Wondering Pilgrim

Wondering Pilgrim is moving on...

2008-08-30T12:01:00.004+08:00

... but not all that far! All you have to do is click here and you will be transported to this blog's new home. Once there, you can bookmark it or even click on the RSS feed to get updates in your e-mail. (Those over 45 need this info, so bear with me). This one will probably stay up for a little while longer, but everything here has been transferred across. Hope to see you there.

Attachments

2008-08-28T12:40:00.003+08:00

I got quite attached to my little Asus eee laptop while travelling. The size of a paperback book, it did everything I wanted - lots of photo storage, web, email, office suite - everything. Alas, it's advantage is also a disadvantage - it's small enough to steal and that's what happened to it in the post church service chaos of last Sunday.

So I've been a bit grumpy as I've gone through the motions of filing police reports, pawn shop notifications and insurance claims.

Then I came across this story in Anthony de Mello's The Prayer of the Frog (Anand Press, 1989), p92

The great buddhist saint Nagarjuna moved around naked except for a loin-cloth and, incongruously, a golden begging-bowl gifted to him by the king who was his disciple.

One night he was about to lie down to sleep among the ruins of an ancient monastery when he noticed a thief lurking behind one of the columns. "Here, take this," said Nagarjuna, holding out the begging bowl. "that way you won't disturb me once I have fallen asleep."

The thief eagerly grabbed the bowl and made off - only to return next morning with the bowl and a request. He said, "When you gave away this bowl so freely last night, you made me feel very poor. Teach me how to acquire the riches that make this kind of light-hearted detachment possible."

Don't know that I would have passed my "golden bowl" over so easily, but I recall Jesus saying something very similar about the things we get attached to.

For another take, check out the discussion on this site on how to deal with thieves! It's a lesson on "how not to market the church" to thieves or anyone else for that matter. Perhaps Nagarjuna can show us all a few things about how to follow our master!

New links

2008-08-19T10:29:00.003+08:00

I've just updated some links in the sidebar to the right, mostly around the Stone-Campbell theme. I find I'm talking in terms of "Stone-Campbell" rather than "restoration movement" these days, as the latter term can be and often is misconstrued. As ever, it is a meeting with individuals who engage the challenges of their time with principles that are transferable from the age of the New Testament to their milieu, and which we can keep on discovering and applying to the unique challenges and opportunities of our own time, that pays dividends. This calls for flexibility rather than rigidity, and all too often (myself included) apologists for "restoration" have been trapped in structures and understanding of New Testament practices that have been brittle and unbending. Stone and Campbell seem to have been effective counterpoints to each other - with Stone's emphasis on response to the movements of God's Spirit and Campbell's concern for doctrine, structure and correctness. Together, perhaps, both eclipse these characteristics with a focus on the unity of Christ's church so that evangelistic endeavour might be effective.

Anyhow, the Disciples Historical Society link takes you to a range of interesting sources, articles and reflections that explore the Churches of Christ story, and the Great Communion site has lots of ideas on how to prepare for an event that promises significant opportunities for the world-wide Stone-Campbell spectrum of the church at large.

Does green have a dark side?

2008-08-16T16:11:00.004+08:00

I occasionally post "sustainable energy" news clips to the PeaceChurch mailing list, particularly where the church in Australia is adding something to the debate. Responses are inevitably mixed - no less earlier this week when I posted the following:

Some 40 religious leaders (including Churches of Christ, as well as leaders from Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and Baha'i faiths) sent a letter to the Fed Government "calling for immediate and decisive action on climate change"(8.8.08)It coincided with a visit to Australia by Pacific church leaders who are deeply concerned about the effects of climate change on the region. The letter can be seen at http://mediaroom.victas.uca.org.au/?p=330

Some of the feedback (with permission from all sources) can be found in the comments section on this post. You may like to continue the discussion there, remembering that light is more illuminating than heat - which, given the topic, sounds like a terrible pun!

Now here's a good link to a WCCC summary

2008-08-13T15:27:00.003+08:00

Trust the Disciples to put up a succinct yet pithy summary of World Convention that takes us onto the next step - preparing for the "Great Communion.' See their site here. You will also find a link to a slide show of convention highlights there. My own pictures are on Flickr, albeit with restricted access. Contact me if you want in.

Home again

2008-08-13T09:29:00.002+08:00

This short post is for the benefit of those who are concerned that I'm still holed up in an airport somewhere. I am home and running to catch up with all sorts of things. Will get back to blogging ASAP.

Cooling my heels at LAX

2008-08-06T06:09:00.002+08:00

Arrived at LA airport about noon. The plane for Changi leaves in 13 hours so plenty of time to cool my heels - reading, blogging, waiting to check my bag in. A deaf bloke circulates the tables selling pens and little stars & stripes badges. I buy one of each. Shortly after the PA system begins blaring announcements warning passengers they are not obliged to give money to "solicitors." I've been a soft touch all the time I've been here - apparently over generous when tipping and falling into conversation with "solicitors" and inevitably slipping the odd buck here and there. I am really surprised at the low rate of pay here. Service people and even "solicitors" go out of their way to be friendly and polite. Should not enterprise in hard times be rewarded, or am I exacerbating "the problem?" This is one cultural reality I think I would find difficult to get used to if living here longer.

Giving thanks where its due

2008-08-06T03:53:00.002+08:00

A number of delegates to the convention were impressed when I said that I was present largely through the largesse of my home congregation at Wembley Downs. So this would be a good spot to say thanks to folk like John & Margaret Somerville and Ken Patterson and my church board and elders who prodded me when I was humming and harring as to whether I would attend this gathering. It seems that congregations that are alive to the passion and vision of the Stone-Campbell heritage, while enthusiastic in a local or regional setting, are straining to catch the global vision. Many jurisdictions are experiencing the anxiety of restructure and are thus internally focused. It will always be incumbent upon a few, across all three streams, to be a kind of "global Jiminy Cricket" - voices to keep reminding us that we need to remember where we came from in order to know where we are going. So my thanks to Wembley Downs for their largeness of vision and the will to put strength (and their minister) behind it.

By the way, Jenny tells me a lot of folk have been reading this blog and discussing it. How about bringing the conversation on line and using the "comments" box at the end of each entry. You can sign anonymous!

Post Convention Reflections

2008-08-06T00:05:00.002+08:00

Los Angeles

World Convention is an odd animal - difficult to categorise. One passport screener asked whether I was here for business or pleasure. Those who know me well know that I rarely give black & white answers - it's just not in my make up. I said I'm here for a convention. He said "Oh, business." But I suspected business had certain conditions on my type of visa - so I said "No! We have no business sessions planned!"
"Oh, then pleasure?"
"Not primarily, it's a church convention and we come together from all over the world to network and learn from each other. That's what a convention is."
The screener just shrugged his shoulders and let me through.
But that's it - coming together from all over the globe and learning from each other and our experiences and work as part of the Stone-Campbell movement.
Inevitably and importantly, the host country wields great influence on the agenda. As part of the home of the movement that gave birth to Churches of Christ in its various manifestations, Nashville was a great choice. Both Campbell and Stone were present here, and a lot of the history and zeitgeist of their passion is here, reflected not only in the presence of Lipscomb University and the elegant quarters of the Historical Society of Disciples of Christ, but the prolific presence of churches in this "buckle of the bible belt." The frontier urgency seems prevalent too, in the downtown street scenes where, bars, music and gospel seem to jostle quite comfortably and un-selfconsciously alongside each other.
The effects of the 100 year split are felt very keenly with lamentation by some, but also indifference by others. The passionate diligence of those for whom healing the split is of paramount importance, however, will, I feel, eventually win the day.
For visitors to the US, the emphasis on reconciliation was an education.The issues that separate don't loom as large elsewhere. US members seem surprised that the Australian scene does not differentiate over much between Disciples and Independent distinctives.
Some felt that the emphasis on healing US divisions, the launching of the Great Communion, etc might have been overstated in an international gathering where there are other concerns - difficulties in several African nations and the Indian sub-continent and South America, indeed the presence of guests from poorer countries where there are differently urgent and important matters to discuss. There were forums and plenary occasions where all received their due, however.
Body of Christ theology tells me that whenever one part is in pain and needs healing - we all send our antibodies in to do the therapeutic work. The significance of the American roots of our movement is so important that if it fails to be strong we all suffer. The hospitality, candid honesty and will to heal exhibited by our host country modelled well what the church can be in any corner of the globe.
Anyhow, that's my reflection as I sit here in LA waiting for the long plane ride home.

Campbell Country

2008-08-05T02:25:00.007+08:00

At last a hot spot at Nashville Airport where the homeland security guard is so friendly he says "Pass right on through, Dennis!" It's still a few hours before my flight to LA, so I'll just upload my journal re the journey through Campbell stamping grounds -

Travelling east through the plains of Ohio, we cross the river of the same name into the rolling hills of West Virginia, a north-south panhandle some 20 miles wide and maybe 100 miles long. This is Campbell country. My eyes had still been getting used to the deep green of the Kentucky and Ohio countryside we'd been crossing. Here the green is greener still as we catch a glimpse of the occasional deer (yes - the Bambi kind) skipping off through the heavily wooded mountain sides. The steep winding road takes us to our lodgings in Bethany, renamed from Buffaloe by Alexander Campbell when he applied to run a post office from there. By that stage his writings supporting the Restoration plea had become so prolific that incoming mail warranted its own facility. I was halfway through re-reading Louis Cochran, The Fool of God: a novel based on the life of Alexander Campbell (Standard, 1958).

It was an uncanny feeling of being able to recognise and feel familiar with the various rooms of his perfectly preserved home – a rambling mansion by the frontier standards of the early to mid 1800s. He added to it three times to accommodate his various enterprises, including 14 children to two successive wives, a school, a printing press, and a thriving farm (on which, for some time, he raised merino sheep). To sit in his place at the long dining room table at which he entertained often up to thirty guests, to gaze upon the ornate furnishings of the Stranger's Hall where he received various luminaries of early American history, to poke around in the cellar where his first wife, Margaret (then with three small daughters), agreed to live so they could accommodate a boarding school), to look through the separate study he built 100 yards from the house, was to find oneself once again in a “thin place.” A tour of Bethany College, a large and imposing liberal arts university founded by Campbell, testified to the boundless energy and enterprise of this man for whom sound education and deep faith in Christ alone as expressed through a church uncomplicated by man-made creeds was the core of his being.

After overnighting in Cincinatti, we visited the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. The Shakers were a sect to which some signatories of The Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery later subscribed. A separatist community something like the Amish, they adhered to a particular millennial view that stated Christ had already come in their leader (a woman) and that their task now was to live out the heavenly simplicity of the perfection of the kingdom of heaven on earth. Consequently their work was their prayer, permitting no flaws . Such visions of perfection led to continuing improvement in agriculture, medicine, hygiene and household items (this is where the flat straw broom originated). Their expertise in such matters was much sought after. Caught in the crossfire of the American Civil war, the millennial vision evaporated and the Shaker communities began to dwindle. Workers were leaving farms for the factories in town. The Industrial Revolution with mass production facilities overtook them. Enforced celibacy did not improve their chances either. Today there are three remaining Shakers living in Maine. One remaining legacy is the a capella music that forms one genre of the Country and Western spectrum.

A platypus at Otter Creek

2008-08-04T11:22:00.003+08:00

Otter Creek Church of Christ was one of a number of Nashville churches that graciously hosted World Convention visitors today. The church is an adherent of the a capella tradition, but for the last ten years has worked diligently in promoting healing of the divisions within the Stone-Campbell movement. One leader wryly observed that they were sometimes referred to as "Odder Creek" because of this and other positions. A number of us came to Otter Creek because of connections made on the Stone-Campbell tour earlier. We were warmly received and hosted at a luncheon that followed. I was able to share my congregation's fondness for the platypus, a kind of "Australian otter" that defies easy description. Again, some pictures will be added as soon as I can find a hotspot that my wifi will connect with. Heading home tomorrow, so not sure how soon I can tune in here again.

Don't forget where your umbilical cord is buried...

2008-08-04T11:13:00.002+08:00

Sound advice to young men leaving an African village to make their fortune abroad. Umbilical cords were interred in the ancestral burial grounds - a permanent reminder of roots, belonging and identity. The closing day of convention centred on the place where the metaphorical umbilical cord of adherents of the Stone-Campbell movement, indeed all Christians - is buried, the Lord's Table. A moving but simple ceremony heralded the year of the Great Communion, leading up to the celebration on October 4th, 2009, of the bicentennial of Thomas Campbell's Declaration and Address. Some pictures later of this and the preceding night's Grand Ol' Opry style celebration featuring Tommy Emmanuel.

Brazil in 2012

2008-08-02T11:35:00.003+08:00

Tonight, acceptance of the invitation from our churches in Brazil to hold the 2012 Convention there was accepted with acclamation. Under normal circumstances, Zimbabwe, the home of incoming president, B. J. Mpofu, would have been the country of choice, but the current situation makes this difficult. No doubt we will hear more of arrangements as they unfold.

1809-1909-2009

2008-08-02T11:28:00.002+08:00

Get ready for the Great Communion of 2009 - the Bicentennial of the document that is regarded by many as the foundation of the Restoration Movement (Thomas Campbell's Declaration and Address. It is also the centennial of the split in the movement that became formal when the US Census of 1909 listed Churches of Christ and the Christian Church as separate denominations. The approaching bicentenary is providing an urgent incentive in dialogue between representatives of the three streams in the USA for next year's celebrations. A visit today to the Historical Society of Disciples of Christ opened access to a rich resource for research and study.

More Aussie Awards at Nashville

2008-08-02T11:22:00.002+08:00

Tonight the Garfield and Grace Todd Awards were offered to Sonny and Fran Graham for their life work amongst aboriginal people, to Ash and Angie Barker, founders of Urban Neighbourhoods of Hope (UNOH), and to Neville and Lil Muir for their work with International Deaf Ministry. Dr Philemon Paur of Dhond Hospital in India also received the award.

African Worship

2008-08-02T11:18:00.002+08:00

I took a deep breath and plunged into the African experience this morning. There is no such thing as observing an African worship service. You have to participate. Led by delegates from Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and Zimbabwe, about 80 people took part in the singing and dabncing prayers. The vibrant, soul-tugging worship had this rational being wiping leaky eyes and slowing down a racing heartbeat. Might try the a capella service tomorrow!

Historic Decision at Nashville

2008-08-02T11:15:00.002+08:00

For the first time ever, representatives of aid agencies belonging to the three streams of the Restoration Movement have agreed to work together on a unified approach to mission in Vietnam.

Day 2 at WCCC

2008-08-01T11:33:00.002+08:00

The day begins with a choice of six different worship centres, Disciples, a capella, contemporary, African, Hispornic and Spanish. I choose Disciples which features the Gender Road Disciples Church Choir, gowned and swinging with a mix of classical and soul music.

Later, the plenary bible study is led by Rhonda Lowry, an a capella member breaking from a tradition that does not usually countenance women speakers. Indeed, reflecting on Mark 5, the story of the healing of the haemmoraghing woman, and the dynamic of trust, fear, liberation and enfolding into community in the narrative, Rhonda declares "Women in our tradition have been silent for too long." Recognising the still divisive elements that challenging such traditions may entail, reference is made to the C & W song, "We come from a long line of love."

Many workshops present themselves as choices, and I go to hear Ash Barker present the Jesse Bader Memorial Lecture. I have heard this courageous Australian missionary before, but I am curious to see how his incarnational methods of living amongst the poor in a Thai slum is received here. He compares Thai animism with "Christian animism" - any attempt to manipulate God to do what we want rather than being obedient to God's leading. He develops his method of serving the poor around the priciples of authentic relief, education, protest, modeling after the style of Jesus and transformation. He fields many questions and has indeed provoked deep thought.

In the evening, special recognition is given to Avon and Deslee Moyle for over 30 years outstanding service in indigenous ministry. Sonny Graham receives the award on their behalf. A similar award is made to Ross Norling for the work he and his late wife, Helen, have done amongst aboriginal communities in the Pilbara.

Opening night of WCCC Nashville

2008-07-31T20:13:00.003+08:00

A French youth choir, contemporary gospel, the parade of flags representing the 150 countries in which RM is present, a reading of a portion of John 17 in Maharathi (sp?) and a rip roaring Black American style sermon by Cynthia Hale kicked this Convention off to a good start. Cynthia grasped the nettle using both John 17 and Ephesians 4:1-6 as the base for her oft repeated assertion "It ain't complicated!" What ain't complicated? The call of the church in general and the various streams of the RM in particular to be united in Christ. Reminded me again of the observation several days ago. "Christ said we are one - we just imagine we are not." There was a standing ovation when she concluded.

