Bunsen and the Bible

"Wesleyan ecological theology"

2010-12-20T14:32:00.002+10:00

I have been reading "This We Believe" by William H. Willimon. I have found this a refreshing and challenging summary of Wesleyan theology and practice, and was pleasantly surprised by the end of his section on salvation:

"Here is the faint stirring of a Wesleyan ecological theology.

This world is not some smutty, sorry, decadent place from which we hope one day to be delivered. This world is God's, subject of God's love and providential care. The world shall be restored. Creation shall come to more closely resemble that which God intended in Genesis. And when we work with God, we are priveleged to be agents of that restoration, those who offer the world a foretaste of the world's final destiny in God."

Any thoughts??

A theology of rest

2010-08-09T09:44:00.002+10:00

Last week, the Australian work and life index report was released (http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/cwl/documents/AWALI2010-exec-summary.pdf). This report found that over a quarter of those people in full-time employment in Australia averaged over 48 hours/week and that 60% of Australian workers do not use their leave allocations (says he, looking at a church council agenda noting one week of leave is carried over from my first year of qualified stipended ministry). One observer reported that discussions with workers who don't take leave revealed a fear that if they took leave and their workplace suffered they would be in trouble, or if the workplace went well they would become dispensable and put their jobs at risk.

In the lead-up to last week's sermon I was reminded of some "Cash Converters" advertisements that depicted people with object-shaped holes in their torsos. Other people would sell their unwanted items and thus get money and fill the holes in these people's lives. I know it's horribly simplistic, but how many products and things try to be the hole in our lives?

What do you need to make your life complete?

What cannot you afford to lose?

What keeps you awake at night?

Meet the object of your worship.

In Luke 11, Jesus says "do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom." (GNB)

Now for some good advice:
"Nothing brings so much pain to the spirit as anxiety and (cares)... Has not each day a burden enough of its own, in its own cares? Why do you then add to them by laying on those that belong to another day?"

Sounds like a good piece of popular psychology doesn't it? It sure makes sense, and seems to speak to contemporary issues... but it comes from John Chrisostom in the fourth century. (All my quotes in this reflection are taken from pages 49 and 50 of Gary Peluso-Vordend's book "Taking Attention", I'm not through it yet, but it's making a lot of sense so far)

Does this mean we live a life without planning, without consideration for the effect our lives have on our future, on others, and on our planet (a brief nod to environmental theology that I forgot in the sermon)?

For this I turn to John Wesley "What Jesus here condemns is, the care of the heart; the anxious, uneasy care; the care that has torment; all such care as does hurt, either to the soul or body. What he forbids is, that care which, sad experience shows, wastes the blood and drinks up the spirits; which anticipates all the misery it fears, and comes to torment us before the time. He forbids only the care which poisons the blessings of today, by fear of what could happen tomorrow; which cannot enjoy the present plenty, through apprehensions of future want. This care is not only a sore disease, a grievous sickness of the soul, but also a heinous offense against God, a sin of the deepest dye. It is a high affront to the gracious Governor and wise Disposer of all things; necessarily implying, that the great Judge does not do all things right; that he does not order all things well. It plainly implies. that he is wanting, either in wisdom, if he does not know what things we stand in need of; or in goodness, if he does not provide those things for all who put their trust in him."

To recap, the concern that is being posed is that care which poisons the blessings of today by fear of what may come tomorrow. In Luke 11: 33-34 Jesus challenges us to take those things which we most prize, those things that keep us awake at night and put them at the service of the Kingdom of God. This is a huge leap of faith, and one that is hard to take in one go. How can we develop our faith lives so that we are willing to give our all?

I propose the answer to this is the only spiritual discipline to get a direct mention in the Ten Commandments: that of rest.

To rest is to put your trust in God, to believe that the world will go on and the Kingdom of God is not dependent on your attention and effort.

To rest is to break away from our continual quest for obtaining more, to relax, enjoy and be thankful for the blessings that we do have and to break away from the quest for possessions that our society breaks us into.

Like all steps of faith, this probably comes in baby steps and needs to come from the place you are at. For me, my faith growth really took off when I started to set apart 20 minutes from my busy day to concentrate on God. I know a family that for a time gave up electronic devices on Sunday. Anita and I would go crazy if we tried that, but can we find a way for a while to enjoy the gifts of environment, family, friends and possessions that God has given us?

You may well ask if this is just an excuse for passivity and laziness, if the Kingdom of God is coming without our effort, why bother?

I believe the counter for this comes from the parable of the Watchful Servants in Luke 11:35-40.
We don't have this tradition in our society, but I have been privileged to discuss military life with those who have served our nation and others. When asked the mark of a good soldier, the answer almost always is one who works hard when work needs to be done and can rest when effort is not required. Military people are blessed with clear objectives and someone who can tell them when their progress is adequate. At that time, they take appropriate security measures, trust those assigned for their safety and they rest. In that way they are more ready for any coming action or unexpected situations than otherwise would be the case.

I believe it's like that with the Kingdom of God. In our lives there are moments when the Kingdom of God pokes through in actions of justice, peace, hope and love (and many other values). Our task as Church is to point to these glimpses, treasure them, foster them and get on board. How easy would it be for us to be like unwatchful servants, filling our lives with activities that are not part of the Kingdom, deafening and blinding ourselves ourselves to these revelations of God's presence in the world?

