Long Journey

Advent image,

Thanks to Jonny for putting me on to this.

I've seen Ben's Images from previous years, and they are always thought provoking and taken from contemporary life. I'd much rather have this kind of image drop through my door than some expected Church notice about Carol Services, and nativity plays.....

Link

Its great to see the Church doing something more interesting and getting notice locally.

So much better than the miss-informed adverts from CAN

I just find the sub-text disturbing. IE find Jesus in the bottom of an empty beer glass. This just strikes me as trying a little too hard to be mass market.
I know that too much can be read into these things, but the Church is always subject to in-depth scrutiny.

Also looking at the two works side by side, I know which one has better production values for me....... I just hope CAN did this in-house........

Brands Hatch & Racing

Rebecca & I spent a wonderful day watching racing at Brands Hatch this weekend. We were joined by Simon (my best man), and were invited along by ODL Securities who support the Dame Vera Lynn Trust. This is the trust that runs one of Rebecca's special school and where I am a trustee.

Whilst a wonderful day, it poured with rain the whole time. Rebecca loved the idea, but I was a bit worried that she would hate all the noise. She surprised us by being glued to the heritage race for over an hour, with her neck doing a whole load of work keeping up with the passing cars!

Both Simon & I rediscovered a lost love of mini coopers from our early days of being mini drivers, and the two mini's on the team were superb. Wonderful to watch a works mini keeping its nose on the rear bumper of an Aston DB5 for several laps.

The Lotus on the team came first in its class and actually lead for over 7 laps....

Apart from showing off some nice shots, and bragging about a good day out, why am I sharing this with you lot (assuming anyone visits)?

The main thing that struck me was the welcome we received. The racing team were the most welcoming, moving equipment and stopping their preparations to let the kids get into the cars. This may not have cost them too much in terms of preparation, but it certainly effected their way of working and what they did. My experience of church shows me a very different approach in our congregations. We tend to use the time around services to get ready, and to complete business. This normally makes it hard for visitors/new comers to feel that they can talk to us. We look busy and in most cases are busy doing church. But making the stranger welcome is more than having a welcome team member smile at them as they walk in the door, and is more than having one or two people keeping an eye open to make sure that they "settle" in.

Look at the picture with Simon holding Rebecca. See the grey haired man standing in the background? This is Mike.

Mike is one of the drivers of the Lotus. Mike was putting the wheels on the 2nd mini, making sure it worked fine and was ready for the race. He built the car for his daughter to race. He was the core person of the racing team who welcomed us.

Immediately after the race Mike came over and chatted making us feel part of his racing family. The team didn't seek one another out to celebrate, but first talked and chatted with the visitors, the outsiders, those on the edge. As we wandered off to prepare to leave the team started the next phase of the job.

Would this be true of a professional team, in formula one? Probably not. And maybe that is the issue for us to learn. These people are doing what they love, most weekends, most evenings. It has to be the love of the race (and all that surrounds it) that keeps them going. They are not so absorbed in the act that they don't focus on guests.

At church we need to re-learn this lesson. All too often we look for the professional way of doing things, making things efficient and value for money. Making church work. Perhaps we need to learn the job of worshiping and meeting with God and Christ. We need to re-discover the love of serving, and the joy of sharing.

This is certainly part of a personal lesson, and maybe a lesson for some of you.

Grace - VOX

I visited Grace last night, probably my 1st visit for a couple of years.

The service, VOX, was all about the spoken word and communication. A very simple service in terms of the technical side, a single screen projecting a separate soap box in a small room at the back of the church, a single mic, and Grace's toy - an iDJ.

The soap box was a brave idea. Have nothing prepared and ask the congregation if any would like to step into a room and talk about something they are passionate about for 1 min. After a slow start several people volunteered. The speech was not recorded or sent into the main area, and the room was soundproof. The effect was great, seeing these individuals speaking on the screen with no words and providing a complex backdrop for the service.

Also there were three groups running:

1) Non verbal communication - a look at how actions and gestures communicate just as strong as words.
2) A look at Elijah and the whispering voice of God in the cave
3) A discussion about the voiceless and how they get heard.

The main thing that struck me personally was looking at how God used a small voice in a dank cave to get though to Elijah. With being between jobs and facing that challenge I felt God letting me know that is where I am at. This time is not about a break, or about relaxing. But it is about God having broken the complexity and confusion of life around me, s I may just listen to what he wants to say. So I guess I'd better listen!

The other thing was how much of the ideas conveyed during the service where in tune with what we at Sanctum are looking at for our next service. So please excuse me Grace if we "borrow" a couple of ideas!

Moby - Interviews.

Thanks to Big Bulky Anglican for the links.