Nashville update

2008-07-31T04:45:00.002+08:00

Back in Nashville where my wifi doesn't connect for some reason - so I cant upload all I have written on the last few days travelling through historic sites relating to the beginning of Churches of Christ and the Restoration Movement. Today was the Leaders' Forum of World Convention and the hordes are descending for the next few days of inspiration and fellowship on a global scale, even if not as well registered for as one might expect. Feeling pretty beat and in need of some rest. Just got drenched in another Tennessee thunderstorm (some relief from the 95 degree heat, anyway!) I will upload the evening and morning I spent as a guest of the Campbell clan and, later, the hospitality of the Shaker Village as soon as I can make a connection.

This is where it began

2008-07-28T17:44:00.003+08:00

Sitting in this rough hewn log cabin church at Cane Ridge near Paris, Kentucky - the focus of the revivals of the Second Great Awakening on America's western frontier in the early 1800s - is a special experience for those steeped in the principles and witness of the Restoration Movement. Even by today's standards, this place is remote and off the beaten track. Yet tens of thousands gathered and camped here for all sorts of reasons, the main draw card being unusual manifestations of the Holy Spirit as revival preachers of all sorts roamed around the campsites evangelising and serving communion under the eye of Barton Stone. Not many are knowledgeable and/or comfortable with such a phenomena being so critical to the rational foundation of RM history. It was both Stone and Alexander Campbell's claim, however, that a profession of faith in Christ was based not only on careful logical thought but was equally a matter of the heart. Sharing communion here with the tour group was indeed a "thin spaces" occasion.

Nashville Pilgrim's Progress – the beginning

2008-07-27T05:23:00.005+08:00

Right - just found a place that seems able to connect with my little Asus eee, so here's the prequel to the above.

How to kill time in transit at the vast Changi air
terminal - although kill's probably not the right word. When you've got five hours freedom from being straight jacketed in economy class for 22 hours, transit is a gift. “People watching” one pamphlet suggests. I found a place in this spread out city of terminals where there were no people to watch – just a spot to relax and unwind - lots of wide open spaces here – you have to hunt them down though. This photo is taken on the elusive third deck of Terminal 3.
Taipei – an unexpected stop where we disembarked,went through another security check and re-boarded. It was 2300 after an 0500 start. The 2 hour journey across x time zones and the date line then commenced. Tried to catch some zeds but was woken twice for meals even though I wasn't taking them. Fully crowded flight.
Los Angeles. Border protection! What an experience – a frantic cranky pressing crowd from several international flights all pressed together and being herded along gangways, tunnels and through doors into something like sheep races. (Remember that scene from Crocodile Dundee?) My attempts at courtesy were met with scornful derision by some and open mouthed bewilderment by others. The accepted custom seems to be “Mind your own business” and don't respond to another's distress. This was noticeably the case when a small Asian woman was trying to grab her elusive bag from the carousel - which seemed much higher than most. It was making it's third circuit when I lunged and grabbed it for her. She was grateful but the surrounding crowd stared like stunned mullets as if this was an audacious action. Perhaps they thought I was going to run off with it! I also let a group of Spanish speaking people in front of me because they were separated from each other and somewhat agitated. The lady immediately behind me berated my action, saying it would have been nice if I had had the manners and magnamity to let her in as well. I apologised and responded that, if she was part of the group, she was quite welcome to go before me. Even if she was not. I stood aside to allow her ahead. She refused and said nothing more. The immigration interview was an abrupt, “What is the purpose of your visit?... How long are you staying?... bye bye!” About 50 minutes altogether which wasn't bad considering the large crowd, many of whom were having trouble filling out the immigration forms through lack of English. Thanks to Google Maps and Street View, I already had the route to my overnight stay imprinted on my brain. It was a healthy 30 minute walk from the terminal. Great stretch of the legs! Great bed! Great breakfast!
People watching. Unavoidable on return to LAX for Nashville connection. The world passes through this place. An hour's wait at check-in did not pass without interest – the prolific amount of Spanish spoken – the paparazzi chasing celebrities who most vehemently do not want to be photographed, Rastafarians on skateboards, uniformed folk shouting at crowds of confused looking travelers, too-late commuters banging on terminal observation glass trying to get their departing aircraft to return. Everyone speaks loudly announcing their conversations for all to hear. The obesity issue is notably common.
Tipping. Not sure how this works but I've done it twice – the bloke who delivered my breakfast and the shuttle baggage handler. $5 a piece and the response was generous. A lot of these jobs are at minimum wages and tips are the only way that those in the service industry – mostly immigrants – can keep body and soul together. For the traveler, the cost of living seems to be cheaper here when one does the exchange calculations so I think it's a win/win situation. (Later note – the tipping left for the chambermaid at my Nashville stay was refused – so go figure!)
Through the Looking Glass. I thought my feeling of disorientation was due to jet lag. I'm now convinced that it's due to the effect of “opposites.” It's all pervasive. The traffic drives on the opposite side and the pedestrian flows echo it. Light switches are “upside down.” Hot and cold water taps are reversed. Whereas GST is included in the advertised price at home, here it is added on – necessitating keeping an internal calculator in one's head. It grants me a new appreciation of what newcomers to our own shores must experience as old yet benign habits are continually challenged.
Nashville – with what first impressions shall I compare thee? Right now I'm thinking Ballarat - a large busy country town with a lot of history and ambience – but rather than gold it's country music (another kind of gold) that puts this place on the map. My room looks out on the Union Station Hotel – a grand old building from the early 1900s when Nashville was more famous as a rail hub. An African-American man (who worked for a company called “Driving Miss Daisy”) offered me a ride from the airport for $20. Travel weariness had set in and I wasn't in the mood to hunt down a hotel shuttle and I thought it a good price so agreed. The conversation and local knowledge was worth it. After settling in I ventured out at dusk to find a bite to eat – just a snack. The only thing that looked open was McDonald's and it was actually closing (yes, I know, hard to imagine!) Lots of down and outers around. I must have seemed like one because the young man behind the gas station counter offered to pay the extra 20 cents for my $5.20 turkey sandwich and drink. Off to bed now – three whole days in one place with time to soak in! (Later note – went back to the Golden Arches the next day about 6pm thinking to get a light salad having had an Angus beef sub with trimmings for lunch. Ordered a South West Premium Salad thinking it would be the modest size of those served back home. Well this is super-size country and it came with deep grilled chicken on a huge dinner plate. One can eat quite well here on a very modest budget.)
Downtown comes alive. Around mid-afternoon, every delicatessen, beer-hall, bar and eatery in the “honky-tonk” strip begins to vibrate with all the genres of live country music. I shoved my way past about ten places in a row that were filling up with people to listen to the live performances – and that was before hitting the 2^nd Avenue entertainment strip.
Met up with Clive and Cherryl today we were soon drenched in a good ol' Tennessee thunderstorm. Some java coffee in an old icecream parlour sorted us out. Later visited the Country Music Hall of Fame a masterpiece of modern architecture that showcased the development and rise of country music in elegant style. Just as elegant was the more classically styled music conservatory alongside, not in competition, but as complimentary. a harbinger, perhaps of the diverse streamscoming together for this convention.

Signing in from Nashville

2008-07-25T02:20:00.003+08:00

G'day readers, here we are. Lots of stuff already written up for this pilgrim's journal here, but there's a problem connecting my laptop to the hotel's wifi system, so until I find a hotspot that works, I'm using the public internet in the lobby. I'll load the report on the journey here when I can. Circadian rhythms have just about righted themselves, so I'm just taking a relaxing day wandering around the downtown area and getting some orientation. Ended up under some trees on the river bank just past a replica of the fort from which Nashville was founded. Pretty hot and muggy, so stayed there a while reading up on Alexander Campbell's life story as imaged in "Fool of God." Hopefully good preparation for the tour over the weekend of historic sites associated with him. Looking for an ATM in the downtown district, one could not help but notice the proliferation of notices warning against giving money to "panhandlers" - the fine print advised it was preferable to give food and water, but also gave a phone number to which one could refer those in need. On the river bank I was aware that I was sharing the shade with a range of possible homeless wanderers. Rammed into a bench was a crumpled newspaper published by a homeless advocacy group. Right on the spot I could learn about the plight of the poor in this region and the challenge to assist that is being addressed largely by the churches. The problem is that food distribution points are best accessible by car and the main mode of transport for the homeless is walking. The advocacy group has a centre in the downtown district from which they can give advice and support, but the lease does not allow them to give material assistance from the premises. Lobbying for government funding for homeless assistance programs seems to be part of their work as well. The talk in the general media is about raised levels of anxiety as more families become homeless due to the sub-prime crisis. It will be interesting in convention week to hear some perspectives on this, and whether there is strength in the so-called domino-effect on our own country - and also clues that may help a similar but different crisis for the growing number of homeless in Perth.

Off to Nashville, Tennessee

2008-07-11T16:08:00.004+08:00

Why would a home territory boy like me suddenly take off to cowboy country in the USA? A love for country music? Nup! Hiding from the law? No way! Three quarter life crisis? Don't think so. I'm sure it's something to do with the hosting of the World Convention of Churches of Christ. It's one of the few occassions left for the gathering of our movement on a large scale. National Conferences are pretty much a thing of the past in this paradoxical age of decentralisation and, yet, vast access to the universe through technology. I've only ever attended World Convention on two other occasions, both when Australia was host - Adelaide in 1970 and Brisbane in 2000. So why Nashville in 2008?

Several reasons:

Nashville is close to some of the historic roots that gave birth to the Restoration Movement, the church family I have most identified with from the age of four. A great opportunity to connect here as churches from all over the world consider how the principles of this movement are best interpreted for the 21st Century.
Networking - living in what is sometimes called "the most isolated capital city in the world" can foster an unconscious parochial outlook, internet not withstanding. Close proximity for a couple of weeks to a wide range of international personalities will assist my antibodies in fighting off any lurking isolationist virus!
The very process of overseas travel of which I have fleeting experience is stimulating my resourcefulness. I have learned a lot. I don't want to present myself as a "mark" by looking like a naive open-mouthed tourist as I weave my way through unfamiliar territory in getting to Nashville - nor do I want to be an obnoxious know-it-all. Let me be a pilgrim - well prepared and open to learning along the way. "Awareness" is what I pray for on a journey that is structured but not rigid.

I hope to use this blog that has endured several recent fallow periods as a journal for reflections along the way. ETD is just over a week away. The week is chockablock with work to be done so next time I blog will probably be enroute.

Janet's blogging!

2008-07-02T22:15:00.003+08:00

It took a trip to Africa to get my sister blogging. Janet recently returned from a few weeks voluntary work at Kitgum, Uganda. She intended to blog while there - but things were pretty full on. She's starting to put her reflections down now and the blog should build over the next little while. You can read her blog by clicking here.

Book Review – The Shack

2008-05-27T12:24:00.002+08:00

Author: William P Young, Windblown Media, 2007

After more than thirty years of trying to come to grips with an adequate articulation of an intellectual understanding of the Trinity, this book has finally convinced me that it can’t be done!

No wonder the biblical writers avoided anything like the “T” word with its propensity for misunderstanding. Taking the lead of Jesus, they use metaphor and story to describe the compelling intimacy of God as revealed through Father, Son and Holy Spirit – an intimacy into which, through the gift of Jesus, all humankind is invited.

For this reason those who trust only a propositional approach to knowing God will not enjoy William Young’s exposition of the nature of God, even given that his work is classified fiction (a bereaved father spends an unexpected weekend with God at the scene of the crime – “The Shack.”) It sends too many doctrinal hares running, and the work of rounding them up is never-ending. It seems to me, however, that Jesus has no problem with this mode of exploring our relationship with the Divine. His use of parable and riddle was obviously a favoured method of opening minds to the possibility of being caught up in the ways of the Kingdom. Young has used a similar approach to entice us into an affective understanding of who God is and why God allows certain things to be the way they are, especially when they leave us cloaked in what Young calls “The Great Sadness.”

I enjoyed immensely reading “The Shack.” It challenged my stereotypes – even the ones in my unconscious. It led me to explore new places that have been slowly revealing themselves over many years in my own prayer practice. I was able to descend into depths of relationship with each of the expressions of God as encountered. The conversations reinforced some of my own discoveries surrounding the painful and vexed question of theodicy (or “why does an all powerful and all loving deity allow suffering?”)

The author doesn’t pretend that this is some ground-breaking theological dissertation – after all, it was originally meant as a story for his own family built on incidents and events in their journey together. In this sense it is similar to Jacob’s nocturnal wrestling with the angel before meeting his estranged brother Esau – the protagonist in “The Shack” emerges not only with a fresh “knowing” of God, but a new name, a new nature, and a new expression of conversion.

The Black Balloon - Movie Review

2008-03-09T21:41:00.005+09:00

Here is a story of autism within the chaotic unpredictabilty of family life. Charlie is an island within the swirling maelstrom of an extraverted family unit consisting of soldier Dad, heavily pregnant Mum, and younger brother Thomas. Fifteen year old Thomas is the protagonist and we largely see the delights and challenges of living with the autism spectrum through Thomas' eyes. The bulk of responsibility for managing Charlie's care falls on Thomas and the film holds nothing back as we see Thomas and Charlie riding the waves of neighbourhood misunderstanding, peer group scorn, and frustration that becomes so overwhelming that it occassionally erupts in uncontrollable violence. Such occasions are episodic in a family that cares deeply for each of its members, but a climactic incident at Thomas' sixteenth birthday celebration brings him to a fresh level of realisation that living with Charlie is more about "going with the flow" rather than, motivated by his wish for Charlie to be "normal", trying to improve his condition . The story is powerfully told, hopefully heralding a wider community understanding of the dynamics of families living with autism, and an encouragement for those families who are prone to feel isolated by this disorder. See here for the official movie site, or see the trailer here.

Sorry is the first step

2008-02-13T16:38:00.001+09:00

Today has been momentous. An obstacle has been removed from the road ahead. Now we can move on to some hard yakka.

Sorry Day Eve

2008-02-12T09:04:00.000+09:00

Tomorrow is a historic day for Australia. At long last, after much political soul searching and hand wringing, Federal Parliament, through its new Prime Minister, will say the word "sorry" to this land's first peoples.

In this context "sorry" is a power word. It has strong potential for unblocking the process for healing and self-realisation, not only for aborigines, but all Australians. The lancing of the wounds of the sordid past of which the "stolen generations" is only one marker, is painful but necessary, and a formal apology carries the properties of both an antibody and a balm.

Some fear the power of the word, anxious of the blight of inherited blame and what it may cost in terms of material compensation. For such the word loses its power, for it simply ceases to exist. The national mood, the zeitgeist, however, is that the "sorry" word is at least ten years overdue and that it should have followed soon after the Bringing them Home report was tabled in Parliament in 1997.

In the meantime, Isaiah 55: 10-13 speaks powerfully into our context:

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

and do not return there until they have watered the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

For you shall go out in joy,

and be led back in peace;

the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song,

and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;

instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;

and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,

for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Is the word "sorry" divinely inspired in this national instance? My theology says it is.

Reflection on an unexpected adrenalin rush

2008-01-11T21:58:00.000+09:00

Up until mid afternoon, the greatest drama today was discovering my car's cooling system overflowing with oil. I managed to nurse it over to the local service centre, just across from where we live, and was discussing it outside with the bloke there when all hell broke loose.

A man went charging past us with another in close pursuit - yelling something incomprehensible and aiming a pistol. A car screamed around the corner and four burly blokes jumped out, heading the man off and waving pistols. They all jumped on him in a rugby scrum, quickly subdued him and cuffed him. A helicopter hovered overhead. It was all over, but for many more plain clothes officers appearing from every direction.

By that time I was beginning to review my response. As soon as I saw the first gun, I shouted to the fellow I was talking to, "Come on - inside!" and (setting an example of inspired leadership, of course) ran into the service station. I turned to see the scrum and saw my conversation partner running away from me towards it - to get a closer look! Sheepishly, I returned to where we had been standing.