When I was in a city congregation, a concerned uncle and aunt showed me their nephew's T-shirt "Jesus is coming, you'd better look busy", perhaps the church needs the T-shirt "Jesus is here, you'd better be listening."

Week Seven- Production in process

2010-08-03T12:58:00.004+10:00

As you can see, the soil garden has had a particularly large amount of growth over the last few weeks. One batch of radishes have been eaten (evenly shared between my wife and the possum's brief experimentation). The parsley is delicious and the chinese brocolli will be ready for harvest next week. There are peas on a few of the struggling transplanted vines, but the seed-grown are still developing strongly. We also have a couple of unexpected tomatoes springing up and a rogue mizuna between the plots.

The no-dig bed was planted later, but still some of the plants are thriving. However, the bed density is too low for the drip watering system to be totally effective, it needs supplimental watering.

Please also note the labrador-resistant fencing.. we'll have to see how it goes with Bumbles.

Week Four- First Pickings

2010-07-06T10:30:00.003+10:00

Now, the garden has been growing for almost a month, and we're seeing the first pickings - or at least the local possum is! It has taken a liking to Mizuna, young radish leaves and the first leaf of a sprouting bean. The radish bulbs are starting to swell, and we did get some parsley this week.

We have caged our bush peas and beans. One other little sideline has been comparing the development of bush-planted and seedling-planted peas, the ones grown from seeds (on left) are much stronger.

The no-dig garden now has baby spinach planted. The spring onions have got over transplant shock remarkably well, and the garden only awaits the tomatoes and capsicums seedlings that are being grown in the laundry.

Next week should see more changes with an animal-proof fence going around the garden (but it won't stop the possum)

Week three

2010-06-29T10:52:00.004+10:00

Week Three - The greening continues

We have transplanted some peas and beans into the garden this week, thinking the seeds had failed to germinate. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that a couple of days later, some seeds started to push through. The peas come up like a spear, the beans looking as if the shell of the seed is used as a crash helmet to push through the soil. The carrots have started to appear now, too.

The first plants were put in the no-dig garden a week ago, with a second planting of peas also put in. In the laundry, we have seen the first two tomato seeds germinate. We have planted a variety of herbs in this bed, and also have planted some red onions, who are currently suffering due to their planting mix not really attaching to their roots.

I do like the way this garden self-mulches, but it does mean you can only plant seedlings.

Just a picture of the herb tubs (now cleaned up) between the two garden beds.

Week two - the story continues

2010-06-22T15:07:00.004+10:00

Another week, and the gardens continue developing. For my part, I installed a drip irrigation system. This is more efficient than a spray system and did a good job for my vegies up here last year.

We have solid growth on the early risers, some are putting out their first differentiated (or "true") leaves.

The peas are new-comers this week. They come up almost like a spear, and rapidly grow their new leaves. As their seed is bigger, they have a much more robist approach to early development.

The key negative issue of the sieved garden relative to the "no-dig" method is rapidly appearing, there are small sprouts appearing everywhere. Until the desirable plants get stronger, it is too dangerous to disturb the soil to remove the weeds.

The "No-dig" bed

As you can see, the degradation in the no-dig bed continued this week. In fact, it has got to the stage where I planted seedlings in this bed in the evening. The layer under the top mulch is deep brown and rather free flowing. In fact, it collapsed in so readily that putting the seedlings in felt like plugging them into a socket.

The winter solstice has now passed, looking forward to a bit more sunshine (even up here in the tropics)

Week 1 of garden trial

2010-06-15T14:54:00.003+10:00

The two gardens have now been going for a week and its's time for the first update...

Sieved Soil Garden

This garden is predominantly used for plants whose seeds are directly planted. These include peas, beans, radishes, carrots, giant red mustard, mizuna (an asian green), lettuce and chinese broccoli (Kai laan). The climbing plants are at the back. The two plants you can see are oregano and Italian parsley that have been planted as seedlings.

The big development in this garden is the arrival of the first germinated seedlings. So far, radish (front left), rocket (back left, trust me -it's there), chinese broccoli and mizuna have made their first appearances yesterday. This is a wonderful time in a garden, you can go back a few times a day and see significant changes every time. Now we just need the frosts to hold off for a few days...

The other plants should make an appearance over the next week or two.

The no-dig bed

While the other bed is off to a flying start, the no-dig garden is in a "bedding down" phase. It must be left 2-3 weeks before plants can be introduced. You can see cracks and unevenness in the surface. These are where air and moisture have been able to get down into the lucerne layer and it is starting to degrade. In the process it gives off a slight odour and the garden warms up due to the heat from the rotting process (this is why plants can't be introduced yet).

One good thing about setting up a no-dig garden in winter is that the risk of self-combustion is lower. On the hottest day of summer here last year, one of my friends here had her no-dig garden dry out a bit too much on top and start to smoulder from the heat being generated from below.

