e~mergent kiwi

preaching the Da Vinci Code: 2 something about Mary

Here is my 2nd sermon on Da Vinci - titled There's Something about Mary. (My first one - Facts and fictions? is here.)

Sometimes people are right for all the wrong reasons.

A few years ago I was playing Pictionary. Playing against Lynne and Jan. Never play Pictionary against Lynne and Jan. They're sisters. They are almost telepathetic.

The Pictionary clue was "Rome." Lynne gets her cities wrong. She starts drawing the Arc de Triomphe.

Jan looks at it and yells Rome. At this point I give up. How on earth can you play against 2 sisters who are right, for all the wrong reasons?

Dan Brown is right, but for all the wrong reasons. Dan Brown, author of Da Vinci Code. A book, and now a movie, that seeks for the truth about Mary Magdalene.

Dan Brown is right - Mary Magdalene is woman to be honoured, a woman vital to the spread of Christianity.

But he's right, for all the wrong reasons. Dan Brown suggests that you seek for Mary Magdalene because Jesus and Mary got married. That they had a daughter called Sarah. That there are descendants of Mary and Jesus still alive today.

Let's look at what the Bible say about Mary Magdalene.

First name: Mary
25% of women in Jesus time were called Mary. It was an incredibly popular name for Jewish parents to give their children. In the Gospels we have
Mary, the mother of Jesus,
Mary, mother of James and John
Mary, wife of Clopas
Mary of Bethany (sister of Martha)
And Mary Magadalene.

Mary is a bit like Smith. Imagine if 25% of Christchurch were Smith's. That's like 140 pages of the phone book. Which means, with so many Mary's, you need to get your second names straight.

Second name: Magdalene
So let’s look at the second names. We first meet Mary, second name, Magdalene, in Luke 8:1-3. Dont miss the extraordinary shock in these 3 verses. This is more upsetting than Christians mixed flatting in the 1980's. In the culture of Jesus day, women never traveled with men. So when Jesus travels with women in Luke 8:1-3, the tongues are wagging. This is extraordinary behaviour.

Mary, second name Magdalene. Which means "of Magdala." A place, a tiny fishing village on the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee. In Jesus day, people got called either by their place, or by their most important relationship.

Mary, second name, Magdala. Most important fact about Mary is not who she's related to, or married to, but her place, Magdala, a tiny fishing village.

Third: changed
A third Biblical fact about Mary is there in Luke 8, verse 2; Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;

Jesus was known for changing people's lives. Seven is a number of completion, of perfection. Mary had lived a life completely and perfectly bound up by darkness and spiritual forces beyond her control. Mary needed help. She finds it. She finds in Jesus a power to change her completely bound up life.

And now Mary travels with Jesus. Is part of his teaching and preaching ministry. I love the fact that neither gender nor past history matter seems to matter to Jesus. I don't know your past. But don't let it stop you from serving Jesus. That's a 3rd fact we learn from Mary Magdalene.

Fourth: Never a prostitute
In 591, Pope Gregory the Great, mixed his Mary's. And the church has paid the price of Pope Gregory's mistake ever since. Luke 7 mentions a sinful woman and the Pope Gregory preached a sermon in which he mixed the unnamed woman of Luke 7 with Mary of Magdala. In the sermon, he called Mary Magdalene a prostitute. And so began a totally unfair church rumour. There is no Biblical evidence that Mary, second name Magdala, was a prostitute.

But Luke is a historian. He's careful with his words and dates. With 25% of women called Mary, Luke would take great care not to mix his Mary's. There is no Biblical evidence that Mary Magdalene, was a prostitute.

Fifth: Mary, loyal disciple
The next mention of Mary Magdalene is at Jesus death and resurrection.

As John Bunyan wrote in Pilgrims Progress.
They were women that wept when he was going to the cross,
And women that followed him from the cross
And that sat by his [tomb] when he was buried
They were women that was first with him at his resurrection morning
And women that brought tidings first to his disciples that he was risen from the dead.

And he's right. Mary, second name Magdala, is at the cross in Matthew 27:56. And she’s at the tomb in John 20:1. And she's the first person to meet the Risen Jesus in John 20. Now don't forget, as you read these verses, that Dan Brown has written a book suggesting that Jesus and Mary Magdalene are married.

Picture a husband-wife reunion. Imagine a wife meeting a husband she thought dead. And now read John 20:17; Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me."

Compare it with John 20:27 Jesus saying to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side."

If Jesus and Mary Magdalene are married, it's a weird marriage. His wife can't hug him, but his male friends can?

Instead of physical contact, Jesus tells Mary to go and tell the disciples. Mary acts not as a wife, but as a witness. She speaks of Jesus in v. 18; "I have seen the Lord."

The disciples use Mary’s exact same words in v. 25 "We have seen the Lord."

There's something about Mary all right. A woman to be honoured, not as wife, but as the first witness to the Risen Jesus. Someone has called her apostle to the apostles. The witness, who's words are repeated throughout history. "We have seen the Lord."

There's something about Mary, second name Magdalene all right.
A woman to be honoured; As a loyal follower, As a faithful friend,
As a first witness, an apostle to the apostle.

We could probably stop there, 5 facts about Mary Magdalene.

Accept that Dan Brown thinks Mary re-appears in the 15th century. He thinks that there's something about Mary in Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting, the Last Supper.

This is the Leonard'’s Last Supper. Painted over 4 years, on the wall of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. Commissioned by the Dominicans. 29 feet long and 15 feet high.

Note the background; out the 3 windows behind Jesus are the rolling hills of Italy. It's a great example of contextualization, Jesus Last Supper, painted as if in Italy.

Note all the hands outstretched. The 12 disciples are very animated. Before Leonardo, the Last Supper was always painted as nice and serene. And Judas was always in a corner, sulking. In this Last Supper, Leonardo has Judas in the midde. And the disciples very animated. The Dominicans, who’d paid for the painting, weren't impressed. How dare Leornardo much around with communion! How dare he disturb the nice, quiet serenity.

And Dan Brown, in The Da Vinci code, suggests that Leonardo painted Mary into this Last Supper, sitting beside Jesus. That's part of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, that Mary has pride of place as wife beside Jesus. Look says Dan Brown, the person beside Jesus has long hair and fair skin. She looks like a woman. Who could the woman be?

However, Dan Brown doesn't tell us some art history facts.

