The Light Service - 4th February 2018

For the last 18 months Beyond has been focussing on a programme of guest speakers on the first Sunday of each month which has been a fantastically rewarding experience.  We've heard from Nadia Bolz-Weber, Ian Adams, Stuart Townend & Iain Archer, Sally Hitchhiker, Richard Beck, Cole Moreton and Kester Brewin.  We've also had the Nine Beats crew come into town with an amazing gig by Revd. Vince Anderson and an evening of spoken word and music from Mark Scandrette and Heatherlynn.


Now we are returning to our core programme which is artistic events that aim to inspire, provoke, stimulate and give space for reflection and meditation.  The first of these was The Light Service on Sunday 4th February.




We've created light events in the past and this evening was a chance to put together some of the things that we've learned from these to create a 'service' that asks what it means to say that 'God is light and in Him is no darkness at all'.






We began by spending some time thinking about the nature of light and how fundamental that is to our existence.  This then moved into a time of considering darkness, both in our lives and literally as the lights in the space were all turned off.






After a period of confession and reflection we were exposed to different light experiences, beginning with a video of a light installation by Chris Levine entitled light.








Then everyone was invited to move around the space and simply experience the wonder of light through various installations that had been started up.  These ranged from disco glitter balls to a whole room full of Green laser light, fibreoptic lamps and a cluster of laserpods.




After 15 minutes of exploration of the wonder of light, we all came together to share the peace followed by a final reflection and the breaking of light (in the form of glowsticks) as a commitment to be those who bring light to others.







Our hope is that people left enlightened, illuminated and with a renewed commitment to being bringers of light to those around us.

We will now begin a series of Sunday evenings during Lent when we will be looking at different artistic interpretations of the Stations of the Cross.  7.30pm starting Sunday 18th February until Sunday 25th March.

We were in the dark before,

but now God has given us light.

We will live like people who have the light.

People who have the light do what is good and right and true.
For if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, 
we have fellowship with one another, 
and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.