New liturgy, engagement with
scripture, and careful attention to everyday life
Hello,
I’m Margaret D. McGee, the owner of this site, and I
write most of the material that appears here in the
courtyard. To find out more about me
and my work, visit my author’s web site,
www.margaretdmcgee.com.
Here In the Courtyard, you'll find prayers,
meditations, and other writings of mine that spring from
my relationship with the Episcopal church. These are
organized by the seasons of the church (Advent,
Christmas,
Epiphany, Lent,
Holy Week,
Easter, and the
Green Season). I'll
be adding new writings regularly.
Some of the pieces, such as litanies for holy days and
special services, are composed out of love for these
ancient and beautiful forms of liturgy.
Other material comes from a more contrary frame of mind,
expressing ideas and feelings the way I wish they could
be said in church, rather than the way they’re sometimes
heard.
The inspiration for such a piece might be simple
confusion. A phrase or sentence spoken at church makes
me think, “Huh? What’s that trying to say?” Language is
a living thing, and the meaning of words evolves over
time. Old meanings never completely go away. Instead,
new meanings and connotations build up over that
original little piece of grit like layers of pearl.
After a few centuries, familiar words of liturgy can
take on a hard luster that obscures the sense they were
originally meant to convey. I like trying to find
words that shoot to the heart of the matter.
In other cases, the inspiration for a contrary piece
might be real contrariness. Sometimes I feel the words
at church simply get the message wrong. When the message
seems designed to control my behavior, to keep me in my
place, to get me to live in someone else’s image of
right conduct rather than in God’s image of wholeness,
then I want to replace those words with ones that carry
more life in them.
Beautiful, time-honored forms that carry a lively
message in everyday, modern language. I hope you find
that tug-and-pull as inspiring as I do.
Besides new liturgy, In the Courtyard is also a place
for the stuff that gives energy, purpose, and meaning to
liturgy: engagement with scripture (see
Lectio + Haiku) and careful attention
to everyday life (see Margaret's
Bench).
I’d like to hear from you about anything you find In the
Courtyard. You can email me at
. It might take me a few
days to respond, but I do read all my email.
To be notified by email when new material appears on
this site, email us at
We will not share your e-mail address with anyone else.
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A courtyard is a place where paths
cross.
A courtyard changes with the seasons.
The idea of a courtyard is very old.
Thousand-year-old courtyards are still
in use today.
A courtyard exists in the present world.
In the court-yard, people wear everyday clothes and speak in their own
words, using common language.
About the Courtyard