And now I reflect on what motivated my instinctive reaction to what was indeed a highly risky situation. I can see it all in slow motion as the options ran through my head. "Is the guy with the gun a good guy or a crook? Whatever, we don't need to stop any bullets. We need to hit the dirt. Can I pull this guy I'm talking to down without drawing attention to us? No that's too dramatic. Let's get inside and out of the way. Come on - inside!"

Self and/or other preservation? Common sense? Over-reaction? It's interesting to mull over one's reactions when danger suddenly arises. What would you have done? And as the American evangelicals constantly ask "What would Jesus do?"

Some new websites

2007-12-10T17:24:00.000+09:00

Adding to the sidebar some new websites.

Our revamped church website.
PeaceChurch, a new venture that we hope will become a "parallel congregation" in Perth's western suburbs - it has a dedicated "justice and mercy" bent.
Not up yet, but watch for "Sacred Spaces", another parallel church celebrating a contemplative approach

Many thanks to webmaster Steve Mellor for his work on these sites.

Polling Day Approaches

2007-11-21T09:12:00.000+09:00

I have not known any previous Federal Election campaign to curry the level of involvement of churches and other religious organisations as this one.

The amount of electioneering material that has crossed my desk on this occasion is staggering - all encouraging me to use my influence as a church leader to raise awareness of how certain party policies compare. They urge me to make the "Christian" vote count (according to the discernment of the particular flyer). Encouraged by renewed government/ecclesiastical dialogue and partnerships, some religious groups seem to be relishing the promise of fresh relevance in the eyes of the community.

My response has been to simply to warn my congregation in apocalyptic terms to "watch, pay attention, and remain focussed." As if there is such a thing as a "Christian" vote!!!

Is my response reactionary? Ironically, I'm as political as the next person and, fired by my faith in Christ, support a number of political causes.

Perhaps my concerns are best outlined in an article in Ekklesia - "Why does government want to court the churches." It is written to the UK scene, where many new partnerships between church and state are under negotiation. It has some points of relevance to Australia, however.

I particularly appreciate Jonathan Bartley's concluding comments:

What is it that makes the church distinctive under the new deal? Part of the new deal between church and state is to show more effectively that faith ‘works’. Questions need to be asked as to the basis of this kind of political witness, however.

First, there has been a move toward managerialism, ideas of efficiency and pragmatism within the political system. Rather than the church witnessing to government, suggesting more human and social values and practices in line with its incarnational message, the reverse may be the case under the new deal. The church may itself move toward governing, ruling ideologies rather than pioneering a distinctive approach in the delivery of social welfare based on participation and equality.

The push of the new deal is toward delivery (measured in targets and statistics), motivational capacity and professonalism. The question that the churches need to ask themselves, is whether they want their contribution to civic life to be based upon such things – rather than for example upon a radical stand for justice. Taking state funding runs the risk of buying into the state’s policy goals and targets rather than a vision of a different kind of social order. It runs the risk of blunting the church’s prophetic calling to question power. Politicians are quite happy to accept Christians and those of other faiths who serve their local communities diligently. They are less happy with a church that challenges the status quo.

Four days away

2007-10-18T20:37:00.000+08:00

Sunday Lectio – reading the signs. Cold sores, conjunctivitis, and mild depression reassured me that I was long overdue for some down time. In spite of (or maybe because of) reaching some heart-felt goals, I had been feeling rundown and lethargic for a few weeks. I booked a cabin at Dwellingup, an old wood-cutting community at the base of the Darling Ranges, about 100 km from Perth. I grabbed a few books, the laptop, and some living essentials and headed south. Settling in, walking around, discovering the bush track into town and adjusting to spaciousness was already proving cathartic. I felt a connection to God’s presence – a feeling that had been lacking recently. The silence of the bush that night was soothing.

Monday Meditatio – chewing things over. Mostly I walked …and walked. Not very far as I was still weak from fighting off ‘flu symptoms – probably about 12 km – slowly with many stops to notice and consider. Never far from the railway line. I like railway lines – they are going somewhere. Even when they converge and mysteriously disappear over the horizon, one can trust in a destination. I almost finished reading Salley Vickers The Other Side of You (Fourth Estate, 2006). No railway tracks here, but a riveting narrative featuring at its centre Luke’s account of the Road to Emmaus through the eyes of medieval artist Caravaggio.

Tuesday Oratio – praying out loud. Finished reading Vickers. Could not get the book out of my mind. I’ve reviewed it separately for the Dayspring blog. Re-read Lee Camp Mere Discipleship – the final two chapters on communion and evangelism. Began the process of synthesising – the Emmaus presence of the crucified and risen one brought about by hearts beating in syncopation with his generous and gracious Way that demands all and gives all. How this expresses itself in community with one another and this in itself announces good news to the world. What measures does one take to break the institutional mould that keeps such dangerous transformations at bay? Does this mean jumping railway tracks that lead rigidly to a predetermined destination – and we careen off into the uncharted scrubland to who knows where? Or does it mean following the track as the “narrow way” even when the accretions of time and institutionalised self-interest see it overgrown with weeds and disuse?

Wednesday Contemplatio – letting matters settle. Tomorrow I will be hitting the ground running. Several interviews, meetings, conferences, a promotional dinner, planning, and sermon prep all within 3 days. What is the essence I will bring to all this? Four days ago I would have gone through the motions with my well practiced mask of competency. Today I feel I’ve reconnected with the source of energy that keeps me focused – the Presence that makes all the difference. In keeping with the railway metaphor, the Engine that pulls the wagons. And if such a metaphor sounds too crass – access to a continuing dialogue with the Emmaus Christ who will keep challenging the dullness of those yet to see in order that all things may be transformed.

"Increase Our Faith!" - a realistic demand?

2007-10-07T13:19:00.000+08:00

A Church Anniversary Sermon

Luke 17: 5-10

Some are saying the monks of Myanmar are no more. The saffron revolution is over. The dream of these peace-loving clerics was that they might act as a conciliatory go-between for the impoverished population and the brutal military junta that has reigned for over a decade.

Today monasteries are empty, international communications are severed and most of what we now hear comes from anecdotes told by the occasional refugee that stumbles out of the jungle on the Thai border.

See a report here

Why did these monks, in their thousands, believe they could make a difference? Was it faith? Many are now dead or disappeared. Did it work?

“Increase our faith!” the disciples said to Jesus.

On Feb. 12, 2005, Sr. Dorothy Stang walked along a dirt road deep in the heart of Brazil's Amazon, on her way to meet a handful of poor farmers bearing up under harassment from illegal loggers and ranchers. She trudged along, until two hired assassins blocked her way. In response to their challenge, she produced maps and documents proving that the government had designated the land as a reserve for the landless poor.

"Do you have a weapon?" they asked.

Yes, she answered, showing them the Bible she carried for decades.

She opened it and began to read aloud: "Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice. Blessed are the peacemakers ..." Then, she said, "God bless you, my sons."

The two shot her six times and ran. Her body lay on the dirt road all day, nearby witnesses later said, because they were afraid they would be shot if they moved it. As it rained, her blood mixed with the dirt.

See full account and commentary here.

Was Dorothy Stang foolhardy? Was her faith fruitful? Did it make any difference to the poor that she served? Did it change her killers in any way?

“Increase our faith!” the disciples said to Jesus.

ONE year ago last Tuesday, a man entered a one-room Amish school in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, dismissed all but 10 girls, and fired at them execution-style, killing five before shooting himself.

Donald B. Kraybill, coauthor of the book, Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy writes:

Within hours, the Amish community forgave the killer and his family. News of the instant forgiveness stunned the outside world – almost as much as the incident itself did. Many pundits lauded the Amish, but others worried that hasty forgiveness was emotionally unhealthy.
In dozens of interviews with Amish people since the tragedy, I discovered that the Amish approach to forgiveness is indeed quick and unconventional – but also inspirational to the rest of us.
Members of the Amish community began offering words and hugs of forgiveness when the blood was barely dry on the schoolhouse floor. A grandmother laughed when I asked if the forgiveness was orchestrated. "You mean that some people actually thought we had a meeting to plan forgiveness?"
As the father of a slain daughter explained, "Our forgiveness was not our words, it was what we did." Members of the community visited the gunman's widow at her home with food and flowers and hugged members of his family. There were a few words, but it was primarily their hugs, gifts, and mere presence – acts of grace – that communicated Amish forgiveness. Of the 75 people at the killer's burial, about half were Amish, including parents who had buried their own children a day or so before. Amish people also contributed to a fund for the shooter's family.
For most people, a decision to forgive comes – if ever – at the end of a long emotional journey that may stretch over months if not years. The Amish invert the process. Their religious tradition predisposes them to forgive even before an injustice occurs.
Amish faith is grounded in the teachings of Jesus to love enemies, reject revenge, and leave vengeance in the hands of God. As a father who lost a daughter in the schoolhouse said, "Forgiveness means giving up the right to revenge."
Unlike those who hire lawyers at every turn to protect their rights, the Amish yield to divine providence in the case of an unspeakable tragedy such as the one at Nickel Mines – believing that God's long arm of justice removes that need for human retaliation.
In the Amish view, forgiveness is a religious duty. As a young Amish carpenter said, "It's just standard forgiveness," but he was wrong. Conventional Christian forgiveness posits a God who forgives sinners and urges them to forgive others – to pass the grace on to those who wrong them. The Amish refrain – "If we don't forgive, we won't be forgiven" – shows a different impetus. Their salvation hinges on their willingness to forgive, a powerful motivation to extend grace to others. They cite the Lord's Prayer, and Jesus' story about an unforgiving servant as their motivation. One bishop, pointing to verses following the Lord's Prayer, said emphatically, "Forgiveness is the only thing that Jesus underscored in the Lord's Prayer."
"Forgiveness was a decided issue," one bishop explained – decided, that is, by Amish history and practice over the centuries. When the religious ancestors of the Amish were torched at the stake for their faith in 16th-century Europe, many of them, echoing Jesus on the cross, prayed aloud that God would forgive their executioners.
Despite their front-loaded commitment, the Amish still find forgiveness to be a long emotional process. Though there were no expressions of outright rage or hopes that the gunman would burn in hell, the wanton slaughter of their children did bring deep pain, tears, and raw grief.
While forgiveness means not holding a grudge – "the acid of bitterness eats the container that holds it," one farmer explained – the Amish are clear that it does not free the offender from punishment. Had the gunman survived, they would have wanted him locked up, not for revenge but to protect other children.
In mainstream society, retribution is a taken-for-granted right. Around the world, names of deities are often invoked to fuel cycles of revenge generation after generation.
In refreshing contrast, rather than using religion to bless and legitimize revenge, the Amish believe that God smiles on acts of grace that open doors for reconciliation.

Story received from here.

Is the Amish perspective realistic? Has their unusual and isolated lifestyle resulted in a Pollyanna response to deep tragedy? Or are they simply modelling the way of Jesus?

“Increase our faith!” the disciples said to Jesus.

Here we are again celebrating a church anniversary. 42 years of faith finding expression through our worship, witness and mission here. We have stories to tell. Perhaps not as extreme as those I’ve just relayed – nevertheless, we have our stories of faith that we have collected from our experiences together in this place.

In spite of all, and particularly when confronted with stories like those we have just heard, we find ourselves at times confronted with uncertainty and doubt.

We stand with those first leaders of Christ’s church making our plea - “Increase our faith!” the disciples said to Jesus.

If ever there was an icon for magnificent focused saintly faith during the 20th century, it was Mother Teresa. In surrendering her life to working and living among the poor and the dying of Calcutta, her name has been a household word for decades.

“What faith, what tenacity, what focus,” we whisper admiringly. “If only that kind of faith was possible in my circumstances.”

A recent biography (Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light) that makes heavy use of Mother Teresa’s 50 years of private correspondence with her confessors and spiritual directors reveals that Mother Teresa continuously hungered for this kind of faith that eluded her all her life.

Her correspondence reveals an agonising lack of the experience of the presence of Jesus and an excruciating darkness of the soul that convinced her of his absence.
(see Time magazine article )

Even to her later years, much of her dealings with her counsellors focus on this crisis of faith.

So what are we, in our humble strivings, to make of all this talk of faith, the faith that if we had just a small inkling, just a poppy-seed size amount of, we could make trees jump into lakes?

The monks of Myanmar tried it – they were stamped out.
Sr Dorothy Stang tried it – she was murdered.
The Amish community of Pennsylvania practice it and remain a curiosity, an oddity to be stared at by many but emulated by few.

What then can we expect from our plea, “Increase out faith?”

We can expect exactly what Jesus replied. Hear it in Nathan Nettleton’s dynamic translation.

Think about this: If you employed a full-time servant, you expect him to do what you pay him for, don’t you? If he comes in from a day working your land or shearing your sheep, you are not going to tell him to put his feet up while you run his bath and fix his dinner are you? Instead you will tell him to take his boots off, fix your supper, and wait on your table until your meal is over. After that, you’ll let him knock off and fix his own meal. You don’t pin a medal on him for just doing what he’s paid for, do you? So remember that it is the same with you. When you have done what is required of you, don’t go expecting anyone to put your name up in lights. Instead say, “We are nothing special; we were just doing our job,” and leave it at that. ©2001 Nathan Nettleton www.laughingbird.net

There’s our timely marching orders, folks, as we launch out in faith into our 43rd year in this place. Don’t squeeze yourself trying to get a few extra drops faith out for what we are meant to be doing or being here anway.
You are simply called to do the task that Jesus has called you to do – follow him – and don’t expect fanfare or reward.

That’s all the monks of Myanmar were doing – knowingly or not, they were treading the path of Jesus.

That’s all Sr Dorothy Stang did.

And it’s the path of obedience that the Amish of Pennsylvania follow.

And Mother Teresa? Her life speaks for itself.

And her biography reveals an even greater gift – an insight to the human and Jesus-like struggles of the most faithful in the Church’s long 2000 year old story.

In the 1950s, she drew great comfort from the advice of one of her spiritual directors, Fr Joseph Neuner,

When she turned to him with her “darkness,” he told her three things
- that there was no human remedy for it (thus alleviating her feeling of being responsible for what she was experiencing)
- that “feeling” Jesus is not the only proof of his being present
- and that the felt absence was in fact part of the “spiritual side” of her work or Jesus.

So Mr Teresa continued the work of the faithful servant in Jesus’ illustration to his disciples, saying in the end, “I am nothing special, I was just doing my job.”

Now here’s an idea. See if it works for you.

Try the word “focus” in place of the word “faith.”

“Lord, increase our focus”

“If you had focus as sharp as a needle, you could be the disciple I am calling you to be.”

Sunday Morning Harangue

2007-09-29T15:36:00.000+08:00

Luke 16:19-31 The Rich Man & Lazarus

A green-thumb I am not, but my attention has been drawn to what will be familiar to some of you gardeners – leaf miners! A few clicks of the mouse button led me to discover that leaf miners are insect larvae that live within leaf tissue. They feed within the tissues of the leaves themselves forming tunnels that reveal their presence and activity.

Why this sudden and uncharacteristic interest in leaf miners?
It was this quote from Annie Dillard:

Our life is a faint tracing on the surface of mystery, like the idle, curved tunnels of leaf miners on the face of a leaf. We must somehow take a wider view, look at the whole landscape, really see it, and describe what's going on here.

This, I mused, is what Luke’s gospel is trying to tell us in its presentation of the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.

It’s a fascinating story that raises a number of questions when we hear it for the first time.
Who is Lazarus? Why is he named and the rich man not? What was the rich man’s fault – after all he provided the means for Lazarus to survive by embracing his society’s “trickle-down” economy, did he not? Perhaps, like the leaf miner, the rich man was not able to lift his eyes to recognise or even relate to Lazarus. Yet he recognises him in the afterlife. But it’s too late – the horse has bolted. Then there is the rich man’s last ditch plea from Hades (which is not what is commonly understood as hell, by the way – it is the place of non-being, a shadowy space of non-existence in the Greek underworld) – send Lazarus back to warn my brothers.
Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’

I am pondering this morning whether the front door into this story is from the end rather than the beginning. ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’

Annie Dillard challenges us to rise above the leaf miner like preoccupation with the faint tracings of our lives to take in a wider view in order to really see what is going on around us.
Most often, like the one who lives well behind closed gates, we are not aware of Lazarus eking out his existence at our door. Lazarus is aware of us, he knows that it is our gate where he has taken up his post. He knows where the crumbs upon which he subsists come from. But do we know Lazarus, are we even aware of him? This is what the parable asks.

