isthisbiblical

Last night we held our community’s Christmas Celebration. 11 friends gathered at our Community House for dinner and reflections on the Christmas story … and it was a joy.

When we arrived we found the house decked out with Christmas decorations and candles everywhere. As most of us had journeyed through snow and ice it was a very warming environment to come into.

We began with a beautiful sweet potato and butternut squash soup, spiced with ginger and chilli. Then we went to the Prayer Room for our first devotional of the evening, where we listened to the Christmas story from Luke 2, and reflected on Isaiah 9, that ‘the people walking in darkness have seen a great light’. As we looked around the prayer room, again filled with candles, we each picked one flame to focus on … and asked God to bring light into our lives.

“Lord Jesus Christ,
your birth at Bethlehem
draws us to kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth:
accept our heartfelt praise
as we worship you
our Saviour and our eternal God. Amen”
(Anglican Common Worship)

Next was main course - turkey with all the trimmings - beautifully cooked by Andrea and Izzy. It was so good to be around a table filled with good food, and hear the sound of laughter and conversation, see smiles and happy faces.

When we were finished, we moved to the living room, where a fire had been lit. We sang Carols, including my favourite, ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’. Izzy sang and played beautifully.

Then we spent time on a Midwinter reflection. We had pieces of paper on which we wrote down things we wanted to leave in 2009 - doubts, hurts, fears, memories, things to say sorry or to forgive. These papers were then thrown on the fire. We were invited into the freedom of God, and to travel lighter into 2010. Then we had luggage labels on which we wrote simple prayers and tied them to the Christmas Tree. As we wrote and reflected, Izzy and Lorraine played and sang. In turn, each person went to the fire, threw in their paper and then waited for a while as bad memories and experiences burned and were left …

A great night ended with Christmas Pud, Apple Pie, Joelah’s excellent biscuits and wine and whiskey.

Happy Christmas …

Here’s our Christmas Newsletter … in blog format. Enjoy.

(more…)

Thought you might like to read a little article that’s just gone up to the global 24-7 prayer site.  We had some amazing answers to prayer after organising weeks of prayer around the issue of anti-human trafficking.

http://www.24-7prayer.com/features/1129

So I’ve submitted my first essay !!! Will throw it up here once it’s been marked, but I had to remove this bit, but really liked it … so I thought to myself … that’s what a blog is for … here you go:

“Stephen Bevans introduces his chapter on the Synthetic model of mission by writing about a Filipino historian called Horacio de la Costa.  De la Costa wrote his wartime journal in the blank spaces of a Western book.  This connection of Filipino story in amongst words of Western culture appealed to him.

‘This [Western] legacy, rich as it is, has blank spaces, which, in the providence of God, we are meant to fill’

As Fresh Expressions churches attempt to contextualise locally, it seems like they too are filling in blank spaces.  Gregory the Great encourages St.Augustine ‘to find what can be taken in the host culture, without fatal compromise, and transform it into ongoing Christian practice.’  Moot are taking creative visual technology and using it to connect ancient prayers with a visual generation.  Thirsty are making sense of the community aspects of Cafe culture, and filling in blank spaces with prayer, worship and the chance to be part of the Christian family.  Maybe the book we are writing in is Harry Potter or even Richard Dawkins, but the process of connection remains remarkably similiar.”

Just written this for CSM and thought I’d share it here:

“I’ve been spending a lot of time reflecting recently on what it means to be alive, in this time, at this point in history, and in this nation that I live in.

Many analysts are suggesting that nowadays, where we live is much less important.  There is a lot of evidence to back up their ideas too.  Greater mobility, the increase in commuting to work and longer hours, the weakening of local community all point to this.  Increased social life, clubs and friendship connections are often far stronger links for people than the ground they live on.  Many people live in places where they barely know their neighbours.

Yet, we read in the first chapter of John’s gospel that Jesus - the universal, omnipotent, all present God - became a human being, with flesh and blood and for a while, spent time in a particular place, and a particular time in history.  His feet would have been covered with Israeli sand.  He followed local customs, was part of local culture, he was part of a place.

