Eternal Echoes

thinking outside the box (or trying to)

I don't even know how to begin this post, it comes from so many things that a stirring within me that and I have no real idea where it will go....

OK I'll start with this; this last weekend I gathered with a group of friends who are involved in ministry to the New Spirituality/ Pagan/ spiritually seeking arena; no surprises there I guess. I left that gathering (it is hard to call it a conference for it was so unique), with a sense of reconnection and joy but also a sense of frustration with myself, I'd wanted to say something, but I hadn't really had time to work it through within myself in order to present it coherently.

I  had wanted to ask questions about the way we might use the sacraments in a way that connected with the culture, told the story of Christ from creation to re-creation, and offered a physical, tangiable yet spiritual response. My thinking had been primarily centered upon the bread and wine of communion, but offering baptism might also be a possibiltiy...

Now I am not suggesting an unthought out rush into the local market place or shopping centre, but I am suggesting that there are occassions and contexts where we are able to share the story of God in the world, from creation to re-creation, the incarnation, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, and we need to give people the opportunity to respond...

Imagine setting out to tell the story of God at a town festival, a music festival or something of that kind, tell the story in an imaginative and creative way, and people gather to listen. How then do we invite them to respond? They could come forward and recieve a tract, and prayer, and maybe those things are good, or we could break bread together...

Jesus did just that with the 5,000 who had gathered to hear his teaching, they were hungry, physically and spiritually, and recognising their hunger as a whole hunger Jesus fed them; the action of taking, breaking, giving thanks, distributing the bread and fish are replayed and  brought to fullness in the last supper, where the bread and the wine took on holy significance...

Would we be offering holy things to people who don't understand, just think for a moment, at the last supper Jesus shared bread with one who betrayed him, one who denied him, and several who ran for cover and hid as the terrible events of his trial and crucifixion unfolded. They didn't understand, and lets face it , we don't understand the depth of love that gave and gives itself so freely even now, and yet we receive, and as we do we are converted as we enter into the transforming and renewing and recreating purposes of God.

How about the one who comes to us with an extraordinary experience of God, and on hearing their story we cannot deny that is was of God, do we demand that they attend classes to prepare themselves, when do we welcome and accept?

Now I am not saying that we should neglect discipleship, but I am asking whether the sacraments could be offered in an outside of the box , a tangiable, physical way for people to meet with and respond to what the Spirit is stirring in their lives.

I find myself rooted in a tradition that offers and open table, and yet I find that many people feel that they are unworthy and excluded, they voice a spiritual need and a spiritual hunger that is not met, and as much as we might think that the table is open many people's perception is that is is closed; and frankly the "body language" of church is unhelpful.

So what I am asking is how do we make something open really open? How do we do away with the boundaries and barriers in our minds, I wonder if we have replaced the temple curtain with communion rails  and service books... If we've re-worded the open invitation to all who want to respond in a language that is exclusive and incomprehensible to many....

On the day of Pentecost many responded to Peter's message:

Cut to the quick, those who were there listening asked Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers! Brothers! So now what do we do?"

 ^38-39Peter said, "Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away—whomever, in fact, our Master God invites." (Acts 2)

Whoever God invites we are to welcome, and as God's ambassadors he makes the invitation through us... (2 Corinthians 5), but we are not inviting people to jump through hoops, to conform and to become like us, we are inviting them to respond to the one who is living bread, and living water, who calls us to worship him in Spirit and in truth, to the one who has compassion on all that he has made, the one who loves completely, sacrificially and powerfully! Too often I hear people voicing a belief in a God who excludes and punishes with harsh discipline those who do not live up to his exacting standards, and I struggle to reconcile this God with the one I have come to know, the one who says to us:

^28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

and:

 ¹³"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

 ^14-16"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

None of this was said to people who "got it", invariably they didn't and they needed freeing from the rules they and others had made for themselves. When Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman at the well, she questioned him about the right place to worship, here is John's account of that part of the encounter:

" “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. ²⁰ So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”

²¹ Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. ²² You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. ²³ But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. ²⁴ For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”" (John 4)

