ran·dom [ran-duhm]
– adjective
proceeding, made, or occurring without definite aim, reason, or pattern

cog·i·ta·tion [koj-i-tey-shuhn]
– noun
concerted thought or reflection; meditation; contemplation

me [mee]
- pronoun
someone jotting down thoughts, reflections, meditations and contemplations with no definite aim, reason or pattern.

I hope you find it useful...

Sunday, 3 February 2008

a perfect evening

Last night, we went to "Symphony Under The Stars" - the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra playing at Elder Park. It was a magnificent night for it...


The sunset was amazing, the ASO were spot on, there was a light breeze, so it wasn't too hot, not too cold.

As the orchestra played, I wondered why more has not been written about the concept of the Church as orchestra - there are so many parallels:
  • Everyone needing to play their part
  • No part more or less important than any other
  • When they work together, the music is beautiful and awe-inspiring
  • Sometimes it's your turn to shine, sometimes you need to allow others to step to the fore
  • As you follow the conductor, things stay in synch
I was also struck by the parallels between the impact of the orchestra and the church on the people around:
  • There are numbers of people who are pretty much unmoved by the music (eg "I'm just here to pick up...")
  • There are others who think it's all about them, not about being moved by the music of the orchestra
  • There are some who simply talk and miss the whole thing
  • The orchestra continues playing, in the hope that in the end, people will be moved by the music
I'm sure there are lots of other thoughts, but there's some to get someone started - I'm sure there's a book idea there somewhere...
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2 comments:

  1. Anonymous3 February 2008 at 17:12

    Great photos Nath.

    I seem to remember that your wish for "orchestra" to be used more as an image of church was fulfilled in the 70's and 80's. A number of ecclesiologists used that image to describe the church with all the implications you have identified (though I cannot lay my hand on any of the articles now).

    I actually think that it got overdone, and that's probably why the image has been lost.

    To my mind, it is time to revive it. So I hope that others who read your blog will share it with their communities.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nate Vawser12 February 2008 at 23:43

    Yeah, I did a search for some comments on the church as orchestra - I figured there was no way I was the first to have thought of it, but I couldn't find anything either.

    ReplyDelete

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