e~mergent kiwi

the soundscapes of everyday life

I went to see Across the Universe today. It's not a great movie. It has some decidedly wierd bits and it struggles to decide whether it should be driven by the songs or by the plot.

But it is a fascinating movie to watch in terms of missional church and cultural change research. It takes near 30 Beatles songs and places them in the context of the lives and loves of young adults facing the 60s, growing up in the aftermath of World War 2, facing Vietnam and race riots. In so doing, the songs become a soundscape of their lives and their context. The movie suggests an entire generation shaped by Hey Jude and Strawberry Fields. In other words, a pop cultural worldview rather than an intellectual worldview.

Such a possibility is what made Tom Beaudoin's Virtual Faith, so fascinating, for he proposed a generation formed by pop culture. It is a similar trajectory to that proposed by Michel de Certeau in his The Practice of Everyday Life who argued that in order to understand cultural change, we must live at the level of everyday life, listening to the microtransformations being made by ordinary people. It is a project given tangible shape in Sardar's The A to Z of Postmodern Times, in which he suggests a grammar for our decade based on reading lifestyle magazines. What these books do academically, the movie Across the Universe does visually and musically.

In my missional coaching classes I talk about micro-climates, meso-climates and macro-climates. That we need to listen to the micro-stories of our streets, the meso-stories of our suburb and city, and the macro-stories of our globalised world. What Across the Universe does so well is combine these three so well; the micro-stories of Jude, the meso-stories of Liverpool life, the macro-stories of Vietnam.

A few months ago, Al Roxburgh watched Atonement movie and asked what it means to form leaders in a culture losing memory. He quoted Goethe, "He who cannot draw on three thousand years is living hand to mouth."

Across the Universe raises another possibility; that "She who cannot draw on three decades of popular culture is living hand to mouth." I left the cinema humming Hey Jude.

Hey, Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better

Practically, we need to, in response to the incarnation, let our pop cultural world get under our skin. To sit with the everyday narratives, whether micro-, meso- or macro-. To refuse to pay it cool, as a starting point for our missiology.

finding community voice part 2

In my last post, I celebrated helping a community find their own voice around Scripture. The upside is this genuine sense of a group of people gathered under a text and the realisation that the Spirit is the teacher and we are all learners.

The downside is when people bring their own agenda into the room. We all bring our previous experiences and learnings into a room and when used well, these can enhance a community voice. But they need to be placed carefully alongside the discipline of becoming genuine listeners, to a Bible text and to each other and to the Spirit.

Often when I do speaking around, and move into processes of helping a community find voice, I strike people who are not in fact listening to Bible and to each other, but are in fact using (abusing even), the space I have gifted the group, to bring their agenda's into a room. My gut tells me that an audience participant is in fact doing this. And the coffee conversations often confirm this, as the agenda is named.

And so, as the one leading the process, I simply have to move the session on, because the disciplines have been broken and the "moment" lost.

And this is disappointing, and frankly immature. I too have lots of agendas and could spout on my hobby horses for hours. Indeed, I have been asked to speak to this group because of my charism. And yet I chose to spend my time seeking to elevate the Biblical text within a community. And so it is sad to see these moments highjacked.

In other words, this is a task best done in community and repeated over time, so that the disciplines grow. And it is a discipline that those with agenda and passion and existing knowledge find hardest. In other words, clergy!!

finding our community voice

Churches breed passivity. Over years, congregations have newsletters thrust into hands, visions spoken over their lives and the Bible dictated to them. It's a lazy form of Christianity that breeds passive consumers.

Over the last few weeks, it has felt like Opawa has finally found it's voice. Twice in the last 2 weeks, in the middle of sermon, I have invited congregational engagement, and been delighted by the depth of engagement and interaction.

Today we were exploring Acts 8:26-40 and I invited one third of the congregation to be the Ethiopian, another to be Philip, another third to be angel/Spirit/Lord. What began as a simply Bible reading suddenly developed into a vigorous chaired engagement back and forth between each of these groups.

