They’re Gonna Put Me In The Movies...
There is an old Country Western song with
these lyrics: they’re gonna put me in the movies. They’re gonna make a
big star out of me. They’re gonna put me in the movies and all I gotta do is
act naturally. Which is so ludicrous, of course, because cameras
naturally make us uncomfortable and it is a struggle to act naturally.
When the idea was first presented to me about doing some filming for our
commercial on Sunday morning everything in my Episcopal bones wanted to set
my heels in the ground and say ‘no way!’ I was brought up to believe that
worship is a sacred time and not a production. I’ve even been known to stop
baptismal, wedding and even funeral services when people are using flash
photography and explain this very fact. Why, I asked myself, would we even
think of allowing a camera to roam around the church during our most sacred
time together. It was an inward struggle as something kept telling me that
we needed to do this. It wasn’t until later that day that I understood why I
would ask the people of God at All Saints’ to make this sacrifice. I met a
woman in a restaurant who, observing my collar, asked me what I did. When I
told her that I was at All Saints’ Episcopal she immediately asked me if
that was a Christian church! I’m not sure she believed me when offered my
assurance that we were, indeed, Christian. I have heard of others having
similar experiences as we try and share with others the unique experience of
the Episcopal Church in general and All Saints’ in specific. We have been
given a wonderful gift at All Saints’ with our liturgy, music and
community—our liturgy is the hallmark of our life together. It is something
that cannot be staged or posed, it is an experience that happens only when
we are together and in communion with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Others need to get a glimpse of our genuine experience if we are carry out
our calling of going forth to proclaim the Gospel to all nations (even the
nation of Tupelo!).
All this to say that, on Sunday, September 7, at the 10:30 service, we will
have a camera in the sanctuary to film a television commercial. I fully
understand those of you who do not wish to participate, but, I encourage
those of you who can find it in your heart to share your experience of
worship with the rest of the community to be present and ‘act naturally.’ I
am meeting with the person filming the commercial and asking them to be as
unobtrusive as possible – especially during the liturgy of the table and
people as they take communion. For those of you who cannot participate in
this, I encourage you to attend the 8 AM service or the Wednesday, noon
service and make your weekly communion at that time.
--Mother LaRae+