Jesus broke down barriers and through boundaries, and opened a new way of worship, a new way of knowing God centered upon himself, and in doing so, set the good news free. I find this concept strangely offered again through a mathematical principle reclaimed as a missional model;  centered and bounded sets (many thanks to Steve Hollinghurst for introducing me to it). Frost and Hirsch pretty well sum it up here:

"In the bounded set, it is clear who is in and who is out (fences, not wells), based on a well-defined ideological-cultural boundary --usually moral and cultural codes as well as creedal definitions.. but it doesn't have much of a core definition beyond these boundaries. It is hard at the edges, soft at the center."

The centered set, on the other hand, "is like the Outback ranche with the wellspring at its center. It has very strong ideology at the center but no boundaries. It is hard at the center, soft at the edges. We suggest that in the centered set lies a real clue to the structuring of missional communities in the emerging culture.

"The traditional church makes it quite difficult for people to negotiate its maze of cultural, theological, and social barriers in order to get "in.".. and by the time newcomers have scaled the fences built around the church, they are so socialized as churchgoers that they are not likely to be able to maintain their connection with the social groupings they came from...

"We propose a better and more biblical way.. is to ... sink wells. If you sustain your connection with the water sources, you will find a whole host of people relating to Jesus from different walks of life. We allow people to come to Jesus from any direction and from any distance. The Person of Jesus stands.. at the center." (The Shaping of Things to Come)

So what am I saying about the sacraments? I believe that they open a door of powerful encounter with God, and that they can be used missionally, indeed that they are in some way;  for if it is the Holy Spirit who brings them to life, who are we to deny that gift to people wanting to respond to God, no matter where they are on their journey? Maybe we need to learn to become wellkeepers rather than spiritual bouncers....

 

 

 

Friday Five; mission impossible

 

 

Over at revgals revkjarla  says: I am in mission trip mode right now, as I get ready to take a group of youth to DC to do service work around hunger and homelessness issues.   So, in that spirit, our FF is Mission Style!  So here are your questions:

1) Have you ever been on a mission trip, as a participant or adult chaperone? What was it like? 

First let me say that mission trips are not as common here in the UK as they are in the US, so much so that the first time I came across mission trips was when we lived in Texas. It may be something to do with the relatively small size of the country. That said they do happen and most of my children have been involved in them in some way or another, probably most notably Jo who went out to Zambia for a month after graduation from University, where her boyfriend (now husband) was leading a team. They worked with orphanages, and in some difficult areas, caring, building, and making friends. It certainly impacted her! As for me, no not in the sense that you are talking about because as a teen I was not a Christian.

As an adult however I have been on several evangelistic missions, working with local church folk to spread the gospel in their area, going to schools, homes, pubs and clubs, I grew a lot through this experience!

2) What is the worst thing that happened to you/your group on a mission trip (or retreat, or camp, or Habitat for Humanity experience, or something like that--hey, this is YOUR Friday Five, so you get to play it how you would like.)

Turning up to find that the towns folk expected us a week later, and as we were dependant upon them for food etc we had nowhere to stay and nothing to eat. We had gone to Northern Ireland, so getting home easily was not an option. One of the significant elements of these trips was that we went with only enough money in our pockets to buy somebody else a drink, no credit cards/ bank cards, no mobile (cell) phones. It was an interesting experience, our wise team leader called us to pray, and not to panic. Soon gifts of food and offers of places to sleep came rolling in, and we and the church we were working with were blessed! 

 Another aspect of that trip was being asked to share my testimony in a large meeting, I was terrified, but through it I experienced a call to preach, the rest they say is history!

3) If money were no object, where would you want to go to help and serve?  What would you do?

That is a hard question, there are so many areas that would benefit, and so many areas we might benefit from engaging with, but I think I would like to take a group of young folk to an area in Africa where poverty and hunger need addressing, where they could be involved in building a school, digging a well or something like that. I would also like them to be in contact with and worship with a local church. I think we learn a lot about ourselves when we are taken from our comfort zones. 

