sustain:if:able kiwi

happy “international” thanksgiving

We’re not Americans. But last night was Thanksgiving and it somehow seemed important to gather some folk to be thankful with. A friend and their family for each of the kids. Some international folk known to Lynne and I.

An invitation, to bring food your whole family were thankful for. A school night, so an offer of a prompt start and the promise of a early night.

The meal began with bubbles, passed around the group, blow some bubbles. naming things were thankful for. Kiwi, Australian, Scottish accents. Folk unknown to each other, now connected by food, laughter, companionship.

It felt spiritual, in a very earthy, thankful, friendly sort of way.

(This is another entry in dictionary of everyday spirituality, under the heading T is for thanksgiving).

the future of grace: B is for blossom

I love flowering trees.

One of my most spiritual moments was coming across a tree in blossom, in a howling Canterbury nor’wester. I was battling some major change processes at Opawa.

And I lay on the ground under this tree, with the wind cascading all these blossom around me. As they swirled on my hands, my skin, my uplifted face, I realised how much bigger, slower, differently paced, was the rhythm of God.

So today, in the midst of some ongoing personal change, I paused and snapped this pic. Of an Adelaide tree in blossom. Which became a prayer,

God in this change, help me pause, walk slower, be differently paced, in your rhythms of grace.

(This is another entry in dictionary of everyday spirituality, under the heading B is for blossom).

family faith: at Halloween/All Saints part 2

One of the members of team Taylor went “peace-treating” this Halloween. They were keen to join the fun. And be with friends. Others in the family were uneasy with the very concept of trick-or-treating – that sense of expecting a handout.

So a healthy discussion ended in “peace-treating.” They would knock on doors and speak peace to every home. (Yep echoes of Luke 10:1-10!) To practically embody peace, they took along a collection of peace quotes on paper, which they handed out. They are into peace in a big way, so this was a perfect fit with their personality. It meant that rather than get, they would give – verbal peace, the presence of peace, a peace quote.

So off they went and had a great time. It seemed a creative way of practising faith in our world today. It brought to mind some quotes by Miroslav Volf, which I used in the chapter on gospel/culture in my The Out of Bounds Church?: Learning to Create a Community of Faith in a Culture of Change.

“’Gospel’ always involves a way of living in a social environment….”

“[T]here is no single proper way for Christians to relate to a given culture as a whole. Instead, there are numerous ways of accepting, rejecting, subverting or transforming various aspects of a culture….” Miroslav Volf, “Soft Difference. Theological Reflections on the Relation between Church and Culture in 1 Peter.” Ex Auditu 10 (1994), 15-30.

(This is another entry (P=peace-treating) in dictionary of everyday spirituality. For the complete index of all entries, go here).

family faith: at Halloween/All Saints Day part 1

Tuesday was All Saints Day and Team Taylor were gathering for family dinner. The youngest had set up a lovely environment, with a central Christ candle and unlit tea lights.

After eating, we considered Halloween, followed by All Saints Day, a time to remember those who had shaped us. Five categories were suggested (written on the paper in the front of the pic) – life teachers, risk-takers, brave one, joke and joy tellers, nurturers.

Names were mentioned and candles were lit.

There was a growing sense that we were not alone, but surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. Many at distance both in time and geography. But still a warm and glowing presence among us.

There was also a time to be thankful for those around the table, to remind ourselves that Team Taylor has been, and can be, saints to each other, a practical expression of Christ’s love.

Very simple, but quite quietly memorable.

(This is another entry (S=saints) in dictionary of everyday spirituality. For the complete index of all entries, go here).

the shopping trolley as spirituality for mission

It was the Spirituality for Mission topic in the mission shaped ministry course. Rather than talk about spirituality, ten stations were placed around the edges of the space (Function room at West Lakes Resort). Folk were invite to move through the stations and engage experientially this theme of spirituality for mission.

I spotted a shopping trolley and moved over to engage the station.

(More of the story to come later today) Updated: After a while I became aware that while the other stations were crowded, no-one was at mine. And the others all shared identical tablecloths and candles and instructions, while mine was just a trolley, filled with boxes.

Oh well. I held the bar and reflected on those who collect trolleys at malls. Wondered what a fresh expression for them would look like?

