abbotsford.org.uk

New and aggressive atheism

One of the Popes advisers has said the UK is marked by a 'new and aggressive atheism.' Part of the new atheism deal seems to be caused by the church itself and the culture of the church particularly in the past (which we are clearly still dealing with). When a church hurts people by the stuff we are reading in the headlines today whcih is the more dramatic stuff, but there is a lot more subtle stuff under the surface going on too, then it is perfectly reasonable to move from church to atheism. And that is perhaps the direction on the journey: from church to atheism rather than from faith to atheism. Atheism is the opposite of church, it's not the opposite of faith.

Faith isn't about belief in a set of values but trusting ourselves to live in a way that is generous and graceful and loving towards each other which is what Jesus seemed to be all about. When the church doesn't let that thrive because it controls the power or focuses so much on doctrine or literalism or whatever, then it has lost faith. I'd be aggressively against that too but it isn't new. It is what we are called to do with the church: move it from atheism into life, atheism into generosity, a theism of rules and doctrine into loving the stranger, neighbour, seeker, etc.

New and aggressive atheism

One of the Popes advisers has said the UK is marked by a 'new and aggressive atheism.' Part of the new atheism deal seems to be caused by the church itself and the culture of the church particularly in the past (which we are clearly still dealing with). When a church hurts people by the stuff we are reading in the headlines today whcih is the more dramatic stuff, but there is a lot more subtle stuff under the surface going on too, then it is perfectly reasonable to move from church to atheism. And that is perhaps the direction on the journey: from church to atheism rather than from faith to atheism. Atheism is the opposite of church, it's not the opposite of faith.

Faith isn't about belief in a set of values but trusting ourselves to live in a way that is generous and graceful and loving towards each other which is what Jesus seemed to be all about. When the church doesn't let that thrive because it controls the power or focuses so much on doctrine or literalism or whatever, then it has lost faith. I'd be aggressively against that too but it isn't new. It is what we are called to do with the church: move it from atheism into life, atheism into generosity, a theism of rules and doctrine into loving the stranger, neighbour, seeker, etc.

Church Garden

This sounds a bit cryptic but...

If you were to design a garden for the church, or be given a plot of land that you could build a couple of houses on, what would you suggest we do with it?

Note, we haven't suddenly been given that size of land but it is a thought in my head about using land ecologically, creatively, functionally, theologically. So what would you come up with?

Allotments for the congregation or others in the community?

A meeting place that was designed for safety?

A picnic area?

A piece of land to grow soup for Sunday?

Go on, be creative and see what you can come up with. This isn't without reason or direction but is all part of a cunning plan...

Chocolate Teapots (19th September 2010)

Luke 16:1-9

Okay, who chose this one to go into the lectionary? Does anyone agree with anyone else on what it means? If parables tend to have one meaning rather than lots of multi-layers going on within them then you pays your money and you takes your choice with this one because it doesn't seem to have any theme jumping out more clearly than any other.

But perhaps in that lies the truth. The idea of the manager being commended for being shrewd is interesting: go on, think for yourself. Use the brain God has given you and the creativity that is your survival instinct and re-imagine the way you do things. Now that is worth preserving. What a gift to the churches if only the churches allowed it to happen: think for yourself. Don't be scared when you find yourself in an impossible place in your belief, in your church life or in your faith tradition when they no longer work for you. Think. Be creative. Re-imagine your way out of them. Don't go under because you can't do it the way it's always been done before.

The other point of truth is the whole image of the parable talking into a corrupt, dishonest and unbalanced economic system. The whole thing is rotten at all levels and those who are worst off at the end are still the poor. It is so like what is happening in the UK's austerity measures. They are all designed by millionaires and always affect the poorest most. 'Those who deal with money are given more money and those who deal with people have their resources taken away' as John Bell reminded us at Greenbelt this year.  I wrote to the Chancellor asking him what his definition of fairness was. He hasn't yet replied but I'll let you know. Where does the realm of God stand at the end of the telling of this parable and who are you in the parable?

A journey blessing

This is a wee taster for our contemporary communion on Sunday night. It is based on a quote from CS Lewis that says that the church doesn't need better arguments, it needs better metaphors. We use Jesus' own metaphors of the 'I am' sayings.

The full liturgy (such as it is) will be in Mucky Paws next month. If you wish to subscribe to Mucky Paws which contains a number of pieces found here each month and other written for our worship just email me asking to subscribe. It's free.