Interview

I first saw Moby at Greenbelt some years ago (Castle Ashby or Dean Park!), and I thought he was useless as a musician running around the main stage shouting and rocking his keyboard. What a surprise when I finally sat down and listened to 18. His music is now permanently on my iPod, and is played every for weeks or so. The album sleeves (showing my age here), are fascinating and reading of his world view always provokes thought. The interview is another insight into his thoughts. Well worth listening to.

Latest Poster for Sanctum

Take a look at the latest poster for Sanctum - WORD

Its going to be a great service, and we might be taking WORD from Babel, through Jesus, and out to pentecost. Or as Fiona said, most of the Bible then!

Jamie Oliver the not so naked chef (we hope!)

Going monastic

Members of religious orders have traditionally been known for their good food and wines, so Jamie was looking forward to dining in splendour when he went to stay with the monks of the Benedictine community in Farfa, north of Rome. But the monks at the beautiful Farfa Abbey had long forgotten their culinary heritage. Tinned vegetables for dinner and a defunct herb garden inspired Jamie to take charge and encourage the monks to enjoy some good eating again......

Another interesting item from Mr. Community. Thanks to Jonny for showing this up, and thanks to the anonymous e-mailer for sending it on to Jonny.

Just thought I would email you because I was watching Jamie Oliver’s ‘Great Escape’ last night. A repeat I think. He was living with some Italian monks for a while and teaching them how to cook. It totally transformed the way they related to each other. They started experimenting with ingredients and laughing together. He even took them out on the street to cook free food for people, who came over and chatted to them. He basically showed them, despite his not believing in God, how to relate to people and do community better. Hilarious! I thought that this was a great illustration of how society is able to teach the church what it should be doing.


I guess it continues the thoughts from yesterday's cricket post.....

Driving Becky-Lou

I was taking my daughter for a drive this afternoon. Fiona (my wife) was feeling washed out and I decided to give her a break and do some quality driving with my daughter. Not very eco friendly I must admit, but she loves driving around in my MX5 with the roof down, and the wonderful weather today may be our last chance this year.

So we drove around our back roads, out and about the beautiful Sussex villages that are on our doorstep. We stopped in Lindfield to look at a local cricket match.

OK, so a post about a drive and a nice cricket match. Notch up one more boring family related post. Oh not so fast.....

I've been doing a lot of thinking (navel gazing, if you like) on what is happening with the relationship between Church and the local community. And basically feeling down and depressed at how unattached church can seem from the community it surrounds.

Anyway seeing this cricket match, a few things struck me:

It is too easy to look at the UK today and say that the community has broken down in recent years. Blame Thatcher, blame commercialism, blame Sunday Trading if you like. BUT there ARE lots of places where the central Village Green still works. Maybe we can look at these places to act as our model and see why they still work....

OK so it is only a cricket match, but look just across the green and what do we see? I'll show you....

People watching Cricket, amazing! But further out......

So the picture is a bit small, but this is youth playing, apparently unorganized. This is not 8 years olds, but full blown teens. Not teens sulking in corners, not teens shooting up drugs. Teens playing Frisbee, that single wheel is a unicycle. And further out again......

People sitting on park benches....! Amazing!

OK, I'll stop with the sarcasm.

My point here is that there are places where "normal" life still goes on. Where generations mix and where community meets. OK I know this is happening all over the place, but the more I read and the more I think; the less I understand that our society is not a broken mess. That it is OK in lots of places.

I've read and heard a lot about how the church needs to get re-connected with the community and make itself the center of what is going on. I heard someone at Greenbelt talking about how annoyed they get at the church always trying to re-create what is already happening the community. Trying to replace it with church based things, re-create the wheel if you like.

All this activity to make church the center of society again.

But why should Church be the center? I can see that as Christians we want to make Christ the center, but in today's UK is it appropriate to make church the center?

It is possible that Church is not about being a mainstay of community in the 21st century. Maybe the time when that was the case has passed. BUT it doesn't mean that the church community ceases to exist, it just means that it takes it place alongside other community offerings.

We know that people need to meet Christ (OK being evangelical here, excuse me for a min). We know that it makes sense, or else why do we follow him, and most of us still call ourselves Christian?

So church is how we get people to meet Christ?

Not really in my experience. Church seems to be one of the latter stages in most things, unless there is some-kind of tragedy in life. If you know of a place where people just walk through the door, sing hymns, hear a sermon, and simply convert - please let me know!

If people need to meet with Christ, they need to meet him where they are at. If people meet him, then maybe just maybe they will want to come to church or be part of a Christian community.

So we need to be where people meet.

Not to evangelize, but to share like interests. As we get to know people, we meet their friends. Maybe they can meet one of ours. (I must write that "contagious Christian" book sometime - Oh its been done :)

Back to the cricket match.

Somewhere in that crowd of people there might just be a christian, maybe more than one. When we look at our congregations, what do we see? People who attend church once a week? What about the likelihood that these very same people are also involved in other groups. Our tendency to attend church also seems to translate in a tendency to belong to other organizations. Scouts, Political groups, and even cricket teams.