Doesn't tell us, that long hair was very fashionable for young Italians at the time of Leonardo. Lots of youth needed to get a haircut.

Doesn't tell us, that there's a long art tradition of painting John with fair skin and long, red hair.

This is El Greco painting the Last Supper. Note John, fair skin and long, reddish coloured hair. Same with Fra Angelico.

Nor does Dan Brown tell us that Leonardo was experimenting when he painted the Last Supper. Normally artists of his time painted onto wet plaster. But Leonardo needed more time, so he experimented with painting onto dry plaster. And it didn't work. And within 15 years, plaster from the Last Supper was starting to fall off. And over time, it's been repainted and restored. So we're dealing with a patched up piece of art work.

Nor does Dan Brown do the maths. I count 12 disciples and that includes Judas. So if Mary is beside John, then 1 of the 12 male disciples is missing. Dan Brown never solves that problem.

Mary Magdalene. 5 Biblical facts,
But unlikely to be married to Jesus and in Leonardo's Last Supper.

......
I'm thinking if Dan Brown, is right, and Mary is famous because she's married to Jesus, then he does sound quite sexist. Woman should be famous for their character or actions, but simply because of who they marry.

Turn the pages of the Bible and I find woman honoured. Not for who they marry. But for their character and for their leadership within the church.

Turning the pages of the Bible,
I see Joanna and Susannah, ministering with Mary Magdalene, alongside Jesus in Luke 8.
I see missionaries; woman like Prisca, or Priscilla, who with her husband planted churches.
I see Phoebe, serving the church,
I see, Junia, a woman, at the end of Romans (16:7), who Paul names as "outstanding among the apostles,"
I see Euodia and Syntyche in Philippians, woman who are leaders in the Philippian Church.
And Mary. Honoured as the first witness of Jesus, an apostle to the apostle

Conclusion
So Dan Brown is totally right. There's certainly something about Mary.
And about so many other women in the Bible. Named and honoured within the leadership and life of the early church. Not because they're married to Jesus.

But honoured as a loyal follower,
As a faithful friend,
As an apostolic witness.
There's something about Mary.

Prayer for financial times

I wrote this prayer today, mixing some Incarnational theology with the collecting of a church offering.

God, you took a risk,
In giving Jesus as a baby.
What if he was misunderstood, misquoted, mistreated?

God, you took a risk
In giving us dreams and visions
What if we deny our gifts, hoard our gifts, compound our private interest?

God, you took a risk
In giving us this earth
What if we pollute it, exploit it, attack each other?

God with this offering we say Yes.
Yes, we participate in your risk
Yes, we give ourselves - our time, our talents - away,
Yes, we care for our people, planet and place.

We pray, we hope,
In the name of the one who took the first risk,
Amen.

Celebrating new life?

A child? Grandchild? Special little person?
then...our upcoming seminar
New Life: Rituals and prayers for new babies
Saturday 3 June, 2.00-3.30pm
may be for you!

Creating memories
Blessing baby rooms
Prayers for sleepless night
Planning a blessing/naming/adoption ceremony
Rituals for the unexpected

Consider yourself invited
(Creche available, please pre-book)
Opawa Baptist Church
cnr Hastings and Wilsons
Phone 379 7680

Information flier here. Part of Spirit of Life Pentecost festival.

missional reader

What are the Scriptures that have shaped your emerging mission? What are the texts that have "read" you and formed who you are becoming in this postmodern culture?

I am working and re-working a course (Gospel in a post-Christian context, starting July). I want to invite the class to not only read texts of philosophy and theology, but to read the same Scriptures, to share the same Biblical devotional life. It's an attempt to move beyond head knowledge, by letting our classroom learning and interaction be shaped and formed by Scripture. Sort of like a missional lectionary.

Hence my question: What are the Scriptures that have shaped your emerging mission? What are the texts that have "read" you and formed who you are becoming in this postmodern culture?

(I don't want to "steer" the conversation, so leave your texts; and I promise I'll put mine up in a week or so.)

Spirit of life pentecost festival

The Spirit in all of life, inside and outside the church, in word and deed, in art and mission, storytelling with Simon Brown, teaching with Steve Taylor, art and mission seminar with Peter and Joyce Majendie, creative seminars, rituals and prayers for new babies, coffee, community ...

Friday, 2nd June
6.15pm BYO takeaways for tea
7.00-8.30pm Trivia night
9.00-11.00pm Movie: The Fighting Temptations

Saturday 3rd June
From Inspiration to Installation
9.30-5.30: creating public art as mission
(Peter and Joyce Majendie) Cost = $45

OR
9.30-10.30am: Spirit of Life Teaching 1 (Steve Taylor)
10.50-12.30: Story telling (Simon Brown) (note a)
OR Leaf rubbing & kite making (note b)

1.30-2.00pm: Spirit of Life Teaching 2 (Steve Taylor)
2.00-3.30: New Life: rituals and prayers for new babies
OR Leaf rubbing and kite making (note b)
OR Tile painting creative expression (note b)
4.00-5.30: Either Storytelling finishing or enjoy time out.

7.00-8.30pm: Concert and storytelling
8.30-9.00pm: Supper
9.00-10.00pm: Late night worship (in Pentecost art installation)
Notes: (a: Charge = $20 for non-Opawa Baptist people)
(b: Material fee of $5 applies)

Sunday 4th June
10.30-11.45am: Pentecost church service (Simon Brown)
7.00-8.00pm: Worship in the art

All at Opawa Baptist Church
cnr Hastings & Wilsons, Christchurch,
More info: 03-379 7680 or office at opawa dot org dot nz

More info here

preaching the Da Vinci Code

I preached on Da Vinci Code this morning. The Bible text was Luke 24:44-49 and the challenge to be witnesses. Today, I think being a Christian witness needs to include some sort of response to Da Vinci ... but the sermon faced potential potholes
- preaching Da Vinci not Jesus
- mocking something from a place of safety
- not listening seriously enough to the questions raised by the book and movie.

Some links I found helpful in preparation:
Steve Hollinghurst on The Da Vinci Opportunity;
Tom Wright on Decoding The Da Vinci Code;
Andrew on The Da Vinci Code (I asked his permission to borrow one of his stories).

And here is the sermon

In January 2004, I lectured a class on campus at Auckland University. About 30 students, from a huge range of ethnic and religious backgrounds. The class was looking at the relationship between church and society.

