Taylor Swift and Transcendence.

 Whatever your hand finds to do, do with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.

Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift(ie), nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the skillful, but time and chance happen to them all. For no one can anticipate one’s time. Like fish taken in a cruel net or like birds caught in a snare, so mortals are snared at a time of calamity, when it suddenly falls upon them. 

                 Ecclesiastes 9: 10-12 NRSVue

Two weeks ago our daughter in Toronto got word from a friend in Ottawa that a block of tickets had been opened up for one of the Taylor Swift concerts in Toronto and she had been contacted because she was on the waiting list for purchase. As a young mom living 450 kilometres from the Big Smoke it wasn't in the cards for her to attend. Would Emily and husband Brad be interested? I'm not sure that Emily is a Swiftie but she decided that she couldn't pass up the chance to be part of a global cultural phenomenon, at ticket face value no less, so her answer was an immediate yes. This is about the music and so much more. 

The next day report was that it was an amazing, maybe even awesome experience even though they were in the nose bleed section of a stadium with 50,000 others. These concerts are a of spectacle bordering on transcendence yet they also create intimacy and kinship. This resonates with the megachurch experience, often highly orchestrated and designed to engender awe. The sort of worship experience offered by so many dwindling congregations may include the intimacy and kinship aspects, although sometimes they can feel like closed clubs. 

Neither of us feels even the slightest envy of Emily and Brad or their 300,000 new BFFs (50,000 x 6 concerts) yet I do appreciate what could be described as the spiritual hunger of the "congregations" for these spectacles. 

I think of the late Christmas Eve services in various congregations I served where we lit candles at the conclusion and walked outside to sing Silent Night. It was always special. At the Swift concerts attendees held up their wrists so their Apple Watches could illuminate the darkness. I do prefer "old school" -- take that fire marshalls. 

We're off to church shortly and I'm praying that there are no pyrotechnics Too many church buildings burn down without them. 

The verses above (David Mundy translation) are the best I could do to make a Taylor Swift connection!