Do we know the names of the five Zimbabwe orphans we sponsor? At least in the afterlife the rich man was able to call Lazarus by name.

Steve was spitting chips he could not be here this morning – this is his favourite parable – he suggests that this is one of those stories that carries the whole meaning of the gospel.
I invited him to send some thoughts. Here are some of them.

Lazarus, as a poor/destitute man is, I think in Luke, already part of the kingdom, remains in the kingdom in the afterlife. The rich man who is outside, despite being part of the ‘chosen’ (chosen in a religious sense but also in a social ‘sense’ ie rich, powerful) in life remains outside because he doesn’t do what is required according to Moses and the Prophets – i.e. justice, mercy, compassion.
There is a fair amount to be made I think of the status of the resurrection – put simply the resurrection (whatever that is – I think this ties in to Luke’s post-resurrection events, particularly the Emmaus story –recognising the stranger/hospitality etc seeing Jesus in others) is meaningless without the faith/works to back it up. For anyone who doesn’t follow the path of justice, compassion and mercy, there was no resurrection (of Jesus) and will be no resurrection of us.

Steve touches on the kernel of what the whole early Christian community struggled with. What are the implications of Jesus’ resurrection for how we live together and in the context of a society that promotes and lauds self-centredness?

Alan Culpepper, in his commentary on Luke’s gospel, also draws attention to the Emmaus connection. This story is at the end of the gospel section of Luke’s documentary, acting as a kind of bridge into Acts, the story of the first Christian communities seeking to live the resurrection life.

Here are two travelling companions reflecting on how their hearts were strangely warmed when the Scriptures were interpreted to them. They are walking on the road to Emmaus. A stranger joins them and begins to explain the law and the prophets. The two insist that the stranger share their table with them. Then, as they break bread together, they recognise the risen Jesus in the stranger.

Can it be so simple?

Imagine the rich man venturing down to his gate and striking up a conversation with Lazarus. Imagine he rich man reaching out his hand to Lazarus and raising him up. Imagine him leading him inside his villa. He takes Lazarus into a room where he fills a basin and bathes his sores. He takes a towel and gently dabs them dry. From his apothecary he takes some soothing ointment and applies them to his wounds. Then together they sit at table. The rich man invites Lazarus to break the bread – and then – at that very moment – the risen Lord is revealed!

In embracing the heart of the Law and the prophets the rich man renders himself accessible to resurrection insight!

This is what resurrection looks like in Luke. It is only when the heart that is attuned to the Law and the Prophets and the call to live the life of shalom that the resurrection takes on its full meaning and gives expression to its true purpose – the Kingdom of God at large in our midst!

This, Luke’s story suggests, is the only way to fill in the chasm that separates the kin of the rich from the kin of Lazarus.

Sarah Dylan points out that “whenever we create or maintain an unbridgeable chasm between people, we automatically are on the wrong side of it.”

So we engage with and throw ourselves at the task of preparing the way of the Lord by buiding bridges across human made chasms.

And in case you think this is overly radical and out of keeping with the message of the Bible and that the gospel supersedes the law and the prophets anyway, let’s hear again Paul’s advice to Timothy:

As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

Just when you thought you couldn't take anymore...

2007-09-17T17:21:00.000+08:00

... the army of heavy machinery that turns the overhead wire spaghetti jungle into clean neat underground power lobs on our doorstep. This is the driveway we share with the church right now. Meantime the broken fence rubble is being buried under rubble from several deep holes. Judging from what's happening around the streets, it could be like this for several weeks. There's plenty of rock to drill through!

An ill wind indeed

2007-09-14T15:59:00.000+08:00

Cleaning up after the storm, I concluded the wheelbarrow could do with some air in its tyre. I flung it in the back of the station wagon and took it down to the service station. I attached the air tube and pressed the button - air flowing but no gauge reading - so I adjusted the fitting and pressed and held. BANG!!! One shredded tyre, a buckled wheel, and a profusely bleeding wound on my right hand (I'm practising writing with the sinister hand - opposite to the dextrous which is temporarily not dextrous). The stitches come out next week. So be careful when you check your wheelbarrow tyres!

When the big winds blow

2007-09-12T14:18:00.000+08:00

I slept through the explosion. Lachlan heard it as my tool shed sailed past his bedroom window. Jenny heard enough to shake me awake. The wind was howling and the rain was drumming down, but first light revealed the dawn's drama. The shed took out the corner post of the pergola which mercifully prevented it blowing down the street. Our front fence - brick pillars and lattice work had collapsed down into the street below. Next door's boat and trailer were upside down on our verge and we both had gaping holes in our roofs.

Our day's plans changed slightly as the State Emergency Services and ourselves filled sandbags and replaced tiles. Visitors were aplenty. Lachlan was in his element doing TV interviews with Seven, Nine, Ten and the WA Performing Arts (?!?). There were church folk, insurance assessors, stunned neighbours and a bloke who said he was a severe weather consultant from the Bureau of Meteorology.

I just wanted to get what was left of the contents of my shed sorted out. It strikes me that the thing that disturbed me most of all was the violation of my shed! It was just a poky little thing filled with tools, left over bits and pieces and an array of unfinished projects. Rummaging through the debris I found my bush saw that I thought I had lost three years ago and some contraptions that I had no idea or recollection of what they were for. It was a mini odyssey during a morning of chaos. I'm sure that given some time to reflect I will find some sort of a parable or deep and meaningful reflection in all this.

But right now I'm saying to myself, "Surely this ill wind could have found somewhere else to leash its five second fury!"

Where The Sea Takes Us

2007-08-26T16:08:00.000+08:00

We first met the author of this book, Kim Huynh, when he was two years old. It was at the Canberra domestic air terminal and Kim's family had just arrived from a refugee camp - tired, somewhat bewildered, but excited and ready to make a go of things. That's a whole other story than what this book is about, yet one catches a hint of challenges that have been met and embraced over the years since.

Kim, now an associate lecturer in international politics at Australian National University, has carefully researched and documented his family's story against the background of almost six decades of political upheaval that was Vietnam until the 1980s. In a winsome journalistic style, he has married familial affection, academic prowess, and cross-cultural reflection as he tells his family's story.

I am struck with how Kim manages to articulate a comprehensive overview of modern history in South East Asia, including many resulting traumatic episodes for family members, with such grace and compassion and traces of laconic Aussie humour.

Kim's deeply expressed respect for his family and country of origin's narrative is reflected in the note on the cover announcing that all royalties from sales of the book are being donated to Médecins Sans Frontières Australia.

Signing in

2007-08-24T17:49:00.000+08:00

No I haven't forgotten this blog! I've just made the move to a much faster connection and hope to be back in business here very soon.

Census data on hand

2007-06-28T09:15:00.000+08:00

Now here's something handy for free

No longer do we have to go to the Government Printing Office to buy census data

The latest info in all its abundance is available just by clicking here

State of emergency ?!?

2007-06-27T09:58:00.001+08:00

At long last, there is some acknowledgment from our elected leaders that remote aboriginal communities are in urgent need of support and help.

National debate rages over the form this is taking. At its worst it looks like a sledgehammer approach to communities that are already fragile and vulnerable. At its best it enacts a measure that is admittedly interventionist in preparation for longer term measures to assist sustainability, health, safety and security. Subtexts of political opportunism, hypocrisy in the wake of deafness to previous pleas and the shadows of paternalism abound.

So, in the light of my previous post's reflection on Lee Camp's offerings om "mere discipleship," what role does Christ's church have to play in all this. History gives us a mixed bag of inappropriate interventionism in aboriginal affairs and admirable service in the name of the Suffering Servant.

The following is from the Council of Churches Western Australia:-

Churches in Australia have combined with other agencies in an open letter to the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous affirs, Mal Brough.

Referring to "our concerns about aspects of the Australian Government’s response to (the problem of child abuse in Indigenous communities) as outlined in your statement of 21 June 2007", the letter welcomes the Government's initiatives and concerns and reiterates the concerns of the Churches in the "the severity and widespread nature of the problems of child sexual abuse and community breakdown in Indigenous communities in the NT, catalogued in the 'Little Children are Sacred Report.'"

After indicating a desire to "work collaboratively with Governments and the communities affected to ensure that children are protected", the letter calls for more services and greater engagement with communities affected.

In their present form the proposals miss the mark and are unlikely to be effective in their present form. There is an over-reliance on top-down and punitive measures, and insufficient indication that additional resources will be mobilised where they are urgently needed; to improve housing, child protection and domestic violence supports, schools, health services, alcohol and drug rehab programs. These issues have been raised by many Indigenous leaders over many years.

We offer our support to Indigenous communities and the Government in:

developing programs that will strengthen families and communities to empower them to confront the problems they face;
consulting adequately with the communities and NT Government, and community service, health and education providers;
developing a long term plan to address and resolve the causes of child abuse including joblessness, poor housing, education and commit the necessary resources to this.

It seems to me to be a very even-handed statement, avoiding the danger of being the "hand-maiden of the state" yet at the same time co-operating with that which reflects the justice and mercy agenda of radical Christianity's traditional prophetic stance.

There are those who are bound to disagree and who are welcome to say so here. It is an emotive and volatile issue, but let us reason together!

Some challenges of "mere" discipleship

2007-06-27T09:51:00.000+08:00

We’ve been workshopping the first three chapters of Lee Camp’s Mere Discipleship (Baker, 2003).

In summary, Camp lays out in winsome fashion a very clear distinction between what some would call “institutional Christianity” and radical (ie grassroots) Christian faith. Cultural myopia makes it very difficult for many to see that there is a difference between the two. Camp addresses at length the effect in the 4^th Century AD of the official legitimisation of Christian faith under Roman Emperor Constantine and poses some challenging issues.

Does the end justify the means? Much of Christian history says yes. Radical discipleship, in contrast, puts as much emphasis on the Way as the End. The Way is modelled by the One who did not coerce, but “emptied himself” in suffering service, calling on his followers to do the same. The End is that God’s love might be revealed and the world transformed. Mostly we at the workshop gave this a tick.

“What can we do about…?” This is probably the most vexatious issue raised by Camp, particularly for a social justice orientated mob like us. Most of us are oriented to fixing things through various institutional means – setting up structured programmes, working in sync with government bodies, lobbying members of parliament. Camp asserts that this approach may compromise our fundamental identity, particularly where it seems that we identify ourselves more with the nation-state than with the call to the reign of God as embodied in Jesus. So do we do nothing about welfare for refugees and the sorry plight of Australia’s aborigines?

Not quite, Camp seems to suggest. Shift your orientation. Let what you do emanate from your being a follower of Jesus, not because, in sync with the state, you can fix something as if you are in charge and in control.

I guess this can be illustrated by this church’s experience in assisting refugee resettlement over many years. Initially it occurred as a cooperative venture with the State. All went sweetly – we were on the same page. Several years ago, government policy changed to the degree that assistance by the churches was no longer required and refugee resettlement became much more institutionalised. We suddenly found ourselves at odds with government policies that reduced recognition of refugees as such and the assistance to which they were entitled. This sorted us out somewhat. Who would we continue to acknowledge in this matter, particularly as our contact with affected refugee families continued unabated? Would we listen to Caesar or the Suffering Servant? Suddenly our much activity called us back to the essence of our being. As we continued our assistance in the name of Christ, some of us found ourselves for the first time venturing into the arena of civil disobedience along with vilification from those who believed Christians should always toe the government line.

As I write, a fierce national debate is in full swing over the Prime Minister’s declared state of emergency in remote aboriginal communities. I’ll put down some thoughts about this in the next entry.

In the meantime, those who were at the workshop (or otherwise) might like to use the comment facility here to extend the discussion. Just press the “comments” link at the end of this post and write in your tuppence worth. Sign off as “Anonymous” if comment in the public arena causes you anxiety. This is a place where the world can hear your voice, so make good use of it!

Stem cell research - the way of compassion

2007-06-07T15:20:00.001+08:00

The current debate on embryonic research has come to the fore this week. In the media, the storm is over whether church hierarchies are exercising undue coercion in influencing politicians of their flock who may be inclined to vote against church teachings.

The effect of this media focus, of course, muddies the waters by introducing the age old controversy of the relationship of church and state.

While I have not followed the particular debate closely, it seems to me that in its purest form, without ascribing dubious motivation to either side, the dilemma is this:

Medical science has identified the possibility of advancing technique and know-how in alleviating some identified forms of human suffering using the results of stem-cell research. The broadest and most effective treatment is possible through embryonic stem-cell applications, as opposed to more limited adult stem-cell results. The most effective application, however, involves the destruction of human embryos.

The values competing for ascendancy all call on large measures of human compassion. It is right that we should use all our available knowledge to alleviate human suffering. It is right that we should preserve dignity and respect for all human life and potential.

Standing by and watching our fellow human beings suffer debilitating wasting diseases when we know a potential cure is possible is unacceptable. Sacrificing another human life, even in embryonic form, to alleviate another’s pain is unacceptable. If the bill succeeds however, the former will have been deemed in legislation to be less unacceptable than the latter, even with corollaries that provide ethical safeguards.

To leave the argument pared down to these opposing propositions, however, does not do justice to the angst of the debate. Behind every proposition is a human story, told with pain, love and tears. We often shield ourselves from the vulnerability of these stories by retreating to a doctrinaire stance, building a wall of defiance from behind which we fire our bullets at the other side.

My appeal is this. For many of us, the lines are already drawn in this debate and we know where we stand even if it’s somewhere in the middle and we are undecided. For some, there is urgency for resolution. For Easter people, however, the way of compassionate listening and engagement is still open. Become informed. Talk to your MP, as many are advising, and listen to the issues that they are weighing. Respectfully offer your perspective. Above all, remain vulnerable, open and alive to the Spirit’s compassion being enabled within you. This is the way of Jesus.

Dropping by

2007-05-27T19:40:00.000+08:00

Yes, it’s been a long time – well over six weeks since I’ve logged a blog! Not that this pilgrim no longer has anything to wonder about. Life has been so full of wonderful things to record and reflect on that there simply hasn’t been time to come here and record them. Part of the challenge is that I need to look at a serious upgrade of my equipment – the old laptop is groaning under the weight of chores I am assigning it and dial-up seems to make a major production of anything I am attempting on the web. End of financial year approaches and thus a range of possibilities. Keep watching!

Bonhoeffer, Zimbabwe and the Prodigal Son

2007-03-19T20:15:00.000+09:00

In recent times I have often used the illustration of a rope with its many strands to urge the contemplation of how the seemingly unrelated issues with which we wrestle can provide a unifying strength. This last week has seen me attempting to come to grips with Bonhoeffer's approach to ethics, a challenge to participate in a meaningful way to the crisis in Zimbabwe, and the Parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15). I also attended a Dayspring workshop with Steve Wirth on Contemplative Dialogue, possibly a promising tool in the context of the three seemingly disparate strands of the rope I was attempting to plait! Why these particular strands?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer - I am conducting a study series for two congregations based on his life and thought in relation to Hitler and the Third Reich. A grassroots approach to discipleship and ethics saw him involved in a failed plot to overthrow the regime. He was arrested, imprisoned and finally executed. During this time he continued to write. His thought and commitment is relevant to issues before us as church and nation today.
Zimbabwe - we have affective bonds within my congregation with the people of this nation - we are involved with the housing and education of AIDS orphans, a farming project and water bores. In the light of the escalation of officially sanctioned violence over the last week, people are asking what more they can do. The Bonhoeffer studies are heightening such questions,
The Parable of the Lost Son was in yesterday's lectionary. The sermon had to somehow address the unusual "ethics" within this story. The fresh discovery that the story makes no sense at all from an ethical point of view was somewhat liberating for those of us caught on the barbed wire fence of the ethical system suggested by Bonhoeffer. We came to an understanding of another awareness central to Bonhoeffer's thinking - that of grace. Grace that is costly to both the giver and the receiver. The critical elder brother, self-expelled into the outer darkness because he couldn't bare the celebrations, also experienced the offer of grace. The father came out from the party to be with him in his self imposed misery, not to commiserate, but to gently entice him to the place where there was light, joy and the possibility of reconciliation with his brother. Whether the elder brother received grace is unknown. Did he eventually go into the celebrations?

What does all this look like when twined together? Not much that will give answers to the dilemmas of justice that confront contemporary living. We have to work things out the best way we can (that's basically what Bonhoeffer was saying, pointing to love for neighbour and the modelling of Jesus as his guiding principles). What we are offered is a stance - the stance of grace.