It's taken 4.3 years of encouragement and risk taking and perseverance, as people have got used to being asked to think, have realised that they can learn for themselves and that we are richer as we work together on the text.

where was God in the Mangatepopo River tragedy?

Church services today gave time for people to process the Mangatepopo River tragedy. One of our artists offered a painting, titled "What becomes of the brokenhearted?" People were invited to write a one word response on a bandaid and place it on the artpiece, and/or to sign a card. Sermonically, I wrestled with the topic of Where was God in the Mangatepopo River tragedy? I got lots, and lots, of grateful comments. So I place my thoughts here, in case others find it useful.

For those who like the highlights, I point out that we are not the first people to face grief. I worked through Psalm 69. Where is God?
- in the love of the community
- in honesty
- in those who honestly examine their own lives
- in the gift of free will
- in our willingness to take action

And I conclude that God acts not by stopping suffering … but by stepping into our suffering.

Sometimes the events of a week simply engulf a planned sermon. Today, I'm taking a break from my series on Biblical pictures of witness.

Because New Zealand this week has been a nation in mourning. First, the death of 6 teenage school kids - Floyd Fernandes; Portia McPhail; Tom Hsu; Natasha Bray; Anthony Mulder; Tara Gregory - who drowned in a flash flood that swept down the Mangatepopo River on Tuesday afternoon.

And their teacher Tony McClean. Tony's father is John McClean, and John is a Baptist Pastor. I went through Carey Baptist College with John and his wife Jeanette. And just last Saturday, 8 days ago, I caught up with John and we talked together about life and about ministry and how well things were going for him

As if these 7 deaths were not hard enough, on Thursday the body of missing teenager Marie Davis was found.

For me, I think this cartoon in The Press captures so well our feelings as New Zealand this week. We phoned and got permission to use the cartoon on our newsletter. And all around New Zealand we’ve been simply want to hug our children.

Which raises the question of where do we as Christians turn at times like this? How should we talk of God. Where do you open your Bible after such tragedy?

For me, I go to the Psalms. If you have your Bibles, turn with me to Psalm 69:
1 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.
You start to read that in light of the floodwaters flowing down the Mangatepopo. Or the finding of Marie Davis in the waters of the Waimakiriri.

This Psalm, Psalm 69, is a psalm of lament. Written by someone who's in deep trouble. Who feels like they're drowning. And so when we grieve and when our nation grieves, it can be helpful to turn to the prayers of those who have grieved before us.

There are 150 Psalms. Some of them are happy psalms, the prayers of people who are thankful for good times. Some of them are special psalms, the prayers of people at weddings, at coronations, or on pilgrimage.

Lots of them are sad psalms. Prayers of lament, prayed by people in tough times. And these sad psalms, these psalms of Lament, generally follow a pattern. They have a
Call for help
Complaint
Confession
Curse of enemies.
Often, but not always, ends with confidence.

Note the title of Psalm 69. "For the director of music."

And so this personal psalm, this personal grief, has been given to the director of music. So the personal is becoming shared.

Which is the first response to the question; Where is God in the events of this week? God is in the love of the community.

God is present as we let our personal grief become a shared grief. As it says in 1 Corinthians 11:26, If one part suffers, every part suffers. And so in grief, we need each other.

And it's this, I think, that has become such a powerful witness to the media this week. To hear John Campbell on Wednesday nite thank Elim Christian College for the cups of tea and the use of fax facilitities. And to realise that personal grief was becoming a shared grief.

This week God has been in the love of the community.

Call for help (1-4)

1 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched.
My eyes fail, looking for my God.

And so here's a second response to the question; Where is God in the events of this week? God is in honesty.

In a Psalmist willing to say help. I'm not coping. In a school Principal who's willing to saying to his students on the Wednesday assembly at which the deaths were announced ".. be angry at God. God can handle that." God in our honesty.