Like it or not, it’s our task to live in the UK in 2009.  We’ve been placed here, and each of us have a local community to which we are part of.  We also live in the UK at a time of change and we have a part to play.  We are citizens of the world too, at a time where decisions we make about our climate will be crucial for future generations.

2010 will be a year of General Election in the UK.  A national election yes, but also where local people will stand in constituencies as local candidates to be MP’s at Westminster.  Who will be standing in your seat ?  How can you get involved ?  Why has God put you where you are, at this time ?

I wanted to take some time over three verses from John 1 and to consider and pray about three words - perspective, presence and place.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”
John 1:1-2

John begins his story of the nearness of Jesus, God amongst us, by telling the story from the perspective of eternity.  Before all this was made, Jesus was present.  We are playing our part in a very long story of God …. we play our part in the history of our world too.

At the time of writing this essay, it seems unlikely that the Climate summit in Copenhagen will produce any agreements.  This world that we have been entrusted, needs urgent attention.

Spend some time reflecting on the perspective of eternity, and the world that we are part of.   Maybe we are here ‘for such a time as this’ (Esther 4:13)

“The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”
John 1:9

The story of the incarnation celebrates the presence of God with us.  From the beginning of creation, as God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden, God has desired to be with us.  Whether in burning bush, tabernacle tent, grand temple or in the upper room as the disciples waited for pentecost.  God wants to be present with us.  Jesus embodied that presence.

Paul declares that we are ‘temples of the Holy Spirit’ now.  The presence of God is present in our towns and cities in us, through God’s Holy Spirit.

Why not pray by reflecting on this verse:

“ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. “
2 Corinthians 5:20

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
John 1:14

The creator God, in human form, came to live in a physical place.  He breathed air, he ate food, he spent time with the people around Him.

Consider the place you live in.  Consider it’s needs and problems.  This is a village, town or city where God has placed you …. why ?

Pray for the place you live in:

Pray for local issues.
Pray into the forthcoming General Election, and for the candidates standing for election.
Pray for local churches.
Pray for your neighbours.  Maybe you could even ask them if there’s anything you can pray for.

Consider that God is present where you are.  He loves where you live and loves the people you can see around you.  He has put you there.

How can we get involved ?”

I really love international football.  Club footie is great but there is something so passionate, so gladiatorial about International games, particularly when the World Cup comes around.  Last night’s epic in Paris was as good as anything I’d seen this season, and was great credit to Ireland, who played magnificently.

I was most surprised, and impressed by Richard Dunne and Shaun St. Ledger.  The Irish centre back pairing dealt with everything.  Dunne was immense, St. Ledger surprisingly good and well able to deal with the talented Anelka and Henry, as well as the frankly awful Gorkuff and Gignac.  The Irish were set up well, Trappatoni is just brilliant, and they played well enough to win the game in 90 mins. Duff especially really should have scored when clean through.  Doyle, ex of Reading, ran his heart out.
But then came the hand of Thierry.  Oh dear.  It was obvious.  Pity as the referee up till then had been really good.  But the handball was blatant and terrible.  All the Irish appealed immediately.  The guilty look of Gallas after the goal was pretty telling.  As the game ended Henry went and sat with the majestic Richard Dunne who by then was distraught.  As they sat still together and exchanged a few words, I wonder whether he said sorry.  Rightly he fessed up to the camera’s - so what now ?

I have to say, I expect FIFA to do nothing about the Irish request for a replay.  They will say this is football, and I guess if they replay this, then many other replays may follow.  I’m thinking of David Platt and Ronald Koeman in 1993 in Rotterdam or the Spanish goal that wasn’t against South Korea in 2002.  This happens.

But I wonder whether the French might do something.  In 2000, Arsenal initiated a replay against Sheffied Utd, when the newly signed Kanu misunderstood the principle of giving the ball back when a team puts the ball out because of an injury.  I wonder whether, given Henry’s admission, they might feel they have to or should do …

I wonder….

