Comments on: Finding your voice

By: Edna

Edna — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:38:18 +0000

You and Eric both make good points. As one sitting in the pews I am affected by the sincerity, or lack there of, of the prayer leader. This is what needs to be transmitted in the voice, tone, projection etc. more than anything else. If those you are leading through and into prayer feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in your words and actions you are on the right track.
I appreciate your words about the woman who conveys her prayer through her speaking. I am encouraged by this gift and also pretty sure it takes a certain amount of years and wisdom to achieve it.

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:12:44 +0000

I appreciate the need for sincerity in our prayers, but I must disagree with the notion that we must make the presentation of our prayers mundane.

I believe one of the primary goals of the liturgy is to elevate ourselves beyond the worldly and encounter the sacred. During the Mass, we sing songs we don’t normally encounter in secular life, we wear sacred garments, and we should also speak with an awareness that what we are doing is sacred.

Jews have Hebrew for their sacred language, Muslims use Arabic, and for years Christians had Latin. The only time I speak Latin, for example, is when I’m serving Mass. I’m also quite certain that the way I speak it in Church is different than I would speak Latin on the streets.

In the Anglican tradition, this distinction is achieved through Prayer Book English.

I would encourage you to notice that when you feel self conscious about your tone, etc. that you realize you have a unique responsibility to bring the Sacred into the lives of your flock.

By: Melinda

Melinda — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:06:49 +0000

A common affliction among yoga teachers too. One of the best pieces of constructive criticism I received during teacher training happened in the first weekend. “You have a very soothing voice, but it doesn’t sound like your real voice.” What a revelation! Fortunately I had only been teaching about 6 months at the time so it wasn’t completely embarrassing.

And fortunately I did not change my accent. One student told us a story. He was a in a class where the instructor lead the centering and invocation in perfectly normal voice (he was American) and then starting leading class in an Indian Accent!

So as you find your voice, watch out for the Anglophile