Grace | Be Do (be-attitudes vs do-attitudes) | 02-2010

A service exploring the apparent contradictions in what Jesus said and did, and our own biases. Do we only see the Christ we want to see? Participants were given red or blue glasses as they entered and were forbidden to take them off for the whole service.

The view through the blue glasses. Photo © Dean Ayres.

The view through the red glasses. Photo © Dean Ayres.

Around the church hung graphics and texts in red/blue overprints, so that people wearing one colour glasses could only see one set of texts/graphics. Texts/images in the opposite colour to your glasses appeared black, texts/images in the same colour as your glasses were almost invisible.

The overprinted texts were pairs of seemingly opposed statements by or about Jesus. One set emphasised "gentle Jesus, meek and mild", the other set emphasised Jesus as passionate, confrontational, even harsh. Photo © Jonny Baker.

So half the congregation were given a very different understanding of Jesus to the other half, and were only able to know about the hidden side by talking to people wearing the other colour of glasses. Joel Baker, in the Technics shirt, did all the graphics.

We concluded with an invitation to reflect on being and doing like Christ in the season of Lent. Looking at our reflections, wearing the glasses of bias, we were invited to take a red or blue marked wafer to signify that we needed the whole body of Christ, and not just the parts like ourselves.

We amused ourselves with the heads of the 'minor prophets' under the gallery.

This photo was used for the cover of the Church Times.

At Greenbelt in August 2010, we remade the service for the Big Top and 300 people. The hanging cards became projections.

At Greenbelt the service finished with a eucharist. This is the bread! In spite of appearances it simply tasted like normal bread. Photo © Dean Ayres.