Andrea and I are now back in Paris after a week in Taize enjoying the beautiful countryside of southern Burgundy. We drove from Chartres yesterday, where we spent the night, and this morning we took the train to Versailles, both of which were amazing. Tomorrow we are going to the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay, with a walk in between along the Champs Elysees. Thursday Andrea flies home, and I fly to Glasgow where I meet up with Kelsey before we head to Iona.
This was a low week at Taize-- only about 1,000 people (probably 800 under that age of 30). At peak they can have as many as four or five thousand. (The universities in Europe don't get out until next month). We were divided into age groups (29 and un
der; over 30), and assigned a dormitory and work detail. The basic schedule of the day was morning prayer at 8:30 followed by breakfast; morning Bible study or work detail; mid-day prayer followed by lunch; then afternoon Bible study, small groups, or work detail. Finally, dinner was at 7 p.m., followed by evening prayer at 8:30. (I figure in one week Andrea made up for two years' worth of missing church while she was at Simon's Rock!) There was about three or four hours a day of free time.
It was been really fun to travel with Andrea. We had so much fun driving through small towns and finding places to stop and look around-- the 17th century chateau in Cormatin, the 12th century Abbey in Cluny, the Cathedral in Chartres-- and of course, the many wineries in the Burgundy country side. What a beautiful place to spent a couple of weeks.
We had an incredible experience in Taize. We rented a car and drove from Paris, which was about a three and a half hour drive. We stopped for a wonderful lunch in a cute little restaurant in a small town after we got off the highway-- which was a good thing. The accommodations were comfortable-- both of us were in small dormitory rooms with bunk beds-- but the food was, shall we say, not quite up to the French culinary standards one 
might expect. We were glad to have a car so we could escape for a couple of hours each day and drive to one of the nearby towns or wineries; more than once we played hookie from dinner and enjoyed the local cuisine.
might expect. We were glad to have a car so we could escape for a couple of hours each day and drive to one of the nearby towns or wineries; more than once we played hookie from dinner and enjoyed the local cuisine. This was a low week at Taize-- only about 1,000 people (probably 800 under that age of 30). At peak they can have as many as four or five thousand. (The universities in Europe don't get out until next month). We were divided into age groups (29 and un
der; over 30), and assigned a dormitory and work detail. The basic schedule of the day was morning prayer at 8:30 followed by breakfast; morning Bible study or work detail; mid-day prayer followed by lunch; then afternoon Bible study, small groups, or work detail. Finally, dinner was at 7 p.m., followed by evening prayer at 8:30. (I figure in one week Andrea made up for two years' worth of missing church while she was at Simon's Rock!) There was about three or four hours a day of free time.Prayer was exactly as you might expect if you have experienced a "Taize-style" service in the U. S.-- there are lots of chant-like songs sung over and over, many with a cantor part or descant. We sang in many different languages-- Latin, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and English. Some songs had par
ts you could sing simultaneously in more than one language. We sat on the floor in a large, open sanctuary, filled with candles and icons. Most people sat on the floor. Some sat on kneelers. There were a few benches along the side for older people. The sanctuary was oriented toward the front, with a gently slopping floor, with large yellow and orange banners, like shafts of light or flames of fire, and a small altar filled with candles at the front. Between the songs there were long periods of silence, readings from scripture, and prayer. No sermon. Each morning they distributed consecrated bread and wine. On Sunday only they celebrated the Eucharist. There were several large LCD monitors that told you what song you were singing. Other than that there were no instructions or announcements of any kind. You simply followed along with those around you. Some of the songs were familiar, most were new to us. By the end of the week, we knew them all almost by heart. I'm not sure I am ready to ditch the Reformed tradition with our sermon, but the experience of this simple prayer and song was very effecting.
ts you could sing simultaneously in more than one language. We sat on the floor in a large, open sanctuary, filled with candles and icons. Most people sat on the floor. Some sat on kneelers. There were a few benches along the side for older people. The sanctuary was oriented toward the front, with a gently slopping floor, with large yellow and orange banners, like shafts of light or flames of fire, and a small altar filled with candles at the front. Between the songs there were long periods of silence, readings from scripture, and prayer. No sermon. Each morning they distributed consecrated bread and wine. On Sunday only they celebrated the Eucharist. There were several large LCD monitors that told you what song you were singing. Other than that there were no instructions or announcements of any kind. You simply followed along with those around you. Some of the songs were familiar, most were new to us. By the end of the week, we knew them all almost by heart. I'm not sure I am ready to ditch the Reformed tradition with our sermon, but the experience of this simple prayer and song was very effecting. The young adult and older adult Bible study worked pretty much that same way. One of the brothers from the community (there are about 70 brothers in all) introduced a text, along with some commenta
ry, to a large plenary session. There were maybe 200 older adults in all; the youth were divided into groups of about 150. Then you were further divided into small groups of about 7 to 15, according to language. The brothers led the plenary in English, with translation in various parts of the room into other languages.
ry, to a large plenary session. There were maybe 200 older adults in all; the youth were divided into groups of about 150. Then you were further divided into small groups of about 7 to 15, according to language. The brothers led the plenary in English, with translation in various parts of the room into other languages.Andrea was assigned to clean the sanctuary, which they did every morning-- vacuuming, replacing the candles, etc., so her Bible study was in the afternoon. She was the only American in an English language group, which was fun and challenging at the same time-- the other youth were from German
y, Sweden and Brazil, and all struggled with their English. She really enjoyed being with them, and was very pleased with the entire experience.
