abbotsford.org.uk

The door to CAOS

Here's our front door at Centre 81 where CAOS has begun it's work. Lots of community art things happening, planned, designed, and even advertised in schools and next week will be a big update. As for now, you'll just need to keep knocking...

I'm not sure...

I'm looking for a couple of voices who would be willing to read this on Sunday. Read it first to make sure you believe it of course! I've also opening in other parts of the service too to help with the new way of reading the scriptures... I look forward to hearing from you.

Voice 1    I am not sure the world was created in six straight days, but I am convinced God is the word of life and all creation is held in the palm of God’s hand.

Voice 2    I am not sure Noah’s flood covered the entire earth and that two of every animal could be collected and fitted into that ark, but I am convinced God’s rainbow covenant is real, that God’s love for the environment is so strong that it will bloom again in flood or in drought.

Voice 1    I am not sure Abraham was 100 and Sarah 90 at the birth of their first child, but I am convinced God talks of destinies and can work through the communities who take risks and dare to step out onto an adventure in faith.

Voice 2    I am not sure bushes burn without being consumed, but I am convinced God notices when people are enslaved and chooses those least expected to liberate the captive.

Voice 1    I am not sure the red sea parted just as we are told in Exodus and that God drowned every Egyptian who dipped their toe in the water, but I am convinced God longs that all people should be free from slavery and live in freedom with each other.

Voice 2    I am not sure the walls of Jericho came tumbling down after seven days of trumpet blasts, but as with Rahab I am convinced God notices and values every act of kindness done.

Voice 1    I am not sure there is a fish anywhere that is big enough to swallow a human and regurgitate him on a beach three days later, but I am convinced God calls us all to take dangerous journeys that we do not always like in the name of the Good News.

Voice 2    I am not sure Jesus was born of a virgin or exactly where he was born, but I am convinced God has put on flesh and dwells among us.

Voice 1    I am not sure God likes the place the Bible gives to women to wear hats and to remain silent in church, but I am convinced God invites each of us, of whatever gender, into the place of acceptance and grace and listens to each ones needs.

Voice 2    I am not sure if the four horsemen of the apocalypse will ever ride into town but I am convinced no matter what ever happens that because God is both Alpha and Omega love is always stronger than evil and evil will always be defeated.

Now we've saved Jesus, what?

I've been tryin to follow up on Saving Jesus material seeking out something else to keep the group going and find new ways to get into the faith/theology/story of God. I've seen this a few times around the place, down at Greenbelt and other people have recommended so have a wee look and see what you think.

Could this be the starter that works for us? It is less about the bible and stuff about seeking out the real Jesus but more, perhaps about applying stuff to living.

Perhaps there are other things too that other folk have that are inductive rather than deductive: films, journals, music etc.

Chocolate Teapots for February 1st 2009

Mark 1:21–28

Jesus doesn't make it easy for himself. But then he doesn't make it easy for us either. He's just about to step out onto the road (mainly probably because people keep chucking him out of their villages for being unprebyterian and a little heretical) and his first entance onto the stage is in the local synagogue.

Fine. Nice young boy. Good place to start. Comes from a good family (even if nothing good comes out of Nazareth) Got a profession and his priorities right. The whole Reign of God thing starts here in the church. He's even quite a good preacher. In fact he's so good that even the demons take notice. "Hey, wait a minute, this guy's got authority. Haven't heard that in a long time. The usual guest preachers are normally worse than the local bloke!"

And right here, at the very start of the journey, in the synagogue, which you'd thought would be a great springboard, Jesus shouts down a demon. "Hey, he's better than all the others. This guy has authority. He's doing what the typical religion scholars ain't been able to do since... well I can't exactly remember it's so long ago. Is this a new teaching?"

Wait a minute! A new teaching? In the church? Has the church been hiding these evil powers unknowingly. These evil spirits have been sitting there quietly, inspecting their nails and only half listening to the preacher folk for years now unmoved by their theology and spirituality and lifestyles. But then Jesus comes along and they sit up and listen in fear. Jesus starts out by cleansing the church from day one.

Oh dear... A lament over sterile churchianity? Insipid biblical understanding?