And as part of the class, I took them on field trips. Which include a guided tour of an old, inner-city Auckland church. As we opened a door into a dusty back room, one of the students excitedly burst out, "Ah, this is where you keep all your secrets."

And his comment perfectly described his views about the church. An intelligent young man, university educated, who was convinced that the church was covering up hidden secrets.

I could've laughed at him, mocked him in front of the class. And that would've merely confirmed his suspicions. Confirmed to him, that I was just part of the coverup. Instead I needed to listen to him, no matter how strange I found his questions.

Our Bible Reading for today comes after the Resurrection of Jesus. The disciples are confused.

Jesus responds to their confusion, not with laughter, but by pointing to ancient texts, locating God and the work of God, in ancient writings- of Moses, the Prophets, the Psalms. The Resurrected Jesus then asks these disciples to be witnesses. To continue to speak of "The Christ [who] will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day" (Luke 24:46).

That was 2000 years ago. What does that mean for us today? What does it mean for us to be witnessess? What does it mean to a witness to intelligent young person, university educated, convinced that the church is covering up hidden secrets?

Or, a friend of mine, last week, riding in a taxi and the taxi driver, realizing that my friend was a Christian; Turning and asking him; "Was Jesus really married to Mary Magadalene?" Because the taxi driver had just read The Da Vinci code, a New York best seller.

What does it mean to be a witness to a taxi driver, asking questions about Jesus because of this book, The Da Vinci Code? A book that's sold over 50 million copies. A book that's become a movie, that opened in theatres in New Zealand and round the world, this week.

Or, Jason, our community development pastor, twice this week at the gym, 2 different gym instructors, asking him he thinks about the Da Vinci Code.

What does it mean for us to be witnesses today, to people asking questions about Jesus because of a book and a movie?

I read The Da Vinci Code 2 years ago and went to the movie on Friday. It's the story of Harvard scholar and a French Police code breaker who, while trying to solve a murder, stumble across a 2,000 year old cover-up.

For some people the book is simply a fast-paced who-dun-it murder mystery.

Others are outraged because the book suggests that Jesus did marry Mary Magdalene, and that they had children, and that’s a secret the church has been covering up ever since.

To be witness asks 2 things of us;
Firstly, to listen to the questions that our world is asking
Secondly, to speak truthfully of Jesus, in response to these questions.

So what are the questions raised by The Da Vinci Code. Let’s listen to three.
Fact of fiction?; That there are other gospels, not in the Bible, that give us a very different understanding of Jesus.
The first witnesses to Jesus death and resurrection tell stories. The tell, and re-tell, the stories of the things that Jesus has said and done.

Remember that this is a culture in which very few people know how to read and write. It's a culture that tells stories to preserve and to pass on information.

And after a period of time, probably 30 to 50 years, these spoken stories start to get written down.

Now, since Jesus never wrote a book. our entire Jesus understanding is based on these stories that get written down. The gospels.

The basic rule of being a historical eyewitness is this;
The closer you are to the events, the more likely you are to be accurate.

We live by this rule every day. If you want to know what happened last night at the rugby, you're more likely to read the report of someone who was there, than someone who wasn't. The closer you are to the events, the more likely you are to be accurate

The church applied this to the Bible. Over a period of time, involving lengthy discussion, they chose 4 gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - books they believed were written by someone who was there, rather than someone who wasn't.

And so we came to have the Bible.

Now in 1945, 2 brothers in Egypt, found a jar filled with very ancient scrolls. These are what's called the Nag Hammadi. Some of these old scrolls had titles; the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Phillip, the Gospel of Peter.

Ahh, so are these new gospels, with different information about Jesus? This is the question asked by Da Vinci Code. Can we learn different things about Jesus from these new gospels?

And so we apply the basic historical eyewitness rule; The closer you are to the events, the more likely you are to be accurate.

And we note some things about these "Gospels of Thomas or Phillip or Peter"
First, they're written in Coptic (Egyptian) and not Aramaic, the language of Jesus.
Second, they're very different in style than the 4 gospels; very few stories and mostly short sayings.
Third, based on their language, most scholars think they're written about 200 years after Jesus death, long after a Thomas or a Philip or a Peter is dead.
Fourth, they're quite racist, and say some quite nasty things about Jews.

So, it's quite unlikely that the closest witness to Jesus would write in Egyptian,
would leave out their eyewitness stories of Jesus life and would make racist remarks about their own culture

So, yes, it's a fact. There are other books, not in the Bible, that suggest a very different understanding of Jesus.

But to believe them, you'll need to suspend belief in the basic rule of a historical eyewitness; You’ll need to start believing that the further away you are from events, the more likely you are to be accurate.

A second fact or fiction. Jesus was just a human and the church invented his divinity.
Because according to The Da Vinci Code, Jesus was simply a human being and the Roman Emperor Constantine, in 325 AD, forced the church to accept Jesus as divine.

Yet when we open the gospels, the eyewitness accounts of those closest to Jesus, written over 250 years before Constantine, we find what;

both; a fully human Jesus - he cries, he gets angry, he struggles in prayer to understand God’s will.

and a fully divine Jesus – "My Lord and my God!" says Thomas to Jesus after the resurrection (John 20:28). Every tongue acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, says Paul, eye witness to the Risen Jesus in Philippians 2:11.

And so by following the basic rule; That the closer you are to the events, the more likely you are to be accurate,

Long before Constantine, the gospels offer us Jesus as fully human and fully divine.

Third; fact or fiction; that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and they a daughter named Sarah.
Which is good for a book. It gives you romance. And sex. And a big, juicy scandal. Which my intelligent young university educated, convinced that the church is covering up hidden secrets student - would love.

But let's not laugh. Let's think about it seriously. What would it do to your faith if Jesus was married?

For me, I'd think about the way Jesus celebrated weddings, in John 2. He obviously thought marriage was good.

I'd look at Mark 10 where Jesus blesses marriage as the means by which two become one flesh as God intended. So sex within marriage is blessed. One of God’s good gifts.

And reflect on Mark 9 and 10, Jesus love for children.

All reasons to suggest that Jesus celebrates marriage, blesses sex within marriage and enjoyed children.

So Biblically it's possible to see Jesus married with children.

It wouldn't change my belief in Jesus as FULLY human and FULLY divine.

As to whether he did, it might make good material for a New York Times bestseller, but there's no sound evidence in early Christian documents.

Which still leaves the whole question of who was this Mary and how she is viewed by the church? But I might leave that to next week.

