R U Advent-urous?

I ventured into church this morning.  Sunday 4th December in the Australian Anglican Church marks the Second Sunday in Advent: the celebration of the coming of Christ into the world, leading up to Christmas day. Was this an ‘adventurous’ act? Perhaps not for some, but it was for me.

What drew me there? A sense of the advent-urous for certain. I took a lot of time earlier in the morning to prepare myself mentally for the visit. That fits with the definition of adventurous that I find in the dictionary… “willing to try new or difficult things, or exciting and often dangerous”  {See – http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/adventurous}. In this case, today, I was trying something difficult, and perhaps even dangerous. Yes, definitely challenging.

Many who know me may wonder why – after all going to church was not a new event for me, I grew up a regular participant in communion as a member of the Anglican/Church of England of Australia. I have even been to the Episcopalian Cathedral of St Johns, New York, for a Midnight Christmas Service. I have a Degree in Theology, and in the past have led church services and worshiped in both Anglican and Catholic churches in a handful of parishes across Australia, as well as at the Epiphany Cathedral in Second Life. To not participate in the Community of Christians would seem to be against all this and more.  Christ is Shepherd, Priest and King to his followers, finding us where we are at, meeting us wherever our need is, and leading us towards Heaven’s reign … and Church is where you get all of this … isn’t it?

Those who have known me in these settings will surely wonder: why is this now an unusual thing to do, and then ask why would it be difficult or challenging?

As this blog attests, spiritual times have been in drought for me. Silence is not spiritual death, however, and I have been wandering the desert times of life with a very keen eye and ear, listening to the lives and journeys of those who would never have felt a reason to go to church. I have done this knowing my own sense of pain and loss in NOT being attendant and participating in any church community… until I could not remember myself anymore.

Like a shepherd…

I felt driven out to these desert places, and have been seeking to understand and respond with compassion to the world which God loves. I can’t remember the last time I entered a church, and for this church in particular it would have been longer still.

What have I learned from this experience? That churches are not the only hallowed places of the Spirit, and church people are rather ordinary folk who often have less of a clue than the average urban punter about where God is and what God is doing in the world. Sorry folks, I am not trying to be rude or have a go at anyone, although that may be what you think. There is an awful lot of pain and brokenness out there in the big wide world, and church people are not immune to experiencing it; but when you know how big the issues are, and how many people are hurting, why would you ever think that the church is the only place you can go to receive Grace and Healing, Forgiveness, Compassion, Love, or a sense of the Creator Redeemer Spirit? That would be like trying to change the colour of the Ocean with an eye dropper or a kiddies paint box set.  All that can be said is “Thank God!”

In some ways I have come to understand the average experience of Church as a kind of Kindergarten for Faith. A bit like school, when most people reach adulthood you graduate and leave.  That is certainly the pattern that most Churchgoers can see for themselves. The numbers of older teens through to 40 something adults are extremely low on the pews. It was a notable irony that today also happens to be National Church Life Survey week, and the statistics of who goes where of today will be available sometime after April. 2012. (http://www.ncls.org.au/)

See the face of God in the turmoil of a soul

So those faithful who remain, who keep the festive seasons and ordinary times of Church going round another cycle, are they stuck in some kind of Groundhog Day of spiritual life?

That is a very individual question, not able to be answered in generalised terms.

What happens to those who leave? Or have never been to church anywhere? Do they stop being Spiritual? Some baptismal doctrines go down that path…

I really value the ongoing life of the church as it presents the seasons of faith to the faithful, and hopefully to the wider world. I have learned, on a continuous spectrum, that God really loves the world… and is working in many varied ways to continuously renew the messages of life and love, suffering and sacrifice, peace and justice, healing and compassion … sometimes because of or through the church, as often as not despite the church.

People of faith we need to be advent-urous people!

Willing to go out into difficult and dangerous places and not simply to preach a rehashed gospel, but to live and breathe the Spirit of God as the Spirit moves across the face of the earth.

Bringing comfort to the people by being present to them, as God is always present to us all.

Living a sacramental life by being a sign that points to the substance which is already there!

But, we have to be able to see it is there in the first place…  We have to be able to  recognise the ADVENT of CHRIST in our own lives, and in the lives of our neighbours.

And, in recognition, finding compassionate responses to the reality of ourselves and others … building bridges and not walls between ourselves and others.

I hope that this reflection will help in the building… In the name of Jesus, Amen.

PS: If you have enjoyed this post and would like to read further topics on related subjects you might like to view: http://ruach.wordpress.com/

The Drought is Nearly Over …

LENT has been a time of quiet reflection for me. Reconnecting personally rather than publicly with the things in life that matter, and getting myself organised after dealing with a family crisis. As I look ahead to EAster and the great resurrection event, I am feeling very positive, EAster will be resurrection time in many ways for me, and this will be explored on the SPIRITchat blog.

Thanks for your patience!

