Taizé Prayer Services are held at Crievewood UMC on the 4th Sunday of every month at 6pm
Since 1940, Taizé community in the southeastern part of France has focused on prayer and music through simply meditation and repetition of silence, music, and prayers. Three times each day this ecumenical community of brothers, sisters, and pilgrims is called by bells to worship. In the silence from work, chores, and the world, worshipers gather to thank, praise, and listen to God. At the center of each service, long moments of silence invite participants to encounter God.ii Surrounded in silence by hundreds of others participating in similar experiences, the communal presence supports each worshiper as they enter into this vulnerable and sacred space with God. Thus, the personal practice is enhanced and sustained through communal experience. Bringing people into relationship with the ‘other’ requires individual centeredness and communal support in order to be fully vulnerable. Participating in communal silence enables individuals to grow closer to God through listening and silence as a covenant group binds the community closer together.
In addition to silence, singing is one of the most important aspects of worship and short songs with few words and repeated so that the rhythms and meaning are embodied. The intention is for the words to permeate through the whole body and enable one to listen to God. Ultimately, the music allows all participants to pray and wait together indefinitely.iii The music is a vessel to carry the prayers from worship into the rhythms of daily life and service. For Christians, not only should worship of God and prayer flow rhythmically through daily life, but love of all in our midst should also be central features of the ebb and flow of life. This practice of prayer mirrors the rhythmic responses of doing justice and loving kindness that follow walking humbly with God.
More Information on:
The Taizé Community
Taizé in the United Methodist Church
Article by the United Methodist Church
Other Taizé Services in Nashville