Or as Bono from U2 says: "a lot of the psalms feel to me [like] the blues. Man shouting at God -- "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Psalm 22). … [F]or me it's despair that the psalmist really reveals and the nature of his special relationship with God. Honesty, even to the point of anger.

Confession (69:5-12)
Picking up at verse 5: You, God, know my folly; my guilt is not hidden from you.

And so honest feelings lead to an honest reflection on one's own relationship with God. They allow us to look honestly in our mirror. Name our shame.

Where is God? God is with those who honestly examine their own lives.

Jumping to verse 9 for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
10 When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn;

And again we see this honest reflection on one's own relationship with God. Tragedy does this. It invites us to examine our commitment to God and to God’s church.

Complaint (69:13-21)
And so, picking up from verse 16,
16 Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.

A key word is mercy; in v. 16; in your great mercy. The word is related to the Hebrew word for womb. The mercy that a mother experiences toward a child growing in her womb.

So this is the type of God we're pray to, this mothering God.

But to be honest, says v. 17, it still feels like God is hiding. This honesty appears elsewhere in the Psalms. 13:2, 22:25, 27:9, 88:15, 102:3, 143:7; I know God is like a mother, but I don't see it.

And so where is God? The Bible affirms God as the Creator. Creator of a free world. Creator of a world in which love is truly free to grow. Which always has a flip side. If love is truly free to grow, then it must also be truly free to die.

Yes, God as Creator can stop a flood. Yes, God as Creator can stop humans making mistakes. But if God does, the God is removing the free will at the heart of true love.

And so we live in a free world in which the laws of nature do not make exceptions. Whether you are Mother Teresa or Hitler, a flash flood is a flash flood.

And so Where is God? God is in the love of a community and God is in honesty. God is with those who examine their own lives. God is the gift of free will.

Which helps me make sense of Romans 8:22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
Because we live in a truly free world. That our decisions matter. That when wrong choices were made, when freak weather patterns occur, innocent people suffer.

Curse of enemies (69:22-29)
Which takes us to verses 22-29. A harsh section.
21 They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
22 May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and a trap.
23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.
24 Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them.

And so the Psalmist is starting to play the blame game. He's so angry that he wants revenge.

What's interesting is how this describes so well the events of this week. That by Thursday on National Radio the talkback lines are running hot, with people playing the blame game.

What I find fascinating is how here in Psalm 69 the Psalmist leaves punishment with God. We see this in V. 24. Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them.

Psalmist can be honest and angry. But the ability to take revenge is given to God. That's very good therapy. Long before we had counsellors and anger management groups, we have a psalmist encouraging us to let it all out. Write it down. Express yourself. But leave the judging with God.

Which is perhaps why the Psalmist can then turn to

Confidence (30-33)
29 But as for me, afflicted and in pain— may your salvation, God, protect me.
30 I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 The poor will see and be glad— you who seek God, may your hearts live!
33 The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.

So where is God? God is in our willingness to take action. The concrete actions by which the poor and needy, can experience life.

34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them,

Again, God is in action. Our actions by which pollution is stopped and water is purified.

35 for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it;
36 the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.

God is in the actions by which community is rebuild in our city. In the ways we express love and care for those who grieve, in the ways in which we work to make teenage girls safe in our streets.

And as Christians, we hear this as a hope for a new earth. Your kingdom come, here on earth, as in heaven.

So perhaps this is the special gift that emerges from hard times. We are reminded of God's desire for healing and wholeness. We are reminded that we are not here for our pleasure.

Rather, that we are here to restore God’s original intention for world. So that poor will have life and those in exile can rebuild.

So where is God when bad things happen to good people? In turning to the Psalms, to Psalm 69, we find
God in community
In honesty
With those who examine their own lives.
In the gift of free will.
In the ability to leave judgement with God
In our willingness to take action.