May the earth beneath us
encourage us to leave footprints
caught by some ancient memory
that remembers companions have come this way before

may the air between us
shift like some silent grace
filled with rumours of whispering ghosts
as we push our way through it

may the moments connecting us
pause
as they spill with lingering expectation
left by others and for us to hold

may the story within us
reawaken in our souls
stirred by a forgotten hope
and long brokenness

and may the silence not yet found
empty us of words
and fill us with image
spilling with the anticipation of ‘I Am’

I am the light of the world, says Jesus
I am the good shepherd, says Jesus
I am the way, the truth and the life, says Jesus
I am the gate, says Jesus
I am the resurrection, says Jesus
I am the bread of life, says Jesus
I am the true vine, says Jesus

Soundtrack

Needing some inspiration here. I'm looking for soundtracks to the different things we do as a congregation here. We've a great number of wee groups ranging from talking over the newspaper headlines to community arts programmes, from theological discussion to taking flowers to folk. I could list all the ways we respond to being the church quite clinically but I wonder if there is a better way of doing this. What about putting a soundtrack together, or at least list the songs we are and who best to help out with that than the usual  crowd out there. So here is a list of some things (I won't be able to mention them all) but feel free to add to the list and set it to music. Be as imaginative and tongue in cheek as possible.

Discussion Groups
Newspaper headline chats
Midweek blethers
Worship
Sunday School
Community Project
Choir
Meetings (Session, Board etc)
Big Sings
Quiz Nights
Social Events
Lunch (regularly)
Tea Bar
Boys' Brigade
Brownies
Eco Group
Walking Group
Contemporary Communion
Rainbows
Line dancing
Badminton
Craft Daft
Trips
Look who's coming to dinner

to name a few... Go on, find five minutes at lunch time to fit the song to the event.

A Hawk in Doves Clothing

I don't know if you are following the story from the US of a pastor of a small church of 50 members who has called for people to burn the Qur'an tomorrow on the anniversary of 9/11.

The congregation is called, wait for it... Dove World Outreach Centre. I'd have them on trades description straight away. Then if that didn't convince anyone I'd get them for just being stupid.

The Pastor said he'd prayed about it. Now this causes me another problem about hearing what we want to hear in prayers recognising our own voice and thinking it is God's. I am sure this happens a lot. Sometimes we get so convinced about our own cause we can't hear the stunned silence of heaven at the foolishness and utter audacity of what we pray for.

He says that you have to say something about the radical elements of Islam. Does he realise he is the parallel element in Christianity? We're praying to God, not a flag. Why not do what Jesus did? Go read the sermon on the mount for starters, then listen again to the parables, and then go and follow up on the people he broke bread with, and sat and drank with. There was at times an angry voice in Jesus, a calling to account for the consequences of our actions, but a vision of building relationships that were compassionate, just and loving. It's with news stories like this that I want to say I'm no longer a Christian. I'm a follower of Jesus.

Between the Headlines

We're starting a new wee discussion group on Thursday evening.

Quite simple. We bring the weeks newspapers with us and take the stories and unfold them thinking about faith and culture and how these things speak into each other. It's not exactly rocket science but we haven't done that in any regular way before.  It is a way of tangling the different strands together that given meaning to things.

7.30 in the church Thursday.

What stories do you imagine we'll be thinking about...

Chocolate Teapots (Sunday 12th September 2010)

Luke 15:1-32 (Lost Sheep)

Are you the lost sheep or one of the ninety-nine back at the ranch? Sadly, personally, I'm one of the ninety nine. Little imagination, little sense of adventure that would take me away from all that is familiar and safe. But there is a big role of grace for those of us left behind. Do we have the grace to let those who do the seeking to go off looking for those who are lost. Ought not these leaders be back with us good folk, nurturing and supporting and caring for us? There is a lesson about letting go and letting the shepherd find those who are lost.

The other image in this passage that might need a comment in the paranoid shepherd who is always counting the sheep. It that our image of God, stressed about losing a lamb. Perhaps God is the sort of love that is always seeking and never counting. Love is not an accountant tallying how many have been saved but always out there carrying sheep home because numbers are unimportant but adventures are.

The Cost

A contemporary reading and action based on this Sunday's gospel passage. It is for four readers each of whom pick up a paper cross at the end with the invitation to invite other to come forward an pick up a cross as well

The cost of following is not
the cost of a flat screen TV
the cost of a holiday
the cost of a new sofa

the cost of following is not:
the cost of a car
the cost of the weekly shop
the cost of a new outfit

the cost of following is not:
the cost of a train journey
the cost of a book
the cost of an illness

it is the cost of saying, “Love your neighbour’
    and showing it
the cost of believing, “I am the resurrection"
    and letting ourselves be renewed in spirit and action
the cost of trusting, “Behold I make all things new”
    and engaging in that renewal
the cost of “not storing up riches for yourself”
    and sharing what life we have with others
the cost of letting someone strike you on both cheeks
    and walking away even as everyone thing you are a fool
the cost of knowing “we do not living by bread alone”
    and dividing that very bread with the rich and the hungry
the cost of “give to everyone who asks you"
    and finding a new way to live together to do so
the cost of “loving your enemy"
    and the outcry this shape of justice brings

the cost of being a disciple
is picking up the cross
and traveling the journey
of word into flesh