Pondered the fact that trolleys are so symbolic of consumerism. And how I want an expression of Christian faith that allows me to be in the world but not of it, a passionate Christ-follower and yet with what I put in my trolley, seeking a life that is simple and that eats justly.

Which I shared with the group upon our return.

Only to be gently told that the trolley was actually not one of the 10 stations. That it was only there because the worship curator had a lot to carry and when they arrived, saw the trolley and decided it looked useful for carrying things.

Oh well, it had been for me, a most significant entry into pondering a spirituality for mission today.

(This is another entry in dictionary of everyday spirituality, under the heading S is for supermarket trolley).

potential

winery entry,
earth rich,
sun low, view to afar,
hope, promise, now potential

(This is part 3 in the Wine Door series. Others are here and here)

promise

winery door,
a promise,
taste to see,
(rotate your computer screen 90 degrees clockwise)

(This is part 2 in the Wine Door series. Others are here and here)

hope

winery entry,
new door on old barn,
(rotate your computer screen 90 degrees clockwise)

(This is part 1 in the Wine Door series. Others are here and here)

Looking for God: a missiology of everyday life

This is a sermon preached on Acts 17, with the Gospel reading being John 14, to a combined service of 6 rural church communities.

Today’s reading from Acts 17 invites us to look for God in the everyday world around us. Because of the Gospel reading – Jesus promise of the Holy Spirit.

The reading starts with the Apostle Paul waiting for his friends. And with a few days off, he decides to wander the city. Not a bad life really when you think about, a few days off in Athens.

Athens was sort of Canberra and Melbourne mixed together. It’s a city of decision – it’s got politics and power – “a museum for the world of Greek culture.” (Witherington The Acts of the Apostles : A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, 513)

It’s also a city of debate. “a sophisticated … university town.” (Willimon, Acts: Interpretation 142). Filled with ideas – the reading talks about Epicurean and Stoic philosophers.

In this city, Paul wanders. He visits the Acropolis. He checks out the Parthenon.

Interactive question: Anyone here done this? Been to Greece, been a tourist like Paul and wandered Athens? What were they like?

So in this city of decision and debate, being this tourist, Paul wanders.

Often as tourists we go through culture shock. We see a new culture and we can find ourselves feeling a bit lost and confused. Become a bit homesick and lonely. Can end up comparing the worst bits of the new culture with the best bits of being Aussie.

Perhaps that’s what’s happening for Paul in verse 16 – “greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.” Paul was brought up a good Jew, and in good Jewish culture here O Israel, the Lord your God is one. Not many.

So, wandering this great city, perhaps feeling a bit disconnected, he could well have experienced culture shock.
…………
Which makes his response really interesting doesn’t. Rather than point out the worst bits, rather than condemn what he doesn’t understand, he tries to build some bridges, to make some connections. Because of the Gospel reading – Jesus promise of the Holy Spirit.

In verse 22 he starts with a compliment “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are extremely reverential.” Looking for the good, something to give thanks for.

Then in verse 23, he notes an altar to the Unknown God. Trying to build a bridge.

Then in verse 28, he quotes a poet, a man named Epimenides – “For in him we live and move and have our being.” And a 2nd poet Arastus – “We are his offspring.”

So this is Paul. Meeting a strange culture, meeting people he doesn’t understand.

Rather than rush to condemn, he takes the time to look carefully. To enter the temples and look at their idols. To read their poets, to look for connections.

A friend of mine called this God prospecting. Sort of like gold prospecting. To be like Paul, to wander our world, to look carefully at our culture – looking for God in the world. Because of the Gospel reading – Jesus promise of the Holy Spirit.
…………..
What’s interesting is that Paul has done this before – had to the eyes to find God in the world around us.

Back in Acts 14 the scene was more rural. A place called Lystra. More like Fleurieu Peninsula than North Terrace.

In Acts 14:15-18 makes another speech. Quite different from this speech in Acts. He quotes not poetry, but the goodness of creation. “He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” That’s Acts 14:17

So in the cultured city of Athens you talk about poetry, but in the country, you talk about rain. And crops. Which is interesting isn’t it.