When tragedy occurs, we all want someone to blame. So often we blame God. The insurance companies even have a legal word for it; "acts of God."

Christian answer is that God has acted. Firstly in Creation, in giving us free will.

Secondly, in Jesus. In Jesus God acts not by stopping suffering. Jesus doesn’t rush around like some Superman stopping natural disasters.

Instead, in Jesus God acts by stepping into suffering. In Jesus we see a human who weeps. In Jesus who see a person, who, just like Psalm 69, cries "Why is God absent? Why am I forsaken."

At the cross we see a heavenly father who loses a son. And so this is the ultimate answer to where is God when bad things happen to good people?

God cries too. That God suffers too. I invite us to pray the prayer that we often pray on Good Friday, that day in the church when we focus on the suffering God.

Giver of life we wait with you.
to bear your hope in earth’s darkest places.
Where love is denied: let love break through
Where justice is destroyed: let righteousness rule
Where hope is crucified: let faith persist
Where truth is denied: let the struggle continue

labelling emerging and emergent

Tony Jones, head of USEmergent, has expressed concern about those who draw lines between emerging and emergent. To which I made the following comment:

Frankly, I think it's cheeky that you [Tony Jones] can co-edit a book, titled "Emergent Manifesto", written by Americans only, and now tell us that there is no difference between the terms [emergent and emerging].

Or perhaps it's more to do with Doug wanting to draw authorial lines around the book brand?

If Emergent wants to speak for the world, then they have a lot of work to do, and it doesn't start by saying "oh, we're all really the same aren't we!"

Sunday services as New Zealand mourns

This week has been an incredibly sad week for all New Zealanders. We have been saddened by the loss of 7 lives at the Mangatepopo River. This includes Tony McClean, son of one of our Baptist pastor's, John and Jeanette McClean. We have been saddened and angered by the discovery of the body of teenager Marie Davis here in Christchurch.

"If one part suffers, every part suffers with it." 1 Corinthians 11:26

Our Sunday morning service will allow time for us to pray together in the light of the events of this week. We will explore the question that must be on many lips - "where is God?" by using the Psalms of the Bible. We will have two large cards, for any who want to sign, and to send to John and Jeanette McClean and to Elim Christian School.

On Sunday evening, when more of our teenagers are present, we will allow time to pray together for the family of Marie Davis. Similarly, we will have a large card for any who want to sign, and to send to her family.

Steve Taylor, for Opawa Pastoral team

beyond bands and beyond stations

I've been thinking about worship this week. I'm feeling stuck in a loop that goes like this:

Most contemporary church worship I experience simply invites me to sing songs. Up the band comes, away they play and down I sit. I'm tired of this limited vista.

Most alt.worship I experience invites me into stations. Out comes the art, in comes the creativity and down I sit. I'm tired of the individuality of it all. Me in my small experience.

At least when you sing, it's corporate. At least when you sing, it invites you out of your head and into your intuition and emotion.

So here's the question that's bugging me: what are ways that we might connect with God that are corporate and non-rational, that are NOT sung worship?

Updated: Here's the current list ... please add more in comments

Saying The Lord's Prayer
Chanting
Passing the peace
Sharing communion together

Taking the con out of conversion 2

During our 2nd sermon on Biblical pictures of witness I showed a table (download), placing Acts 2, Acts 14 and Acts 17 side by side. It produced excellent discussion, as people noted
- how one size does not fit all;
- how in Acts 14 and Acts 17, not a single Bible verse is quoted, in contrast to Acts 2;
- how evangelistic success is far from universal;
- the ability to improvise.

I concluded with some stories about ways I'd seen announcing the good news publicly in New Zealand today. A number were taken from my blog post here from a few weeks ago and a big thanks to those in my blogging community who commented - you added a huge amount of richness and freshness to the sermon.

