Taizé

I attended a Wednesday night Taizé service tonight at a San Francisco church. It was an amazingly wonderful experience. The service was conducted in candlelight, and included a mixture of singing and readings. The singing was performed by a cantor, who rang out certain repeated phrases in a beautiful voice. The readings included some non-conventional texts, such as a passage from the Q'uran, a paraphrased version of psalm 51 translated by Nan Merrill, and a version of the Lord's Prayer that comes from the New Zealand Book of Common Prayer. This version of that prayer is:

Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-Bearer, Life-giver, Source of all that is and that shall be.
Father and Mother of us all, Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and for ever. Amen

I came away from that service feeling calm and refreshed.