one holy mash-up (sfgm #5)

I love the unexpected connections beginning to crop up in this search for holiness, as it potentially ranges anywhere & everywhere across traditions, countries and centuries …

I pray as led by the Spirit, who blows and guides wherever he wills - and who is rather keen on surprises, when we’re brave enough to go with him

And certainly this post now feels to me like a daring & pretty unusual spiritual mash-up. I want to try tracing a living link between the kind of “happening” worship popular with some trendy 20 somethings, and the seemingly antique spirituality of John Vianney who we met last time.

Culturally they are poles apart. People who connect with one would normally take good care to avoid the other.

Yet I’m keen to celebrate a deep connection between them, whether explicitly expressed (for example in this song with lines about not being good enough, and rejoicing in a simple Gospel) … or way beneath mere words, in a shared heart longing & reaching out for God’s presence.

I invite you to find a quiet moment, make this song full screen, and try sensing for yourself what I’m hoping to describe. (How neat that this particular crew happen to call themselves : “United Pursuit”!)

“I want to know you Lord, like I know a friend”… it draws from exactly the same hymn-sheet as Vianney’s own passionate prayer we borrowed last time : “I love You, Lord, and the only grace I ask is to love You eternally”

I guess the Cure d'Ars might falter for a moment at the lyric “laying down all my religion” - in his case there was rather a lot of it to divest …

But surely given half a chance, he’d quickly don a matching (if perhaps slightly shabbier) orange beanie, & sing and sway with this crowd with tremendous gusto

“United pursuit” indeed - how very much we have to gain if we seek God & his holiness together, across our boxed in traditions …

For the Kingdom of God is a holy mash-up of old and new wisdom together; of African, Asian, South American & Western rhythms blending; and of (which as you can tell is my ‘thing’ at the moment) spiritual disciplines and contemplative worship truly set free to bless each other …

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12)

Throw off. Run with eyes fixed.

And when our multi-coloured London marathon of a life is done, and it is festival time with joy & praise & garlands of glory at the finish line :

How immeasurably richer it’s going to be, and how much more fun, worshipping & blending harmony with the whole communion of saints!

I say it again, Lord I want to be in that number …

PS

“United Pursuit” are a worship community who started off meeting in their living room (here it looks like they’d also invited a few friends to come in from the cold) … they were my son Simeon’s top tip from the “David’s Tent” weekend I blogged on earlier, so if you click the button I’ll make sure to pass the ‘kudos’ on to him!

PPS

The “we are all connected” poster was at the head of a canyon trail that Jebs & I took the other day. We were thrilled to bump into a family of rather majestic elk (basically a beautiful king-sized sort of white deer) :

You ain’t seen me, right?

Oh go on then, click away if you must - and check out my left profile darling

PPPS

Coming soon to a blog near you, don’t miss the next exciting instalment of “someone else’s holiday snaps” (this time it’s Lake Louise in the snow!)