The open invite follow-up discussion group meets again this Wednesday in the church foyer to simply read the Bible texts, and apply them prayerfully to our life. There is already talk of keeping the group going after the series finishes, which was my big dream - the formation of an evangelism action team!

lost sheep and good shepherds and luke 15: missional revised version

Updated: I thought this was a really thoughtful post that would get some good comment going about our images of mission and the place of the Bible. The silence is deafening. Oh well!

In preparing to speak at the Sharpening the Middle yesterday (my 3rd full day of speaking in 8, and I am stuffed), I began to wonder if Luke 15:3-7 is actually a profoundly unhelpful text for the missional church.

Mission is named as the church who sends out the shepherd. Fine so far. But it reduces mission to the responsibility of the one, paid professional. The shepherd finds the sheep, which is returned, and so the congregation rejoices. But the congregation is reduced to passivity, almost to voyeurism. Equally, the process of mission, of searching and seeking, is reduced to an event, the moment in which the lost sheep appears. Mission becomes the "altar call" moment.

So here's my Missional revised version of Luke 15:3-7. In offering this, I am not wanting to downplay Scripture. Rather, I am wanting to invite us to consider how our imaginations are shaped by Biblical texts, and the impact of that upon our paradigms.

Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't she leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until she finds it? And when she finds it, she joyfully sits down. Then she calls the friends and neighbors of the lost sheep together. And as this moment, as a new missional congregation is planted, the shepherd and existing congregation burst out 'Rejoice; the lost sheep is found.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Taking the con out of conversion

Every Wednesday in April (9, 16, 23, 30), a conversation around the place of witness and evangelism in Christian faith is happening in the church foyer. The catalyst is a sermon series titled "Biblical pictures of witness" being preached on Sunday mornings. On the Wednesday those interested gather to read the Scriptures used on Sunday, to apply and to pray.

On the first Wednesday we talked about the Samaritan woman in contrast to the huge feelings of guilt Christians carry in relation to witness. We wondered about the following guilt free statements.
1. Only do your bit. No more and no less.
2. Only witness where God is working. Witnessing anywhere else is dumb, especially in response to evangelism seminars.
3. Only share what you know. Anything else is bearing false witness.
4. Only be real. Human struggles open doors.

I love this part of ministry: creating conversations around the Bible and in relation to mission, sitting with people, listening, being honest, learning, growing.

why did you go to Opawa Baptist?

He was puzzled. He was senior in our denominational leadership. He was aware of the history of Opawa Baptist, 96 years old, a fine past. He was aware of my history, emerging church planter. And so he was honest enough to ask, "why did you go to Opawa?"

And this quote from Maggi Dawn's blog says it better than I could yesterday.

"The really interesting questions that surround the Emerging conversation have less to do with the how and why of a deliberate strategy to re-create the shape of Church, and more to do with how the concerns of Emerging are, in fact, emerging in different settings all over the place - messily, imperfectly and in unexpected places - which, in fact, is more faithful to the concept of emergence. For many Emergers, the least expected place of all to find an emerging congregation would be slap in the middle of a suburban Parish church. But that's what is going on in quite a lot of places.

And that's the conversations I'm glad to be part of at Opawa.

1 + 1 + 1 = ?

Fact 1: In the rush to the airport last Saturday, to catch a flight back to my home in Christchurch, my overnite bag was left in a friends car in Auckland. It included my alarm clock.

Fact 2: While waiting for the bag to be returned, I decided to use the alarm on my cell phone.

Fact 3: I received a text on my cell phone while at a gathering on Wednesday night. To avoid disturbing the gathering, I simply turned down the sound on my cell phone.

Fact 4: Needing to rise at 5:30 am today to catch a plane to Wellington to speak ...

I missed my flight. Ahhhh. First time ever. My cell phone alarm went off, but of course, because the sound was off, I was not wake.

Until 6:20 am, by which time the flight was boarding. Ahhhh.

Thankfully, in the strangeness of life, Air New Zealand had a flight at 10:30 am at a Smart Saver rate for only $82.

