Second Coming

From Ikon

No one knows the day and the hour but we reckon you should be there for 19:30 on Sunday 29 October at St. Georges Church of Ireland, which is across the road from the Albert Clock.

To usher in this momentous occasion we will have music from Brian Houston and some reflections from Chris Erskin.

The Service

They made us wait for fifteen minutes in the vestry. No real explanation, but we know them well enough to know they are capable of extraordinary disorganisation. Kellie came and thanked us for our patience. We could look through the glass doors; inside some were milling about, some were seated. Yeah, they must still be setting up. Eventually the doors were opened and we walked into the darkened church. On screen, on loop, “IKON - Second Coming - Thanks For Waiting”. Hindsight has a way of embarrassing my inability to click at such blatant jokes.

Towards the front stood a table holding a plate of sand circled by candles, an elaborate hourglass, a clock, and a great pulpit-sized bible opened to The Revelation of Saint John. Lit candles were scattered across the floor. We took our seats in the front pews.

Five silent minutes passed, before someone from the front thanked us again for waiting. This church encourages silence with its icons and elaborate trimmings, but it was unusual for nothing to be happening. Another five, this time slightly uncomfortable minutes passed. Again someone stood and thanked us for waiting and promised a great service was planned and about to begin. The ambient music is all that kept us from cracking up.

Finally someone stood up, took to the crackly, muffled mic and, “before things got started”, read a parable - the tale of a prodigal father and the heartache and reactions of his two sons.

Then a pause, before Brian Houston took a seat at the front and pulled up his guitar. He spent a good five dramatic minutes tuning the thing before setting it back in the case.

On screen were images of bus stops, pedestrian crossing ‘WAIT’ buttons, arrival timetables... Another story was read, this time a story of Christ’s return. Of course, now it was all sinking in. Waiting.

A third person stood at the front and reflected on the transformation that occurs in waiting, the anticipation, the hope. And then, well, that was it – the service was over. Some left feeling short-changed (despite no entrance fee – ‘time is money’ after all), some left in a contemplative mood, and some left asking, “But when is Brian playing?”

Your response

I found this service existentially gripping! I think this might have been due particularly to the lack of words employed. Yet a lot of extensive concepts were engaged. Also, given the relatively slow tempo and all the seemingly long spaces, it would seem suprising that the service was wrapped up in about 50 minutes.

The person I brought had come for the Second Coming, and stayed with me for a lift home.