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May 14, 2006
Keeping God in?
A somewhat late post on a somewhat busy day, so I will keep to a short thought for the day!
The picture below shows the restored medieval Rood Screen in the church at Avebury, Wiltshire. Originally the common populace were not permitted beyond this screen - it was an all too real barrier between the sacred and the profane. On the one side, the clergy, clerks and perhaps the odd wealthy benefactor - on the other, furthest away from the altar and thus from the "throne" of God in any worship, were the ordinary people.
The magnificent medieval rood screen in Avebury - a barrier between God and the laity in medieval times.
Thankfully the thinking that erected these screens is now a distant memory and we have returned to welcoming all comers, lay and clergy alike into the presence of God. Of course, it is, and always will be, a moot point as to where one can or will encounter God - since it is He who determines the place and any effort on our part to confine Him or His Holy Spirit is doomed to failure. Theses screens are now curiosities, they make some of these beautiful old churches very difficult to use - and they serve as a reminder of just how little we really understand God or His sacred purpose.
Beyond the Rood Screen tucked into an ancient chapel is this beautiful little organ with it's decorated pipes - note too the "collegiate" seating on the right of the picture for the clergy with their backs to the congregation!
Once all our churches were divided by these screens, some still exist in cathedrals, but the vast majority have been destroyed and while we may regret the loss of some of our history in the process, we can only rejoice in the fact that their passing signalled the realisation that God cannot be confined and that it is the whole people of God that makes up a congregation - not just the clergy!
Praise the Lord for that!
Posted by The Gray Monk at May 14, 2006 10:03 PM
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