A series of reflections in words and music from the students of Westcott House.
Whilst I was an ordinand at college the admission ‘I’m training to be a priest.’ brought forth a whole range of responses- from utter disbelief, to mild bewilderment to intense curiosity. I remember being introduced to a group of people at a party as ‘a trainee vicar’- the group gazed at me in silence and then one girl said in an awed voice- ‘Wow, that’s like, really radical’.
It is this sort of response which prompted a Westcott student to think about how we might engage in conversation with people we meet who ask ‘what sort of person trains for the priesthood?’. In doing so he and others began to see the missionary potential in describing our encounters with God.
Through telling our story we hoped that other people, both those who attend church regularly and tentative enquirers, could think about the glimpses of God discernable in the experience of ordinary life. In this way we saw responding to the curiosity factor as a perfect opening for us to tell our story, and the story of our faith.
In the Easter term of 2004 some of us in the House met to think about how we might engage in this process; we wanted to do something which might draw on the tremendous musical talent that lay within the community and on the rich experiences that had led us to theological college. We decided to produce a CD of spoken reflections interspersed with musical pieces. The musical pieces are designed to complement and enhance the spoken reflections that precede them and to allow time for some of the words to sink in. I like to think of it as a time when listeners can chew the cud and so aid digestion.
The brief given to contributors was simple- describe in any way you choose an experience of an encounter with God. The response we had was amazing we were constantly moved both by the expertise and talents of students within the community, and by the variety of experience which has led people to Westcott House. What emerged is a series of reflections which have a unity we had not designed. On listening to the CD you will find people talking about the way God has touched them in the very colourful mess of everyday life- in experiences as varied as being at the bedside of a dying relative, breastfeeding, dancing and illness. In this way the CD represents a very embodied experience of God and this is one of its great strengths. We hope to have shown that the sort of person who trains for the priesthood is not someone who is remote from the business of birth, death and everything in-between but in fact is someone who is moved to question God and be touched by God in and through the stuff of everyday life.
You may like to listen to this CD during Lent, marking the time when Jesus Christ was driven into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. All of us involved in the production of the CD were led to recognise the movement of the Holy Spirit- both in the experiences of the contributors and in the way that the CD came together as a unique expression of our many-voiced answer to the question ‘What sort of person trains for the priesthood?’. In listening to this CD some listeners may see that ‘the sort of person who trains for the priesthood’ is someone just like themselves.
Mother Sarah
‘Glimpses of God’ is available from the parish office, priced £8, of which £3 will go to Hampstead Parish Church.
Suggestions as to how you might listen to the CD can be found on the Westcott House website on page: http://www.westcott.cam.ac.uk/westcottcd2.html
Some responses from those who listened to the CD:
‘Fresh and innovative… a stimulus for fruitful meditation’ Richard Chartres, Bishop of London
‘Glimpses of God shows that extraordinary things are possible from a relatively small number of people with relatively limited resources. Spoken words, testimonies, instrumental and choral pieces are drawn from a huge variety of sources and combine to create a remarkable atmosphere of reflection and challenge. Throughout, the standard is professional, with first-rate recording and presentation, yet the whole CD comes across as relaxed, unforced and accessible. This is a unique achievement that will doubtless lead many to glimpse God in fresh and enticing ways.’
Jeremy Begbie, Associate Professor of the Institute for Imagination, Theology and the Arts at the University of St Andrews and Associate Principal of Ridley Hall, Cambridge
‘In this moving CD we are shown ways of encountering God through all our senses and the ordinary things which happen to us. It is both deeply spiritual and deeply practical because the participants are so open and honest about their thoughts, feelings and experiences.’ Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales
Glimpses of God
Glimpses of God