I used to have this idea that when I shared my Christian faith, there was like this single, simple gospel message that I needed to get across. I used to get quite stressed, that I might forget it, or get the order mixed up, or say the wrong thing.

Acts is actually full of people sharing their Christian faith. Over half the book is actually speeches. 26 in total if you don’t believe me and want to go and count.

If we had time, if this was a class at Uniting College, I’d get you to put them side by side. How do the speeches start? What were the connection points? What was the conclusion?

And together we’d find that each speech is totally different. That when you talk to Jews, who know the Bible, quote the Old Testament. That when you talk to farmers, the talk about rain. When you meet philosopher townies, quote some poets.

So there’s no one simple way to share your faith. Instead we have this appreciation that God is in the world around us.

We just need to take the time to wander, to go God prospecting, to have the eyes to see.
…………

It’s not just Paul. It’s not just the Bible book of Acts. In 1962 a young man called Don Richardson took his wife, Carol and their seven month old baby and went to live in the highlands of West Papua New Guinea. Among a people rumoured to be canibals, called the Sawi people.

In their new home, the only white fella’s, the Richardsons set about learning the local language. Which wasn’t easy. The Sawi language has 19 tenses for every verb.
As they learnt the language and lived with the people, they became more aware of this big gulf that separated their Christian worldview from the worldview of the Sawi people. The first time they shared the story of the Last Supper, the Sawi decided to follow Judas.
Because to betray people was something they valued highly in their culture. So Judas, not Jesus, was the hero.

So Don and Carol go through culture shock and find themselves lost and confused. Tempted to compare the worst bits of the Sawi culture with the best bits of their culture back home.
Thankfully Don get listening. Kept God-prospecting, kept looking carefully.

He discovered that in Sawi culture, there is a Peace Child. They had this ceremony in which in order to bring peace between warring villages, young children would be exchanged, as a Peace child. One day Don saw a man run toward his enemy’s house and literally gave his son to one of his enemies.

Don began to wonder if the peace child was their alter to the Unknown God. That to stop humans fighting with each other, God in Jesus gives us a peace child.

When they heard this, many villagers decided they wanted to follow Jesus the Peace Child. They converted to Christianity, began to live in peace with this peace child and with each other.

Simply because Don Richardson believed that God was already in the Sawi world. If he just took the time to look.
…………
So, this week, why not try and make this Bible text practical today.

Take time to walk around your local park. Is God here? What can you see that can feed the spiritual journey?

Then, take a time to walk around a shopping centre. Is God there? What can you see that can feed the spiritual journey?

I thought I should practise what I preach …

This is a billboard hanging on the pub closest to my work.

When I looked, I was suprised to find a commercial billboard, on a main road, in which God is named. In which to understand you need to know the creation story, Genesis 1, made in 7 days. And while I’m not convinced that alcohol represents the fullness of heaven, I love the suggestion that as part of God making us, God wants us to relax and enjoy life. That billboard, almost an altar to the unknown God on a main road in Adelaide.

This is a mat on the ground floor of a central city business. It was the word “devine” that caught my attention. I checked the spelling. It was wrong.

But I love the tag line – “Welcome. Find your ideal place.” Isn’t that what Christianity is about? A faith of welcome. An invitation not to be forced into a cookie cutter, but to find our unique and special place. Reminded me of that fact that each of us have our own unique fingerprint and so the task of spiritual growth is to grow into what each of us are truely, uniquely, meant to be. Another altar to the unknown God – God’s “devine” grace as “Welcome. Find your ideal place.”
…………………..
So we started with Paul in Athens. Taking the time to wander. To look. And discovering that in this highly intelligent, sophisticated, place of decision and debate, that God was already there. Because of the Gospel reading – Jesus promise of the Holy Spirit.

And I compared that to a different sermon, to a more rural place in Acts 14. Once again, God was already there, not only in poets and philosophers, but in rain and harvest. Because of the Gospel reading – Jesus promise of the Holy Spirit.

Which I linked with a missionary story. Of the Richardsons in West Papua New Guinea taking the time to look, and finding a peace child. Because of the Gospel reading – Jesus promise of the Holy Spirit.