I have been really challenged by an excellent series of programmes on BBC 2 recently where ministers from what were mission fields, have come to Britain and worked with the churches here, they really showed us how insular and comfortable, and dare I say dead, we are!

4) What would be your advice to someone who will be sleeping in a gym with 20 other people for a week? 

Don't, well maybe don't if you are 50 like me, if you are in your teens/ 20's have a blast. If on the other hand you have to, good sleeping bag and inflatable bed roll, and a pillow- good luck!

5) Any parting thoughts, stories, or questions you have around the whole theme of Mission Trips?

Mission is more than a week a year, it is and should be a major part of our discipleship, that said I think that mission trips are invaluable for building fellowship and growing faith. Service is an essential of discipleship, and an opportunity to serve beyond our usual boundaries may change us for life! But it must be part of a whole and not an excuse to not be involved in mission for the rest of the year!

“Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the souls you can, in every place you can, at all the times you can, with all the zeal you can, as long as ever you can” John Wesley

Thinking about my spiritual journey ( a condensed version...)

This afternoon I spent some time with my District Chair Stephen Burgess, we were discussing my Testimony Service for Synod on the 7th May. As I prepare for this I find that I am looking back and considering the road that my faith has taken, and how I began to discern a call to ordained ministry.

Regular readers of this blog will not be surprised to be pointed to Christopher's story as a very real turning point for me, it was a turning point of trust and faith, the discovery of a God who loved me in-spite of myself, but my conscious journey of faith began before that, growing from my delight in a Primary School Hymn Book, to my desire not only to own a Bible  but to read it from cover to cover...

That said I had no idea what Christianity was all about, although I knew some of the "Jesus " stories to allow them to challenge or change was not even a thought on the far horizon.

My church experience began in Nottinghamshire at the age of 12, where I attended a local Pathfinders group, a move to Essex and a break from church for a few years until I became involved in helping at a local Cub Scout Pack and began to attend Parade Services, this led to a weekly attendance at a local village church, and a real desire to belong was kindled within me.

As a young (unmarried to start with) mother, I continued to attend church, and my first three children were all baptised. Tim was happy for this, and we began to attend special services as a family. All of my church experience so far was Anglican, although that had not crossed my mind at the time.

A move to a small costal village in Essex co-incided with Christopher's diagnosis, and the church family in the village, Anglican, Catholic and Congregational, stepped in to help out. This practical out-pouring of support had a very real effect upon me. As a family we began to attend the local Congregational Church, joined Bible Study Groups, and learnt to pray! 

A call to evangelism soon followed, and it was then that I encountered one of the great obstacles to being a woman and being called to ministry. It was OK in many folks eyes for me to be involved on a local level providing that I did not want to preach, or perish the thought get involved in mission activities that meant leaving our children in Tim's care for a week. I was told at one point that I was stealing my husbands ministry...

Even the mission group who welcomed me to join their teams, and even to take a leadership role had a this far no further policy, although many people in the organisation recognised my leadership gifts I could not be a team leader, it was against policy; and they could back it up with reasonable sounding theology- theology I now profoundly disagree with!

Next came a move to Texas, and an encounter with the Bible Belt... we attended a Baptist Church, way too big and too polished, and the womens ministry groups made my toes curl- sexism reigned! My task in life I was told was to support my husband and to look good... ( yes really), we left that church. Then came a free church, another large congregation where although participation was encouraged I met a similar problem, so many things were off limits to women. The poem below was written about my utter frustration at the confining attitudes I met within this particular congregation, and yes I really did hurl my Bible across the car-park!

Still in Texas and we joined an Episcopal Church, here the Pastor was an inspiration, he was a man of prayer and vision and in the short time we were members there I learnt so much about integrity and ministry.

Back to England and a move to Colchester, and back to an Anglican Church, again it was big, and although we became involved it was never a spiritual home. Soon we moved back to the village on the coast and re-joined the Congregational Church, we had changed a lot, but in many ways we were home, and it was from here that Tim and I were encouraged to take up a course of study in Evangelism and Mission, at the same time Tim had been made redundant twice within 3 years and with no work opening up for him in electronics we needed to look to something new. The course of study led me in an entirely different direction and into some very strange encounters...

