The Anglican Chaplaincy of St. Andrew,
Costa Del Sol East, Spain
Taize Worship
Encounter God through Taize Prayer Service at Alhaurin during Lent (Part of our programme for Lent)
Brother Roger, who began the community in Taizé, liked to remind us, when the weeks before Easter arrived, that it was not a time of austerity or sadness, nor a period to keep guilt alive, but a moment to sing the joy of forgiveness. He saw Lent as forty days to prepare to rediscover little spring times in our lives.
At the beginning of the Gospel of St. Mark, Jesus calls those who listen to him to a conversion: “Turn to God and believe in the gospel.” Yes, during Lent we would like to turn to God for his forgiveness.
Lent can be a time of simplification, by simplifying our way of life it can help us discover our deepest longing, our thirst for the essential. During the period of lent, try living very simply, with few material things, and yet there is joy, and you discover that silence can do good.
In this way you can deepen your faith, which is a simple trusting. As believers we do not follow an ideal; we follow a person, Christ. We are not alone; he goes before us. Following him entails an internal struggle, with decisions to be made, lifelong faithfulness.
In this struggle, we do not rely on our own strength but we surrender to his presence. The road is not laid out in advance; it also involves welcoming surprises creating with the unexpected.
And God does not tire of taking the path with us. We can believe that communion with him is possible and never get tired of always having to resume the struggle. We do not persevere in order to present ourselves to God at our best. No, we agree to move forward as poor people of the gospel who trust in God’s mercy.
Lent is also a time that invites us to share. While he was in the desert, Jesus, moved with compassion for those who had followed him, multiplied five loaves and two fishes to feed everyone. What signs of sharing can we accomplish?
You can share Taize Worship together at 6pm in Alhaurin on the following dates:
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1st March 2020
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8th March 2020
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15th March 2020
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22nd March 2020
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29th March 2020
About Taizé
Taizé Community is an ecumenical Christian community in Burgundy, France. It is composed of more than one hundred brothers, from Catholic and Protestant traditions, who originate from about thirty countries across the world. It was founded in 1940 by Brother Roger.
Taizé has become one of the world's most important sites of Christian pilgrimage with a focus on youth. Over 100,000 young people from around the world make pilgrimages to Taizé each year for prayer, Bible study sharing, and communal work. Through the community's ecumenical outlook, they are encouraged to live in the spirit of kindness, simplicity and reconciliation.
Prayer in the Church of Reconciliation at Taizé
The community, though Western European in origin, has sought to include people and traditions worldwide. They have sought to demonstrate this in the music and prayers where songs are sung in many languages, and have included chants and icons from the Eastern Orthodox tradition. The music emphasizes simple phrases, usually lines from Psalms or other pieces of Scripture, repeated and sometimes also sung in canon.