Because, at this point, you're probably thinking, poor Steve, wasting his time reading books and going to movies that are more fiction than fact.

Or you might be thinking, what a job, reading books and going to movies. Can I have one.

So let me point out some facts in The Da Vinci Code I think the church needs to hear.

Fact one: the church has abused power and authority. The Da Vinci Code shows parts of the Catholic church as murderous and manipulative. And it's a fact. That throughout church history, people have used the name of God in vain.

And you're probably thinking that Opawa Baptist is a long way from Catholicism. That it's highly unlikely you'll find murderous pastors and manipulative Board members in this place.

But let's face the fact of Da Vinci Code: Let's remind ourselves that power and authority and success are a temptation, and that Jesus calls us to walk not in success, but in humility.

Fact two: The church has a history of excluding woman. It's a fact that at times woman have found the church to be an oppressive place. A place that has limited their ability to minister and preach and led.

And so The Da Vinci Code actually encourages us to return to Scripture. To ask how did Jesus treat women? To ask what Paul meant when he argued for no distinction between male and female. So how can that apply to women’s experience in the church today.

Two facts in The Da Vinci Code that I think the church needs to hear.
…………………….
Our Bible reading. Luke 24. Be witnesses. And for us today that means decoding Da Vinci. Listening to the questions from university students and taxi drivers and gym mates.

In 1988 an American Baptist Pastor named Mike Licona organised boycotts of a movie called The Last Temptation of the Christ.

And looking back, in hindsight, he began to regret his protest. And you'll find him today, 2006, training churches to read and listen to The Da Vinci Code. As he said in The Press yesterday, "The Da Vinci Code is a big juicy softball lobbed at anyone who wants to talk about Jesus."

I pray The Da Vinci Code gets lobbed at you in the days ahead. I pray that in the power of the Spirit, you'll be found a good listener and a faithful witness. Amen.

pondering a Da Vinci spirituality

I went to The Da Vinci Code movie yesterday. The espresso congregation are using it as the topic of spiritual conversation. And I'm preaching on it this Sunday. I'll write a movie review at a later date, but in the meantime here are some questions I am pondering:

1. If Brown hoped that this would rekindle interest in "topics of faith", then how attractive to you is the vision of spirituality offered by Brown?

2. Was it not the Gnostics who celebrated the spirit as much more important that the body. Doesn't that lead to a body-bad, self-flagellation at odds with the body-affirming, creation loving way of Jesus?

3. Doesn't all the symbolism smack of some deeper level elitism. A spiritual search involving a Harvard professor, the curator of a famous museum, a police cryptographer and an enormously wealthy English doesn’t exactly sound to me like a very accessible spirituality.

4. a) I am struggling to understand why Mary Magdalene is so important. If it's because she's married to Jesus, then her identity is sourced in marriage. But isn't that a bit demeaning to woman, that they only become famous because of who they are married to? Doesn't that undercut the "sacred feminine" so central to the book?

b) And if Jesus is just a human who died as Teabing suggests, then Mary is just the wife of another human. So why search for her grave 2000 years later?

5. In the movie, Robert Langdon recounts a story of experiencing Jesus present with him as a child. If Jesus has died, then how can this presence be? Or does this leave the door ajar to a risen Jesus?

emerging AD:missions 5

a series of posts called emerging AD:missions; reflecting on the emerging church in light of mission thinking.

MASS CONVERSIONS: Readings in World Mission, page 9-10.

In this reading we gain insight into baptism in missionary settings. Firstly, ramp up the worship by using the senses. "The church was resplendent with banners, flickering candles and the scent of wax and incense, so that those present believed that they partook of the savor of heaven." No, not multi-sensory or alt.worship, but baptism in the 5th century. Using all the senses in worship is nothing new. It's just that the church became captive to the culture and let modernity strip us of our senses.

Secondly, practice catechesis. In a missionary context, instruction was placed before baptism. This year at Opawa we've ramped up our catechesis, and used the ancient creedal formulation - do you follow Jesus, do you repent of your sin, do you renounce evil - as the basis for our baptismal instruction.

Thirdly, mission as less than ideal. But this reading leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Conversion comes because the king prayed to God for victory in battle. So, how many people died? How to reconcile "Blessed are the peacemakers" with this missionary narrative?

Perhaps the lesson is that faith is not found in ideals, but between rocks and hard places. Is this where the emerging church is located, in the hard places of people's lives? Are we messy and provisional? Or are we stuck with our theories of postmodernity, youth spirituality and imaginary conversations with Neo?

For an introduction to emerging AD:missions, go here.
For all the posts in this series go here.

worship resources for mothers day

On Sunday I posted a "Mothering Day" sermon; Proverbs 31, and my wonderings about whether the Bible was feminist or patriarchal in tone? The prayer prayed just after I preached is now up on the internet (here). I think it's a SUPERB Mother's day pastoral prayer.

As part of the service, I also prepared a responsive Bible reading, mixing together some Scriptures which portray God as like a mother. I have been intrigued for many years with Biblical images of God as like a mother - playful, breastfeeding, birthing. (It was a re-working (for worship) of some of the material from Postcard 3 of my out of bounds church? book).

Anyhow, for those interested in worship material that places a Biblical framework around feminine images of God, here is the reading I composed;

Leader: My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. (Psalm 131:1)

Response: But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. (Psalm 131:2)

Reader 1: "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!" (Isaiah 49:15)

Response: But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. (Psalm 131:2)

Reader 2: "Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?" says the LORD. "Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?" says your God. (Isaiah 66:9)

Response: But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. (Psalm 131:2)

Reader 3: For this is what the LORD says: "I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream;
you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees.
As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you;
and you will be comforted over Jerusalem." (Isaiah 66:12-13)

Response: But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. (Psalm 131:2)

Reader 4: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings." (Matthew 23:37)

Response: But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. (Psalm 131:2)

Flowers were then given out to all the woman present, with images of mothers on powerpoint, while Sinead O'Conner's superb music track "This is to mother you" from her Gospel Oak EP was played. (I had to buy a new copy because someone flogged mine in Seattle. And it was a Christian conference too:))

marketing as pastoral care

I really appreciate good marketing. Usually it's marketing as creativity - the spark or storytelling flair that shapes a good advert. My theory is that marketing is one of our contemporary art forms. Historically artists would have patrons. Now you have marketing firms. Both demand a fair bit of soul selling (Doesn't most work at some point?), but do provide a creative outlet in society.