The plants in this garden will be predominantly seedlings - spring onions, garlic chives, rosemary, golden marjoram, strawberry, tomatoes and capsicum. The rest will be filled up with greens. Those seedlings being grown from seed are already in their biodegradable newspaper pots, waiting on the worst of winter to pass before being put out.

I am loving this, in one garden I am cheering on new life, in the other I am waiting for the decay to happen before new life can be introduced. These are both key processes in gardening, and also in life...

A new gardening experiment

2010-06-08T10:43:00.006+10:00

Last year, I grew a vegetable garden with mixed success. More than in part, this was due to my location's rocky soils. This year I read a book that got me interested again, it is "square foot gardening" by Mel Bartholemew. While this is an English book, there are parts of his gardening philosophy I find particularly attractive, so I decided to make two gardens of this style for my wife and I.

There are two solutions to stony soil. The first is to dig out the garden bed and place a barrier around it...

Then you take the soil and sieve out all the stones...
Leaving a fine soil left.

Sounds a lot easier than it is!

Thus the appeal of "no-dig" gardening

Take a bag of composted cow manure, a bail of lucerne hay and a bail of cane trash...

Spread half of the manure in a layer, then the lucerne, then the cane trash as a final mulch, wetting down each time.

This bed needs a few weeks before it can be planted in, and won't be able to handle root vegetables for a while - but the total construction time was less than two hours.

Which garden will be the most fruitful? Only time will tell, but the native dirt bed is fertilised and ready for planting...

Yes, the author of "The Square Foot Garden" is a retired engineer.

Can anyone guess why I like his design?

Theology with the kids

2009-10-28T15:22:00.002+10:00

I recently took a question box into a class of fifty Grade 4/5 students that I teach each week. These are the questions that get put in the box: see how you go, maybe they'll make you think as hard as I have...

Why is the Dead Sea filled with salt?

You are 46 years old (statement - stop laughing Josie!)

When did you first start believing in God?

Are you strong and brave?

Who is God?/What is God?/ Is God an animal or a person?/Is God a spirit?/Is God clouds?

What does God do?

Where does God live?

Was God the first person in the world?

Did God come to earth like magic?

How do we know God is real?

How does God help us?

Where is God's family?

Where was Jesus' family?

What is God's favourite thing to do?

Would God be proud of the way we're living?

What did God do first?

How did God die?

Why didn't people believe in God when Jesus talked about him?

Why did Eve take the apple off the tree?

When will Jesus come back to the earth?

How much longer will the earth be here?

Is it true that aliens are going to attack?

What is your favourite question?

What is your answer to it?

How do we treat a blank cheque?

2009-07-11T10:02:00.003+10:00

It's not usual for me to post sermon notes here - particularly now I work off dot points, but I feel this one asks some questions that are worth distributing, so I hope anyone who reads it finds it useful.

Readings:
2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19
Ephesians 1:3-14
Mark 6:14-29

How do we treat a blank cheque?

I must admit that when I read the Gospel reading for today I wished it would be part of the story we should skip. Where is God in this story of ancient palace ritual, a twisted family dynamic and the horrible manipulative murder of a man who died for his faithfulness to God?

But gifts are a big part of today's stories:
David moving the ark of the covenant to his capital the final claim of becoming King- a realisation of God's promised gift
Herod's daughter offered the fairytale gift voucher "anything, up to half the kingdom"

We too have an enormous gift, a blank cheque if you will, we have a God who died to save us from our sins before we could do anything to deserve it.

How do we respond to a gift of such magnitude from our creator?

Let's look at the two stories in some depth...three ways

What was the pattern of giving?
David lived a life that lived within the presence and gifts of God
Herod's daughter shocked by the gift - a one-off

Secondly the manner in which is given?
David was given the promise as a free gift
Herod's daughter given the gift as a reward for distateful and humiliating service

Thirdly how did they respond?
David gives lavish gifts to God and others- grows closer to God and community
Herod's wife uses gift as an opportunity to justify herself, to silence and critic and secure her own position - but would this have been an act that drew her closer to her husband or bred resentment?

So how, now do we respond to the gifts of God and what does it say about our relationship with God?
Do we trust in the ongoing grace of God or try to secure ourselves and rewrite our pasts?
Do we see what we have as a gift to be shared with God and the world, or do we try top grasp.
In essence, do we see the love of God as a limited resource, or are we willing to share the love around?

How can I blaspheme? (poem)

2009-03-27T14:19:00.002+10:00

I look upon your cross
a body broken
deserted by friends
forsaken by God
scorned by all.
How can I blaspheme?

Upon the cross I see
the lips that accepted the kiss of a traitor
hands that reached out to give curing touch to a leper
feet prepared for death by the tears and hair of a prostitute
I join the oppressor and say "Surely this is the Son of God."
How can I blaspheme?

Yet I surely blaspheme
when I turn your passionate love into platitudes
your new way into a continuation of our desires
your gift of grace into a free pass
a relationship with a living God into self-analysis.

Shake me.
Mould me.
Stir me.
For I must proclaim.
Lord, grant me the courage not to blaspheme.

At A Glance: Your Cross

2009-03-16T11:25:00.001+10:00

At A Glance: Your Cross

A great poem, well done Josie! Have been asked to write 250 words for church newsletter for Easter - am seriously considering submitting this in your name.