We're in Epiphany: the slow revealing of Jesus (the fish on the tryptich slowly coming together in our worship space). In this passage it is the disturbed person, the exiled one that recognises Jesus, not the scholars and experts. Hmmmm.

Hymns?
    Symbols?
        Music?
            Questions?
                Thoughts?

Bear with me...

I'm wondering about experimenting (such a dangerous word that fills folk with fear) with the middle bit of the service. It's nothing much at all but interested in your thoughts.

I've been wondering about moving the scripture reading into a more obvious space in our worship and perhaps (I repeat, perhaps) find ways of making it more engaging. there is nothing more likely to put the glaze over peoples eyes than long passages from the prophets or epistles read as a monologue. Why don't we find ways of making them more interesting and enable people to hear them better.

It's always been a wonder to me that the scripture passage is half way through the service and not at the beginning. Certainly the story is told during the all-age bit but I wonder about formalising it a little, using images, stroytelling techniques, drama, dialogue etc.

Then let the contemporary bit have it's own space rather than tagged on to the end of scripture: have a reflective time, ask some questions people can think about, have an extra musical item, a meditative sequence; all of which we have done many times.

In doing this, the scripture passage beomes the more important part of the service and all the rest is seen to come from that as it should (and does when the service is designed). And then there is space to enable people engage more with the theme.

Basically we'll move the scripture reading into the all-age part and have the contemporary reading on it's own. Now that doesn't seem too bad, does it...

Thoughts?

The Long View

A reflective prayer for Sunday...

Help us hold our breath a while
as we stand on the horizon of heaven,
that we may see the vision
that lies tucked over the edge.

May we stand close enough to know
ours part is but a part
one step of faith for the faith,
one piece of the whole picture.

May we believe beyond ourselves,
and beyond our moment here,
and trust the whole story of faith
from times beginning to times end,

and then beyond even that.
May we take the long view;
sense our part in the whole story of salvation;
our moment here, scared as it is,
is but one moment for the Good News.

But O, may we make the most of it.
May we fill it and unfold it
share it and celebrate it
that this moment in all moments

lives fully within your great work
towards redemption,
and indeed witnesses that work
in how we live now.

Let us be the redeeming
you are working for,
the transformation
you are moving towards.

May we hold our breath
on this horizon of heaven,
and let the vision of grace
take our breath away.

This doesn't refer to anyone . It's just funny!

This doesn't refer to anyone we know in our congregation. It's just funny. I'll repeat that: This doesn't refer to anyone, it's just funny.

Remember: just for fun.

A burns poem

For you to continue in your own inimitable style (apologies to the bard himelf)...

Fair fa' your honest sonsie...

Chocolate Teapots for January 25th 2009

Mark 1:14–20

Iconic story this week. Lots of childrens choruses to go along with it. I imagine blue skies, white sand, green nets and everyone quite happy when along comes Jesus and everyone is equally as happy to go off with him to goodness knows where. "Will you come and follow me" contains no stress, anxiety, worry, or the need to orgaise what will happen in your absence. It portrays a lifestyle that was simpler, richer and  at peace with itself and the romantic i me would lime to to be like that again. I'd follow Jesus without a question.

But perhaps the story is symbolic to those of us who live in a place where immediate responses/answers/solutions are everything. You see, "I will make you fishers of people" isn't a plan for the next week. It's a way of life for a lifetime. You have to take the longview. And how long a view are you willing to take: the next fiscal year, 5 year plan, length of a mortgage, a lifetime?

One of the big contemporary stories this week is Barak Obama becoming president. His story started, perhaps, with Martin Luther King. Obama is the end of the story in some way. Civil Rights was the start. Have we that faith and trust in the nature of humanity, and in the love of God to take the long view, to leave our nets and hope into the beyond and what will happen in our own lifetimes, and invest everything in it anyway?

Of course it is also 250th anniversary of Burns. Now, how can we fit that in as well? Did he write any hymns or would someone like to write new words to one of his tunes? What about symbols we could use on Sunday, words, actions, responses, thoughts...

Worship Space

It's turning into a whale...