Possible Worlds: Manchester Science Festival 2011

Sanctus 1 will host Manchester Science Festival's first ever church service.

Possible Worlds will be a celebration of God and science, in which scientific themes and achievements will be explored from the point of view of an inclusive Christian faith that is constantly reinterpreting itself in an ever-changing modern world.

Expect neat visuals, experiential ambience and a space for personal reflection and discussion.

At venues across Greater Manchester from 22nd to 30th October 2011, Manchester Science Festival will celebrate its 5th birthday with a packed programme of comedy, art and family fun. Highlights include Polar (epic footage of the Polar Regions with the Manchester Camerata playing live), BBC One show presenters testing science theories in the Campfield Market Hall, experimental space evening with comedienne Helen Keen, and a series of Oxford University Press authors at Blackwell's bookshop.

The Science Festival is committed to experimentation and reaching new audiences - we hope our unique church service for the festival does just that.

Join us for Possible Worlds at Nexus Art Cafe on Wednesday October 26th 2011. Doors open at 7.30pm with the one-hour event starting at 8pm. Admission is free, so get there early! See more on this and other events on the Manchester Science Festival website.

Pic: taken at Manchester Museum (Sanctus 1 logo embedded later)

Popcorn Jesus: Don't mess with Sister Meryl Streep

This week, we showed several clips of Jesus in the movies. One was a great scene from The Boat That Rocked (stolen shamelessly from Luke Walton's excellent talk at Greenbelt 2011) and there was also this amazing clip from Doubt where a priest accused of plying a child with wine is confronted by a steely Meryl Streep.

Two great bits: when he demands to know what she has seen, and she says that's irrelevant. And the clash of proof versus certainty where she declares, with terrifying power, "I have my certainty." It's one of the best explorations of faith in the visible you'll ever find at the flicks.

When a piece of wood is more than a piece of wood and a table is more than a table

Last week we looked at how a table can represent different aspects of our lives. It's a functional place, set aside for specific tasks but it also becomes a place of meeting experience, a place to meet God, a place to reflect on Jesus in our actual world.

The dinner table is a place where we satisfy our basic need to eat and drink. But is also a place we meet family and friends: a place of engagement. There are also huge social expectations associated with this table of how to behave. Who sets the rules? Why? How does this reflect social exclusion of who is in or out? Jesus ate with sinners, prostitutes, the unclean and tax collectors. Who would you invite to your table?

The work table is where we spend most of our time. Who do we meet here we don't meet elsewhere? What do we have in common? How is your work life integrated with the rest of your life to give it meaning? Jesus worked at the plane and the lathe, and called people from their place of work. Do you have a sense of call at work? Does Jesus call you to doing or be something different at work?

Table tennis is an example of table used for play, but it could be a sewing table, pool table or card table. This is the place where you choose to be; this is our time, our choice. How do you spend it? Do spend it in a way that is constructive or destructive? How does it fit with the rest of your life? Is prayer a chosen occupation? If you had just one more minute extra today, how would you spend it?

The fourth table was an operating table or a table at a morgue. A place where we meet the darker side of life, those in pain, dying or dead. A place where we would rather not be but a place were we will ultimately end up. A place where we sanitise our society by placing it apart in hospital or hospice. But Jesus' experience of the tomb was new life and new meaning. Who do meet at this table or who do you fear to meet?

Finally comes the communion table or altar. A table set aside for a particular meeting. Not that we don't meet God elsewhere... but this table is set apart especially for that meeting.

As we have seen, we meet many different people around a table, so is it any wonder that we meet God around a table? Jesus, who gathered his friends around a table to share bread and wine, body and blood. We shared these things at Sanctus 1.

Popcorn Jesus: this Sunday and Wednesday at Sanctus

Sunday (tomorrow) at 10.30am and Wednesday at 7.30pm at Nexus Art Cafe.

Small print: the Jesus pictured may not be making much of an appearance due to little ears being present!

Riot walk: graffiti-ing Afflecks

Sanctus was really riotous this week. Well as riotous for Sanctus 1 anyway.

With the city centre riots still being fresh in our minds here in the Northern Quarter, we offered ourselves to walk the riot-torn streets and pray and reflect on what we saw. It must be said that streets don't look riot-torn at all, so don't worry about coming into join us next week.

We reminded ourselves of the situation here a month ago by viewing some YouTube footage before putting on the armour of God and venturing out into the wider world of the city centre.

We walked to Piccadilly Gardens, the meeting point for many involved in the riots, and lit a joss stick as a sign of purification.

Then, we moved on to Miss Selfridge, reflecting as we went on how casually the arson seemed to ignite the store. Outside the Arndale Centre on Market Street, we speculated on the nature of what we all do in dark places were we cannot be seen (to reflect our recent dark & light services) and then Sunday people walked to the wall of post-it-notes, a place were people felt free to express themselves about the situation.

Was this sacred space? Set aside for a reason?

And finally outside Afflecks Palace we did 'clean graffiti' - we wrote our messages on the wall, with water that would not stay. Very daring! For most of us this felt very risky, especially with the police helicopter overhead and the community support officer walking by. I don't think any us of could really riot, but we can pray.

Next week a tabletop service...

Picture: Manchester Evening News