July 2000: Positiva

this service is based around the ideas of the 'via positiva' [an explosion of metaphorical language in trying to speak adequately of god - "god is.... and is.... and is...."] and the 'via negativa' [the collapse of language into silence faced with the impossibility of speaking adequately about god - "god is not....and is not....and is not....]

basic installation:

1. rectangular panel [door, board, ply] raised slightly off floor, and covered with thin layer of black potting compost/peat - to form light-absorbing floating black rectangle

2. luminous stars - to be kept in dark to ensure they don't glow, and scattered on the black rectangle

3. very bright floodlighting to be arranged - Mark can you get TV studio lights? need to dazzle congregation, and simultaneously charge luminous stars so that when lights are cut they glow!

service starts in normal Grace lowlight. maybe just dim candlelight.

1. welcome [MIKE]

2. 'noise' track from st pauls labo

[with the oscilloscope video loop]

3. two songs

calm me o lord + one other

4. focus on the dark rectangle

in the low light it will simply appear as a 'black hole'
meditation on 'starlit darkness' [JONNY]

5. suddenly switch on very bright lights

meditation on dazzling light [STEVE]

6. switch lights off

as people's eyes adjust back to darkness they see the now-glowing luminous stars on the dark rectangle. [if this works it will be a truly magical moment]

then while this sinks in, appropriate readings with music [DAVE to find readings, or anyone else]

7. song

'i lived in the shadows'

8. congregational response - two stations

'silence' - prayer space in small room
'god is...' - station for people to explore their own metaphors for god [DAVE]

9. burning incense

thanks for what we know about god in whatever way [MIKE]

10. song

'god is our strength and salvation'