A move to Methodist Circuit in , Norfolk, and the beginnings of a love hate love affair with Methodism. We were employed as Community Out-reach Workers,  it was wonderful, and it drove me crazy. The big choice came at Spring Harvest one year, we had taken a number of teenagers with us and had been working for the church for 3 years at this point. The choice was stark, candidate for ordained ministry or leave.... commit or walk away. This was not an ultimatum issued by the church, but a personal struggle.

I offered for Foundation Training and to my astonishment I was accepted, two years with ERMC training part time followed. I was challenged and stretched and grew. Back to the interview pannels, and Circuit, District and Connexion all said yes unanimously, two more years with ERMC and the chance to study for an M.A. which I thoroughly enjoyed...

Interestingly training with an eccumenical course really helped me to discover why Methodism was the place I now called home, both theologically with its' Arminian roots and its emphasis on prevenient grace, practically with its strong call to social justice and community and global involement and responsibility, and dare I say administratively with its emphasis on every member ministry and discipleship, Methodism made sense to me- and yes it still drives me crazy!

Through Methodism's emphasis on grace I was able to really grasp that the God who called me did not call me to be perfect before I could serve him, rather s/he called me to begin a work in and through me, to be open to transformation within as the Holy Spirit guided and equipped me, to be open to that guidance with the "pruning" and training that it might bring.

I was Stationed in the Snaith,  and Selby Circuit in September 2009, and all being well I will be Ordained on the 3rd July this year in Liverpool...

On a personal note my journey has been challenging, I grew up under the sound of the call to worship from a local Mosque in Malaysia rather than Englis Church Bells, though they did come later when my parents returend home to England with us and we lived for a while opposite the Parish Church in Deeping St James ( I have never been inside it!)...

I lived on a pig farm in Essex struggling to come to terms with my parents divorce, muddling love and sex in search for belonging I found that even here God was with me, as I married the father of my first child, he is the father of all the others also, and we have been married for almost 30 years now. In many ways we grew up with our children, having responsibility for them made us responsible and taught us to pray. Tim is currently training at Durham St John and is a Student Deacon in the Methodist Diaconal Order...

The poem below marked a turning point for me, a day when I threw my frustrations at a narrow confining theology across a church car park, and never looked back...

 

 

This Bible is worn and battered;

Like my faith is torn in places,

And like may faith it has been well used.

 

Every page has been read in this Bible,

Each word scanned and poured over

It was my companion through hard times.

 

But that did not stop me hurling the damn thing

Clean across the car park

In an outpouring of frustration!

 

My faith went with it that day

And everything changed;

For I no longer held to brittle man made rules

 

Rules that told me how to pray

How to give,

And how to behave.

 

Rules that gave rules to God

Telling him how to respond to his childrens cries

 

These words have taught me well that there is another way

A true way for those who have ears to hear

And eyes to see…

 

For God will not be bound by our rules

Nor will he always smooth the path before us

 

But he will walk it with us

And does,

Whether we choose to take his hand

Or refuse it and stride on alone!

 

My journey of faith will continue to be a pilgrimage, I have no doubt about that! And I still have that Bible...

 

Still haven't found what I'm looking for....

I've spent most of the day preparing a Bible Study that I will be using first this evening and then later on in another context. It is based on the Acts 17 account of the apostle Paul and his encounter with the gods and shrines in Athens.

I have been teaching on this subject, especially in conjunction with my work through the Journey into Wholeness Project for almost ten years now, and have friends who taught me who have been teaching on it for even longer- and yet to many it is still new news !

The message is still relevant because the western world is still waking up to its own spiritual poverty, and in this the church has much to answer for...

I am amazed when I find people struggling to relate their Sunday School faith to their everyday lives, only yesterday I was leading a different study through which we are taking a tour through the whole Bible;  discussing Noah and speciffically the Noahic covenant last night freed so many to see the story that reveals truth rather than to try to accept the facts of the situation...

