I had the pleasure of living in a castle in Wales with 50 new wonderful friends. Worship leaders from across the UK came together for what they call “WUKI” – the Worship UK Institute. What an amazing time. Besides great worship and getting to teach and learn with these folks, I also got to dance a Scottish jig (I did pretty well… guess I lived up to the name “McFee”) and have scones and clotted cream (oh, my). And get this… they had what they called the “Spiritual Spa” complete with neck and foot massages, prayer time, meditative music and movement. They really know how to have a retreat (I’m thinking of adding this to my own Elevation retreats!). The best thing, however, was the sense of “Selah” that became part of the fabric of our time. This word is found in scripture, primarily the Psalms, and is a mystery in terms of its meaning. It seems to be some sort of interlude, perhaps a direction for musicians. But it took on a life of its own at the retreat. “Selah!” we would say as an exclamation. And “Selah” we would whisper almost like an “amen.” Mostly it created a mystical connection between people and between people and God. My prayers are with all of you WUKI’s for many “Selahs” to come! Thank you for what you gave me. (See more pictures of my trip in the photo album in the right column and read on to download the communion prayer I created for the last worship service.)

The subtheme of WUKI was “Steeped in Mystery, Stirred in Praise!” I chose this because of my love affair with English teatime and what a wonderful ritual it is of steeping and stirring. It occurred to me that worship should also be a beloved ritual of being steeped in the wonder and mystery and also being stirred up in praise of God! Here is a download of the Great Thanksgiving prayer that I created using this imagery as well as some of the scriptural imagery used in the sermon that day. Worship designers, remember… your best friend is the wonderful structure of the ancient Great Thanksgiving prayer as you adapt using thematic imagery of the season or day. Enjoy!
Download great_thanksgiving_selah.pdf