Will you let me be your servant?

” The Servant Song” was written by Richard Gillard and is well known in many Christian circles today.

It is the most fitting sense of today’s Gospel that I could imagine.

I have shared this song in a variety of Christian settings over the last 30 years.

Each time it has carried deep meaning to all the participants in any setting.

The most meaningful settings, however, have been in the context of small prayer groups dedicated to living and learning together.

You may have been involved in some of these yourself.

Cursillo: is a Spanish word meaning “Short Course”.

It has been adopted as the name for a 3 day weekend retreat introducing people to Christian community experience.

This started in the late 1930′s in Spain.

“Life in the Spirit” Seminars, which are an introduction to the charismatic experience and of living and sharing the gifts of the Spirit with the whole body of Christ.

This was an expression of faith that grew out of the 1970′s Catholic Charismatic Communities.

 ”Alpha” is a more modern expression of the same.

 I wonder what would be the expression that could arise out of Second Life (SL)?

I have set up ‘The Servant Song”  from U-tube to listen to here. [It took me some time to figure out how to do this without Cady's help!]  Marantha Singers present \”The Servant Song\” by Richard Gillard

When you have heard the song I would like your feedback on your experience of community here.

There are many ways that we can serve each other, but in

Second Life [SL] that is the hardest aspect of Christian life to follow through – because we are not physically able to reach out and do practical things, like brings a casserole to someone who is sick or to have a cup of coffee together.

How do you find community here, in the Digital Media?

The conversations and the prayers are very meaningful to me, and to others I know.  I believe this is a question that the Anglicans of Second Life needs to keep on asking and seeking ways to serve the SL groups and individuals: to realize the imaginative vision that has been begun here.  I hope that you will each think on this and talk about this until you find the action/s that give body to the Body of Christ.

Shall we now pray for this community and all who come here for solace and seek God’s Grace?

Only by Grace…

Only by Grace

Jesus’ words today are paradoxical; last week we were told that we can only come to the Kingdom of God as a little child.

Today we are told this too is impossible, like a camel passing through the eye of a needle!

We learn too that we must be prepared to give up not only material possessions but also our most precious and loving relationships.

As the rich young ruler discovered, the challenge is huge, the cost is high, to truly be a disciple of this living loving God!!

Peter rightly reminds Jesus that the disciples with him then have already done all that, and Jesus assures them they will receive great reward in repayment.

The image of the camel and the eye of a needle still left the disciples questioning and wondering how this could be.

Lessons on Accepting the Kingdom of God as a child: by Xena the wonder dog.

Today’s Gospel begins with a hard teaching on divorce, and then concludes with Jesus blessing little children.
As I reflected on this passage I thought how paradoxical of life, and of Jesus, to put simple things into hard terms, and hard things into apparently simple terms.
What to deal with first? Well since it is the Feast Day of St Francis it seems better to me to start with the more difficult part of this passage:

Jesus said: “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.  Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”
And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

This part of the reading is most appropriate for today as it is the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi, who is internationally recognized as the Champion of Peace and friend of all animals and the environment.

To help me with this reflection I also asked for help from my friend Xena, the wonder dog.
Xena is a Staffordshire bullterrier, usually called a ‘Staffy’ in shorthand by Australians.
Xena lives with a good friend of mine and has the most placid and “peoplised” manner of any dog I have met.
Xena has exceptional manners and can be taken anywhere a people should want to go with no doubts at all that she will behave appropriately and charmingly at all times.
There is one place only where this rule is challenged, but it is a rare event, so we can let that discussion go until later.
I call her the wonder dog for two reasons:

1. I wonder if she really is a dog, she is so peoplised and well behaved.

2. I look at her as I explore life, and find myself asking: “I wonder, dog, what you are thinking about life now?”

If Xena could answer that question I am sure she would tell you about her life like this:

Whoever is not against us is FOR us !

The message today is taken from Jesus’ words to the disciples in Mark’s gospel: “Whoever is not against us is for us.”
I hope that this message can be taken in deeply by the many Christian groups in the world today. Too often the phrase is turned around to say “whoever is not FOR us is against us”. This creates a very insular outlook, where everyone and everything is measured by my standards. If they don’t fit in, don’t look ‘right’, don’t say the right things, don’t believe the EXACT same things, then THEY are not right. Like a formula for creating gold from straw, they must become like me, in order to be acceptable, and of course that is not possible.

Turning the phrase around, as Jesus did, has quite profound effects. “Whoever is not against us is for us.” How do you measure if someone is not against you? Like the measure of the enemy in C.S. Lewis’ “Last Battle”, it is no longer about which football team you follow, and whether you are wearing the right ‘colours’.

It is much more a matter of really knowing what is it that we stand FOR, what are the things that are really important.
What are our values, priorities, and relationships, with ourselves, with each other and with Jesus -and how do we express these?