How impoversihed we are because so often we have thrown out the richness of story and poetry because we think that there is no truth in anything other than fact!

How unsurprising it is that so many have thrown their hands up in horror and walked away, unable to accept the beauty of truth revealed....

I speak again and again to people who believe in God, and even in Jesus himself, but cannot cope with church and all of its trappings and maddness...

There is a deep hunger and thirst for God in our society, and it is being masked too often by superficiality, and met by junk food and muddy puddles....

We need to hear the cry afresh, they don't not come because they're not interested, they don't come because we're too often not offering the real thing....

 

What's important...

I had a difficult meeting recently, one where I asked folk what they thought Church was, and why we are here...

The answers came back as a mixture, many were firmly centred on the building, some wanting it to be a safe and quiet space, others wanted the building used and made open for as many people and groups as possible. Then there were those who focused on the people and talked about how we are. When God was mentioned it was to point out that he wanted us to be nice, and that as long as we are loving and kind folk will see that and want to come...

The thing is that on the whole ( and there are notable exceptions) these folk are loving and kind, but folk aren't coming! When there was talk of folk coming of course we are focused on that one hour on a Sunday morning when we gather to worship, where we want good hymns ( that means Hymns and Psalms) and sound teaching ( that means a 15 minute sermon), with no gimmicks (that means no video and no music DVD's and no interactive stuff of any kind). And folk aren't coming to join us....

We discussed some services where things had been done differently and while one or two were well received many were not, and the general consensus was that challenges to follow Christ should not be given on the "Big Occasions" in fact while we are happy to talk about God in a kind of detached we know he is out there way, on the whole Jesus makes us a bit too uncomfortable, and he'll surely make others uncomfortable...

My challenge to this group is to truly consider what is important- to consider that church is an agent for mission- and that that mission is not ours but Gods! What is the point of getting a load of bums on seats if we don't speak to them of Christ, if we don't offer them the chance to meet the one who will reveal to them who they really are and turn their world upside down in the best way. What is the point of spending lots of energy being nice- are we a glorified branch of Social Services- not that either being nice and Social Services are bad- BUT there is more!

How easily we shrink from the message of the cross, how lightly we talk of resurrection, and as for the Holy Spirit, we just don't know what to do with her! And yet these are the central stories of our faith, and more than stories these are truths. How can we say "Christ's love compels me if we do not speak of the love of Christ? It is one thing to say that God's love should shine through us, it is another to know that it does because we are in Christ and he by the Holy Spirit is transforming us inside and out.

I speak as the youngster who would not dare to go to a corner shop and ask for a bag of sugar, I speak because I have been changed by the powerful transforming love of a God who for loves sake did not turn away from the cross, and whose love was so powerful, so transforming that he overcame death and was raised, a God who pours out his Spirit upon us when we turn to him knowing our need so that we too are changed!

What then is important? We might have faults and failings, we might make mistakes and stumble and fall, but we are held by the lover of our souls, and he has poured his treasure into these jars of clay, not that we might slap a lid on it, but that we should share what too often is the best kept secret in the world!

To quote Gerard Kelly again:

"we have taken what was given

as a message for the many

and made of it

a massage for the few.!

This message is not a secret that we have been charged with keeping, it is the good news that we should be compelled to share!

 

 

 

Lessons....

This afternoon I attended the AGM at Ripon Sailing Club where Tim and I are members, I won't go into details about the meeting, but I do want to highlight some of the values and priorities that were expressed.

First, RSC is a place where people of all ages and all abilities are welcomed; there are age related events, but the young folk are encouraged to race with the adult fleets, and when this happens the more experienced sailors are usually very helpful to the less experienced. That does not always mean that the older folk help the younger... sometimes it works the other way around! It requires a certain amount of humility for a 49 yr old beginner to receive help from an 8 yr old!

Second, training is madeavailable at all levels, and people are encouraged to get involved, and valued for who they are...

Third, we were asked about our gifts and talents...

And lastly there was a sense of real celebration that the prizes for the year had not gone to the same old winners.