God has a sense of humour

2009-03-16T05:10:00.002+10:00

Yesterday I was unwell, but still able to participate in worship. It was great the way the leaders gathered around me - any part of the service that I had written a full text for was handed out (including the Eucharist - having accredited lay presidents in the your congregations is a real benefit). Basically I was just asked to do the children's address and sermon.

At the first service, there was a concern about me having to drive between congregations, so I preached from a chair and microphone out the front of the pulpit. I was more dependent than ever on the list of dot points that I use as my prompts, but I felt like I had wandered everywhere. At the end of the sermon I commented that it probably wasn't the most coherent of sermons, but I heard one of the congregation mutter under her breath "Wow, that was really powerful." Really powerful? I must admit to a moment of outrage. I could not have felt less powerful. My body had let me down (I know, I had let my body down first) and I was unable to enjoy the full scope of my vocation, I was sitting down as I was too weak, and felt like I was having to suck ideas through a straw. Yet God still uses this to great effect. If I ever take my contribution too seriously, I need to remember this moment.

At the second service, I was a lot more relaxed about taking a seat for a service I had written, and I relaxed and enjoyed the liturgy as I would if I was attending a service someone else had written. This, in itself, is a good reality check for a liturgist as it lets you see if the movements of worship work the way you envision them. Then I found myself noticing features that I had not even planned, particularly in the Eucharist section where lay presiders (like myself) are limited to using approved resources. I was able to make connections as to why some of my instinctive (or spirit-led) selections were so appealing to me at the time of selection. I came out of that service with a great deal of energy.

So, once again God acts through my frailty. Why should I be surprised?

Youth and Children as a reality check

2009-03-03T10:39:00.003+10:00

Sometimes I think we just get too accustomed to the Biblical narratives. There is nothing like the response of a young person to a biblical passage to shock and awe us anew.

I can remember once getting a youth group to perform a dramatization of the parable of the talents for a Presbytery meeting where I was leading the Bible study. At the end of the run-through a young woman was visibly shaking with anger... "Are you going to explain this to us? You need to explain this to us! The others all gambled and Jesus went off at the one who played it safe!"

Yesterday the RE lesson for grade 7 was based on the story of the prostitute (and, yes, that is the title used in the resource) washing the feet of Jesus. As soon as I used the title a boy's hand went up, "are you allowed to use that word in school?" After reassuring, I moved on and after talking about Jesus allowing this woman to wash his feet I asked the class if they would let that sort of person get that close to them. A girl in the back row visibly cringed and shrunk back into herself. I think she gave the right answer, as did the rest of the class in quite strong voice immediately after. I'm not sure that I have enough love to let the prostitute wash my feet either... I can only hope God continues to teach me how to love.

Why do we preach?

2009-03-03T09:58:00.002+10:00

I was reading some of John Wesley's "An earnest appeal to Men of Reason and Religion", and some of it really struck home. If interested, it was found on pages 390-391 of John Wesley Edited by Albert C. Outler:

"...you preach to a great number of people every night and morning. Pray, what would you do with them? Whither would you lead them? What religion do you preach? What is it good for?" I replied, " I do preach to as many who desire to hear, every night and morning. You ask, what would I do with them? I would make them virtuous and happy, easy in themselves and useful to others. Whither would I lead them? To heaven: to God the judge, the lover of all, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant. What religion do I preach? The religion of love: the law of kindness brought to light by the gospel. What is this good for? To make all who receive it enjoy God and themselves: to make them like God, lovers of all, contented in their lives and crying out at their death, in calm assurance, 'O grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be unto God, who giveth me the victory through my Lord Jesus Christ' (cf I Cor. 55.57). "

So, why do we preach?

Transfiguration Sunday - on discipleship

2009-02-23T10:07:00.002+10:00

Yesterday was Transfiguration Sunday, and we were having an abbreviated service to allow time for a congregational meeting. So my children's address had to do double duty as a sermon (not altogether a bad thing).

I was reflecting on the Transfiguration, and wondering why Jesus was only revealed in this way to a limited number of his disciples for a limited time. Surely he could have done this at any time he would want. But then I thought of bright lights in darkness: the shock in a child's eyes if you turn on the lights of they are talking after lights out. No wonder the gospel records that Peter goes out and says something that shows a complete lack of understanding - Peter always has to say something. The disciples did not know what to say, they were just kangaroos transfixed in the headlights of Christ's glory.

When I was in research one way we used to soften light was to use mirrors. A mirror can be used to take a small part of the light of a bright object and reflect it into an area of shadow. So, can discipleship be seen as being a mirror. A mirror serves to assist the light to shine into the darkness. A mirror does not produce any light. A mirror does not need to understand electromagnetic theory or practical optics - a mirror reflects because that is what a mirror does. I pray that God polishes us all into more effective mirrors for the world.