But every now and again I catch a glimpse of what I call marketing as pastoral care. Yesterday I got a letter from a book store. A new book in a series has come out. I had brought earlier books in the series from them. Would I like to buy the next book in the series?

I just think that's really smart marketing. Someone is trying to read my needs and is making a "stamped" effort to help me. Nicely written and I can always say no.

It felt like marketing as pastoral care. I said yes, as much in appreciation of being pastorally cared for and innovatively connected with, as for the product. This sense of marketing as pastoral care seems to be to be heading toward the "experience economy." The terms come from Pine and Gilmour's The Experience Economy.

It's one of the most provocative books I've read in terms of my thinking on worship. They argue that we have shifted from
commodities
to producing goods
to consuming services
to experiences
They explore how experiences need not only entertain, but can also educate. (There is more on this in my book; out of bounds church? book) Which opened some windows for me into thinking of worship as teaching and formational. If Jesus could use experiences to transform in Luke 24; breaking bread at Emmaus and showing his hands to Thomas, then what does that mean for worship and formation today?

emerging AD:missions 4

a series of posts called emerging AD:missions; reflecting on the emerging church in light of mission thinking.

MONASTICISM: THE MISSIONARY IDEAL: Athanasius on Anthony, Readings in World Mission, page 8-9.

"While he lived in the desserts as a hermit, [Anthony the monk] was able to move in and out of contact with people. In certain periods, he served almost as a spiritual director for others."

We glimpse a a fascinating mix of radical monk yet settled pastoral care; a life of prayer that interfaced with real people ministry. We see a Christian counselling other Christians who are attracted to him. Hold on. In a missions text! Why is a monk, who encourages visiting monks, a mission text? Why is attraction, people visiting you, deemed missional?

Perhaps because history has deemed that, with hindsight, the radical monastic exploration of new forms of spirituality preserved Christianity. Such is the wisdom of history.

What will history make of the emerging church? For all our missional talk, what will history write of us and our exploration of new forms of spirituality? Will we be deemed to have been a salt preservative in the grand sway of missio dei?

What comforts me is that such questions are none of my business. I doubt Anthony considered them. He just took risks, practiced prayer, loved God and people.

For an introduction to emerging AD:missions, go here.
For all the posts in this series go here.

this is me

And for those of you who wonder what I look like, this is me, this morning, through the eyes of one of our young people .... :) view image

(Update: and for those who really are bored, and want a form of comparison; this is a photo from a year ago ... :)

is the Bible patriarchal or feminist?

It was Mothers Day today and I decided to preach on Proverbs 31, that entrepreneurial women tucked in the back of Proverbs. By Thursday I was having serious doubts about the wisdom of the choice. She felt like Super-woman. I asked a young mother, a working woman and a grandmother to help me process the text. It was so helpful to talk it through with them. And then to think about what it might mean for men (especially religious men).

In the end, I felt the Bible looked quite radically feminist and empowering to woman. Is it? If so, why do so many women find churches oppressive? Or am I just looking for the passages that suit and twisting them to be "culturally relevant"? How do you handle the place of women in society?

Today is Mothers Day. And it can be a day of mixed emotions.
We all have a mum. For some of us, Mothers Day means good memories and there's a sense of joy. For others of us, Mothers Day means hard memories and there's a sense of sadness.

This Mothers Day we come to a Scripture that when it was first written would've caused quite a stir.

If there had been Babylonian National Business Review they would have applauded this Scripture because it encouraged women as business entrepreneurs; to make money, run businesses and own property in their own name.

If there had been the equivalent of The Press Weekender, they might've noted the radical social nature of this Scripture. Suggested that this passage was totally unique, nothing quite like it in all the writing of that day. The Press Weekender would've marveled at the role and influence that this Scripture gives to women in society.

The Jewish Family News, Beyond Rubies, would've highlighted how this Scripture celebrates caring for the family and completing home crafts. They would've suggested that this text be read every week at the family table, just before Sabbath, celebrating the work of woman in the family and the home.

In a moment I'm going to ask Jean to read this Scripture that would've caused such a stir. But before I do, I want to show you a diagram. Download diagram. A diagram with 3 circles; God spirituality circle (yellow) in the middle Home circle (blue); And the Community (green circle).

As we listen to this Scripture that would've caused such a stir to the first hearers; You might also want to think about which circle this Scripture fits into.
And perhaps into which circle your mother might fit today.

Reading Proverbs 31:10-31.

So, in the centre, the God spirituality (yellow) circle. And it's quite subtle, but note how this Scripture integrates this mother with a God spirituality. It starts with her character in v. 10 A good woman is hard to find, Her husband trusts her without reserve

And it ends with her character, integrated with God. v.31 This woman is to be admired and praised, Is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God

And so this woman is to be celebrated for her God spirituality.

And it does't come through in The Message, but in the Revised Standard Version, v. 17 – this woman "girds herself with strength", and those words are exactly the same words that are used to describe God in Psalm 93:1.

And so the way this woman acts is integrated with the way that God acts.
Her character and behaviour are linked with her God spirituality. That's the yellow circle.

Then there's home, the blue circle. In what ways does this woman connect with the home circle?
15She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast for her family and organizing her day.
19She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth, diligent in homemaking.
21She doesn't worry about her family when it snows;
their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.
27She keeps an eye on everyone in her household, and keeps them all busy and productive.
28Her children respect and bless her; her husband joins in with words of praise:
And so this woman, this mother, is celebrated for her home life, for the love and care and preparation and energy she invests in the home circle.

Then there's the community, the green circle? In what ways does this woman, this mother connect with life outside her home?

She's a trader
13She shops around for the best yarns and cottons, and enjoys knitting and sewing.
14She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places and brings back exotic surprises.

She's an entreprenuer
16She looks over a field and buys it, then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden.
24She designs gowns and sells them, brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.

She’s a community worker
20She's quick to assist anyone in need, reaches out to help the poor.

And so it's no wonder that this Scripture passage caused such a stir in the Babylonian National Business Review. This Scripture is quite radical in the freedom it celebrates for woman; a business woman, buying a field, starting a vineyard,

Look at the use of the word "hers" in v. 21 and v. 27 – the household is "hers" – not "his" or "theirs". This is a Scripture that celebrates a woman with a life of her own, with gifts of her own, with role of her own.

