A visit to Vespers

Vespers is possibly the newest venture in creating “Sacred Spaces” in Perth. Tonight was merely its second airing as about thirty folk, mostly of the Generation X set, gathered in the darkened candle-lit chapel of the Wembley Church of Christ and settled into the silence of contemplative prayer.
Using the texts of the revised Common Lectionary, worshippers were invited to meditate on the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, recorded in John’s gospel chapter 4. Non-intrusive background music, projected images, and a short commentary led to a protracted time when people could visit several stations for meditation around a large bowl of water, journal-writing, prayer suggestions or communion. A contemporary song with confession and final blessing brought the evening to a conclusion.

Vespers takes place every Sunday night except the first Sunday of the month at the Church of Christ, Nanson Street, Wembley.

Prayer of the Day
Merciful God, the fountain of living water,
you quench our thirst and wash away our sin.
Give us this water always.
Bring us to drink from the well that flows
with the beauty of your truth
through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.

Vespers at Wembley

Vespers - Wembly Church of Christ 7 PM Sundays

Vespers is the name used in ancient Christianity to describe a solemn evening prayer service, dating back to around the time of St. Benedict, in the 6th century. The atmosphere of Vespers is intended to be solemn, quiet, and meditative. A time to stop, be still, and reflect. It is reviving ancient sacraments in a postmodern context.

Contact Josh Nipps [joshua.nipps@gmail.com] for more info.

The 'way' is a journey

Here are some grabs from Margaret Silf's intro to Sacred Spaces

"The 'way' is a journey, not a structure. It is a process of growth, not a system of salvation."

Drawing on the Celtic imagery of 'thin places', where the veil separating heaven and earth, the intangible and the tangible, is drawn aside to allow brief or sustained interaction, Silf connects such places and significant imes of transition. For example:

• The infinite knot, weaving wholeness out of partialness, and simplicity out of complication, with our seasons of beginnings in our earliest days and years
• The high cross, connecting earth and heaven with times of commitment to the quest for truth and to live true to what we discover
• Hilltops, places of vision, with seasons of setting out on new ventures
• Wells, taking us to the depths of human experience, with times when we return to truth and our deepest sources when we have lost our way.
• Groves and springs, the provision of community, with seasons of companionship and communion of intimate friendship.
• Crossing places - causeways, bridges, cemeteries with times of significant transition
• Boundaries - the cutting edge of growth and change

All of these have significant parallels in Christian and human experience. The occasion of Lent, a time to reflect on our discipleship in conjunction with Jesus' journey to Jerusalem and the cross, affords opportunity to explore these features further.

What, not another "Sacred Spaces!"

Google the title of this blog and you are faced with a plethora of choices. Surely a PR nightmare! There are reasons for sticking to it though. It best describes the focus we are seeking to sharpen as one expression of the contemplative arm of the Christian church in Perth's western suburbs.



Some say the title is too vague (well, we were going to call it Thin Places but lots of people thought it was going to be about dieting.) "Where is the Christian distinctive?" some have asked. Any who have been on the contemplative journey quickly become aware that prayer goes beyond institutionalised determinations. It seems that God takes great delight in surprising us in the mundane, the complex, the ambiguous and the ambivalent. Sure - we retain affirmations that are foundational to our Christian journey but we are constantly called to new growth and new awareness. Awareness of these moments and the transformations to which they point are indeed "sacred spaces."



Sacred Spaces is also the title of a book by Margaret Silf (Lion, 2001) ISBN 0 7459 5113 9. The group that is the foundation for the new Sacred Spaces ministry will be working through this book over the next few weeks (Tuesdays, 7.30 pm at the Church of Christ, Wembley Downs). Something of the journey will be documented in following blog entries.