But now I have a second image coming into my mind : a mirror works only in constant connection. This does not really express the cycles of our lives in ministry - those of going out and coming back. When my sister was in her early teens, she was really keen on a collection of toys called glow-bugs. They were moulded plastic figures made of a dullish yellowy-green plastic. But when they were exposed to sunlight for a few ours, and then taken into darkness they shone with a soft green glow that would last all night. As a physicist, the knowledge that the light the toy gives off is less energetic than the sunlight appeals to me - we can never shine with the full glory of God in this place. But isn't that more like our lives of worship, witness and service? If we fail to enter into the presence and appreciation of God, or if we fail to enter the dark places of the world, we can never reach our full potential nor appreciate what we truly are - bringers of the light of God's love into the world. Now all I have to do is work out how a glow bug can point back to the source of its life (as the mirror does), rather than just displaying what is happening.

Any comments?

Gardening at last

2009-01-28T10:15:00.004+10:00

Those of you who know me from college would know that one of the things I was really looking forward to doing once in placement was establishing a vegetable garden - I suppose three years of surviving on institutional food can do that to you!

So, over the last few weeks (Wow, it's been that long already!) I have been working on establishing a vegetable garden. As you can see, it actually has two beds, the first (the one at the back) was established in my first week here and I was finally happy to start planting in it yesterday. The second is only a few days old at this stage, and hopefully I will be able to raise some seedlings to plant in it in a few weeks' time.

So, what is this doing in my faith-based blog? For me, gardening is a beautiful and spiritual. It is a uniting of my physicality with my mind, and a time where I can get dirty and sweaty as I use my hands. It is a time which is so different to the creativity of words that form the majority of my days. Yet still, my mind and spirit are engaged in a different way.

The first point I would like to make is the sheer wonder of creation. The scientist in me knows all about semi-permeable membranes, genetic reproduction and the like, but there is still something wonderful about the anticipation and the sights of first sprouts rising from the ground with the variation between the explosion of a new bean shoot and the tentative searchings of something like chives. The sheer act of relating this wonder to eating reminds me of our reliance on the creative power of God in the world around us in a way that picking up a bag from the supermarket never can. In this way, I am also connecting with the spirituality of many of my congregation who are farmers - at least I am not as dependent on the weather as they are, you can see the tank in the background!

We often have the image of God as a gardener. Yet we can forget how violent an action gardening is. I know Linda's father the sheep rancher refers to himself as a grower of grass, but the vegetable garden needed to be wrestled clod by clod out of the grass lawn. To gain a reasonable depth for the side walls, all of the soil needed to be removed from the whole and then replaced. Additives like manures and mulches need to be worked through the soil before you can even think about planting a crop. A gardener is intimately involved with the garden, the first watering is sweat from the brow. It is far too easy for us to see God as removed and detached, but in the image of Christ crucified we see the ultimate in price paid for creation.

I often see Christian leadership as a gardening function. The image of the trellis in the background is one point in case. When people are asked to do things for the first time, they often need to be lent support and structure, but the same structures can become choking as they grow and develop.

The final thing gardening (and other events in my life at the moment) is teaching me at the moment is how to relax. This morning, after taking the photo, I watched a wasp hunting in the mature bed for about five minutes. Gardening is an activity of attempting to create opportunities for life that many creatures enjoy (indeed, a sterile garden is a dead garden). So this little disruption in the environment at my hands gives me tho opportunity to see life on a smaller scale and relate it to the bigger picture of my faith life and that of my community.

May you all find opportunities for similar moments of connectedness with God, and I'll try to keep you in touch with developments. Please feel free to jump in with the insight you get from your hobbies also.

On Ordination as distinct from lay ministry

2008-10-15T16:54:00.003+10:00

Yesterday I had a discussion about ordination with a minister who works with a large, commissioned, predominantly lay team. The inevitable question arose regarding the difference between lay and ordained callings. The minister's response was plain, "I have thought about that, but I am what I am and how they understand their ministry is not up to me."

For me, the decision to seek ordination was for the reason that the work God was calling to me to do was going beyond my authority and my training. As such the process towards ordination has been equally as important for me as the end result. Yet I have friends that feel called to develop their training but retain lay occupations and not seek ordination. How are we to understand this development in God's activity in the world?

The key difference raised by the minister was recognition by other denominations. It is a great sign for ecumenicalism that certain priests are willing to use UCA ministers as a standby for emergencies as the UCA's ordination is into the church universal. This is different to that of our lay specified ministers, as they are commissioned only within the context of a congregation or ministry.

Perhaps I'm finally coming to an understanding of ordination that ties things together a bit. So here's a few points (any discussion)

Ordination is an act of obedience of the church to God where it sets aside people for spiritual leadership.

As such, it is a celebration of the activities of God in the past, present and hope for God's activity in the future of the church.

The call on the individual, and the church's recognition of that call, are both key to ordination.

As such, there is recognition of God's activity in the prior life of the ordinand, celebration of the presence of God in the present, and an anticipation of God's further work in the ordinand.

This is only a developing thing, but it shows the need to hold together that ordination is an action of the church, but it is an action performed in obedience that is a sign of faith and celebration in God. As the final minister put it, " I can still feel those hands upon my head." In ordination we have a recognition of the faith that the church has in God when they accept people to fill this style of leadership, and the faith that the individual holds to accept it. It is obvious talking to these ministers from many different styles of placements, that ordination serves as a constant reminder of this faith that serves as a touchstone by which their whole ministry is shaped.

