Opening Worship, or: How to be Two Places at Once

Ok, so I admit it, I was a skeptic.

The opening worship service at General Assembly is always a high moment of GA. Thousands of Presbyterians, gathered with tremendous music, meaningful liturgy, and an electricity enough to light up 11,000 churches, or thereabouts.

This year, though – San Jose didn’t have a space big enough to hold us all – so our worship was held in two locations, about a mile apart. Surely this wouldn’t work – surely we’d feel separate. Surely we’d miss out on the intensity of the Spirit.

I am happy to report that God’s loving, exuberant, alleluia-awesome Spirit is at least a mile wide.

Coming together beautifully, almost to the second, the two locations worshipped in sync. The Moderator of the 217^th Assembly, Rev. Joan Gray, preached in one location, and made her way to the other in time for Communion. Who says you can’t be in two places at once. (Well, almost.)

Rather than recount the whole experience, a task at which I’m sure words would fail, allow me to share instead the words of our Gathering Prayer. (There is no citation, but I’ll try to track it’s author down…)

O Majesty, O Magnificence, O Mystery, come!

Be earthquake, and shake our indifference.
Be sun, and splinter our shadows.
Be wind, and scatter our despair.

In the dry countries of our soul—
let your grace rain freely and fully.

Make of us stout branches, strong in all seasons—
bearing good fruit, giving shade to the weary, hope to the grieving, and shelter to those who are lost!

May we be channels of peace!
Where there is hatred, may we bring love; where there is injury may we offer pardon; where there is despair may we embody hope; where there is darkness may we be bearers of light!

O Divine Lover,
Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love those around us.

For it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is through kindness, justice and humility that we are
brought into unity with God’s abiding Spirit!

O Sacred Challenger, in you all struggle is reborn to strength, all pain is remolded to promise, all wounds are re-created to wholeness. Hold us in your love—and help us to be ever-present to your resurrective movement in our midst and your radical mission in our lives. Amen.

Indeed, may it be so. And may that Spirit that stretches across more miles than we’ll ever know go the long journey with us all.