One approach to this text is to use it as a measure. To consider ourselves in comparison to this woman. And then to feel exhausted. To feel inadequate alongside this Superwoman. And so to avoid this Scripture, or place it in the too hard basket.

And so this week I rang at Opawa a young mum and a grandmother and a working woman and asked them to help me with this sermon. Asked for their input.

And they told me that rather than compare themselves with this Superwoman,
rather than feel inadequate and exhausted, they just really appreciate how this woman is so diverse, how she invests in such a broad range of life activities.

Every woman, every mother, is made unique and this woman encourages them to grow and develop in a their unique gifts.

And they loved the balance. They loved the fact that this woman invests in her spirituality and her home and her community.

And so they don't measure themselves by this woman or by what they achieve or by how many hours they work each day. Instead they are inspired to invest uniquely in their yellow and blue and green areas; inspired to invest in their spirituality and their home and their community.

And we talked together about how the Scripture offers guidance to so many women at so many stages of their life.

If you are a 15 year old teenage girl, you might be intrigued by the fact that at no point does this Scripture mention outward beauty. No mention of makeup or body shape or cell-phone accessories.

Instead we see a celebration of inner beauty, a character that is
Gracious and generous (v. 12)
Creative and hardworking (13-15)
Strong (17)
Satisfied at tasks done well (18)
Generous (20)
Prepared (21)
Well-dressed (22)
Sense of humour (25)
Wise (26)

If you are a young mum and this is your first Mothers Day, you probably relate in a whole new way to v. 15; "She gets up before dawn,"

And yet you might be intrigued by the fact that this woman is not totally absorbed with her children. That alongside her relationship to her kids, this woman is still investing in her relationship with her husband, which means that when children eventually grow up and head off to school or to university, the home and the marriage will feel less empty.

If you're a working woman, you might totally relate to v. 17; "dressing for work, rolling up your sleeves, sensing the worth of your work, in no hurry to call it quits."

And yet you might be intrigued by the home life of v. 19 "crafts of home and hearth." And you might wonder about the balance that scrap booking or quilt making or a good book might add to your life. And you might ponder the web of relationships that this woman invests in.

If you're retired, you might be intrigued by the fact that this Scripture is written in the present tense. There's no sense of a woman resting on her laurels. Oh, I’ve done the children thing, oh, I've done the community thing. And you might wonder what the present tense balance is for you; What might you still be able to invest in those yellow and blue and green areas; in your spirituality and their home and their community?

And if you are a man, sitting there today thinking how irrelevant this sermon is to you, you might want to consider the three most important woman in your life today.

And you might ponder that wise saying that behind every good woman is a great man.

And you might want to ask yourself the question; this Mothers Day; What am I doing, to help the most important women in my life become Proverbs 31 women? What am I doing to encourage them to have their own lives, develop their own unique gifts? What habits might I have to change? What meals might I have to cook?

I got sent an email this week. The email had nothing to do with me. It was for Lynne. And it was in relation to her work. And I was quite happy to forward the email on to Lynne, but I suspect that the writer of the email is probably struggling to see Lynne as her own person. Lynne is not only wife of Steve, she's also a person with her own gifts, her own unique contribution.

And what habits do us as men need to change, in order for the women we love to grow as this Proverbs 31 woman is.

And so we as men, need to be challenged by Proverbs 31, challenged by this women who buys fields and develop vineyards, in her own right, with her own gifts. And to see that, not as radical feminism, but as faithfulness to Proverbs 31.

Conclusion
This is Mothers Day. Everyone one of us has a mother. Every one of us relates to women. Proverbs 31 is not intended to make women feel inadequate.

Instead, it's written as a celebration. Of woman and their uniqueness and their diversity. It's written as a challenge, to women to invest in their spirituality and their home and their community. A challenge to men, what can we do, to appreciate unique skills, and unique abilities, to be glad of the gifts of women, in our homes and in our communities and in our nations.

Thanks be to God for women, this mothers day.

I'd like us to finish be reading the Scripture again. I want to invite all of us to read it. To celebrate woman, and to pray, that we as men will do our part in the lives of the woman we love.

everyday spirituality

Latest youth research on spirituality from UK:

Nevertheless, young people do not feel disenchanted, lost or alienated in a meaningless world. "Instead, the data indicated that they found meaning and significance in the reality of everyday life, which the popular arts helped them to understand and imbibe." Their creed could be defined as: "This world, and all life in it, is meaningful as it is," translated as: "There is no need to posit ultimate significance elsewhere beyond the immediate experience of everyday life." The goal in life of young people was happiness achieved primarily through the family. Link

Some comments
1. Fascinating that the report did not consider this spirituality; when it wrote; THE Church of England has debunked the widely held view that young people are spiritual seekers on a journey to find transcendent truths to fill the "God-shaped hole" within them.

2. In contrast, I note the three categories of contemporary spirituality in John Drane's Do Christians Know How to be Spiritual. (I posted about the book on Tuesday.) John argues that spirituality today is expressed in 3 different ways; one of which is Lifestyle. John describes a book Complete idiots guide to Spirituality in the Workplace the book as "fairly typical of a whole genre of recent writing on 'spirituality' ... a kind of 'secular' spirituality, focused almost entirely on living the good life within a more or less materialist paradigm. Being spiritual is about the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the sort of attitudes we adopt, the relationships we make." Which sounds to me like the spirituality found in the report.

3. So the missional task becomes an exploration of WWJE- what would Jesus eat; everyday rituals and community. On Monday night a number of people gathered out my house and we formed the Angel Wings Trust with the aim of providing spiritual resources for everyday life. At Pentecost 2006 at Opawa I'm running a seminar on ways to make new-born life spiritual. It's based on insights from Olive Drane's Spirituality to go: rituals and reflections for everyday life. I am really excited to be a Christian today, born for such a time as this, part of a church accessing lifestyle spirituality.

flamed for Spirit as fire

Graceway, the church I was part of planting, just got flamed by the Sydney Anglicans. It was a worship service I was part of leading (come on Graceway when are you going to update the website that I built. It's so 90's :)!), so I'm in the firing line.

Graceway, a church in Auckland, New Zealand, encouraged its members to 'pray with your hand around a cup of coffee' as a way of experiencing the Spirit ‘as warmth in your spirituality' ... According to prominent evangelical church leaders, all are symptomatic of a dangerous protest against biblical orthodoxy ... "This is not biblical theology," says Canon Jim Ramsay, Director of Sydney Diocese’s Evangelism Ministries. "It's a shaking of Christian orthodoxy."