Jesus and the Child

Jesus has given some astounding teaching to his disciples over the past few weeks, and He continues to do so today. Some of the challenges that the disciples faced are so far removed from our world view that it is difficult to conceive HOW challenging it must have been for them.

We have the advantage of two thousand years of reflection and engagement across human experience.

In our time the taboos, misunderstanding, and the natural instincts of societies built by and for the strong and beautiful, no longer openly supports the outright suppression of foreigners, women and children.

These attitudes do still exist though, and don’t be mistaken about that.

Love what God can do and BELIEVE he can do it for you!

Prescribed by the Great Physician ****************

************* The next time you feel like GOD can’t use you, just remember….

Noah was a drunk
Abraham  and Sarah were too old

Isaac was a daydreamer

Rebekah was a schemer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused

Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God

Naomi was a widow
Job  went bankrupt

Mary was an unmarried mother
Peter denied Christ (3 times!)
The Disciples fell asleep while praying

Martha worried about everything
Mary Magdalene was promiscuous

the Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once…
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious

Timothy  had an ulcer….

AND Lazarus was dead !

Now! No more excuses! God  can use you to your full potential. Besides, you aren’t the message,

you are just the messenger. And one more thing…

Share this with a friend or two… In the Circle of God’s love, God is waiting to use your full potential.

1. God wants spiritual fruits, not religious nuts.
2. “Dear God : I have a problem. It’s me. ” My Dear Child: I have the solution. It’s Me ! !”
3. Growing old is inevitable … growing UP is optional.
4. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.
5. Silence is often misinterpreted but never misquoted.
6. Do the math .. count your blessings.
7. Faith is the ability to not panic.
8. Laugh every day. It’s like inner jogging.
9. If you worry, you didn’t pray. If you pray, don’t worry.
10. As a child of God , prayer is kind of like calling home every day.
11. Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape..
12. The most important things in your house are the people! ..
13. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.
14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.
15 He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

Have a great day!!! The SON is shining and He can certainly use you!

Who do you say that I am?

The theme of my Message today is: Who do you say that I am?
In Mark’s gospel Jesus begins to reveal his true identity to the disciples.
We can see how Jesus uses his time to teach the disciples as travels with them from Bethsaida to Caesarea Philippi.
Time is spent reflecting on the previous events and the disciples’ experiences.
Rather than starting with a direct question Jesus begins by asking what the disciples have heard being said of him by the crowds.

Clearly the answer is very significant to the ministry of Jesus: John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the prophets?
The expectations of the people are reflected in these statements.
They are seeing in Jesus the work and hand of God being revealed.
Jesus then asks the disciples to reflect on their own understanding in light of the statements of the crowds and of their own experiences. The direct question comes: “Who do you say that I am?”
Peter answers for them all: “You are the messiah!”
And Jesus begins to teach them, showing them a deeper understanding again.

Even the Dogs Deserve Bread!

Today’s Gospel story can be a little perplexing, particularly with the interaction between Jesus and the SyroPhoenician woman. Jesus appears to speak in an uncharacteristically harsh manner to this stranger in the middle of Jewish Israel.

We have seen in the past where Jairus approached Jesus in the crowd, how Jesus spoke to encourage him, and strengthen his faith as they made that journey from death to life. In this setting, in a home away from the crowds, Jesus takes no such steps. He initially refuses her request and instead challenges her right to even ask from him.

Jesus is tired, and needs refreshment himself. We have already encountered this. The Gospels have all recorded how he withdraws frequently to the mountains, away from people, to seek his Father.  This encounter is very different. It is a glimpse into the human side of Jesus that we do not often see.

In the serious, distant and analytical world of University based theology studies Jesus words are often seen as harsh, as reprimanding and as drawing distinctions between the Jews as the rightful Children of God, and this Gentile woman. He is putting her in her place.

That may be so.

However, it is a well know fact that 97% of our communication is not verbal. Context is everything.

In Australia, working in an industry which is attempting to support high needs and difficult circumstances of children and young people who are so often treated like the dogs of society, I have a different perspective. Part of the culture of working in this environment that is filled with the pain and chaos of very broken people; is to laugh, to celebrate the life we do have, and to poke friendly fun at any and every situation possible to find the place of sanity. Sometimes, words spoken in this context, might also too easily seem a bit harsh reported outside of that. It is all about relationship really.

What relationship do I have with the other? What, in this situation, will bring life, love and laughter to a difficult circumstance? Literally, lighten the load.

So, if I imagine Jesus in my space and place in time, I can see that he has just got off a month of double shifts with some young people who have been acting out extreme behaviours from high needs, and then taken the On-Call phone for a month straight…. it happens when resources are tight and services are struggling to deliver. At last, he finds a place of respite and begins to relax; and the on-call phone rings one last time….

He could let it go through, l am sure that many others asked or sought help and the disciples would have seen Jesus walk past people who were in need of healing, beggars along the streets. Why is this woman any different?