Drinking from the Well, Part 2

Here we go with Part 2 of my reflections of a Sunday at Jacob’s Well.
The Word section of the worship time was my favorite.  It had depth and clearly connected with life in 2006.  The beginning and end of this part of the worship time was an interesting combination.  The congregation sang a 19th-century hymn text as the introduction to the sermon, then closed by reciting together a prayer from Walter Brueggemann.

“In the Secret of His Presence” is a poem written by Ellen Lakshmi Goreh in 1883 and later set to music.  It uses archaic words like “vex” and “thus,” but they didn’t get in the way.

In the secret of His presence
How my soul delights to hide.
O how precious are the lessons
Which I learn at Jesus’ side.
Earthly cares forever vex me,
All my trials lay me low;
But when Satan comes to tempt me,
To that secret place I go.

When my soul is faint and thirsty,
‘Neath the shadow of Your wings
There is cool and pleasant shelter,
And a fresh and crystal spring;
And my Savior rests beside me,
As we hold communion sweet;
If I tried, I could not utter
What He says when thus we meet.

Only this I know: I tell Him
All my doubts, my griefs, my fears;
O how patiently He listens
And my sorrowed soul He cheers;
Do you think He ne’er reproves me?
What a false friend He would be
If he never, never told me
Of the sin which He must see.

Would you like to know the sweetness
Of the secret of the Lord?
Go and hide beneath His shadow;
And this shall then be your reward;
And whene’er you leave the silence
Of that happy meeting place,
You will surely bear the image
Of the Master in your face.

After singing that hymn, the congregation was ready to hear the Word.  Tim Keel moved a small podium to the head of the center aisle and immediately engaged the congregation.  He asked for people to describe ways we use the word “discreet.”  After several suggestions, Tim pointed out that the way of our culture is to create a scene whenever possible (think Tom Cruise).  Even bad publicity, he said, seems to be effective in stretching a person’s 15 minutes of fame to 16 or 17.  He then moved into a discussion of how “hiddenness” is used in the Scriptures.  Effective counterpoint.

I noticed how much Tim encouraged participation in the sermon.  In addition to the opening “discreet” question, he also asked the congregation to recite the Scripture passages projected on the screens.  All were invited to join in the common prayer at the end followed by moments of silence.  This was not a performance of a “speacher,” to use Doug Pagitt’s term, but a conversation with the congregation.  Tim started the sermon by stating that he was still “in process” concerning being hidden in God, so he didn’t present himself as the expert with all of the answers.  He placed himself on the same level as the congregation, both physically in that he stood among the congregation, and as a person on the spiritual journey of moving closer to God.

I was struck with the simplicity of this worship gathering.  The time was not littered with announcements.  Visual elements were placed on the screens, but there wasn’t visual clutter to distract the worshiper.  No offering was received (maybe something discreet that I didn’t see).  No pastoral prayer/monologue.  Scripture readings permeated the whole gathering.

Simplicity.  That’s what made the gathering so effective.  That’s what touched me the most.