12.27.2006

"It is staggering that you would go to a rock gig and have your mind worked over..."

It would have made much more sense to post this at the time, but unfortunately I just found it today. Here's a week's worth of blog entries from Australia, written by the Rev Stephen Shearsby, children’s minister at St Paul’s, Menai, who attended all 7 U2 shows in Australia and posted a lot of personal, musical, and theological reflections on them. There's also an article about him here.

12.25.2006

You’re gravity searching for the ground
You’re silence searching for a sound

12.19.2006

Surfacing a comment

A commenter on an older thread about "Window in the Sky" [update: "Skies," sorry] asks:
Do we get any new picture of this song now that the video is on youtube? I love the video - does it interact at all with the reflections here? Are we simply seeing what "love" (rock and roll) has done? What about the images of children at the end?

Anybody have comments?

12.18.2006

Baptist

As Advent continues, here's an interesting find:a 1992 "U2 and John the Baptist" reflection published by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carandolet in their periodical "Spirit." Marred by a few typos, but worth a read. And people think Christians weren't talking about U2's work during the ZooTV era!

12.13.2006

Hear it every Christmas time

"Peace on Earth" seems to be the U2 song most widely used in the church (at least by preachers who post their material) this Advent. Thanks to Mark for sending me this link to another instance in his parish Christmas letter. Like Tripp, whose 1 Advent sermon I linked last week, he draws a parallel with a well-known poem by Longfellow. (Incidentally, as long as we're making reference to poetry, let's recall that the oft-cited line "hope and history won't rhyme" is essentially nicked from Seamus Heaney.)

Another briefer Advent reference to the same song comes up in this recent essay at The Ekklesia Project.

12.12.2006

"Midnight is Where the Day Begins"

Two more Advent and U2 links: first, a suggestion for Advent meditation by way of a U2 performance from Milan, and second, a brief homiletic piece which passes by way of "Lemon," yes, "Lemon." I do believe that's a first.

12.10.2006

:::catalyst:::

Interested to learn today that there is a second church doing a U2 series in December, catalyst in Kent Ohio, and oddly enough the series has the same title as the other one we've covered, "When Love Comes to Town." I sort of now have to half wonder if there is a worship planning resource out there that suggested this, since it also appears they are using at least some of the same songs as Granger. [Update: see the comments for a post from the folks at catalyst: no resource, an entirely independent decision.]

12.07.2006

Off topic, but gratifying

Hey, that dumb "every time I clap my hands an African child dies" U2 urban legend has now made it to Snopes, who have quite a plausible account of where it came from and how it developed.

12.06.2006

Granger Community Church U2 Christmas

A reminder for any who were interested in checking out what Granger Community Church is doing with their 4-week U2 series that video of each week's service, announcements and all, can be viewed here for one week (you can also listen, or read a discussion guide for small groups). I expect, as is often true, that our readers will have quite divergent reactions, but it would be hard to call them anything less than completely committed to their concept... down to things like a "heart" in the sanctuary and, uh, the pastor's tie.

12.05.2006

Honolulu December 9

A reminder of the upcoming INSPI(RED) night at the Aloha Stadium. If you're going to the U2 tour closer next week, don't miss the chance to participate!

12.04.2006

conjectural navel gazing: heaven on earth

Tripp writes to share his 1 Advent sermon using "Peace on Earth." There must be something very Advent-y about that song, since the sermon on it by Raewynne in our book is also from Advent.

[Update later: here's another liturgical use of the same song on the same day from The Story in Nashville TN.)