Over the last few weeks I have been asked by several folk about my work in the Mind Body Spirit Fairs and Spirit of Life Exhibitions, and also in the wider spiritually awake but not necessarily God seeking culture...
Rather than repeating myself over and over I will post some links to what I have already said, and yes I do think this stuff is mostly still relevant, but as you will see even from these posts how we respond is important:
I have written loads more-including reflections on events on town fairs, but I will end with this link- Spiritual Hunger and worship....
"When you come looking for me, you'll find me. "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." God's Decree" (Jeremiah 29:13)
If you want to know more leave a comment, I'll get back to you :-)
My blogging friend Peaecbang had this as her Facebook status today:
"I think most ministers have grieving to do. Among other things, we bury a lot of our favorite people over a period of time...... What surprised me was that I had unresolved, unfelt grief about the ways that the church is changing, even as I have been an enthusiastic proponent and student of change..."
I too am an enthusiastic proponent of change, but that does not make change easy, nor does it make the proponents of change hard hearted; in fact I would dare to say that unless we can feel the pain of change then perhaps we should not advocate it!
Take removing pews as an example, most people would acknowledge that worship in the 21st Century needs (on the whole) a more flexible setting than pews can afford us, it is sensible to remove them. In our village setting this is not an issue for many folk, especially the younger ones, of the folk who have moved in, but for one or two those pews are placeholders of memories, and certainly in one small Chapel I have worked with it explains why the congregation sit in seemingly daft places- they spread themselves around the building and are reluctant to move and sit together because in their memories there are others seated around the building.In another Chapel the organ needs replacing, but the memories of organists now long dead mean that it is painful for some members to let go.
I am becoming more and more convinced that we need to tell our stories, to actively remember people, events and past glories, not as an excuse to prevent change but as a conduit to change. I return to the need for lament, we must lament the loss of key members, the loss of Sunday Schools and Eistedfords in order that we can embrace the new. Messy Church is not a Sunday School replacement and never will be, it is different, times HAVE changed we must not fool ourselves...
On Sunday as I have told in my previous post I told members of one of my Chapels of the need for radical change, the need to cease worship in their building, it is draining life from them; as I did so I wept, and I believe that somehow God gave me the gift of experiencing some of the grief that WILL be felt as we move towards such a drastic change. This change will need to be handled sensitively and carefully if it is to result in new life and growth...
I am currently pondering, with the aid of the congregation, the need for our stories to be collected and collated with pictures and personal anecdotes, not as I have said to glorify the past, but to celebrate it and to form a part of the foundation for our story- a local continuation of the book of Acts if you like. We base our lives in the stories of the Bible, which is for large chunks historical accounts of the journeys of the people of God, out local stories are no less relevant...
This morning I lead the annual Covenant Service for one of my smaller Chapels, when it came to the sermon I felt that I had to tackle the possibility of closure and it was painful. Now I didn't suddenly drop this on folk, it came about through prayer and conversations and reflecting together, but it had to be voiced and to saying nothing in worship but to simply put this on the Church Council Agenda seemed wrong!
Over many years this Chapel has been facing the same question, but eighteen months ago we decided to give it one last try with a project so big that it was beyond our natural capacity. In a sense we were throwing ourselves on God's mercy and grace; and God has been with us. The little fellowship gained a renewed sense of community, a renewed sense of hope, and a stronger confidence in God.....
...but at Church Council in February we will be voting on whether to close. Now when I say close I am talking about cessation of worship in the building, for the building is the thing that is sapping our life and strength. The church is not the building, and although the building has served the church well in generations past it does not do so any longer, in fact it is currently hindering the congregation and therefore the mission of the church.
We all know in our heads that the culture has changed, but when it comes to emotional attachments to places, maybe especially places of worship the reality and the nostalgia within us can clash violently. The word failure is then likely to be bandied around, but I think this is wrong, the building has served the church well, it is filled with memories of Sunday School Anniversaries and Harvest Festivals, of Christmas Concerts and Flower Festivals...
...but the community surrounding us has changed and in order to be a success in the future it is time to move on; taking the illustration of the vine from John 15 (a traditional Covenant text) I spoke of our need for pruning, we are worn out by trying to sustain something that is no longer fruitful or useful.
The Chapel members will probably move to a larger Chapel nearby, but I hope to encourage them to maintain a praying worshipping presence in their community, for while there is a trhiving Anglican Church I can understand their need to continue to do something together.If we had not tried to do something new together then I think that people would simply have drifted away, but as it is the success has not come in maintaining the building but by building the people together. That success would become endangered if we were to keep slogging away trying to maintain the deadwood of a crumbling edifice....
Now the Church Council may decide to try to keep on keeping on as they are, but I hope they won't I hope they will see their past successes, and their current position not as polar opposites but as evidence of Gods work to be celebrated. The new may look very different, but if we insist on clinging to the old then we will die. BUT, and it is a big BUT, I do not beleive that this is failure, this is being, or could be being active participants in transformation, not the end, but a new beginning:
24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. (John 12)
“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
Just love how this part of today's lectionary reading from Isaiah shows the strength and the compassion and gentleness of our God all rolled up in one:
10 Yes, the Sovereign LORD is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.
My letter to Mark Driscoll- I have up until now stayed silent on the subject- but this Blog post made me see red!