I am thankful to all those who assisted me in these discussions.

More thoughts on Ordination

2008-09-17T21:22:00.004+10:00

We did something a bit different today. As a group, we discussed ordination with two ministers at once. The strange thing is every time we do this, people seem to think its some type of test. Is there really one right answer for this question? There is an interplay of activities, but in hearing two people with very different views of ordination there was still remarkable agreement.

One of the ministers had a view of ordination very much in line with prior discussions, with views of ordination in terms of a change in relationship with the church and admittance to a community where the minister submits to the discipline of God and the church in concrete ways.

The second minister had a different view of ordination, very much based on the service. To this minister ordination is a commitment to the Father, through the call of the Son and the equipping of the Holy Spirit. As such, ordination is a celebration of the historical, current, and ongoing work of God in the world. For this person, the vows were less important than the response, "With God's help I will." So, the focus is turned from the work of the person to the work of God in ordination.

This then has to live in dialogue with the sad fact that people do fail in ministry. Does this mean that our theology of ministry has to neglect the activity of God? If we understand God as being effective and infallible, the great temptation is either to place God under obligation to act in certain ceremonies or to deny God's activity in ceremonies when things don't work out as we would expect or wish. Do we really wish to make God so small are target that God just falls into the background?

Of course, to me, the history of a covenant people shows an appreciation of God working through brokenness. All of humanity share in this brokenness, and both our discernment and responses to God are subject to our nature. Maybe at this stage, the journey of ministry may be analogised to the parable of the sower. Humanity's responses to grace are notoriously variable.

Finally, we spoke on the fact that ordination is entry into an order, a vocation rather than a profession. It is to a position of difference within a community. Partially, it reminds me of what it is like to be an effective boarding master: a boarding master needs to be open enough (and enough of a member of the community) to be approachable, but also separate in order to exercise the particular authority given by a school.

Then we spoke on the signs of ordination: the alb, the stole, the cross, the collar. What does it mean to be ordained and to choose not to adopt any symbols? Is the use of symbols for a time and place, for a purpose? So, what do I choose to wear and when? I must admit I'm pretty minimalist, but I am starting to consider this in addition to the other uses of symbols of authority.

Another Poem

2008-09-09T20:25:00.003+10:00

Can I Pray for a Stranger

Can I pray for a stranger?
Across the carriage
with no sobs
pain appearing only in her eyes
slowly it escapes
to be dabbed away with a tissue.

Can I pray for a stranger?
So young and yet so hurt
so I pray
and poetry leaks into my mind.

Can I pray for a stranger?
no words
minimal looks
there's nothing I can do for her.

So I pray for a stranger
the train slows down for a stop
a young man walks in
enfolding her in his arms.

I should pray for the stranger
with problems not for me to solve
a reminder I am not the world's saviour
the puppet recognising the puppeteer.

Ministry as marginality

2008-08-25T08:39:00.002+10:00

It's unusual for me to read theological books for fun (?) or interest, but I had a look at a new book in the library called "Clergy: The Origin of Species" by Martin Percy. Here's some of his final paragraph, which I found interesting:

Marginality is, it seems, part of the character and construct of being a minister. Clergy, to function as effective ministers, often discover their roles and tasks to be about becoming central in the more marginal and ambiguous moments of life. Clergy occupy that strange hinterland between the secular and the sacred, the temporal and the eternal, acting as interpreters and mediators, embodying and signifying faith, hope and love. They are both distant and immediate, remote yet intimate. And in occupying this most marginal and transitory ground, and sometimes helping to close the gaps between these worlds, they become humanly and spiritually necessary even as they live out their (partly willed, partly imposed) social marginality. It is a unique yet evolving paradigm. It is nothing less than to follow the call of Jesus: to belong both to the wilderness, but also to the city. To be a citizen of some place; but also of heaven. To be of the people; but also for their sake, to be wholly other.

Any thoughts?

On Ordination as marriage

2008-08-13T19:33:00.002+10:00

Yet another ordination discussion. I am becoming quite aware that I am using analogies to describe ordination, but this is a work in progress. Today's discussion with a minister was one that answered a few of my questions from the last couple of dialogues. If ministry is allowed to be exercised without ordination, why do we insist on people becoming ordained to exercise certain ministries on more than a short-term basis?

This discussion began with the usual discussion on the life-time commitment, but was drawn into new areas once we began to play with ordination being analogous to marriage. In our current community the only significant difference between a de facto relationship and marriage is the commitments made by each party and the blessings prayed for by the congregation (along with witness and some other functions). What is the difference between a ministry intern or a lay ministry agent in a supply arrangement and an ordained minister? Of course, the answer is the ordination service and the commitments the ordinand makes to the church and the church makes to the ordinand, plus the witness and prayers of the congregation.

If this is considered to be the case, the vows are also analagous to the wedding vows. Would a couple be willing to take the wedding vows unless they were in love and seeking to spend their lives together? One would hope not, and the vows assist the couple in clarifying their relationship prior to marriage as well as being a reminder after the service of the commitments they made to each other. As the minister said "remember ministry is about being, rather than doing." In the case of ordination, this occurs after significant effort is made by the candidate and the church in the years prior to the service. The vows, in the time of preparation, provide a moment of crisis for the ordinand: "is this really me?"