y, Sweden and Brazil, and all struggled with their English. She really enjoyed being with them, and was very pleased with the entire experience.My first morning at Bible study, Brother Luke was inviting people to say what country they were from. Germany was the largest group, but there were people from all over the world, including South America, Indonesia and Korea. When he got to the U. S., he asked what state we were from. I raised my hand and said I was from Washington, D. C. The person sitting next to me, who I had not yet glanced over at, put his hand on my shoulder-- and it was Rob Hardies, Pastor of All Souls Unitarian Church, one of my closest colleagues in the Washington Interfaith Network and a great friend. I knew Rob was in Europe too on sabbatical, but had no idea he was going to Taize-- and of course no idea he would be there the same week! What a small world.
Rob and I both joined the Spanish language group to practice our Spanish. This was great fun. There were two people from Spain (one of whom had completed PhD work at the University of Pittsburgh, so was the Spanish translator for the Bible study), 
and a Spanish speaking woman who lives in Switzerland, a Roman Catholic priest from Argentina, a woman from Brazil who spoke Portuguese (there was no Portuguese group, so ours was the closest), and-- believe it or not-- an Eastern Orthodox Monk from Bulgaria, who joined our group because no one else spoke Bulgarian (or whatever it is they speak there), and Spanish was his next best language! Plus me and Rob from the States-- a very interesting group. (Rob was only there for about half the week, so for the second half I was the only American, and the only Protestant).
and a Spanish speaking woman who lives in Switzerland, a Roman Catholic priest from Argentina, a woman from Brazil who spoke Portuguese (there was no Portuguese group, so ours was the closest), and-- believe it or not-- an Eastern Orthodox Monk from Bulgaria, who joined our group because no one else spoke Bulgarian (or whatever it is they speak there), and Spanish was his next best language! Plus me and Rob from the States-- a very interesting group. (Rob was only there for about half the week, so for the second half I was the only American, and the only Protestant). The Bible studies were pretty straight forward, with reflection questions afterward inviting participants to reflect on their own lives. These had the dynamics I have experienced before where you are very intimate with complete strangers-- in part because they are complete strangers that you can open up to and then never see again. By the end of the week you felt very close. I enjoyed their company immensely, and was very pleased with the opportunity to practice my Spanish with a theological vocabulary. To do so in the south of France was somewhat bizarre.
Except for Friday and Saturday there was no diversion from the daily routine. Friday night they laid a large icon of the crucified Christ on the floor and at the end of the service people came forward in groups and knelt in front of it, placing their foreheads on the cross. Then on Saturday night, at the end of the service, they lit candles to celebrate the resurrection. Except for these two changes, the services were the same each day.
It will be some time before I can completely process the experience, but I have a few preliminary thoughts. Part of the power of Taize is how little they say, how little they do, and how non-directive it is. The songs, the prayers, the Bible study, the small groups, are all pretty much what you make of it. It is almost totally opposite of the American Evangelical camp-meeting where you are harangued into thinking or believing or feeling or doing a certain thing. Here it is very gentle, and the model of the Brothers' own lives is really the only example. They make clear that from the beginning, when Brother Roger (the founder of Taize) harboured Jewish refugees during the Nazi occupation of France, that the life of prayer and the pursuit of justice and peace are deeply intertwined. How you work out that connection in your own life is up to you. There was nothing in the entire experience that came even close to any kind of judgement. The culture wars of the U. S. church were completely absent.
A second aspect of the Taize's appeal is its international character. There simply are few others places in the world where you have an opportunity to worship and reflect with Christians from so many parts of the world. For both Andrea and me this was the most powerful part.
We also realized that for many of the young Europeans, this was like summer church camp. It was expensive for Andrea and I to get there, but not for them. Taize is really cheap-- about $100 a week for youth. Certainly for the young Europeans part of the appeal of Taize was simply being away from home for a week with other young people their age. Andrea met a lot of young people who were not really very church related, and really seemed to have no idea what they were up to when they arrived. I imagine for some of them it was a life changing experience, and for others just a pleasant week spent with friends.
It was been really fun to travel with Andrea. We had so much fun driving through small towns and finding places to stop and look around-- the 17th century chateau in Cormatin, the 12th century Abbey in Cluny, the Cathedral in Chartres-- and of course, the many wineries in the Burgundy country side. What a beautiful place to spent a couple of weeks.
Our hotel in Paris is probably the coolest place we have e
very stayed. It is the sixth floor walk up in the Latin Quarter, exactly one block from Notre Dame, which we can see from our window! Just walking around the neighborhood is a thrill. And, of course, there are restaurants everywhere! (I am sure I have gained back every pound I lost in Guatemala, and then some!)
very stayed. It is the sixth floor walk up in the Latin Quarter, exactly one block from Notre Dame, which we can see from our window! Just walking around the neighborhood is a thrill. And, of course, there are restaurants everywhere! (I am sure I have gained back every pound I lost in Guatemala, and then some!) We've got another day
, and a few more great meals to go before we leave on Thursday.
, and a few more great meals to go before we leave on Thursday.
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