The overwhelming message from church leaders in Zimbabwe with whom we have had contact is that of courageous grace. This is shown through forthrightness in their will to care compassionately for and encourage their people, often against breathtaking odds. They are working out of an ethic that is saturated with grace.

Maybe our most important task is to learn from them.

Lamenting Jerusalem - Second Sunday in Lent

2007-03-04T13:56:00.000+09:00

Luke 13:31-35 sees Jesus lamenting over Jerusalem - a centre of power and influence in his part of the world in his time - probably no different from any other city we know, ancient or modern. There was one difference however. Jerusalem was heir to the Abrahamic covenant - a divine initiative that would see it at the centre of a universal realm governed by what the Hebrew people called shalom - a radical vision of peace uniting all nations - indeed all creation under the compassion and grace of the Creator of all things.

Jerusalem, however, serially fell prey to corruption and political power plays, just as our own cities and power centres do - one only needs to look at this week's headlines involving both Perth and Canberra to recognise as much.

What is one to do? The same as Jesus did. Refuse to be silent about the reign of God until somebody executes you. Then refuse to lie down, break the law again and be raised!

This was Fr John Dear's challenge to a packed gathering in Perth this weekend as he called for radical obedience to non-violent peace-making. He knew what he was talking about. He has been arrested and jailed many times in the USA for expressions of opposition in the name of Jesus to warfare. Visit www.johndear.org for a fascinating and challenging insight to his ministry.

Thinking Christology now and then - another symposium reflection

2007-02-17T14:24:00.000+09:00

Again, I only caught a part of this presentation. Stephen Curkpatrick never fails to give me a bone to take away and gnaw. Stephen has a particular gift with terminology that can, at the same time, irritate and open up fresh pathways of conceptual understanding.

The gist of his presentation was to compare and assess Christology from earlier and more classic “nominative” points of view to more current “vocative” perspectives – “nominative” being the Greek propensity for naming and classifying and “vocative” relating, in Hebrew fashion, to identifying and answering the “call” or “summons” within the phenomena.

My mind wonders to contemplate that, as products of the Enlightenment, the rational processes of our pioneer thinkers may have been very much at home in the nominative, yet there was an ardent passion responding vocatively to that which they named.

I ponder how that tension finds expression in my own circles – how carefully we try to articulate, name and classify the collective elements of our faith, witness and mission and possibly miss that which is vocative within, or at least dilute it with our rush to classify. Of course the other danger is present, that of becoming so ardently passionate over that which calls us that we fail to spend the patience and discipline required to give it the nominative form that enables communication and team-building. I give thanks that the local congregation to which I belong, for the most part, seems to hold the tension nicely.

Stephen left us with some further interesting ponderables:

* “Consider: Jesus Christ exceeds our expectations of the exemplary, representing a unique trajectory in humanity with possibilities we can only engage in faith as response to the vocative word.”
* “Consider: Grace alone is able to redress the human inequalities within love, goodwill, forgiveness, imagination and hope.”
* Consider: the triune story is integral to ecumenical expression of the uniqueness of Christian testimony, identity and mission.

Ecumenism & Churches of Christ - a CCTC Symposium Reflection

2007-02-17T14:18:00.000+09:00

Working together into the future: ecumenism and Churches of Christ

I missed the earlier presentations on identity and the Restoration Movement, but suspect that these would have been related to the kinds of conundrums that were inevitably raised here. The questions were not new but were arising in fresh contexts.

How does a movement such as ours, marked by its simplicity, structural lightness and commitment to unity based on New Testament principles defend its continuing existence when it can be argued that much of its raison d’être has been absorbed into the contemporary spectrum of today's church? Is it time to invoke the Last Will and Testament of the Springfield (?) Presbytery and cease to exist, “being absorbed into the body of Christ at large?”

Of all movements, we seem to sit astride the range of traditions most easily. In most states, there are significant partnerships with the Baptists. We also punch above our weight in more formal, but diminishing, ecumenical arrangements across a number of traditions in several states. We are generally renowned for our proactive energy and commitment to all that expresses visible unity amongst Christians in fulfilment of the vision of Christ’s prayer in John 17.

To dissolve would be to surrender an important contribution to the Australian Christian landscape. We would also lose over 200 years of formed DNA. In spite of ourselves and our altruistic vision, we have become another “tribe” amongst many, and somehow there is a feeling that the human race would be depleted if this tribe disappeared.

Perhaps we are not so much at a crossroads but in a trackless wilderness in terms of our ecumenical expression. I suspect that where we can contribute well, we will continue to do so. We continue to exhibit great diversity amongst ourselves in terms of how we give expression to the vision of the call to Christian unity. In these post-modern times our very looseness on the ground can be a blessing, though its accompanying frustrations sometimes cause it to feel like a curse.

Captain's Log

2007-02-17T13:58:00.000+09:00

Day 1

Fair sailing along the Mundaring –Kalgoorlie Pipeline, then to Norseman. Traversing dry wheat country where the signs of encroaching salt are ominous, then the goldfields. Coolgardie, with its wide streets and grand buildings, is practically a ghost town these days – 750 kms

Day 2

Swift passage through a lonely stretch to Eucla. Amazing inventiveness of crew as they played “I Spy” most of the way – 700 kms.

Day 3

Another lonely stretch. At Nundroo we encountered a “come aboard” request from an elderly aboriginal man with whom I had struck up a conversation. A dilemma as we were loaded to the gunwhales and there was no room – but what of our “hospitality” claim? We were assured at the roadhouse that he was well cared for, so drove on to Ceduna,
Cooling off at the end of Ceduna’s jetty we encountered a fellow voyager intent on mustering his teenage crew in counting the planks on the deck. First mate Jenny obliged by pulling out a tape measure to ascertain the width of the plank to aid whatever maths they were working on! – 500 kms.

Day 4

A shorter run across Eyre Peninsular to Port Augusta. Some interesting diversions, such as Wirulla’s inland seaport and the world’s greatest galah at Kimba. Accommodation along the way has been surprisingly good, as we only booked basic. At Port Augusta this included Foxtel and a spa! Pays to travel off-peak. 400 kms.

Day 5

An easy run into Adelaide along a busy road. Flagged down by a becalmed vessel towing a barge (car & caravan). His phone wasn’t working and mine had been cooked by the Nullarbor’s heat. Drove ahead and phoned for help. GPS helped us negotiate some new roads to Mum’s place. Saturday afternoon – an hour left to stock up supplies and head for our week’s digs at Semaphore. ATM denied access to our account and shredded Jenny’s card. 24 hour help line told us to wait until business hours on Monday. Other account inaccessible due to clash odf monthly clearing with public holiday resulting in six day delay. Strange feeling to be stranded in one’s hometown cashless and wondering what’s happened to one’s treasure chest. Booked into caravan park anyway as we had prepaid accommodation. Desk informed us we had overpaid and refunded $170 cash! Jehovah Jireh!

Days 6-13

Shore leave and visits with friends and family. Bank sorted out its “human error” and accounts restored. Climaxed with induction of my nephew, Mark Riessen, as team leader at Blackwood, one of Adelaide’s leading churches. A big load for a 30 year old, but I believe Mark’s up to it!

Days 13-17

Set sail for Melbourne with overnight anchorage at Horsham. With new tollways and freeways to negotiate, very glad of GPS. Several days rubbernecking – Federation Square and the holy of holies, Melbourne Cricket Ground, seemed to be the highlights. Coracle in dry dock to scrape the barnacles and be fitted for return journey. Replaced fan-belt and some sections of the exhaust system. Jenny and Lachlan finally left for Perth on big bird, leaving me alone for the first time in almost three weeks. Only for half an hour! Met long ago colleague Peter Nelson at airport and immediately promoted him to First Mate as coracle set out for CCTC Centennial Symposium.

Days 17-20

The symposium and the Class of ‘74 re-union are deserving of separate entries. See blog entries to follow for my reflections on issues raised at the symposium. The Class of ’74 stuff is intelligible only to those who were there and they will be contacted with the address for ongoing conversations.

Day 21

The beginning of a solo return. I detour through Kyneton, my old stamping ground as a student minister way back in ’73 and ’74. The old church has gone and its flock is mostly part of the great communion of saints by now. I have a different reason for being here, however, and that is to spend some hours with a colleague from my Canberra days (1979-1986). He has been in ministry with the Uniting Church in latter decades and has taken early retirement because of the effect of a brain tumour. He and his wife are building a home here, just a street over from where his daughter and her husband’s young family are living. The tumour affects the speech centre of the left hemisphere, manifesting mostly in diminished access to vocabulary. He remains ardently enthusiastic about his capacity for music, however, and looks forward to what he can contribute to the local parish in this area. His enthusiasm and positivity remain as inspiring as ever.

Day 25 – the penultimate.

The little white coracle has done well. I’m ensconced in a nondescript motel room in Cooolgardie. The 3000 kilometres of the last four days have passed benignly, with mild weather and little traffic. Another 600 kms and I’m home.

Today God challenged my generosity. It had to happen – given the combination of the coracle prayer, the aforementioned encounter with the aboriginal man from Nundroo, and the fact of the inspiring generosity of fellow pilgrims. About 40 kms west of the Caiguna roadhouse, camped by the roadside, was a young couple with car and trailer. The man waved me down, seeking a lift to Norseman. His ultimate destination was Esperance, but I wasn’t going there. He told me en route that they had run out of money, food, and petrol and that he had the prospect of selling some goods (in his bag) when he reached Esperance. He could then return to the campsite, collect his wife and car and trailer and resume his journey. The next roadhouse was Balladonia, about two hours away. I cashed him up to buy a can of petrol to get him back to Caiguna and fill up enough to get them all to Esperance as well as buy some food. He offered me a ring that he had hoped to hock, but I said, “That looks special – you should keep it.”

This is uncharacteristically un-miserly of me. I am naturally suspicious of hard-luck stories – unfortunately they are an occupational hazard. But I was not in my occupational mode, he had no expectations or requests other than a ride as far as I could take him, and the initiative came from heavily insistent internal prods that I could not ignore, particularly in the light of an extraordinary generous gesture by one of my acquaintances just before we embarked on this whole journey.

Last night I read some of the latest copy of reo that I had saved on my laptop. It was from an essay by Lucas Taylor dealing with the theme of “gift” in John’s gospel. One point he made was to the effect of how pure gift – that is, gift with no strings attached, no expectation of reciprocation - subverts economic order and vice versa.

The notion of economy extinguishes the beauty of creativity (the bringing into existence
of something for its own sake, regardless of pay off) and ultimately breeds suspicion of every
gift— where are the strings? What is the catch? What are the expectations contingent on
me through the act of receiving this gift? The notion of existence as economy extinguishes
innocence and wonder.

Taylor, Lucas, ‘At the Well: Gift as Witness to Triune Reality in John’s Gospel’ in reo: a Journal of Theology and Ministry, Issue 31, 2007:1

Perhaps these words motivated my senseless and prodigal act of generosity. It felt like grace and amazingly light not having to go through my usual routine of questioning and lining up some form of accountability only to eke out some paltry sum that satisfies neither donor nor recipient but satisfies some law of economics.

If the whole trip, with all its stimulation and rich encounters, afforded only this reflective experience, it will have been worth it!

Day 26

Home and the coracle is berthed. I will soon be back in harness.

The beginning of a 7000 km voyage

2007-01-22T11:28:00.000+09:00

nd this is the barque. It's a land voyage, of course... and it will take us across the continent and back - first to Adelaide to spend some catch-up time with my extended family - and then to Melbourne - a few days sightseeing with Jenny & Lachlan (who, in his memory, has never been to the really big smoke) and then my alma mater's Centennial celebrations - not to mention my Grad year re-union - some 32 years on!

We've dubbed the barque "the white coracle" - inspired by TheCoracle@yahoogroups.com and hinting at the Celtic legend of St Brendan who launched his small round vessel to the unknown directions of the winds and currents, entrusting all to God's keeping. While we have planned our destinations it is unknown what the long stretching road will hold for us, and we remain open to whatever occurs along the way. The barque, a 9 year old Falcon Station Wagon, is as ready as it can be. I've made the token effort of ensuring we have the requisite spare parts on board and am trusting in our charts and GPS to keep us on track - a far cry from St Brendan's equipment, I know - but we still cannot deny the sense of excitement and apprehension at what the next few weeks hold. Following is the prayer composed for the occasion and mounted on the dashboard.

od bless and protect this white coracle

and those whom it carries

Chart its journey

Guard its strength and its safety

as it travels swiftly to the destinations

You have appointed.

Bless the land it traverses

The suburbs of the large metropolis

The parched crop growing paddocks

The scrubby mineral bearing donga

The ancient dream-time country

Dry deserts and fruit-bearing hills

Protect from bushfire, flood and drought

May this coracle greet the stranger along the way

with hospitality and welcome

and be gracious in receiving same.

In the name of the Holy One

who guided his children

through the wilderness

to the Promised Land

In the name of the Redeemer

who had nowhere

to rest His head.

In the name of the empowering Spirit

who, like the wind,

blows where He wills.

Blood Diamond: are diamonds the new fur?

2007-01-12T09:58:00.000+09:00

This is an unusual movie to reflect on - half action/drama and half documentary. Critics looking at the Hollywood Indiana Jones style action slam the movie for its slow pace and length. Those looking for documentation of the dehumanising illicit diamond trade in post colonial Africa lament the simplification and trivialisation of a complex humanitarian issue. As a fan of both genres, I still found myself gripped by the narrative and the reality to which it was drawing attention. The characters were fully rounded and the setting was enough to draw attention and focus to the challenges of contemporary Africa. The illicit diamond trade has been around for quite some time, aided and abetted by the affluent west. Reportedly, the profile of this movie has provoked some soul-searching amongst Hollywood's elite and a self-scrutiny of their penchant for diamonds. If this is true, there are two indicators of hope - yes, Hollywood does have a soul - and yes, it's avatars are well-placed to influence change amongst consumers.

Pirouetting Penguin Packs Powerful Punch

2007-01-02T21:21:00.000+09:00

The message of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Ugly Duckling has moved beyond the worthy goal of promoting self-esteem for who you are to serving a more universal ecological awareness campaign. Right now, the swan in the making has transmogrified into an anthropomorphised tap-dancing penguin called Mumbles. Frankly, my expectations were not high as we took in Happy Feet at the multiplex tonight. But I found it a very engaging work with stunning visuals and soundtrack. There is enough drama in the story line to keep families alert. And the use of cinema that is so thoroughly entertaining to pack an environmental wallop deserves some kudos. So go for it if you’re hanging back from giving it a look.

Movie Critique: Babel

2006-12-29T21:24:00.000+09:00

Babel is a drama that winds together a collage of several families seemingly far removed from each other but linked by one inevitably tragic incident. The main players are as far removed as Morocco, Tokyo and Mexico. Yet the communication difficulties explored under the direction of Alejandro González Iñárritu have less to do with language differences than with normal failings relating to such human adventures as sibling rivalry, prejudice, teenage sexuality, family conflict, parenting and grieving. I was left pondering whether this was not really the point of the original tale of Babel in Genesis 11. So much human potential is lost because of a failure to really sit and attend to the other, particularly when experiencing stress. There are times in the film when this kind of attention between some of the characters breaks through, suggesting hope and promise of stronger connectedness. The screenplay overall is a strident commentary on our times – globalisation is shrinking our human village – but there are rifts between those nearest and dearest to us that must be addressed if we are to see any sort of reversal of Babel on a larger scale. Maybe those of us who preach the good news of Christ can take note of Babel’s message and contemplate the context in which we both speak and listen.

John Dear SJ

2006-11-30T20:40:00.000+08:00

Have been reconnecting with several colleagues from the last millennium as we arrange a college reunion. One has drawn my attention to the work of John Dear SJ. I googled him and I like the stuff, as a non-violent peace activist, he writes. Here's an example

http://www.plough.com/articles/daretoimagine.html

Government Funding for School Chaplaincy

2006-11-04T22:00:00.000+08:00

The Prime Minister recently announced a huge multi million dollar funding package to place chaplains in high schools. As someone who has been involved in funding and supporting chaplains, I think this is a bad idea. Its a job for the church, not government, and I see compromise and bureaucracy edging its way in to what has been a very worthwhile programme.

