david’s tent

Last night I dropped in on David’s Tent, a bank holiday weekend of “adventure in worship” that draws thousands (including my own Beth, Sim & Tess) to a country estate 20 minutes away from us.

Clearly I was meant to be there - unbeknown to me Jonathan Helser was leading part of the night (complete with impressive band & hipster beard as noted earlier)

He led off with an extended “We have come to Mount Zion”, the very song which in my opening post I wanted to set the scene for this spiritual exploration. (You’ll find it buried on the next page of the blog, which you reach by clicking “next” in the bottom corner of this opening screen)

Either I’m just so on trend, or perhaps God may quite possibly be saying something here …

David’s Tent (part of an international movement of 24/7 prayer called “Burn”) is essentially about soaking in God’s presence. It’s an annual 72 hour non-stop worship event - the best I can describe last night is that it was like New Wine without the jokes (& also the talks).

This was worship not as preparation for a sermon, but simply as direct encounter with God for as long as it takes - which could be all weekend … with occasional loo stops presumably.

In other words, it is precisely a contemporary expression of the contemplative prayer that I have been describing.

The volume of the music, the stage lighting and the grungy music festival vibe wouldn’t be everyone’s bag.

Non-stop, high octane worship bring dangers of emotional manipulation & auto suggestion, not that dissimilar to those that have been negotiated by mystics and contemplatives down through the centuries. And exactly the same need for a mountain experience to be matched by robust spiritual disciplines for travelling the valley.

But it also brings the same possibility of real encounter with the Holy.

I loved it.

Some might fare better with St. Matthew’s Passion by Bach as their preferred example. But why not try praying this other Jonathan Helser song from last night, and see if this could be your pathway too :

… maybe I need to change my blog title to “seeker after holiness through great music” …