So this week, would you look with me. Go God-prospecting in the everyday world in which you find yourself.

spirituality of autumn leaf fights

Over the weekend the Taylor family choose to recreate by engaging in that important autumn spiritual practise – leaf fights. Unfortunately the intensity of the spiritual experience means I am unable to provide a visual. Instead, let me summarise how to practise this important spiritual discipline.

1. identify a place that has lots of autumn leaves (botanic gardens best)
2. book in family and form 2 teams
3. decide on ground rules – usually no leaves down tops or trousers
4. go to place and let the fun commence
5. conclude when everyone exhausted (or rain forces cessation of play, as it did on Saturday)

mat theology: a dictionary of everyday contemporary spirituality

God is everywhere. While sadly sometimes Christianity reduces God to Sunday and to buildings, God by very definition belongs in all of everyday life. In honour of this, I’m building a dictionary of everyday spirituality.

This is a mat on the ground floor of a central city business.

It was the word “devine” that caught my attention. I checked the spelling. “Devine” not “divine.” So it’s not a correctly spelt God reference. (It’s a housing company). Yet the symbol is interesting. The colours are warm and welcoming and the sign looks like a sun.

And then the tag line – “Welcome. Find your ideal place.” Which seems to me to be what Christianity is about. A faith of welcome. An invitation not to be forced into a cookie cutter or someone else’s image, but to find our unique and special place. I often talk about how each person has their own unique fingerprint and so the task of spiritual growth is simply to grow into who we are truely, uniquely, meant to be.

Churches can be very, very poor at laying out this type of mat and putting it into practise, at “Welcome. Find your ideal place,” at hospitality and uniquely personalised growth, at participation based not on one-size fits all, but accessible and intentional processes based on uniqueness.

So it was nice to be reminded that my experiences of some church are not actually the gospel. That the real message of God’s “devine” grace is in fact “Welcome. Find your ideal place.”

(This is another entry in dictionary of everyday spirituality. For the complete index of all entries, go here).

billboard theology: a dictionary of everyday contemporary spirituality

God is everywhere. While sadly sometimes Christianity reduces God to Sunday and to buildings, God by very definition belongs in all of everyday life. In honour of this, I’m building a dictionary of everyday spirituality.

This is a billboard hanging on the pub closest to my work. God is named. Heaven is depicted. What is striking is that to understand this billboard you need to know the creation story. Fascinating for an allegedly secular country! While I am not convinced that alcohol represents the fullness of heaven, I love the suggestion that life to the full – in relaxation, in enjoyment – might be part of God’s creative work.

(This is another entry in dictionary of everyday spirituality. For the complete index of all entries, go here).

Is the effects of sin like stepping in dog sh*t?

(This is another entry in dictionary of everyday spirituality, under the heading S is for sh*t).

Ok, I know it’s a bit graphic but I wondered today if sometimes sin is like stepping in dog sh*t.

You can clean it off, but the effects, like the smell seem to linger.

Or more sadly, you step in it. But over time, you seem to grow used to the smell. Others notice and sniff. But it’s on your shoe and so it remains hard to detect. It’s in the room, it changes the atmosphere, but it’s hard to get rid of.

And sometimes pastoral ministry is about dealing with the smell. Perhaps actually sitting with someone long enough to find it and name it clearly. Sometimes actually finding the water and scrubbing it off. Sometimes helping them find a new set of shoes.

(Anyone still keen on being in pastoral ministry?)

Not pleasant, but a quiet sense of achievement at days end.

A poem. For a friend turning 30

(This is another entry in dictionary of everyday spirituality, under the heading M is for milestones.

How should I serve God?

Follow your thumbprint. You are the only person to have it. Look at it every morning. Thank God for what you’ve been gifted with.

How should I have a deep marriage?

Trace your wife’s fingerprint. Look at her print every morning. Thank God for what you’ve been gifted with.

How should I raise my kids?

Trace your kid’s fingerprint. They are different from you. They will not be you. Nourish their uniqueness. Help them appreciate their print every morning. Thank God for what you’ve been gifted with.

How should I become more like Jesus?

Follow his fingerprint. It’s all over you and all over the world. Look at it every morning. Thank God for what you’ve been gifted with.

For the index in the Dictionary of Everyday spirituality, go here.