Well if Christians tend to join other groups, wouldn't the same hold true of people in those other groups. If they find something of interest, then maybe they might be willing to spend some time looking into things further.

The challenge here would then seem to be what is Sunday morning about? Seeker friendly offerings that hope someone might walk through the door and get "hooked"? Leaving the older christians to be "topped" up spiritually in home groups and other activities? Or is Sunday about worshiping the creator God, participating in the mysteries of faith? Leaving the rest of the week to live our faith in a real sense and interact with those around us?

Food for thought......?

Well that's another blast of thought come to an end. If you are still reading I'm amazed and please post a comment or send me an e-mail with your thoughts. Otherwise I hope you like the photo's and I had a lovely time with my smiling daughter!

Talk about knocking one for a six!

Just finished reading "Accelerando" by Charles Stross - Fiction

Well I've just finished reading this book by Charles Stross. Its his thrid book that I have read and is by far his most ambitious.

The story line is basically following mankind as we change from flesh based humans to computing based thinking beings. With the odd bit of alien encounter (sort of) added in, and lots of discussion regarding what it means to be human. Its only an OK read, with some sections grabbing me, but with large gaps of story to travel through, watching the metaphorical clouds till the next bit of interest passes by.

I couldn't help thinking on Romans 8

12Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

The most interesting thing in the book is how little people changed as they lost their bodies and turned to an existence of pure thought, with reality simulated around them. Thinking new foods and drinks as they wanted them, experiencing sensations from any view point they desired.

If we seek to become more rounded, complete people. More interested in what is going on around us, beyond our own needs. We need to find that compass bearing that will help us steer a true course. Finding that quality of living according to the spirit rather than living according to the flesh has to be a starting point.

If we look at Jesus in the gospels, look past the momentous birth, past the miracles, past the sermons and the parables. Look at the man, with the common people. Maybe we start to see someone living according to the spirit. Living in the moment, but with a focus beyond the immediate.

One "Jesus" encounter that comes back to me is the woman caught in adultary.

John 8:

10When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”.......

Hear we see Jesus transcend the law, the requirement to stone the woman. In a loaded situation Jesus sees only the woman, sees only the person and the need. There is no great sermon here, not for the woman, and a simple instruction suffices- "sin no more".

What happens to this woman? Does she "sin no more". We'd like to think it, we'd like to believe that she left that place and having encountered Christ she changed. But did she?

Our experience is one of disappointment at ourselves. How many times have we decided to change what we do, never to repeat the same mistake again. Only to find a few days/weeks later we are doing it again? Does Christ not forgive even if we will go on to sin again?

Is this flesh vs spirit? Is this the long journey?

Coming from another angle, how often do we examine a situation in "Big Picture| mode?

How about forgiving third world debt?

You know the argument:
That these countries got themselves into debt in the first place, then their regimes spent the money on arms and stuff. The corruption inherent even today.

The big picture view asks for guarantees before we cancel debt, insists on how the money is spent. Seeks to force change on cultures and societies to bring them in to line with our values. Part of this picture may be right, part will be wrong. However my question is this, what would Jesus do? (Sorry to those I have just offended, but WWJD is still a valid question, just not really appropriate on a wrist band)

For myself, looking at his actions as portrayed in the gospels, Jesus would say "your debt is forgiven", pure and simple. The rest would be up to the person. Left to see what they would do having been released and maybe changed. He might add in a "sin no more" tag line just for good measure I suppose, but he might not!

Coming back to living by the spirit as a good idea. What can we do to change how we live, what drives us, and how do we change so that our gut reaction and our actions are correct? These are good questions, I wonder who has good answers?

So, a very quick book review, with a load of diatribe from me. Well it is Sunday morning, nearly time for church and I've already given a sermon! Now its probably time I got up properly and went off to listen to one for real!

"Accelerando" (Charles Stross)

Adrift in Ideas

Earlier this year I read "Adrift in Caledonia" by nick Thorpe. It is a great travel journal, and a novel concept. Leave your house one day and hitch a ride around the coast of Scotland.

I highly recommend the read.

Some of the times when Nick looked at (for) his spirituality, or lack thereof, keep on coming back to me. The need to find oneself, usually by going someplace new, echos deep with me. Not necessarily in any physical sense, but maybe in my spirit.

How do we start to take our spirit on travels, facing the unknown, looking for the new and strange. Hoping, praying, to find that lost link with God?

Perhaps we can look at the celtic saints for inspiration, as Nick does. Perhaps we can find direction through simple prayer. Perhaps God is just waiting to be found over the horizon.

Perhaps for us folk, who find themselves not fulfilled in their current expression of faith, it is more about the journey at the moment.

"Adrift in Caledonia: Boat-hitching for the Unenlightened" (Nick Thorpe)