A few phone calls.
A run.
A relaxed breakfast.
A bit of email.
A cup of coffee after arriving early at the airport,
and I had a most excellent afternoon with about 50 church leaders. A highlight was meeting Jono. Jono emailed me out of the blue last August, as follows:
Hi Steve,

Have been following your blog along now for about 2 years and have a question for you. No pressure! :)

I am doing a contemplative service and at one of the stations (using the beatitudes) I am trying to show righteousness in a creative way and am struggling. The ideas I have either limit the idea of righteousness too much or just seem a bit cliche. So, the question, have you ever tried to display righteousness and how did you do it?

Thanks Steve, any ideas will be appreciated.

To which I replied: Hi Jono,

any help?

So it was great to meet Jono face to face and for him to affirm that in New Zealand, Baptist gatherings like Sharpening the Middle are quite inspirational for Presbyterians. (Note that Jono's story does not mean that I will provide free worship consultancy to any and all punters who email me! It was simply that in the grace of God, Jono caught me in a creative moment :))

facing the mission challenge

I think I'm in a Wellington phase of my life cycle. I am up there 2morrow at Sharpening the Middle with the Baptists. Then April 22 at the Wellington Diocese Clergy Conference. Then May 21 at the Executive Leaders conference of the Salvation Army for New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory, on the topic of New forms of church and mission.

I was working on some notes today and was reminded of the quote below, quoted George Lings. It is not easy affirming what is, providing appropriate next steps, without dumbing down the enormous implications of this quote.

Few churches
• have experience of this profoundly different shape to mission
• know how to travel out from Church in "go" or apostolic mode
• can envisage how to be fresh imaginings of church at the end of the journey

practicing communion with storytelling

Last Sunday the sermon text had been the Emmaus Road. A number of challenges were given: to seek the Risen Jesus on the road, to practice Christian practices, to depend on the Spirit.

So on Sunday we decided to provide time for storytelling.

3, not 1, communion tables were placed up the front and chairs added to ring the tables. I read from the Emmaus text. Bread was broken and thanks offered.

I then reminded people of the sermon and placed the communion elements on all 3 tables. I invited people to participate in two ways.

They could either remain seated and be served. Or, if they wanted, they could come to front, sit at a table, share communion and tell a story, of either meeting Jesus during the week, a Christian practice they were finding life giving, or a way they were needing the Spirit. A sung item was played.

And it worked well. Appropriate numbers of people responded and some encouraging stories were told. People talked afterwards about how helpful it had been. It was a worthwhile way to practice communion with real live stories around table.

plotting healthy mission conversation

Sharpening the middle kicked off on Saturday in Auckland, and was one of the best mission events I've been at in a long time. It is not often I return from a full day of work with my heart singing, but I did yesterday. Here is why ....

Intersections - mission history, then mission theology was followed by 4 mission stories. The day then ended with two people, designated listeners, who sought to name some of the Biblical narratives heard during the day. In other words, practioners were listened to by Biblical missiologists, and enlarged by wider ranging contextual overviews. This mix provided a wonderfully rich set of conversations. So often Biblical missiologists talk to each other at one conference, while practioners listen to practioners at another.

Space - each bit of input was followed by time in groups, processing the implications. A highlight was seeing church teams, pastors surrounded by lay leaders, grappling with mission in their place. Input was given time to take root.

Breadth - we heard stories from ordinary churches through to established churches in transition, through to incarnational missional communities (groups of young adults living in community in poor streets). All were affirmed and sat easily alongside each other. We've moved well beyond one size fits all in mission.

Team - this was not a one guru-show. It involved 7 different speakers, ensuring diversity. Yet all spoke in humility and in ways that affirmed a diversity of approaches.

Denominational ownership - this was Baptist run and Baptist funded. People in the room included the Baptist national leader, the national consultant, the President and denominational lecturers. Resourcing for mission currently lies at the heart of our denomination.