I am in full agreement with Doug Hynd, Lecturer in Theology, St Marks Institute, Canberra, when he writes:

The sting in the tail of the Prime Minister's proposal to provide funding for chaplaincies is that an effective veto power over appointment will be held by the Government. This will require bureaucratic vetting and Ministerial decision. The integrity of any faith community lies in its authority to call and approve its leaders and teachers. The government proposal in principle challenges the exercise of this authority. Churches have had to fight long and hard to assert their independence from state power in the west, that is what the separation of church and state is all about. Mr Howard may deny it or downplay the significance of what he is proposing but as announced the program will cross the line between church and state that has been drawn with much pain and at substantial cost by faithful Christians throughout the centuries. Indeed, Churches are still having to fight government attempts to control their life and witness in so many countries across the world. Governments ruling on the suitability of people to act in any role on behalf of a faith community is a thoroughly bad idea, As my mother would say "It will end in tears before bed time." This sort of control over the suitability of religious figures for public roles has normally been a practice engaged in by governments of more totalitarian tendencies. The churches should refuse to participate in efforts to obtain this funding and boycott the program. If chaplaincy and pastoral care placements in schools are sought by the local community then churches should raise the money themselves and work with the local community to that end. That way the Christian community will retain the integrity of their identity and mission as a community that is not subservient to governments of whatever political persuasion. Action with the community at a local level will avoid the stigma that will be associated with receiving funding under this program, a stigma that will hinder the engagement and witness of the church in substantial sections of the Australian community. It will also build stronger connections with the community and be a more faithful witness to the way of Jesus than accepting government funding under conditions that make the church subservient to the government.

Aghast

2006-11-03T12:59:00.000+08:00

That's what I am at the realisation that it's almost a month since I last posted. The spirit is indeed willing but the flesh is overcome with many things. So this post is a "foothold" to nag me to pay attention to my blogging. Don't know why it's important, but it seems to be.

Revisiting Aquachurch

2006-10-08T19:34:00.000+08:00

This book (by Leonard Sweet) was probably one of the most influential in getting this aging baby-boomer to begin thinking outside the square when it comes to organising and leading churches through change. It comes to light again as I travel with my congregation through a Church Life Review process. Many of our learnings are reflecting the challenges in this book - the need for fluidity rather than rigidity in our planning and organisation. I find this a particular challenge as churches join other community organisations in responding to the need to tighten internal structures in terms of governance and duty of care. There is a tension between the call to creating spaces for spontaneous response to the movements of the Spirit and the careful administrative oversight to which church leaders are increasingly summoned. Whether it is a creative tension remains a moot point.

Pope Benedict XVI - that speech

2006-09-21T14:11:00.000+08:00

Much has been written in the media concerning an excerpt from Pope Benedict XVI's recent speech at Regensburg which cited a medieval Byzantine emperor's less than favourable view of the Islamic practice of "conversion by the sword." I don't propose to discuss this, but merely to point a very thoughtful treatment by Gil Baillie of the speech and the reaction it has provoked. It is on his blog at http://cornerstone-forum.blogspot.com/ ( now archived under September 15th, 2006).

Gil Baillie is the author of the ground-breaking work, Violence Unveiled, applying the insights of the anthropologist, Renee Girard, to the implications of the applied gospel of Jesus Christ.

Riding the Apocalypse with Bob

2006-09-17T14:55:00.000+08:00

According to artist, Robert Brittain, the last book in the Bible is best understood as a visual and visceral experience. The Apocalypse, or the Revelation of John, comprises a vision revealed to the early church pioneer while a prisoner on the Mediterranean island of Patmos around AD90.

Last Sunday at the Church of Christ Wembley Downs, Robert Brittain unveiled a frieze depicting the vision in twenty four scenes. Robert presented the broad sweep of the vision, focusing on key events inspired by the words from the Lord’s Prayer, “on earth as in heaven.” The following question and answer session revealed a high level of interest and engagement on the part of the congregation.

Two lasting impressions were the power of the integrity of the work and the responses elicited by some of the images. Earlier in the week, as the frieze was being laid out to be set up, passers-by offered similar spontaneous reactions. It is a compelling work that invites participation with a body of scripture that is rarely engaged because it is considered overwhelming, threatening and too difficult to understand.

“What is different about this is its lightness – and obvious joyful, hopeful outcome,” said one visitor.

Another starkly notable feature was the prominence of the victim’s suffering negating evil design, first in the depiction of the slain Lamb, and then in all who were blessed through participating in him.

Robert Brittain is available to present his work on enquiry through the Wembley Downs Church of Christ, 9245 2593 or djr@cisp.com.au

Coffe Cup Quote

2006-09-13T14:42:00.000+08:00

Someone sent this quote found on the side of their coffee mug:

"It's tragic that extremists co-opt the notion of God, and that hipsters and artists reject spirituality out of hand. I don't have a fixed idea of God. But I feel that it's us -- the messed-up, the half-crazy, the burning, the questing -- that need God, a lot more than the goody-two-shoes do."Mike Doughty, musician.

Part of me resonates deeply with this!

Vox Congo

2006-09-08T20:36:00.000+08:00

Vox Congo is an African band based in Melbourne and comprising asylum seekers waiting for decisions on their applications for residence in this country. Mark Riessen and his church at Knoxfield have been heavily involved in supporting them. It is great to see and hear of their pro-active and positive stance in circumstances that have defeated so many in similar circumstances. They now run a blog, with Mark's assistance. Visit it at http://www.voxcongo.blogspot.com/

My "deep mystery of the universe question" for the week.

2006-09-07T20:05:00.000+08:00

Latte! A great way to enjoy good coffee without having to be overly concerned about kilojoules. But - someone tell me - why is it always served in a glass and usually without a handle? The glass is usually scalding hot and there must be a suave way of holding it without wrapping it up in a dozen serviettes.

Book sales

2006-08-29T14:23:00.000+08:00

The University of WA Book Sale is on its second to last day and I managed to get there. Had to park a good kilometer away and I had nothing to carry books with so assigned myself the task of buying no more books than I could carry under my arm 1km on a warmish day. Ton’s of books to browse through – but I was stretched to find some I could use. The theology section was full of titles I already had or that I had already jettisoned. Ended up with some general Aussie folk-lore stuff – I usually enjoy grazing on such. How’s this for taciturn?

Two swagmen who had been mates for a long time were tramping out west in the wheat country. There were good young crops on either side of them. Harry took his pipe from his mouth and pointed to one of the paddocks.
“Nice crop of wheat,” he grunted.
Five hours later, when they were seated by their campfire, Bill broke the silence.
“Wasn’t wheat. ‘Twas oats.”
Then he rolled out his blanket and went to sleep. The sun was well up next morning. Harry and his swag were gone. Bill found a roughly scribbled note under a stone at the foot of the nearest tree.
“Too much b----- argyment in this here camp,” it said.

Getting kitted out

2006-08-23T15:37:00.000+08:00

I'm currently pulling Ephesians 6:10-20 apart in readiness for Sunday's harangue. It's one of those extremely visual passages with ready made images from my Sunday School days - the Roman soldier kitted out in battle gear. The Sunday School message was quite evident in suitably modified moral protection terms. Wear the armour that will protect you from unwise choices! Given the universal and cosmic dimensions of Ephesians, however, I see the metaphor dealing with deeper and darker themes. Rather than being tacked on to the preceding behaviour codes as a kind of codicil, this martial picture brings us full circle to the opening. There are practical implications for living out the tensions of the universal vision arising from the cosmic victory of Christ's reign. The kaleiodoscopic picture of Church triumphant and Church militant merging in and out of each other comes to me. I wonder how helpful and relevant these terms are in today's context. In Christendom, they presented winning and comforting images to people. In the so-called post-Christian era, however, some other metaphors may be more helpful. We'll see what my Wednesday night group does with all this!

House of Sand and Fog

2006-08-21T10:08:00.000+08:00

Meeting with a book club forces me to read things I wouldn’t normally come across. I wouldn’t normally access books from Oprah’s Book Club, for instance. I’m glad of the opportunity however, for I have come across a range of fascinating material in the form of stories and dilemmas that would not arise out of my normal spectrum of reading material. Take House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III, (Sceptre, 1999)

I would not have picked it up in a fit in a book shop – title obscure, not in my habitual book bays, don’t know the author, etc. As “assigned reading” where you know you are going to engage in discussion with your reading peers, however, it becomes compelling.

And in this instance at least, the narrative is most compelling. Set in current day California, it is a story of bureaucratic bungling that brings unsought conflict between the interests of an immigrant family and a lonely woman recovering from a relationship breakdown colored with drug addiction. Each has just cause, neither has a clear path towards resolution. The consequence from unfolding events is a tragedy of Greek proportions.

And this is where a book I would normally have passed by becomes a source of reflection for matters with which I am deeply engaged on a daily basis. I am deeply involved with families and individuals whose circumstances bring them into cultural, psychological and spiritual conflict socially and with officialdom. Heaven knows I get caught up in this myself and have to ask where I am being compromised and “what is the way of wisdom?” What is at stake and what can be surrendered for the sake of the community’s ultimate good? To answer that question in the context of this plot puts each of the characters in a position where the kind of sacrifice they would need to make would be more than could be reasonably asked of anyone. The temptation will be for some to say that the immigrant family should be more flexible, but why should they be the only ones to bend? Particularly when they are assimilating the values of their adopted country?
And does my habitual advocacy reaction colour my own assessment here?

Ahhh, Thomas, so many questions – so few answers!

Church with State or Church vs State?

2006-08-17T16:03:00.000+08:00

Here's a survey being run by the Australian Democrats. Basically it's asking how involved with each other church and state should be in forming public policy.
It's at http://www.democrats.org.au/survey2/survey/GodGovt_v2/
Give it a go!
Thanks Michael Bullard for the tip off.

When it all comes together

2006-08-13T19:35:00.000+08:00

Church reviews, Celtic models of ministry and Paul's letter to the Ephesians bring about another of those synchronous moments of which I am quite fond! The Revised Common Lectionary has us travelling through Ephesians right now - a marvelous treatise of a vision of universal community that embraces all - for all are from God and, under Christ, are part and parcel of God's now-revealed purpose for all creation. Something we have termed the fifth gospel - the gospel of "Wow!" Now how do we live out its ramifications in community - that's the rub.

Doherty asserts three crises currently facing the church and Western Society generally - the crisis of individualism, a crisis of faith, and a crisis of lifestyle. He seeks the answer in the kind of community spirituality suggested by the Celtic missionary era. Getting pretty close to the kind of society feted in Ephesians, it seems.

Celtic models of ministry

2006-08-09T16:10:00.000+08:00

A few years ago I stumbled across something called the Celtic approach to Christianity. As I investigated further, it was apparent that I was at a fork in the road in how I approached my ministry. I realised that I was often focused on ecclesiastical organisational minutiae when my heart was really set on the nitty gritty of divine-human engagement. The stories from Celtic times (whether mythic or real) fired my imagination and helped me embrace my task in a more feisty, imaginative and bold manner. Yes, the organisational details still require attention, but the end is clearer and more distinctive. I was reminded of all this when my copy of A Celtic Model of Ministry by Jerry C Doherty (Liturgical Press, 2003) arrived today. A glance through its pages looks like something now familiar and something new. I look forward to reading it.

Wondering Pilgrim

2006-08-07T12:04:00.000+08:00

Wondering Pilgrim

OK I've now put a widget thingy from LibraryThing on the sidebar (just under links). It gives you access to my library and details of all the books there-in. Bibliophiles - go for it!

Offshore Processing of Refugees

2006-08-07T11:03:00.000+08:00

The controversial Bill that will see all arriving asylum seekers being processed offshore, out of sight and out of mind, beyond scrutiny and legal protection, will be re-presented to Parliament this week by the Prime Minister. Opposing MPs of his party have now been lobbied and pressured to support his line and it is unsure what the final vote will now look like. Some half dozen Senators have yet to decide, and the success of the Bill depends on their support. This morning I have done what I can by writing to these Senators and urging them to oppose the Bill. One excellent site that monitors the process of this and other justice/mercy issues in this country is www.safecom.org.au I commend it and its practical call to action for those who are so called.

Analysis Paralysis

2006-08-02T16:34:00.000+08:00

Wednesday already! I have just launched a harangue for this week's church newsletter about the necessary evils of statistics and surveys. We are beginning a Church Life Review by filling out National Church Life Survey forms as a congregation together during the service. (This will be good practice for Census night on Tuesday). Then we will have our AGM where, no doubt, we will be focused on more reviews and stats. Then I jump in the car and head to a retreat in the hills where a review with another organisation will be taking place through the afternoon and evening!

These days a review seems to be around every corner! When do we just hop in the bi-plane, leave the tarmac and go barn-storming! How to avoid the clutches of analysis paralysis.

But in my more reflective moments I can see the purpose of such reviews. It is simply because some risky ventures have been taking place that regular re-assessment is necessary. Like walking through a desert and needing to pause frequently to take a GPS reading to ensure we are still heading in the direction we earlier discerned. Such analysis is not paralysis - its purpose is to make sure we get to where we said we want to get!

In which case I am happy to embrace what begins this Sunday!

This Blog is One Year Old!!

2006-07-31T10:21:00.000+08:00

This experiment is now up for its annual performance review.

1. The blog has provoked mild interest amongst acquaintances and some unknown "anonymi"
2. It's been one place for me to think out loud in a public arena
3. I pulled one post when it became too politically sensitive
4. It has generated a little over 10 hits a week on average. More frequent posts are necessary to maintain interest.
5. I need to learn how to insert some of the widgets and cross links into the sidebars.
6. Realistically, the time needed to maintain the blog needs to be measured against my other priorities.

Recommendation:

1. Set a timeframe to acquire some html skills in order to build up the sidebars
2. Aim to update at least twice a week - say Wednesdays and Sundays.
3. Review after 6 months

Jindabyne the movie

2006-07-25T17:35:00.000+08:00

Take a short story from the USA and convert it to Aussie cinema and something like Jindabyne appears. Raymond Carver’s So Much Water So Close To Home underwent some changes to become Ray Lawrence’s dramatic depiction of a community’s response to the thoughtless and apathetic actions of four fishing mates who discover a corpse in the isolated Snowy Mountain region. The men continue their fishing adventure and do not report their find until they return three days later. What seemed a pragmatic solution at the time is now, in the cold light of day, shown up as an act of high grade callousness.
It puts strains on family relationships and turns the men into small town pariahs. The fact that the victim is a young aboriginal woman brings racial tension to the surface. For me, Jindabyne is something of a social commentary on a variety of levels. Apathy is a kind of default position that many of us revert to in daily life. It is a condition that dogs even our best re-creative moments, dulling our thinking. Or was it the surreal, beautiful yet ominous, natural environment of the high country that anaesthetized the senses? I have spent time in the high country myself, and experiences of foreboding are frequently palpable there. The strain on intimate relationships resulting from ethically questionable decisions that have come under public scrutiny is a study in itself. Mixed in is the conflict between passive aggressive resentment and the drive to inappropriate expressions of vicarious guilt assuagement. Throw in the element of racial insensitivity with its hint to the audience that the matter of aboriginal reconciliation will not go away, and we have powerful cinema that will leave you touched by sadness, despair and anger. Yet there are signs of hope also, a reaching out, the courage to make apologies knowing they may not be accepted, but making them anyway because they are necessary for healing to begin. There are tender moments here, flickers of light that deserve to be noticed in the darkness of it all. Some will find the film slow moving, I found it contemplative.

LibraryThing

2006-07-22T11:03:00.000+08:00

What to do when you're taking one week's overdue leave and you can't really go anywhere that doesn't seem forced. With one week - you just get there, begin to unwind, then it's time to come back.

Just a week of no commitments (relatively speaking) is a vacation in itself. I decided to catalogue my library - doesn't sound much like a holiday, does it? I have been wanting to do this for years, however, and LibraryThing (see www.librarything.com) makes it so easy.

Just go to the site, enter the ISBN (or author and title - even part title) and, if it's on Amazon or in one of 45 online library catalogues, it does the rest for you - even showing a picture of the front cover - great for us visual types. If none of these have the title you're trying to enter, you can add it manually. You have the option of inserting your own reference tags and linking and dialoguing with other users. Write and compare reviews. See the stats of your own library.

I've catalogued almost 1000 books with about half as many to go. Would have done more except that I kept on stopping to browse books I'd forgotten I had. I invite you to step into my library at www.librarything.com/catalog/djryle

Well, well, well!