This lead on rapidly to the final stage of the discussion, where we played further with the analogy. If the test is that of identity rather than capacity, the act of ordination can be seen as a stage in the growth of the relationship between the ordinand and God and between the ordinand and the church. The act of ordination should not occur until both the church and the ordinand discern the call of God for the life-time ministry, and represents the acknowledgement of both parties to this commitments. However, this reflects relationships that stretch back well prior to these were expressed and both the church and the ordinand look forwards to the future growing in relationship with each other and with God into the future.

An extra point: this was the first time one of the ministers asked me what I was thinking about ordination myself. For me, my call has been affirmed by my candidature so far and I hopefully look forwards to growing in ministry until both the church and myself feel ready to take this step in the presence and providence of God.

On Ordination as accepting responsibility

2008-08-12T17:26:00.002+10:00

I had another discussion on ordination with a minister this afternoon. It was interesting, after my previous discussion, to have what seems to be a continuation of the point I picked out of the prior discussion.

The minister commented that when he was in my position, ordination was seen as the end of a long path, but that his view developed as he lived in the position. He was keen to point out that the act of ordination is an act of "setting apart", not of a change of nature, but the key point for him was the acceptance of responsibility of leadership on a permanent basis. He also emphasised the responsibilities taken in order to preserve the church and represent the church in a place.

He expressed this both in the discussions on the nature of ordination and of the vows, and placed a high emphasis on the fact that (although lay people may take particular authority) the ordained have a lifelong commitment to the mission of Christ. The phrases often used were along the lines of 'backstop' or 'the buck stops here', so I naturally had to throw in my 'divine polyfiller' aversion. He replied that the minister takes accountability for the areas the minister sees as vital (particularly those expressed in the vows of ordination and induction) and leaves room for congregational participation before making decisions. His question back to me was "How to you handle failure?" as it is necessary for initiatives to be tried and allowed to fall over.

One area that this person was strong on was on the commitments made by ministers to participate in the life of the wider church, and the part ministers play in the councils of the church. One element he particularly sees in the vows is the articulation of the particularity of ordained ministry, and he sees the continued development of this articulation to be part of the task ahead for the ordained within the church. He also charged me to always consider that a minister's accountability is to the presbytery, not the congregation.

The final part I would like to reflect on was an analogy for the ordained within the body of Christ. He described the ordained as being the skeleton and the non-ordained the flesh. Neither can be effective without the other, but the act of ordination (with its historical precedence) provides stability and strength to the church. This, to me, naturally places a high emphasis on training, support and continual formation of those who are ordained. This has strongly interacted with the thoughts I have been having about the reformation period and the part that the loss of focus of the clergy played in those events.

In the final reflection though, what part does the church (and the gathered congregation) play in ordination? Does the church merely allow people to take these oaths of high responsibility and receive witness to the faithfulness of Christ, or is there something more? I certainly hope so, I can't do this on my own strength!

On Ordination as admission to a community

2008-08-06T15:05:00.002+10:00

The post-field group at college shared a discussion on ordination with a minister yesterday. The minister we spoke to designated two key significances of ordination, the way in which ordination is one of many occasions in which the church affirms the calls of individuals, and the way in which this affirmation places the ordinand within a community of tradition that goes back 2000 years. He sees the key feature of that community is that of function: the call to be attentive to God, and to call communities to be attentive to God.

This lead on to a discussion on the vows of ordination, as the vows move from the generalities of reliance on Christ to the specific functions of ministers in the UCA. The continuing theme was that of spiritual leadership within different contexts, and we were reminded of the many ways that communities can tempt ministers away from the focus.

Yet, when we got to the end, the question in mind for me was "What is the difference between ordination and commissioning?" The response was immediate, "Ordination is for life, but commissioning is for a specific purpose or context." This was said with passion, this was important. This is more than just a job, it is a membership in a community of those who have agreed, and the church has agreed, to set their lives apart for the purpose of spiritual leadership.

So, in this case, the rite of ordination is a rite of admission. The vows serve to remind the minister and the church of the roles and responsibilities, and the minister serves this out in a life of spiritual leadership. Once again, I am struck by the honour which I have been called to, and to which the church is affirming at the moment.

Do you confess anew Jesus Christ as Lord? That one's easy, it is only through the grace and call of Christ that I may understand myself with such company.

Some reflections on worship and church today

2008-07-23T11:39:00.002+10:00

Over the last few days I have been observing the extravaganza that is the World Youth Day in Sydney, been reflecting on a potential move into ministry within the context of a cluster, been reflecting on the parable of the sower from both Markan studies and last week’s lectionary reading, attended the funeral of a key member of our congregation, and have attended a lecture by Rev. Dr. Michael Wheelan on Christian Spirituality in the Australian context.

It is apparent to me that inside many congregations the church is seen as those who attend worship services and those who attend related groups (with or without a profession of faith) are seen as associates, rather than core members. As such, participation in worship services is seen as the pinnacle of contribution and (by corollary) participation or leadership within the related groups is seen as a good thing, but not necessarily core business.