The full interview between Justin Brierly and Mark and Grace Driscoll can be heard here.
Dear Mark Driscoll,
I am a woman and a minister, in fact I have pastoral charge for 5 different Chapels! We do not have huge membership numbers but then we are based in small rural communities in the UK. That does not make us weak!
In the larger of the 5 Chapels 55% of the membership is male! That is unusual in rural England, but it is also true, they are godly men who love and serve God in a variety of ways. They range in age from 15 to 92, bringing to our fellowship the vibrancy of youth and the wisdom of years. They are not weak, nor are they macho misogynists, they respect and value the women in the congregation and they respect and value one another. Our Leadership team is a 50-50 split of men and women, we work and pray together , and we are seeing positive new growth taking place. Families are coming to join us, men, women and children, and we are welcoming them...
One young man has joined us in recent months and to our delight he has joined in fully with the life and work of the church, he is willing to help at Messy Church, assisting children with craft work and helping in any way he can. He is a beautiful role model for the children, and I see Jesus reflected in him as he welcomes the children.
Issues about sex and needs for sexual counselling are rare! It seems that my congregations are not fixated on things like pornography and masturbation in the way that you are. If a man were to approach me with a problem of this kind then I would ask one of my male colleagues to talk with him in exactly the same way that they would ask for my help should a woman approach them with problems of that nature. Your seeming assertion that all men need help in this way makes me wonder about your picture of manhood and question what kind of man you thought that Jesus was.
I make that last statement because I do not see a macho Jesus reflected in the Gospels, I see a Jesus who treated all with dignity! He was not afraid to let his tears be seen (think about his tears of Jerusalem and over Lazarus!). Yes he was challenging and forthright, but that was always tempered with love and grace and with a gentleness that I do not hear from your writing, or your preaching and speaking.
Don't get me wrong, I don't disagree with everything you say, but when it comes to women, especially women in ministry you have a really large blind spot. The fruits of the ministry of many godly women that I know and work with are evident for all to see! My suggestion to you is that you return to the Gospels re read them and ask yourself whether your ministry is modeled on the ministry of Jesus, for I suspect you will find it is not.
Oh and by the way, my gifts do not lie in baking or flower arranging, I am a preacher and an evangelist, and the last time I gave an appeal a number of people responded, and yes some of them were men!
May God bless you in your life and work.
Sally
A photo taken at my ordination at Liverpool Cathedral- and yes I wore dangly earrings and kitten heels!
As I said in my last post I preached (well actually led a conversation on) John 15: 1-11 this morning. It is a passage that means a lot to me, one of those pivotal passages that was the focus at a particular point in my journey, long before I knew much about different denominations etc... (I am not a cradle Christian, I am a convert, more here)...
At the time it was the emphasis on my need to be in the vine, or in Christ, to be connected to him to receive new life from him and to trust myself to his care that was the focus, and was much of the focus of our discussion this morning. But I found myself struck by verses 10&11:
If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
What struck me was the relationship between joy and obedience, if we follow God's ways then his joy is in us, not that he is pleased with us, though I am sure that he is, but that joy will be released within us!
Now I don't know about you but I struggle with the concept of obedience, but only because I read it as something narrow and confining and restricting, but as usual God flips things on their head and we find that obedience leads to freedom and joy...
This of course leads me back to the acknowledgement that I can't do it, so I have to trust in the one whose supreme act of obedience leaves me in awe-filled silence:
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2)
... and I am simply grateful that not only does he call me to follow him, but provides me with the strength and guidance that I need to do so:
I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will bein you. (John 14)
A part of our discussion today was whether the Christian faith has any claims to uniqueness or not, and as much as I value and encourage all forms of dialogue with others I have to say that for me it is unique. Jesus for me remains the way the truth and the life,the accounts of his his incarnation, death and resurrection are unique! The Trinity is both mysterious and also central to my faith ( the picture of a dance- perichoresis fires my imagination and feeds my soul), and the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life is freeing, transforming and yes frankly life and joy bringing...
I have found myself on a wonderful journey, a journey that has shown me that obedience is not narrow, that the love of God is not mean spirited or conditional- he loves me even when I choose to do my own thing! He loves me when I get it badly wrong and when I return like the father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son he flings aside any convention I might like to put in place, throws his arms around me and invites me to party!
So I find joy in a party throwing, dancing, joy filling life giving God, and I can find this joy in no other! So as much as it might make me squirm and want to rebel, today I will choose the path of obedience, for the path of obedience is the path of joy...
Tomorrow I will probably have to choose it again!
Finally annoyed as I am about this I love this song by Matt Redman, and it kind of sums up what my heart wants to sing!
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