March 2008: Elijah [Desert journeys 2]
this service followed elijah's desert journey in 1 kings 19...
1. "elijah was afraid and ran for his life"
as people arrive a bike on a turbo trainer with jen riding is in the centre of the worship space
Projected on screens is the text above scrolling through questions such as
When do you run? What causes you to panic?...
When people arrive at the service they are met at the door and told that there will be no formal start to the service and given a newsheet. There will be no notices slot.
Benches out for people to sit on – fatboy cushions in the café area (see later)
music: panic attack by UNKLE
2. "i have had enough, take my life"
The person running/cycling stops and collapses
Music changes mood
Read that part of the story
Cut to videos of athletes collapsing – e.g Paula Radcliffe and marathon etc
Discuss questions in groups - have you ever felt exhausted? Where was god? Have you ever just given up, or wanted to give up? Have you ever collapsed after running? Is it time you did?
3. "Get up and eat"
Tell story and connect with a shift of perspective –
physicality vs spirituality?
connect with lent! eat and drink instead of fast and pray.
Make link to get people to go to café
Fatboys, warm breads and drink, café runs for half hour as per normal with fatboys rather than tables and chairs
On screen or on audio words – relax, eat and drink or "get up and eat" etc appear every so often along with video of chairs.
4. "I am the only one left"
On the video screen in the café show a video of someone whining the passage "I am the only one left" etc...
[this never happened - instead we had someone enact it]
5. "the lord is about to pass by"
Give instructions to step outside the café into the presence of God as he/she is about to pass by in the church. Everyone goes back in. "listen" is on the screens.
Videos of earthquake/wind/fire – maybe traffic or white noise or whatever. On the screen after each one "god was not in the fire" etc...
[wind was sourced from bbc, earthquake and fire from dvd semiconductor worlds in flux]
Then silence – light a central candle? Project "god is in the quiet whisper" "listen" and give plenty of space for people just to be quiet.
6. "go back the way you came"
go back the way you came blessing using the line go back the way you came over desert footage from planet earth desert programme where water gushes in the desert and then flowers bloom
Photos
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