There is a lot the church can learn from groups like this- if we dared to have the humility to do so!

Favourite Bible Verses- Friday Five

Over at Revgals Songbird asks us: Twenty years ago, I was on a Pastoral Search Committee, and one of the questions we asked the ten candidates we interviewed in the first round was to tell us their three favorite passages of scripture. I loved hearing the variety of verses quoted and even learned some that I didn't know, such as the last line of one of this week's lectionary passages:

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8) 

For today's Friday Five, list your five favorite passages/verses from the Bible and tell us something about why you love them.

First I'd like to tell you a bit about my encounter with the Scriptures, I did not go to Sunday School as a young child, in fact church did not feature in my life at all. When I was 12 I can remember an intense desire to own a Bible and pestered my mum until she took me to buy one. I remember being faced with a shelf full of Bibles and did not know which to choose, in the end I picked out a pretty KJV with impossibly small print.

I set out to read that impossibly small print thinking that the way to read it was cover to cover, needless to say I get giving up, but I kept trying ... The Scriptures really came alive to me though when my son Chris was diagnosed with congenital heart disease, with the help of a Congregational Church Minister I bought a New International Version Bible and began to mine it's pages for words of life and promises, that brings me to the first verse on my list:

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1. John 11: 4 "When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”- I am not really one to lift verses out of context but this promise leapt from the page as I sat next to Chris's intensive care bed when he was only 2 years old. Through the years it has been a verse we have clung to and occassionally hurled at heaven in desperation. Next week Chris starts a course to explore a call to ordained ministry; to God be the glory! You can read Christopher's own testimony here.

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2. The second verse I have chosen is one that I often pray, taken from the story of the Woman at the well from John 4, this verse speaks about worship. To do it justice I offer you part of the passage:

 ¹⁹ “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

   ²¹ “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²² You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴ God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

Firstly I love this whole encounter and have written about it several times, buthe verse concerning worship- that true worshippers will worship in Spirit and in truth really stands out, in what I believe is a spiritually thirsty world people need to encounter true worship! And true worship is what we are called to. We are constantly asked what it might look like- I think that,that  question is the wrong one, rather we should ask ourselves, how should this be, or where is my heart when I come before God...

 

3. The third verse I have chosen is this from Matthew 11:28-30 :

^28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Taken from The Message version of the Bible this verse sustained me through depression, and still sustains me through tiredness and discouragement, it holds within it echoes of the divine dance ( Perichoresis) that God invites us to participate in. I love the picture of relaxing into the rythms of grace, of learning in Christ to live freely and lightly...

In my darkest night this verse kindled a flame that never dies away!

 

 

4 . My fourth choice is actually a whole chapter- Genesis 1 with its amazing first verse: In the beginning God! This beautiful poem/song of creation has caused so many arguements, mostly because it has wrongly been treated as fact. Only last week as I began to work through the E100 with our Bible Study class three people expressed amazement at the truth that can be conveyed through mystery and myth, previously they had dismissed any thoughts on Genesis 1 &2 as they had just not been able to accept the simplistic God created the world in 7 days account, as a poem/song they were able to relate to it in a new and exciting way!

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5. Goodness I would love to be able to choose nother 5, or even 10, but this last choice today has to be from 2 Corinthians 4:

⁵ For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.  ⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

We have this treasure in jars of clay...  reminds me that I am fragile and vulnerable, weak and prone to mistake, and yet God has trusted me with the good news, his treasure is in me, and will shine through me...

To quote Anthony. B. Robinson from "Good News in Exile"... describing his search for a new way of talking about conversion, seeking out a Biblical response to people's longings he says:

" I believe that new hearts and minds are the level to be working at, and it is at this level that many of our congregations long to be addressed. They are waiting I believe for their pastors to say: People something is at stake here, something that makes all the difference in the world"

Vision, perseverance, and joy...

I have had an interesting few days, beginning with a friend's visit and a trip to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and ending with yesterday's no hymns services, Christopher's graduation was sandwiched in the middle. All of that has got me thinking...