2006-07-02T20:05:00.000+08:00

The challenge to the church was to raise $4000 to sink a well in the remote drought stricken hinterlands of Zimbabwe. Individuals and groups set about to devise their fund-raising schemes. Our resident artist devised a working model that would show week by week how far the bore had sunk towards the water table far beneath the surface. A week or two into the project, our treasurer phoned me,
“We have a problem – $4,200 has come in already.”
“Well, let’s go for a second well!”
“Agreed!”
So now we are going full bore to reach the target a second time.
Who knows? We may even end up saying,
“Well, well, well! Wot ‘ave we ‘ere? Three of ‘em!”

Eucalyptus

2006-06-30T20:29:00.000+08:00

It’s the name of a book by Murray Bail that I’m reading at the moment. It’s also what the stand of tuarts around the church are saying after this morning’s loppings – “You clipped us!” (Sorry, can’t help it!). Tuarts are a very hardy species of eucalyptus, peculiar to this part of Australia. Bail’s book is the story of a widower who acquired a rural property and planted at least one of every known species of eucalyptus. He raised his daughter there, and, when of age, she attracted many suitors. By Dad’s decree, only the suitor who correctly named each species of tree (at least 700) on the property would win her hand.
Sounds like an ocker version of Rumpelstiltskin. I wouldn’t normally read books like this, but for the book club here. Should make for some interesting discussion. I’ve also learned it’s due to hit the silver screen before long, with Crowe and Kidman taking the starring roles. Funny how focus on something as ordinary and ubiquitous as a gum tree can change the way you perceive it!

Grand Opening of Universal WC

2006-06-30T16:46:00.000+08:00

A little piece of doggerel to commemorate the opening of a universal WC at the Wembley Downs Church of Christ

Now its here! Now its done!
A toilet that all can access -
the halt and the lame, the gent and the dame
may “go” with all speedy success.

“Let’s have a grand opening!”
the Board Chairman declared,
“and let the Lotteries rep be invited.”
So to Open House the hordes repaired -
all anticipatory, ready and excited.

Now how does one open a new WC
with appropriate flair and not rush?
Does one cut a ribbon? Unveil a plaque?
Or press a button and flush?

The Good Book provided a verse or two
to inspire some imaginative work
“Drink from your own cisterns,”
was the advice it put forth -
but methinks the connection a quirk!

Speeches were made, and thanks were expressed
To Lotteries and donors alike,
No ribbon was cut, no button depressed –
Morning tea was served instead!

World Cup vs World Vision?

2006-06-22T20:52:00.000+08:00

How many Aussies will be late for work tomorrow having stayed up in the still small hours to watch the Socceroo-Croatia contest?

And now this from http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/

World cup anti-poverty advert is banned The UK Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre has banned an advert by a Christian relief agency which contrasts the £49 million it has cost to sponsor the England World Cup football with the 60p a day it costs to support a child in a poor community.According to the BACC the problem is that the agency concerned, World Vision, has not yet got the required permission from the England team and the Football Association, who are both mentioned in the film – which features former Doctor Who film star Paul McGann doing a voiceover.The one-minute advert was filmed by a young boy called Masidi from Malawi. He makes a ball out of maize to kick around with his friends because it is the nearest thing to a proper football which he can get hold of as a member of an impoverished community. World Vision says it has now had to spend more money to get an alternative advert shown. Though the ostensible issue is the technical matter of referring to third parties, the development organization thinks that the image of the message may have had something to do with it too – though the BACC denies this.“In our eyes, the advert is in no way anti-World Cup or anti-football. It simply uses the common language of football to point out the difference between Western world affluence and developing world resourcefulness,” says Rudo Kwaramba, who is responsible for advocacy, communications and education at World Vision.The purpose of the advert is to promote child sponsorship programmes as a way of supporting children in developing countries. Other agencies, such as Christian Aid and Oxfam, prefer to channel resources to communities and organisations rather than singling out individuals or families.But they have also had their advertising problems. A Make Poverty History television advert they and other groups put together was banned last year because mentioning trade and debt was deemed ‘political’. Actor Paul McGann is not impressed by this latest bar on a campaign he was supporting: “Does one laugh or cry? An advert describing how 60p a day might help a child in a developing country is pulled in order to spare the image of corporate sponsorship in a couple of rich ones. You couldn’t make it up.”

World Cup Blues

2006-06-19T11:14:00.000+08:00

Members of my congregation were somewhat exercised that Brazil appeared on yesterday’s list for intercessions under the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle. Within 14 hours, Australia’s Socceroos were due to play Brazil, the top contenders for the World Cup. How do you intercede for a nation with which one’s own is in contest, even only recreationally? We all know how deeply sporting competitions affect the passions in the psyche, possibly sublimating those used to maintain balance in ancient inter-tribal rivalry. So how do we pray for the opposition?

Honestly! We first confessed our perplexity given the coming face-off. Then we offered thanksgiving for the vibrancy and joie de vivre that is Brazil’s gift to the world. We prayed for Brazil’s national leadership, particularly in striving for outcomes of justice and mercy for the poor and dispossessed of that nation. We prayed for the church of Brazil in all its expressions and with all its challenges.

The outcome of the match is now well-known. We lost 2-0. Brazil showed why it is Number One, but the newcomers, the Socceroos, revealed a stamina and determination that did us proud. And Aussies love a good party. Nothing could keep them away from participating in Brazil’s celebrations. Better than the riots and destruction sometimes expressed by supercharged fans.

So ends a somewhat narrowly self-focused reflection on the phenomenon of the World Cup as it touched us yesterday. The phenomenon of the World Cup raises a whole lot of other issues for reflection, but more on that later.

A Christian Peacemaker reflects at Easter

2006-04-21T17:03:00.000+08:00

"Christ teaches us to love our enemies, do good to those who harm us, pray for those who persecute us. He calls us to accept suffering before we inflict injury. He calls us to pick up the cross and to lay down the sword.
We will most certainly fail in this call. I did. And I'll fail again. This does not change Christ's teaching that violence itself is the tomb, violence is the dead end. Peace won through the barrel of a gun might be a victory but it is not peace. Our captors had guns and they ruled over us. Our rescuers had bigger guns and ruled over the captors. We were freed, but the rule of the gun stayed. The stone across the tomb of violence has not been rolled away."

- Christian Peacemaker Teams member James Loney, in an Easter reflection published by the Toronto Star about his 118-day captivity by Iraqi militants and rescue by British special forces troops.

As cited in Sojomail, the weekly newsletter published by Sojouners. See www.sojo.net for more information on how to subscribe. The editor, Jim Wallis, is an alternative Christian voice in America while still identifying strongly with the evangelical scene. He recently visited Australia.

The Gospel of Judas

2006-04-07T21:07:00.000+08:00

Easter must be drawing near. The media is getting hysterical over another "latest discovery" guaranteed to scuttle the Church's battered barque once and for all. This time it is the release of info relating to the discovery of documentary fragments purporting to belong to "The Gospel of Judas", where it is claimed that Judas, rather than betraying Jesus, colluded with him in his demise.

(Yawn)

Knowledge of the Gospel of Judas, along with many other extant writings from diverse groups within early Christianity, has been around a long time. Irenaeus, a well-known and influential Church leader of the 2nd century, refers to it and dismisses it rather curtly. Not that the assertion in the Gospel of Judas makes much difference to the essential themes of the Christian gospel. But such details are important to some.

For details visit http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/gospeljudas.html

But what of Judas as presented to us in the canonical gospels? I find him an enigmatic figure. It is very easy to project all the worst that is in us onto him and he becomes our scapegoat. I don't think this is what the gospel is about. Some helpful reframing questions might be, "Is the gospel of Jesus for Judas along with eveyone else?" "If so, what are the implications for me when I accuse myself of being beyond the pale?"

Tom Fox: martyr

2006-03-14T15:43:00.000+08:00

Tom Fox was found dead in a Baghdad suburb a few days ago. He was one of four Christian Peace Makers Team members kidnapped three months ago. His voluntary role in Iraq was to act in liaison between detainees and their families and to escort medicines to clinics. He was always aware that such involvement could end in his death. It is most pertinent that his death occurred as many of us around the world were preparing to speak on the set gospel text, Mark 8:31-38, where Jesus says, "Whoever would gain their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake and the gospel's, will find it."

Tom Fox wrote in his web log in October 2004:

If I am not to fight or flee in the face of armed aggression, be it the overt aggression of the army or the subversive
aggression of the terrorist, then what am I to do? "Stand firm against evil" (Matthew 5:39, translated by Walter Wink)
seems to be the guidance of Jesus and Gandhi in order to stay connected with God. Here in Iraq I struggle with that second form of aggression. I have visual references and written models of CPTers standing firm against the overt
aggression of an army, be it regular or paramilitary. But how do you stand firm against a car-bomber or a kidnapper? Clearly the soldier disconnected from God needs to have me fight. Just as clearly the terrorist disconnected from God needs to have me flee. Both are willing to kill me using
different means to achieve he same end--that end being to increase the parasitic power of Satan within God's good
creation. It seems easier somehow to confront anger
within my heart than it is to confront fear. But if Jesus and
Gandhi are right then I am not to give in to either. I am to
stand firm against the kidnapper as I am to stand firm against the soldier. Does that mean I walk into a raging battle to confront the soldiers? Does that mean I walk the streets of Baghdad with a sign saying "American for the Taking?" No
to both counts. But if Jesus and Gandhi are right, then I am asked to risk my life, and if I lose it to be as forgiving
as they were when murdered by the forces of Satan. Standing firm is a struggle, but I'm willing to keep working at it.

Push-ups, Palamas and Prayer

2006-02-13T22:10:00.000+08:00

My doodle of a Benedictine monk exercising speaks of a convergence of thoughts. My post middle-aged frame is now being subjected to regular workouts at the local gym (under the wise eye of a personal trainer, I hasten to add!) I’m also attending to the continuous development of Dayspring’s coursework in the practice of prayer. I’ve seen an article by Ralph Eibner, ‘Gregory Palamas: The Body in Prayer and Spiritual Transformation” in Presence (Volume 11, No. 4, December 2005). Presence is an international journal of spiritual direction published by Spiritual Directors International .

Gregory Palamas is a fourteenth century Greek Orthodox theologian whose writings challenge the familiar stereotype of the duality of flesh and spirit – a uniquely western phenomenon. The simplified notion that matter is evil and spirit is good gave rise to some pretty bizarre prayer practices far removed from the spirituality of prayer practiced by our Hebrew and early Christian forbears.

Palamas offers reflection on the combination of the silent prayer that is the basis of the hesychastic tradition in orthodoxy, and the infusion of spirit and body. Prayer posture is thus a key element in his writings, not as a means of expressive gesture, but as part of the very essence of prayer.

Eibner says, “The integration of the body in prayer and spiritual formation that we are seeing in contemporary spirituality is simply a practical application of the kind of incarnational theology and spirituality that Palamas indicated.”

Think on that next time you’re at a charismatic praise service! All those raised hands may have a greater historic significance than we have been prepared to countenance!

A good read

2006-01-30T20:20:00.000+08:00

How does Christian faith, based on a unique revelation, relate to other world faiths? Depending on one’s comfort zone, this might be experienced as either a stimulating question on the one hand, or irritating and threatening on the other.

Within the Christian confession, there is widely accepted typology of three dominant views set out by Alan Race (1993)

From within Christian faith, one can take an exclusivist stance in relation to other belief systems - that is the Christian tradition is the only effective purveyor of religious truth and holds the only path to salvation.

Another perspective is the inclusivist view. This affirms the availability of saving faith in other traditions because God who acts most decisively and fully in Christ is also redemptively available in those other traditions.

Finally, there is the pluralist view, maintaining that some other belief systems are independently valid paths to salvation and Christ is irrelevant to those following those traditions, but serving Christian believers as their means to the same end.

The ongoing debate seems to wind backwards and forwards through this typology. S. Mark Helm, in The Depth of the Riches: a Trinitarian Theology of Religious Ends (Eerdmans, 2001), bypasses this typology by suggesting different ends for different belief systems. When differing faith systems are in dialogue with each other, they ultimately discover the difference in their goals. From a Christian point of view, not all have Christian salvation as an end. So why not simply acknowledge engage in mutual exploration of the end in question?

As Helm says, "The question is not 'Which single religious tradition alone delivers what it promises?' Several traditions may be valid in that sense. If that is so, the truly crucial questions become 'Which religious end constitutes the fullest human destiny?' and 'What end shall I seek to realize?'" (p4).

The rest of his book explores these questions through the lens of a trinitarian theology. A good read for all missiologists.

Synchronicity strikes again!

2006-01-28T21:10:00.000+08:00

I was at a planning meeting today where the lyrics of this song were posited as evidence of the contemporary individual’s inner search for meaning (“Wake me up inside”). At the end of the day, when I opened my e-mail, there were the same lyrics in a message from halfway around the world, part of an e-mail discussion that had arisen on pop music as a vehicle for expressing the faith. Is there anything significant in this coincidence? The lyrics themselves seem to speak of an impact of a more romantic nature. Some contemplatives, however, note the strong connection between “eros” and “agape.” Others think that’s drawing a rather long bow. Here are the lyrics, so consider your verdict!

"Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence(feat. Paul McCoy)

how can you see
into my eyes like open doors
leading you down into my core
where I’ve become so numb
without a soul
my spirit sleeping somewhere cold
until you find it there
and lead it back home

(Wake me up)Wake me up inside
(I can’t wake up)Wake me up inside
(Save me)call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)bid my blood to run
(I can’t wake up)before I come undone
(Save me)save me from the nothing I’ve become

now that I know what I’m without
you can't just leave me
breathe into me and make me real
bring me to life

(Wake me up)Wake me up inside
(I can’t wake up)Wake me up inside
(Save me)call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up) bid my blood to run
(I can’t wake up)before I come undone
(Save me)save me from the nothing I’ve become

Bring me to life
(I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside)
Bring me to life
frozen inside without your touch
without your love darling
only you are the life among the dead
all this time I can't believe I couldn't see
kept in the dark but you were there in front of me
I’ve been sleeping a thousand years it seems
got to open my eyes to everything
without a thought without a voice without a soul
don't let me die here
there must be something more
bring me to life

(Wake me up)Wake me up inside
(I can’t wake up)Wake me up inside
(Save me) call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up) bid my blood to run
(I can’t wake up) before I come undone
(Save me) save me from the nothing I’ve become
(Bring me to life) I’ve been living a lie, there’s nothing inside
(Bring me to life)

Kairos and chronos - finding the door to Narnia

2006-01-23T14:16:00.000+08:00

A certain large cat, witch and article of household furniture continue to hold their own at the box office. The jury is still out on whether C.S. Lewis intended The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as an allegory or even analogy of the Christian kerygma. Be that as it may, I find some compelling parallels that help me grapple with the mystery of the disruptive invasion of kairos (a significant and compelling event) on chronos (regulated time, “clock and calendar” time).

This phenomenon occurs in Mark’s gospel (1:14-20) where Jesus strides onto the scene saying, “The time (kairos) is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe the good news.”

Such is the impact of the good news and so eventful is its sudden arrival, it can be likened to the Pevensey children’s stumbling through the back of a wardrobe into the land of Narnia. The extraordinary breaks into the ordinary – a true kairos occasion.

Further, the children find that engagement with a quest, aided by the great lion, Aslan, and opposed by the white witch, leads to personal transformation and accomplishment of a great thing that is beyond themselves. Indeed, Aslan installs them as monarchs of the land of Narnia, where they spend the rest of their childhood years growing into adulthood. But one day, they stumble across the back of the wardrobe and tumble back into the ordinary world. It seems that not a moment has passed; they are children again, yet the transformation remains. Such is kairos – that which is significant and eternal in essence takes scant notice of the turning of the pages of the calendar.

I wonder if this doesn’t go some way to answering a question that is often asked, sometimes incredulously, of the next part of the story in Mark’s gospel. In response to Jesus’ pronouncement, four fishermen, separately and one after the other, leave their nets and follow him. For them, a kairos moment has begun. For the time being, chronos can look after itself.