The Irish FA have got something wrong though - ‘the wrong team is going to South Africa’.  Guys, even if Gallas hadn’t scored, it would have gone to penalties and then who know’s ?

Keane, Doyle and co vs Henry, Anelka at a penalty competition.

I have a feeling the result would have been the same.

I can’t remember the last time I had to write an essay.  Maybe it was as much as 20 years ago.  So today I’ve made a tentative start on the few sentences which have been plaguing my dreams and hanging over my waking hours:

With reference to Stephan Bevans models of contextual theology, analyse and evaluate one or more of the main initiatives in mission developed by the Church of England over the past decade.

Anyone got any good ideas ?

I’m going to be working through the Fresh Expressions initiative, and in that, this essay has a reality to where I am at, but being so broad in it’s nature - it’s also quite hard to bring it down to earth.

It does strike me as interesting that we like to create movements or initiatives, that sometimes have little or no connection or similarity other than a name - Fresh Expressions, New Monasticism, Emergent …  Having been part of a movement, with varied expressions, but with very clear DNA and agreed values, this is quite new and challenging for me.

And how do I join?  Do I sign up to be a ‘new monastic’ or is it just assumed ?

Ho hum

So today has been my first day in Ireland.  A lovely day with a collective of 30 or so youth workers for the North, from both Methodist and Church of Ireland churches.

We spend the day at the Church of St Patrick, in Saul near Downpatrick.  Beautiful, and very moving to think the famous Celtic Saint once stood and worked where we were contemplating our own faith …

The theme for the day was …

Finding Faith in Daily Life.  We considered John 1 - the perspective of our planet, the presence of God and the place where we live.

Now I’m in Dublin and tomorrow it’s John 1 again with Youth Workers from the South …

So I’m writing this post from our lecture room at the Anglican Retreat Centre in Merville, France.

I’m here as part of my BA in Contextual Theology, my ordination training.  Each year, as well as several weekends away, we take one full week away.  We’ve been here since Saturday studying subjects like:

* Public Worship and Liturgy

* Preaching

* Spiritual Formation

We just had a great lecture on listening to God, which Ann Coleman presented.  This lecture was interactive, going through a listening exercise and Lectio Divina (Sacred Reading) which I adore - so that was fun.  Yesterday we presented our group liturgy project, putting together an All Age service of Rembrance.
Am now drinking some good strong French coffee and some rather odd biscuits and waiting for my next lecture (we have 4 a day/ 90 mins each) on Preaching, by Mike Lloyd.  Mike is brilliant fun, so this should be challenging as well as quite funny.

I’m a lightweight, so rather than staying till Friday like everyone else, I get to leave tonight; 9pm Eurostar train from Lille.  I then get a night at home and then fly to Belfast tomorrow for four days of teaching across Ireland, time with 24-7 in Ireland and probably some space too if I can work that out.

Hope to see you all soon

Andy

To be honest that’s an understatement.  Hope’s that my life might be re-wired and slowed down is as yet an aspiration rather than a reality … but here’s hoping.

Last Saturday I took David to Warwick University.  He’s doing well, settling in great - and most of all I’m immensely proud of him, as I am all my kids.  David is showing that he’s kind to others, quite resourceful - and that God blesses him - which is very very good.

Last Monday I took part in a Symposium on Fresh Expressions and New Monasticism …. got a paper to write off the back of it - it was fun, and challenging too - and we’ll see where God takes this …

Last Tuesday I spent the morning with the new Transit students on the 247 course.  This was nice, as I hadn’t met them yet.  Long day though with train travel and teaching.

Last week our house redecorations continued - our dear friend and fixer of all things called Nick is this week hitting the bathroom - the tough thing is the continual moving and packing of boxes - it’s freaking me out a bit.

Last week Karen had her toughest week with CAP, the charity she works part time with.  Do pray for her if you can.

And then this last week was our first residential of my theology course.  Major brain ache ensued ….

So right now, I’m tired and a little fraught …. sounds familiar eh ?

Andy