Worship under the Southern Cross: Cosmos and liturgy down-under

What does it mean to worship God under the Southern Cross? Is it any different from any other place on the earth? How does the antipodean particularity of the cosmic horizon impact, form and expand our understanding of the nature of worship, the God who is worshipped and the character of the worshipper? This article explores these questions through an extended reflection on the relationship between cosmology and liturgy within an Australian setting. The cross that shines as a light is different from the cross of Calvary but of course related. The impress of the land is felt keenly; the vastness of the sky generates awe. One consequence is that the remarkable variety of Christian traditions and backgrounds that contribute to Australia's and diverse peoples has to be recalibrated in relation to the cosmic particularities of the place. Inherited traditions undergo an inevitable transformation. This points to some deep commonalities across Christian liturgical traditions as well as continuing differences. The task of Christian liturgical inculturation cannot afford to ignore the nature of the place in which worship is offer, under the Southern Cross.