Thursday, September 29th, at 7 PM
Thursday, September 29th, marks the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels (known as Michaelmas) in our liturgical calendar. This evening we will have a special worship service in the style of Taizé at 7 PM.
Taizé (pronounced: tay-zay) is a prayerful form of worship noted for its simple yet rich and meditative character. The Taizé worship tradition finds its roots in the ecumenical French monastic community of Taizé, founded in 1940. This ecumenical community receives visitors from across the globe of many denominations and seeks to unite all forms of Christianity.
The Taizé service is a contemplative worship experience of meditation, reflection, liturgical readings, and music. There is no preaching, and the experience comes alive through the active participation of all assembled by focusing and deepening our faith through the power of prayer.
The heart of the body of music offered at this service often takes the form of ostinato (a simple melody that repeats over and over) and aims to center prayer. Simple in nature, Taizé music is designed to move our prayer from the head to the heart. If you have worshiped at a Sunday evening service at St. John’s, you have likely experienced one of these short chants.
This service provides time to get away from our busy week and experience the contemplative and quieting power of prayer.