The PCUSA Pilgrim Pastor

As I was reflecting with my roommate on our Taize week, it dawned on me that this place became a type of spiritual detox or cleansing experience. I know folks who have been part of the Nutrisystem program. The first week is a strict regiment of fewer calories to kind of shock your system that something new is about to happen. It’s a way of cleansing away the old habits and preparing for new ones. When you want to start anew oftentimes it’s helpful to take some time to clear away what has accumulated from the past.

It took me an entire week to slow down the whirlwind of my life: to not check email as much, to sit in silence longer, to breath deeper, to walk a little slower, to leave margins for spontaneity when the opportunity arose (more about that in a minute). To cry a little and laugh more. To just. Slow. Down. My life has become such a race from sun up to sun down trying to squeeze everything in that I needed this time to detox my soul from the constant rushing around. This was a time to just be. So I did things like go to the local marketplace for some homemade chestnut spread that we mixed with goat cheese on fresh made bread (yes, it was as good as it sounds).

And I had a beer battered donut type snack on a stick cooked right in front of me.

But the marketplace wasn’t the only spontaneous thing I did. Monday I had heard that Taylor Swift was playing that night about an hour away. A few folks from Maryland had tickets and were planning to go. They had 2 extra spaces in their car. And the tickets were not that expensive. Now I’m not really a Taylor Swift fan. I could name maybe 3 of her songs. But the idea of doing something unexpected and fun, not to mention the legendary concerts that she performs, was appealing. I talked my roommate into it and we both went. My nieces were very jealous! This is a our group waiting in line for the shuttle bus to take us to the venue.

The stadium sat over 61,000 people.

I actually was part of setting a record that night for the highest concert attendance in Lyon for a female artist. The atmosphere was electrifying and the concert outstanding. We actually stood the entire 3 hour performance. It was a blast!

Perhaps that night gave me the freedom to do whatever presented itself at the time. For the rest of the week I engaged in long walks, the Silence Garden, and reflective worship. Friday we were in silence from 11:00 until 3:00. I actually enjoyed this time to just be.

Then came Friday night that brought all these experiences together. The brothers engaged in an extra half hour of silent prayer from 8:00-8:30 for peace. I don’t know if this is recent because of wars in the Ukraine and Palestine/Israel or if they’ve always done this. After 30 minutes of sitting in silence, they worshipped for the usual 35 minutes or so. But on Friday night something special happens. This cross is carried to the middle of the room and placed flat on the ground.

Anyone who wants to can gather around it on the floor kneeling and placing their head on the cross. The picture is what it would have looked like. This was completely optional but something I was curious to experience. In that moment of placing my head on the cross something just clicked. A wave of peace washed over me. Peace and tears. Surrendering to the One who loves me more than I take the time to experience. I told my small group that one of the reasons I was at Taize was to transform from a human doing to a human being. That moment at the cross was the beginning of something new.

I stayed in the worship space a total of almost 2 hours that night, my last night at Taize. The lights, the music, the people, the silence, the Spirit just filled my soul. I am so grateful to the brothers and the people who became companions on this first leg of my sabbatical journey. I am so grateful for this sacred place of Taize