I presume they were cutting one fragment out of this service of worship, in which we focused on the Spirit as fire.

Can I point out that the service order also describes the reading out of 6 different lots of Scripture (Exodus 3/1 Corinthians 3/Jeremiah 20:8/Matthew 3:11/John 21/Isaiah 6:6-7). This was never mentioned in the article. 6 lots of Scripture. And it's not Biblical theology! 6 lots of Scripture!

Full article here.

on earth as in heaven

Poem after a morning run

I lift my eyes up
Jet trails cross magic dawn
Jogging shot through with day glow

To worship God of hills and planes
No escape, no illusion
For to jog on this silent planet
Is rhythm
Is now
Is Grounded present

communion with Jesus

Communion sunday morning and I was preaching around Luke 24:36-43. I was struck by the thought that when Jesus ate fish with his disciples, it was like his first resurrection meal. It was an image I wanted us to capture. So we set up 4 long tables, uniform table cloths and 15 chairs, in a line at the front of the church, and invited people to come and eat with Jesus.

With 185 people, we couldn't really afford a full meal. Instead we had big loaves of bread and caraffe's of grape juice and wine tasting glasses. After the words of invitation, we sung 3 worship songs. That, and actually being seated and served at the table, gave people time to linger.

Lots of positive feedback and a more communal experience of communion for us at Opawa.

Do Christians know how to be Spiritual?

Things I liked about John Drane's Do Christians Know How to be Spiritual?

1. John is such a down to earth and commonsense writer. Time and again this struck me.

4. The mapping of different types of contemporary spirituality on page 60 under 3 headings;
Lifestyle - Values, Community, Belonging, Morality
Discipline - Committment, Structure, Authority, Traditional faiths
Enthusiasm - Experimentation, Freedom, Experience, Mystery
and it left me wondering about where most of my spiritual exploration is (lifestyle I think); and where most church spiritual exploration is...

3. The diagram on page 85 exploring the interplay between undefined spiritual experience; gospel values and intentional Christian spirituality

4. Some great quotes

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, wth all you rmind, and with all your strength .. and Love your neighbour as you love yourself …can become an appropriate text not nly for mission among spiritual searchers but also for renewed forms of ministry within a post-modern church." pages 88-89.

"Jesus never called disciples to be perfect or infallible, but to be true to themselves and to the gospel, and in the process of doing so to invite others to join them in the struggle to be human, spiritual, and Christian that is part of one’s life journey. Evangelism is more about inviting others to join us on the journey, because we share the same questions, than it is about selling people the 'right' answers to life's problems," Page 143.

"Angry and fragmented people create an angry and fragmented world, while those who are whole spread peace and harmony," Pages 158.

"We have something to share with others not because we are different, but because we are no different, and we can become credible witnesses not as we condemn others and dismiss what we regard as their inadequate spiritualities, but as we constantly listen to the gospel and appropriate its challenge in our own lives." Pages 160-1.

training in artistic mission

Wondered how to link creativity with mission? Wondered how to tell the Christian story without words? At Queen's Birthday weekend at Opawa Baptist Church, Peter and Joyce Majendie are presenting a one day seminar entitled, "From Inspiration to Installation: Public mission through public art."

Peter and Joyce will share their knowledge gleaned from years of practical experience, including;
1. moving from ideas to creativity to implementation
2. art, creativity and mission
3. using public spaces
4. mobilising volunteers
5. working with media groups
This seminar is part of a Pentecost weekend experience that will include art, creativity and spirituality seminars, cafe and live music.

For full press release

From Inspiration to Installation

An Easter Journey, the creation of Peter and Joyce Majendie from Opawa Baptist Church has just finished. Peter and Joyce used 15 cubic metres of sawdust and 1000 concrete pavers were used to create an indoor garden with two pools of water and thousands of potted colour plants to portray the essential elements of the Easter story in art, music and words.

The Majendie's are, possibly, two of the most effective evangelists in New Zealand today, proclaiming the gospel story through interactive art to thousands of New Zealanders and tourists, said the Rev Dr Steve Taylor, Senior Pastor of Opawa Baptist Church in Christchurch.

At Queen's Birthday weekend Peter and Joyce are presenting a seminar at Opawa Baptist Church entitled, "From Inspiration to Installation: Public mission through public art."

This seminar is part of a Pentecost weekend experience that will include art, creativity and spirituality seminars, cafe and live music. Peter and Joyce will talk about how they more from ideas to creativity, how to mobilise volunteers and work with media groups. They will share their knowledge gleaned from years of practical experience.

"What they do, can be done in other churches," said Steve.

Last Christmas, Peter and Joyce waded through piles and piles of Council paperwork and secured permission to run a Christmas Journey in the Christchurch Square. They used shipping containers to create a safe and secure way for people to walk and engage with the Christmas Journey. They returned Christmas to its origins, not in a church building, but among innkeepers and public foot traffic. Near 7000 people walked through the Christmas Journey, many tourists from countries as far flung as Mongolia and Saudi Arabia.

As part of the Christmas Journey, people were invited to reflect on how far Mary and Joseph walked to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. By placing a pin on a world map to indicate how far they had travelled to reach the Christmas Journey. Rob Kilpatrick, Director of New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society, looked at the finished map and commented "Oh, you are reaching more countries than our entire Denominational mission agency."

This Easter, "the best Journey yet" was a repeated comment from near 1400 people who walked through 14 stations created by seven different artists.

Steve said that for a church of Opawa's size, an Easter Journey offers us huge influence among our wider community.

"I would encourage any church committed to engaging with their community to consider sending some people to this seminar."

For more information contact office at opawa dot org dot nz.
For photos of previous Easter and Christmas.

stan grenz and australasian theology

The latest Princeton Theological Review is dedicated to Stan Grenz. Of most interest to me was the article titled: Straddling the Tasman: The Relevance of Grenz’s Revisioned Evangelical Theology in the Australasian Context, by Brian Harris, Principal of the Baptist Theological College of Western Australia.

The article is an analysis of the impact of Grenz's integrating motif of "community." The article charts key moments in New Zealand, and then Australian, evangelical history. It discusses the influence of Stan Grenz to Australasia; under headings including;
- willingness to engage culture
- role of Spirit
- theological understandings of community as a missionary resource.
and a fascinating final reflection on the lack of ecology in Grenz's work, in contrast to it's importance, especially in New Zealand. It made me realise again what a loss Stan was and how much I miss him.

