Wednesday, October 20, 2004
ironies of displacement
Mark emailed last week, 
wanting to use my re-reading the prodigal son sermon. He’s leading graceway, the church I planted.
It was very wierd sense of convergence; I’ve moved from Graceway – postmodern, cafe style, thinking, smaller – to a more “normal,” more “institutional” church. A prodigal sermon I weave in one (Opawa) place is requested in the other (Graceway) space.
A lot of emerging church blog-rhetoric speaks against the traditional, the institutional, the attractional. It’s a useful rhetorical device, but I increasingly suspect its an artificially crap division. And Mark’s request added to my growing conviction.
And it was a very nice sense of personally authentic linkage, that I am being me despite a changing context and that I can still bless a group of people very important to me.
)
I often see it as a case of not throwing the baby out with the bath water. When we try to get away from all the traditionalism we sometimes get carried away and let go of some of the important intergenerational links. It feels good when others want to use something you have worked on though eh! Good on you!
Comment by Karen — October 20, 2004 @ 1:41 pm
That is the best retelling/explanation of the Prodigal Son I’ve ever read, thanks Steve.
We’re all part of the same Body afterall! 😉
Comment by Paul — October 21, 2004 @ 7:10 am
thanks for the encouragement Paul.
Comment by steve — October 21, 2004 @ 11:24 am