Relearning contemplative practice in the
life of a worshiping church

An address given by Jamie Howison at
Telling the Truth ’07: a conference on the arts and the worshiping church, October 27, 2007, Victoria, B.C. This is a transcript based on the text as delivered, but is really only a shadow of its original self, in that it is missing the songs of praise and contemplation which Gord Johnson wove in and out through the address.

T

he title for this address can be attributed to a former Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, Howard Clark, who at some argumentative synod or gathering stopped the proceedings by saying, “Don’t just do something; stand there.” In other words, stop the words and the posturing and the combative entrenchment of what you take to be self-evidently true, and just be still for a bit… advice that might well be offered in just about any meeting of just about any church at just about any time. Of course, it runs counter to our basic instincts as children of the Western world; we are conditioned to do as our default setting.

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Jamie Howison on the truth – and cost – of liberation

I

have to admit that I almost hesitate to post this image of James Nesbitt’s painting “The Hospitality of Polycarp,” as it just does not begin to convey the power of the original. On a computer screen, the colour and texture of the painting are flattened and drained, while the reduced size – the original is about four feet across – badly compromises the viewer’s ability to actually see what the artist wants you to see. It is a bit like receiving a postcard of a great Impressionist painting from a friend who just has to share something of their experience of seeing the original in a gallery; the reduced reproduction can never capture the original.

Used with the artist’s permission

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