I love the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, encountering sculptures thoughtfully positioned in the landscape means that they are always fresh for the different conditions and seasons means that each encounter is different. But it wasn't the outdoor sculptures that caught my imagination on Thursday, it was a part of David Nash's exhibition in the underground gallery. The series of paintings and pictures of the ash dome he has created in Wales. His vision for the ash dome and the dedication to work with a living art work for over thirty years has really struck me. It was planted says the artist as a sign of hope, a vision for what might be, in a time where the future was uncertain. He persevered after the first circle of trees was eaten by rabbits, protected the second circle from deer, and then proceeded to watch and work with his subject, caring tending shaping and pruning it, recording it with photography, sketches and paintings. The ash dome was and is a living artwork, the result of vision patience and perseverance, it was a joy to see the sketches and pictures, that represented the unfolding of a vision for the future...

I wonder how many churches hold 30 year visions?

Christopher's graduation followed on Saturday, it was an occasion for great joy, but also marked a huge milestone in a life that has demanded perseverance, not only from Christopher, but from the many people who have cared for and prayed for him. The Surgical team at the Royal Brompton developed new equipment for Chris that will benefit others, the British Heart Foundation have asked questions of him and even taken a part of his heart muscle ( a part that would have been discarded after an operation) for research. Many many people have prayed for him and for our whole family as we went through cycles of joy and despair....

Christopher is 24, and God has not finished with him yet, for we still hold to that promise; " This sickness will not end in death but be to the glory of God (John 11)!"

Photo: Chris with Chris Blake; Cliff College Principal.

I wonder why when as churches we begin projects/ hire youth/ family workers we place 3-5 year time constraints on them....

Finally came the "no hymns services " on Sunday, the first was interactive, we reflected upon the Fruits of the Spirit, using an image of a garden and some scarecrows ( as prayer points)- it was the village scarecrow festival that weekend. Once folk got over the shock of beginning with coffee all was well, and they began interacting with the various parts of the service. The music was used as a meditation providing invited still points in what could have been a cluttered morning. We finished with a very untraditional, extempore communion...

The second service was quiet meditative and reflective, a straight worship book communion with lots of space in it. I used silence and music. At the end folk spoke of a calmness and a closeness to God, they appreciated taking the liturgy at a slow pace, not rushing, and not fussing over several books.

These two services were trials, there will be discussion, and I am quite prepared to admit that (particularly with the first one) all did not flow smoothly and more instruction was needed to explain what was happening..

Will everyone have liked them? Well no, that would be impossible! Can we learn from them and did we meet God through them, I hope the answer is yes ( I certainly did). Does this mean that all is now set in stone and we will continue ion this mode from now on...?

No, but perhaps we will dare to do different more often!

We have a creative God, a God who delights in our worship. I wonder why we often look for formulas that promote numerical growth, and forget that we too are growing, and that that growth can and should be a source of joy?

I will finish by quoting from the Vice-President of the Methodist Conference (GB) in her address to conference she said:

I want to be part of a church that is prayer-filled -
A church that is resourced and sustained by the Bible,
A church that can offer hope even in a credit crunch,
A church that can live well with difference and diversity.


I want to be part of a church that welcomes the wealthy, those who have power and influence -
A church that knows how to party and celebrate life,
A church that acknowledges death and speaks boldly of resurrection,
A church that doesn’t pretend to have all the answers but encourages all the questions.

I want to be part of a church that throws parties for prostitutes -
A church that welcomes those who seek asylum,
A church that longs and yearns for justice,
A church that listens to those no-one else wants to listen to.

I want to be part of a church that believes in transformation not preservation -
A church where all who are lost can be found,
A church where people can discover friendship,
A church where every person takes responsibility in sharing the good news.

I want to be part of a church whose hope is placed securely and confidently in the transforming love of God -
A church that engages faith in its communities,
A church that makes and nurtures disciples of Jesus.

A church where the story of God’s love is at the centre.
I want to be part of a church that offers outrageous grace, reckless generosity, transforming love and engaging faith.
This is God’s story Transforming Love: Engaging Faith.