Incarnation strikes retail hub

2006-01-01T19:39:00.000+08:00

I ventured into Perth's CBD this morning, on leave from my pulpit and looking for a church service to sneak into. For the first time, I saw the new street decorations, unashamedly and unabashedly telling the story of the Incarnation, from the Annunciation through to the Flight to Egypt. The replicas of medieval paintings enthralled me and I almost didn't make it to the service I was planning to attend. It was probably the unexpected surprise of seeing these large icons dominating Perth's retail hub, now quiet and deserted on the morning of New Year's Day. I guess one could respond with cynicism over crass exploitation of Christian symbols by a commercialism that is almost manic at this time of the year. The vision that appeared to me was of the Celtic cross in the ancient marketplace with one or two monks explaining to the gathered crowd how its symbols and markings tell the greatest story ever told. I also thought how ironic, that in our irreligious society, it is possible to tell this story so clearly under the sponsorship of a city council, while similar exercises are banned under interpretation of separation of church and state laws in more overtly religious cultures, most notably the USA.

Van Tuong Nguyen

2005-12-02T08:40:00.000+08:00

A single flower in the church courtyard fountain measures the strength of community feeling over this morning's execution of convicted drug mule, Van Tuong Nguyen. It is understated but eloquent, for indeed, community feeling is divided.

Public debate, emotive as it is, lines up as retribution vs rehabilitation. The apparent rehabilitation of Nguyen, enhanced by non-resistance, poise and concern for others around him, has leant more strength to the rehabilitation side than is usually the case.

It is Sir William Deane, previous Governor General of Australia, however, who hit the nub of the matter. Nguyen's particular case aside, there is no natural justice in a state's imposition of a mandatory death sentence for any offence. Forget appeals for clemency - there is always sufficient grounds for appeal on the basis of the harshness and injustice of mandatory sentencing that does not allow a court to assess all the circumstances.

Such voices of reason are drowned out however, when community emotions run high. The Australian community joins the rest of the world in paying a high price in the cost of young lives lost to the illicit drug trade. The true perpetrators are adept at avoiding the kind of trial which the naive Van Tuong Nguyen endured.

Today, we pray for all who suffer the effects of the greed of those who drive the illegal drug trade, including the now deceased Van Tuong Nguyen and his family.

God's surprises

2005-11-27T16:04:00.000+08:00

Two weeks away from blogging is far too long! Sometimes life's events take over, however, and there is not enough time to stop and smell the roses - that's if you can find any.

What a gift to find 24 hours to spend with my son and some ministry colleagues. We went bush - and every so often, peeping from the leaf litter was, a native flower or orchid - only perceptible to those who have the eyes to see. Admittedly many had to be pointed out to me or I would have missed them.
What a great parable for living. The evidence of God's grace is everywhere, often hiding in the murkiest and untidiest depths of human experience. God grant us a speed monitor so that we can slow down enough to see.

2005-11-13T20:04:00.000+08:00

My regular Sunday morning harangue evoked more feedback than usual. It involved a reversal of role for the third servant in the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. Consider your verdict!

Perhaps the parable of the talents has had a lot of airplay lately. I doubt anyone has missed the huge advertising campaign by the Australian Government on the recently enacted Industrial Relations legislation.

You do well if you are a large employer – you will have the opportunity to increase greatly what you have. Your five talents will grow now that anachronistic industrial award restrictions from a bygone era are stripped away.

You will do well if you are a small employer – your two talents possibilities for growth are now enhanced as the proposed changes dissolve constricting legislation.

And if you are the supplier of labour, don’t worry; the one talent that you bring will also grow, if you negotiate wisely and within the parameters of the new provisions. You never had it better, so don’t throw away your chance.

What we don’t see in the ads, however, is the sub-text that is very clear in Jesus’ parable:

For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance;
but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.

Now some would say that in thus applying this morning’s text, I am being unnecessarily mischievous, subversive, provocative and even irresponsible.

I submit that I am using the parable in much the same way as Jesus might have – simply pointing out the reality and the result of a particular world view that contrasts with that of the kingdom of God.

The reality is that the dominant world view of western civilization is not Christian, as much as we would like to claim that it is. Most decisions today find their under-pinning not in the words of the Sermon on the Mount, but textbooks of economic rationalism based on the utilitarian philosophy shifts of the late 18th century.The fundamental drive to building the kind of society we live in is not informed by Jesus’ commandment to love one another as he has loved us, but to the question of the most effective way to build an anemic parody of what is supposed to be an economy – an economy that finds expression only through figures on a balance sheet devoid of human interest.

Against such minimization of human potential and fulfillment the kingdom of God always wages war.

So it is important that we consider a setting in which it is likely that Matthew’s audience first heard this parable.
It is a part of a series of three parables that are urging alertness and readiness for being held to account as Christians.

“Be ready for the arrival of the bridegroom,” the ten virgins are told. “Don’t let what you need run dry. Keep your supply of oil ready, or you’ll miss out.”

And you need it all the time – even right now. “You might not know it, but when you care for someone in need, you care for me,” says the Risen Christ in the story of the sheep and the goats (more about that next week).

The parable in between, the one about the talents, is much clearer when we consider its neighbours. Without its companion parables, it may not make sense.

First, it doesn’t begin with the familiar words, “the kingdom of heaven is like…” It says instead, “For it is as if a man, going on a journey…” What is like a man going on a journey? The familiar form of parables prompts us to conclude “the kingdom of heaven” – but the grammatical syntax suggests rather the preceding verse from the parable of the ten bridesmaids – “keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

We are thus released from the urge to seek parallels with kingdom values in this parable and invited to ponder whether this is more like one of Rudyard Kipling’s “just so” stories that awakens us to what the world we live in is really like – what we have to be ready to take into account as we go about the kingdom’s business.

Consider this from the point of view of a member of Matthew’s faith household – perhaps gathered with others on the outskirts of a little town in Syria. As Jewish Christians they are pariahs to the synagogue established by Pharisaic leaders now in exile following the sacking of Jerusalem. They have cast the followers of Jesus out, not only of the synagogue, but all Jewish community life. If they are tradesmen or merchants, the Christians can no longer ply their trade – they have to take up menial laboring tasks wherever they can to help their families survive.

They are acutely aware of how the system works.

So they hear, not what we came to hear later as the “parable of the talents,” but the parable of what one writer [at http://www.word-sunday.com/Files/A/33-a/A-33-a.html ] calls the “parable of the extortionist and his three henchmen.”

Contemporaries of Jesus believed all the wealth of the world was limited and the
distribution of riches was preordained. In addition, the economic systems of the
ancient world existed for many generations and had grown rigid over time. While
someone could quickly amass a fortune, the general populace suspected that
person of theft, bribery, or extortion.
In a culture wary of change, only the devious and immoral could rise up the economic latter.
When Jesus began the parable, he created additional suspicions. The rich man most likely lived abroad (i.e., he was a foreigner).
As he prepared for his journey home, he delegated his underlings to invest his fortune. While the eight silver talents described in 25:15 had a current value of $3 million, such wealth seemed uncountable to the impoverished contemporaries of Jesus. [25:14-16]
Two of the man's employees doubled the money they were given. How could they do this?
Since the story assumed the rich man and his employees were non-Jews, they could lend money at exorbitant rates (30% to 50%) and enforce repayment with the threat of prison. If someone could not repay, he was jailed until his family
could repay the loan (this was actually a ransom). The populace hated such
lenders for their power and their wealth. They drained the poor people, taking
an unfair share of a harvest or grain production as repayment…reaping where they did not sow}[25:24-25]
What would a cautious, honorable employee do? Bilking money from the poor was immoral. Without government controls or insurance, no investment was truly safe. So the honorable man would bury his master's money.
Hidden away far from one's dwelling, no thief could find a man's gold or silver. And, since inflation in the ancient economic order was unimaginable, money maintained constant buying power from generation to generation. Even Jewish rabbis insisted that anyone who buried his master's money was not liable for it, since this was the most prudent course of action. [25:18]

So could it be that, according to Jewish tradition, the third man, the one with only one talent, is the hero of the story?
He was prudent, had an honest assessment of the business dealings of his master, and refused to compromise allegiance to a way of conducting business that was consistent with his faith tradition. He is prepared for the consequences. Harsh treatment from the world, isolation, and “casting into the outer darkness where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth?”
After all that’s where many of Jesus’ and Mathew’s hearers existed. We might see them nodding sagely when hearing this parable, and saying “yes, it is thus so. When the Son of Man comes, he will find us ready - alert and waiting, even though we now find ourselves in the outer darkness.”
But perhaps we prefer to hear the parable as we usually have. It’s imperative to use the natural abilities we have or we might lose them.
Fair enough – except it’s a no-brainer – its common sense – and I don’t know if Jesus would have wasted a good parable on a morality tale that would seem more at home with Aesop than with Jesus. But it does fit in well with our Protestant work ethic, we might protest. Except that didn’t come from Jesus either!
Maybe we should just acknowledge that Jesus’ parables are annoying, irritating, and frustrating, particularly when they get under our guard.
But it’s then that they exercise the capacity to release us into the embrace of the kingdom with new awareness and readiness – even a fresh explosion of powerful motivation to serve the crucified and risen one.
For a long time this parable burdened me – I had always identified with the one talent servant, questioning whether I was working hard enough to grow the talent I had been given and often, even questioning what it was! The legacy of my contemplation was always … a heavy feeling of guilt – I could never match the 5 talent or 2 talent servant – even in ministry.
My memory recently took me back, however, to my early days of employment, when I was a sales assistant in a department store. It seems I was a one talent servant there as well. We were required to turn in our sales figures each day and I was consistently at the bottom of the heap. I preferred to spend more time with customers, not put pressure on them – where as the preferred method was to clinch the sale as quickly as possible and compete for big ticket items. I sometimes found the sight of my fellow sales assistants stalking and competing for the attention of customers somewhat unseemly.
But the master required returns, and there was the day I found myself on the carpet hearing that my returns were not good enough and that I would be consigned to the outer darkness where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. I was to be given complete responsibility for the small electrical goods repairs and warranty department!
It was a chaotic section where no-one had lasted more than a week. Who wants to deal all day with irritated and angry customers with their unrealistic demands? But I enjoyed working with customers to find solutions to the problems they had with the articles they had bought. Over two years, I was able to organize and systematize the department to work more efficiently and thus create happier customers. The place of wailing and gnashing of teeth turned out to be the very place where I discovered and found confidence in my capacity to apply to be trained for ministry.
When I read this parable now, I see that the outer darkness, beyond the perimeter, is often where we are called to be…with the outcast, with the oppressed ones, with those who don’t fit in…because that’s where Christ walks.
It is another aspect of “being prepared” - “being ready.” May we continue to work at “being ready” to go be in those places where Christ is already at work.

Oranges & No Lemons!

2005-11-05T21:00:00.000+08:00

Lots and lots of oranges have been boosting some of our local church fund-raising projects. One church family decided life was not busy enough, so invested in an orange orchard near Bindoon, about 100 kms north of Perth. Since then, the whole congregation and beyond has had regular access to a healthy dose of Vitamin C. Recently, on an untypically rainy day for this time of year, we all invaded the Bindoon property and learned a lot about growing and harvesting oranges. So what's the deep and meaningful point? I don't know - except it was one of those serendipitous days that burns itself into a church's collective consciousness and reminds her in good times and dark how good it is to belong together and share a common life in Christ.

Is King's Park a thin place?

2005-10-28T11:42:00.000+08:00

I led a group of theologs in addressing this question earlier this week. King's Park is a popular tourist spot overlooking Perth. It contains a large number of hectares of natural bushland, the state war memorial, botanic gardens and picnic areas. It is a place of great spiritual significance to the Noongar people.

Our particular exercise was to contemplate the Celtic notion of "thin place" - or where the spirituality of a place is so pervasive that the veil separating heaven from earth grows transparent enough to see from one place into the other. What then are the implications as we share the Christian journey with others? The photo is from the Mt Eliza lookout - usually very crowded on a fine day. This was the middle of the week on a rare bleak day. Less people than usual and a nice Celtic climatic backdrop. It helped!

What are weasel words then?

2005-10-24T09:28:00.000+08:00

Don Watson, author of Death Sentence of the English Language, has published Watson's Dictionary of Weasel Words: contemporary cliches, cant and management jargon. Like a weasel sucking the yolk from an egg while leaving the shell intact, the champions of "weasel words" suck the meaning out of a word.

I received my 2006 diary from Watson's stable, except its called an "Event Empowerment Tool."

Read more about this fascinating topic at http://www.weaselwords.com.au/

How would the great commandment sound in weasel-wordese?

2005-10-23T21:55:00.000+08:00

Perhaps something like this:

“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”

“Persons shall adopt measures of high positive regard to the primal executive consultant with maximised internal resources, including all material and notional sources of motivation, and all intellectual capital. This is the prime and initial directive. In addition, a non-primal directive carries similar parameters. Persons shall adopt the same measures of high positive regard in favour of persons of adjacent proximity as for their autonomous investments.”

If this had been the case – no wonder “they dared not ask any more questions!”

Saying What I Mean

2005-10-11T16:17:00.000+08:00

This has always been a challenge - finding the words to say what my mind is churning over at a very rapid rate! This is when it's so easy to lapse into jargon. And the reason I'm thinking about this is because of another strange conjunction of several episodes today - another instance of synchronicity (see earlier post!) I completed a unit on "communication" with the 10-11 year olds down at the local school this morning. It had a lot to do with clarity in sending a message and attentiveness in receiving it, examining the techniques used by Jesus in his teaching. Then came Harry Hayward's letter in today's issue of The Australian Christian lamenting the lack of clarity in new church buzzwords such as "missional" and "incarnational." Soon after, passing a book store, I noticed a special deal on Don Watson's book against "weasel words" and packaged with a "Weasel Words" 2006 diary! Most of Don Watson's objection is to fashionable managerial language - much of which has even found its way into church administration. I have a few retired teachers in my congregation who pull me up when I use words that are beyond the call of duty, and I think I am grateful to them. After all, if no-one knows what I'm talking about, why bother to talk?

Reckless Generosity

2005-10-07T13:41:00.000+08:00

I like this quote from Dorothy Day:

"To attack poverty by preaching voluntary poverty seems like madness. But again, it is direct action....To be profligate in our love and generosity, spontaneous, to cut all the red tape of bureaucracy! The more you give away, the more the Lord will give you to give. It is a growth in faith. It is the attitude of the [person] whose life of common sense and faith is integrated. To live with generosity in times of crisis is only common sense. In the time of earthquake, flood, fire, people give recklessly; even governments do this."

Reminds me of the "loaves and fishes" principle. The more you give the more there is to give. Hard to get that across in some church budgetary processes - not my current one, I hasten to add!

Transcendent design

2005-09-26T14:28:00.000+08:00

I was asked yesterday my opinion of "intelligent design." I am usually cautious when answering such questions - they are often loaded! Not in this case however - and I was happy to acknowledge my unhappiness with the term - for two reasons.

It has been hi-jacked by politicians falling over each other to win the allegiance of an ascendant lobby that applies the term, inadequately in my view, to creationist doctrine. This raises my second objection.
The term is theologically inadequate. It is reductionist in effect, if not in intent. Why not "transcendent design" or "immanent design" or some combination of these (there must be a good German word that would achieve this)? To maintain an argument that in effect, to make its point, diminishes God to mere intelligence opens up the slippery slope to idolatry, fashioning the Creator in our own image.

I realise my objection frustrates the classic "creationism/evolutionism" debate that is undergoing some bizarre revival. Nevertheless, there it is.

Zim Zum

2005-09-26T14:20:00.000+08:00

I like this word! It apparently emerges from the Kabalistic tradition and refers to God's action of standing back from creation sufficiently enough to allow breathing room and freedom of choice for his creatures. This term neatly avoids the deism of a god that is uninvolved in his universe at one extereme and a smothering overly-attentive god at the other. Neither does it ignore the paradox of a God who is transcendent in being beyond the reach of human perception and immanent in an intimacy that it is so palpable he is as the breath of life itself. Zim-zum - it rolls nicely off the tongue!

"Contact"

2005-09-22T16:36:00.000+08:00

Back after some time away to ruminate on our next screening for "Meeting God at the Movies." I had wanted something from the Science Fiction genre that was meatier than the horror flicks like "Alien", "Predator" or "Independence Day." "Close Encounters..." had been my choice but I recently came across "Contact" - has a bit more human drama in it and raises the science vs faith conundrum - kind of "Close Encounters" meets "Space Odyssey 2001"!

So "Contact" it is for Sunday night! This will take us to midway point for the research project. Some good data coming in as feedback on the previous two. Can't say much until the research is complete and published, but it's looking promising!