Sharpening the Middle continues in Wellington on Thursday, then Christchurch on Saturday. It is being vidoed, and a DVD will be released, along with a discussion guide, for use by church groups. This could end up being a highly significant Kiwi resource - a sort of homegrown Fresh expression type mix of history, story and Biblical frameworks. I am also working on writing it up as a paper (given that I was both one of the listeners and one of the storytellers).

the missional God is an ordinary God

This place was build so that people who gathered can read their hymn books. A comment made to me recently as a person gazed around the Opawa building. It was a reminder of the history that faces us everyday.

I enjoyed my time with the Board also - it helped to make me more aware of your context and the 'ordinary' things that you face in the journey. Another comment, another person, a reminder that amid all the mission changes is the ordinariness of everyday.

As one who has made a journey through alternative worship to community development work to parish ministry I find it disheartening to read your seemingly gleeful evaluation that 'now the parish system has been legally blown open'. A comment made here. It's a heart cry that God might be considered missional among plain parish and not only sexy fresh expression.

The organisers are looking for alternative worship… but, of course, since it's a conference, I have no control over the space at all - over the lighting, seating, where the focus of attention will be… i can't do stations, there will be limited multimedia capacity… up until now i've been fighting the limits and getting nowhere. today i've just given into them, and stopped thinking it needs to be alternative. it just needs to work with the people and the context. A blog post naming the stress of being asked to be emergingly alternative in showcase settings.

Can God be a lifegiver among the ordinary, in the plain parish, in the places where the hymn books go, in the limitations of conference settings? Is resurrection really that powerful, that inclusive, that revolutionary?

This is the real challenge for missional church. It's not to start a hot new thing for 20 years olds, or to import the latest flash song/video clip/alt. idea from another context. It is to truly live the claim that God is life-giver in our here and now. This is surely the heart of Incarnation - God with us - not in some idealised, abstracted other.

be:holden wedding prayer

I did an outdoor wedding a few weeks ago, to a couple mad keen on cars. On the morning of the wedding, I sort of scribbled the following prayer, and it seemed to connect well.

God of love and passion, God of commitment and promises,
We pray for xxxx and xxxx today,
That, they will treat their marriage like a well-maintained Holden car,
They will pay attention to each other's oil and water and tire pressure,
That they will be quick to forgive, well able to listen to the best advice from their pit crew.

May God's grace rest on their life as they drive life's road together,

May they grow in peace as one,
Always faithful to this model of 2008,
May the love that we see today last through all their life,
through every S bend and hairpin they negotiate,
so that at the end of their days,
they may just feel as they do now.
Very happy to be in love and married. Amen.

needing sermon help

I need some sermon application help. Church ministers are NOT allowed to respond. I am working on a post-Easter sermon series titled Biblical pictures of witness. It is based on a honey of a book, Picturing Christian Witness by Stanley Skreslet: Using a wide range of Bible texts and some great art, Skreslet outlines 5 different images of witness used in the New Testament.

Announcing good news, for example the public speeches in Acts where the role of the Christian is to share publicly and in vulnerability
Sharing Christ with friends, for example, Mark 2:1-12, friends of paralytic man, where the role of the Christian is to walk with and alongside.
Interpreting the gospel, for example Philip and the Ethiopian Enuch, where the gospel crosses cultural barriers and the role of the Christian is to link and translate.
Shepherding, for example Luke 15 where the shepherds goes searching for the lost one and the role of the Christian is to carry the hurting,
Building and planting, for example 1 Corinthians 3, where Paul is building and planting and the role of the Christian is to ensure at all times that the medium is the message.

Now I am doing this series because I think the 5 images remind us that there is no one way of being a witness and thus frees us from rigid stereotypes to be ourselves.

But here's the rub. I'm stuck with application in regard to the first one. What, practically, does announcing good news mean today? As a minister, I get to announce good news most Sundays. But what might announcing good news mean in home and workplaces outside Sunday? Love to have your comments ....