My prayer is that by the power of the Spirit of God at work amongst us, it will increasingly be our story.  

To be a part of that church requires, vision, perseverance, and will need to be punctuated by joyful celebrations if it is to come to pass....

This morning....

Well they came this morning and they kept coming, the Baptism party was so big that we had to fetch in extra chairs, I also ditched a part of the service as it was obvious that communion could take a long time. It did, although there weren't  many additional takers a number of folk came for a blessing.

I made the sacraments the focus, both the Baptism and the anointing ( for healing) and the communion that followed it. We anointed the baby for healing as she has a heart condition and has a hospital appointment next week. This as many people will know is something close to my heart. I preached on the lectionary and spoke of how the widows hopes and dreams for both his and her future would have been invested in her son, and spoke of how all hope gone she met Jesus on the road and he restored her hope and her future to her....

I did extend my sermon a little into the territory covered by Dave Perry here, but restoration of hope was the key theme...

And we met with God, through the sacraments, through the word and through the celebration; both churchy and unchurchy folk expressed this in different ways...

Two of my favourites were:

1. From a very dour member who is sparing with his words: "That was alright this morning...."

2. One of the Baptism party: "That wasn't what I expected, I was quite surprised!"

Re-discovering Calling, Re-discovering Gifts. Finding our way again...

It is official, I am fed up of how to books when it comes to Church Growth, I am fed up of courses and seminars, and fed up of new initiatives that are sure to work. It seems that one church finds a way forward and then someone writes a book about it, suddenly without much thought and often little prayer we are all doing it; Messy Church is one example of this. alongside the thinking that if we are doing Messy Church then our church is sure to grow. Now don't get me wrong I think Messy Church is wonderful, and can and will work in certain situations, but it is not a sticking plaster to be placed over the cracks that will cure all ills in every situation!

I am also fed of of being told what a successful ministry Rev X has, he is just down the road and has started A & B, and if we just did the same then all would be well. That does not make sense! Wait, I'll say that again; DOING THE SAME THING AS EVERYONE ELSE DOES NOT MAKE SENSE!!! People are not spiritual clones, and they do not all have the same needs.

I firmly believe that each church has a calling as a body of believers in a given place, just because Church A is doing Y does not mean that it is what Church B is called to. We must invest time in prayer and discernment, in getting to know our gifts and calling before beginning to consider what to do. A few years ago Tim and I took the brave decision to close a children's work in a small rural Chapel, we did have a few children coming but the work was stretching and exhausting the membership to the point where it was becoming counterproductive. That Chapel has gone on to discover its calling in many different ways, the members are now energised and the membership has grown. Their calling it turns out was not to the children of the village (though that may change),  but rather to its growing population of newly retired folk, so book groups and fitness classes have found their way onto the premises and the members have unwittingly become involved in friendship evangelism, not because they had been on a course, but because it came naturally to them.

I am currently working with one Chapel which is desperate to see a children's work begin again, but recent attempts to get a Holiday Club off the ground for the summer have proved fruitless, and so I have taken the decision ( with the Stewards) not to go ahead with this. I am sure it will be unpopular, but I am convicned more than ever that we need to discover our gifts and calling to this community. We are blessed that we might be a blessing to others, but we cannot be a blessing if we are worn out and worn down by trying to do things that are good ideas. Our community is diverse, the age range is wide, we are called to serve here, but the question is how. Until we have discovered this we run the continual risk of burn out.

During my prayer time this morning I read this: 

(Jesus said): We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God's messenger. Accepting someone's help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I've called you into, but don't be overwhelmed by it. It's best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing." (Matthew 10: 40-42 The Message)

So we need to ask ourselves what our cup of water is, and find out where we should start, for it is easy to become overwhelmed and to view ourselves as failures. But we are not failures; we are worn out though, and there is a sense in which we need to regain our confidence in ourselves, and also in God. Time to take Jesus words seriously then when he says to us:

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. ( Matthew 11: 28-30)"

Like many others I believe that our answer is yes, yes we are tired and worn out! And our prayer should be " Lord help us to live freely and lightly again.