Sunday lunchtime

Good conversations to be had all over the place.
I just returned from a fascinating session on Sacred Space, led by Don and Martha Johnson and their friend Jeanne Heckman. They create Altar Pieces, based on a theme or metaphor that holds the key to that week's teaching. Examples can be seen here at their home church blog.
Don led us through a list of different ways to reinforce the text of the day, which I found fascinating, as i've been using a basically thematic method to plan worship for twenty years or more.
In this session I began to find ways to integrate the historical and traditional as well as the cultural diversity that's being encouraged by The Covenant.

Just a line about that: (more later...) I find it unusual that the Denomination is emphasizing cultural diversity and a multi-cultural approach when I find myself in a very white, anglo-american/swedish church in an overwhelmingly Caucasian area (New Hampshire). I'm enjoying the emphasis, it's just an unusual tension for me.