My favorite worship visit I made while on sabbatical was attending mass at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Yep, the gran-ma-ma of all Christian churches. While touring the church, we noticed a few people being let through the velvet ropes to go to the altar, and asked if we could go too. The docent said 'mass begins in 5 minutes, anyone may attend if you stay for the entire service.' We put our heads together as a family - "it will be in Latin and Italian (con) but we haven't worshipped with other people in three weeks (pro) and its freaking St. Peters (big fat pro)." So we went.
It was worshipful for us, even though we understood little of the verbal content. What kept it worshipful for me was the massive Bernini sculpture over the altar. It represents the Holy Spirit as a small, gentle dove. Yet from the dove emanates brilliant Light in every direction. The center of the sculpture allows sunlight through, the natural light morphing into gold shafts outward into the congregation. As we worshiped, the sun was directly behind the cathedral, thus the light was brilliant, changing, captivating. Whenever I began to be distracted due to not understanding the service, I simply gazed on the sculpture and meditated on the Holy Spirit.
The moment of power for us was the Apostle's Creed. Even in Latin we knew this was the time and way to express our common faith in Jesus with these Roman Catholics and others from around the world. When it was time for communion, we respected their practice of not partaking since we are not Roman Catholic (I am equally offended by this ongoing ecclesiastical lack of charity toward other Christian denominations, as I am by Southern Baptists ongoing practice of requiring new members who haven't been baptized in a baptist church, but have in a Catholic or Presbyterian church for instance, to be re-baptized upon joining).
As I meditated on the Spirit that day, I dreamed of a Post-Protestant/Catholic worship service to be held in that very spot. Here was my dream:
Start just like it did, with the procession of clergy, incense (biblical tradition representing the presence of God and the prayers of God's people) as a form of God's people gathering for worship. As Catholic and Protestant clergy process, ambient lighting (I saw blue) slowly rises, thrown on the walls and ceiling - a slowly moving hazy blue that expresses the incense from the censor all around the room, calling our senses to worship the presence of the Lord of Beauty.
All recite the Apostle's Creed as the basis of our common faith (establish the essentials of our faith on which we agree). In however many languages are present. With a slow backbeat rising as we speak.
The Lake Forest Worship Band steps out, the backbeat was an ambient intro-loop to this song: we all sing Kyle Dillard's 'Creed' song with hands upraised. Its loud without cacophony, without drowing out the congregation's voices. We are now immersed in the smells (incense) sight (lighting and HOly Spirit sculpture) and sound (music and voice of worshipers) of the worship of the living God.
A Greek Orthodox priest then chants their most ancient of worship anthemns and prayers, the congregation joins in. Prayer is back and forth from priest to people (lyrics from bulletin for songs and creed and scripture).
The music quiets to a dubstep backbeat. Individuals from the congregation step to a mic and pray for our world, for the church, for the spread of the gospel, and praise God. While the rest of the congregation kneels in unity.
A catholic hymn is sung, then another modern worship song.
Me and the priest preach it old school like peter and paul, back and forth like RunDMC and Aerosmith in the 'Walk This Way' video. On whatever biblical passage we've chosen for the day. I manage to sing a line from an '80's song, rap a line, and shed a tear just so we can say those things happened in worship in St Peter's.
We then celebrate communion (the way I did at a Catholic Protestant wedding - i served the LFC groom, the priest served the St Mark's bride) and finish with a huge celebratory modern worship song.
Then I woke up and it was time to finish our tour.
