sat down to have a leisurely visit on the telephone–just to catch up?

The Church is changing too. Membership is declining across the denominations. People are voicing frustrations. Asking questions. Trying new things. Church is happening in pubs and bars. The Methodists are debating whether Holy Communion can be offered online. More clergy have piercings and visible tattoos. The Pope is offering indulgences for being present via Twitter.

Of course, the Church has already gone through over 2000 years of changes, so we shouldn’t fear change. And we’ve always been a diverse bunch–especially since Paul started preaching to the Gentiles. So really, what’s the big deal? Church may look a little different in ten years. Not a problem. We’re not wearing hats and gloves any more either.

But the question for me is not one of adapting to fad or fashion. It’s about essence and accident. I think that something qualitatively different is happening to the Church because of the way technology and the internet allow us to form communities and share information. This feels bigger than hats and gloves, and more like the Reformation. There’s a Do-It-Yourself Zeitgeist that seems to be drawing some strength from the long-standing priesthood-of-all-believers debate.  And there’s obviously a lot of frustration born out of the years of acrimonious culture wars. Sure there’s always been plenty of frustration, but now it’s getting 26 million hits on YouTube.

A friend of mine once lived in the Middle East where he and his wife would play a game: “If you have to get out with just what you can carry, what do you take?”

Lately I’m thinking we need to play that game in church. We’ve always said, “The Church is not a building.” So what is it? What is it now? What’s essential? Do we need buildings? Worship services? Education and spiritual formation opportunities? The Bible? The sacraments? Do we need clergy? Do we need denominations and affiliations?

I’m not saying this is the apocalypse or the death of the Church. Still, I see changes coming, and though people are plenty busy, very few seem to be getting ready for anything different. Instead I see a lot tips and tricks for using technology. I see church folks using Twitter and Facebook to broadcast the same information they’ve always broadcast. And instead of offering spiritual food to The Church Online, too many clergy only offer the opportunity to watch them talk to other clergy online. Why doesn’t the Church come up with a Big Idea instead of adopting a few new tools? Let’s ask ourselves, “Has your cell phone changed your life? How could it change your spiritual life? Where are people gathering online? Can the Church be a presence there?”

I wish that more people would think about the Church as a network where technologies can be used to facilitate the action of the Holy Spirit. I wish they would consider creating a “community…cloistered within a digital mesh that connects members to one another throughout each day.” I wish there were a little more hospitality and a little less sales.

I feel confident that God will find people wherever they are and however they gather. It’s the Church that needs to be more nimble and creative. We need to talk about what’s essential going forward. Otherwise, we’ll arrive in the future having packed our favorite watch and forgotten our shoes.