and they gazed at the stars

Whenever a discussion turns to topics such as, "how can we rethink the way we do worship," I usually throw out a few ideas that I have been churning in my head. Most are just a new twist on old things, such as incorporating more participatory aspects into worship (i.e. town hall style discussion, musical meditation, incorporating art or creative writing somehow, etc). I probably wouldn't think about completely shifting locations and incorporating something that I enjoyed, which is why I think what I just found is awesome!

I blog-hopped my way to a couple of new sites today, and while reading through some comments on the topic of coming up with innovative worship, one idea just jumped out at me. Check it out...

we went star gazing with our church last night...

How inspiring is that? Being outside on a beautiful night, taking in the vastness that is creation, and incorporating artistic, musical, and scriptural components. And more importantly, the overriding theme was that the community worshipped together - they went through the experience together. I think this is such a interesting break from the norm. I could definitely see adapting this to other kinds of outdoor activities - at the moment, hiking seems to be the one forefront in my mind; though a quiet, grassy clearing would probably work just as well.