On a personal note, I was stunned

to see my work mentioned twice in the article; Footnote 10; Given its size, New Zealand is a remarkably active contributor to discussions on the emerging church. Some very impressive resources have resulted. For one example, see Steve Taylor, The Out of Bounds Church: Learning to Create a Community of Faith in a Culture of Change (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005).

Wow. My book as a "very impressive" resource. From a seminary principal. How cool is that!

And footnote 13; Anzac day, when the sacrifices made by both Australian and New Zealand soldiers are remembered, opens a range of potential missional images. An excellent study of some of the possibilities is to be found in Steve Taylor, "Scars on the Australasian Heart: Anzac Day as a Contextual Atonement Image," New Zealand Journal of Baptist Research 6 (2001): 48-74.

For the entire article go here. For all the journal articles go here. (Thanks Steve Garner for web sleuthing to find it).

blog links

My post on 7 things I learnt from Bono about worship leading, and a follow-up post in which I outlined what this might look like in a congregation of 180 rather than a concert of 40,000 attracted quite a bit of blog comment at the time. Interesting to note that Sarah Dylan Breuer offers similar reflection here. It is far longer than my post, but reflects in a similar way on U2 as participatory and experiential worship. It is fascinating to see someone shaped by a Baptistic ethos, like myself, and someone shaped by an Episcopalian (Anglican) ethos, like Sarah, express similar views on the art of liturgy.

One of the most visited posts on this blog is a sermon I preached back in 2004 on the Prodigal Son. I just noticed a link from here and a post describing how a church group, called home, used the sermon, along with three different worship stations in response. It is quite wierd reading their post and realising that totally unbeknown to me, my words were being spoken on another continent. I bet they got the accent wrong!:)

dub, spirituality and worship

Update: this post has attracted a stack of spam, so I am closing it temporarily. My apologies and thanks to all those who posted.

Some random thoughts that might be total rot (ie, I'd value some feedback).

Thought 1 - It struck me at the Greg Laurie Crusade (in Christchurch over the weekend) that the music was "white boy" music - more rock based,guitar driven, clear verse/chorus song structure - in style ...

Thought 2 - Often the songs sung in church are "white boy" music; I'm thinking Delirious, Hillsong, Soul Survivor ...

Thought 3 - Dub music is currently BIG in New Zealand; I'm thinking Fat Freddys Drop, Salmonella Dub, Awake the Dawn ... the list goes on ...

Thought 4 - Some of my most spiritual moments in the last 5 years have occurred listening to dub. I can construct my spiritual soundscape around Love your ways and Longtime by Salmonella Dub and the sheer power of Ho Pepa's trombone from Fat Freddys Drop - moments when God has been incredibly real amid my personal brokeness in leaving Graceway, battling institutional and denominational powers, embracing my inadequacies before the wind of God's spirit.

Thought 5 - Dub music seems to create a number of layers for the individual participant to move within. It is more fluid and less linear than rock. It might just be me, but dub concerts are often more communal and less alcohol infused than rock concerts. Dub often has a spiritual vibe of peace and equality and inclusivity. I can imagine deeply Christian corporate worship around songs like Ez on by Salmonella Dub, Believ'n by son.shine; Hope by Fat Freddy's Drop...

Now, if these random thoughts have any linkages (ie I'm not talking rot), I suspect there's a need for a widespread "Dub project" that explores the place of dub in worship in New Zealand. Any takers? Does anyone know of any churches using Dub in worship, or any "Christian" dub bands out there?

Dub is a form of music that uses extensive echo and reverb effects and snatches of the lyrics from the original version, with most of the lead instruments and vocals dropping in and out of the mix. Another hallmark of the dub sound is the massive low bass. The music is often further augmented by live DJs, and electronic sound effects. Link

emerging AD:missions 3

a series of posts called emerging AD:missions; reflecting on the emerging church in light of mission thinking.

ITINERANT EVANGELISTS: Eusebius of Caesarea, Readings in World Mission, page 7-8.

So, how did early Christianity, birthed into a pluralistic and multi-cultural world, become, in the space of several centuries, the dominant world religion? Firstly, becase of a lifestyle of influence (emerging AD:missions 1 post). Secondly, for Eusebius of Caesarea, the use of evangelistic pilgrimage. Following the example of Jesus, the wandering rural peasant, Eusebius describes people in the early church; "entering upon long journeys ... As soon as they had only laid the foundations of the faith in some foreign land they appointed others ... but they themselves went on to other lands and peoples with the grace and co-operation of God."

And now we live in the 21st century. Evangelistic pilgrimage has to overcome the practical realities that include a world of mortgages, individual households and visa and entry requirements. Equally, we face a globalised society, an information age and an internet culture. Every day we can participate in a global wander through blogs and cyber-sites. Today it is both easier and harder to wander.

I ponder the mission challenge that might lie in the rhythm of these early wanderers - a speaking and a walking; a scattering and a gathering; a communal hospitality and an individual journey. How to discern and follow this rhythm in our lives and in our communities? Eusebius honours both those who plant and those who pastor. At times the emerging conversation seems far more monochrome and settled than Eusebius's missiology.

For an introduction to emerging AD:missions, go here.
For all the posts in this series go here.

lost and found

True story: Returning home from work last week, getting off the bus, I realised I was without my discman, complete with favourite CD's and computer backups. Location unknown.

In despondency, I chased the bus. Great idea in theory, but I soon realised it's easier to stop a bus in the movies than in real life. In greater despondency I returned to the original bus stop and posted a sign. "Lost discman."

Two days later the phone rang. A passer by had seen the discman and picked it up. Unsure what to do, they had then seen my "Lost discman" sign. My faith in human nature is renewed. What was lost is now found. I'm sure there's some sermon material in this somewhere.

blog worth reading

Malcolm Chamberlain (UK) has started a blog. We swapped mission notes and shared a coffee at a local beach back in 2004. Malcolm is a thinker - working toward a Masters on postmodernity and mission, and a doer - planted a faith community called Dream (who supplied an emerging church postcard 2005 here). Malcolm has even said some nice things about my out of bounds church? book here, in a blogpost reflecting on community and mission in contemporary culture.

Update: thanks to the sharp eye of Bruce, who noted that I had forgotten the blog address - http://malcolmchamberlain.blogspot.com/