As I have watched WYD, I have reflected on the habit of festivals in the traditional European religious context, or even events such as “White Sunday” which I have seen within the Samoan Australian context. These are events which simply would not work without the participation of the whole community. If we are serious about the whole of our community being equipped by the Spirit for the growth of the whole church, I am finding myself wondering why we have structured ourselves so that our most public expressions of faith are so reliant on an elite few (those selected for public participation in worship, plus musicians and clergy).

At the funeral, I had the privilege of having a short discussion with the brother of the deceased, who is a member in a neighbouring congregation. As we shared, he informed me the peak of his faith life is on a Wednesday morning. At that time a group of about 15 gather to work at the church doing cleaning and other associate maintenance, and then share in morning tea afterwards. This is a group with a definite purpose for existence and, while we may bemoan the focus on property that is a key part of our life as a community, this man went on to describe how this group supports each other when times get tough. The little radical within me asked then how this group would be effected if they were challenged once in a while to create something for the worship life of the congregation and also found ways to recruit new members. He was from another congregation, so I kept silent.

At the lecture last night, we were asked by Michael to consider how we can live an authentic life as a spiritual organisation within the Australian context. He argued that the church, when it loses its spirituality, is soulless. He also argued that spirituality is not just about an individualistic relationship with God, but is also about relationships with others and the planet. Wheelan’s argument against individualistic styles of spirituality is that they are deficient in that they do not involve relationships with others and the sacrifices these entail. He also argued that organisation is an essential part of the human condition.

After the lecture we had a bit more discussion, and for me two key and apparently contradictory descriptors seem to have arisen: a yearning for safety (leading to the cult of self-sufficiency), and a yearning for belonging (as seen in the tribalism at times such as ANZAC Day or other common events such as WYD). This has lead me to consider the dinner-table level of polite discussion that seems be our predominant way of communication within the church. If we are to consider ourselves a community that is called to proclaim the gospel within our time, how are we to find ways to communicate the gospel within our current cultural situation.

Postmodernism has been criticised for the way in which it challenges the human mind’s ability to determine ultimate truths. If we consider God, and our salvation through Christ, to be our ultimate truths, this poses an extreme challenge to claims of a provable faith (please note, the words rational faith have been deliberately avoided as the irrational/rational has been set up as a evil/good dichotomy within the modern imagination) and a severe challenge to a faith based on axioms rather than relationships. Is this the next great leap for the church? Just as Israel needed to reform during the exile, and the church (in its different self-understandings) to the “Enlightenment”, Renaissance and the Industrial revolution, do we need to re-interpret what faith has to mean in the “post-truth” world? I believe that we have to realise that postmodernism does not deny truth, but actually embraces a whole variety of things that were dismissed during the Enlightenment and subsequent periods.

Firstly, this involves a different set of appreciations. Instead of asking questions of why people find things beautiful (for example), it appreciates that beauty is something in the eyes of its community at its time and values beauty as a truth in itself (albeit one that is not measurable or provable). This leads to a second and more radical set of questions. Continuing on from the prior example, money is seen by the post-enlightenment (or “modern”) mind as a rational truth in that it can be measured and its behaviour explained while beauty is eminently unmeasurable and thus should be excluded from calculations.

In other words, the world needs to get on with making money as its primary business, and the pursuit of beauty is seen as a luxury (almost a frivolous pursuit, to be limited to that which can be achieved by excess production). In the post-modern mind, this is an aberration as the assumption of measurability is under threat. As soon as people are involved, there are effects that are beyond simple explanation. Money can be critiqued as being a social construct that needs to be in dialogue with other values, and thus needs to be lowered from the exalted status it received in economic rationalism. (Money was made for humanity, and not humanity for money, to blatantly steal a phrase) It is obvious to me that both worldviews exist (and the postmodernist in me says that very few people would fall into either of the caricatures I have presented), but this is a profound cultural change that is changing the mode of the next generation’s thinking from propositional to dialogical, from assumptions of human intellectualism’s certainty to a distrust of ideologies and concretism.

Wheelan’s proposal for the future direction of the church is for us to become more dialogical in the way in which we relate to the broader community, being willing to be converted by Christ, who has preceded us into the world, in our conversations with the other. However, it is my fear that the urge to be accepted (and conversely, and more powerfully, the fear of rejection that often even stops us looking on ourselves truly) is the greatest enemy of such genuine conversations and before this stage we must first create spaces where such conversations may be held. It is only through an understanding of love and the unconditional acceptance due to other children of God that such spaces may be made – and I hope my fear that the church needs to be convinced of this first is not justified by reality.

So, how does this relate to my vision of worship in a postmodern church in clustered congregations? How would it be if a bible study group larger than the group of those preaching was used to generate ideas for the sermons from various preachers (lay and ordained)? How would it be if groups also gathered to create liturgy, settings, music and other aspects of worship? How would the worship life of the congregation look if ways were deliberately sought to use the abilities of the various associated groups in a visible manner on a regular basis? For example, what would it mean to those who bring morning tea if the food was brought forward with the offering or even the communion elements on occasion? In this world, the higher skill may be to creatively seek to see how others may contribute, than to emphasise one’s own contribution. Can we really learn to reach out and include the world without considering how we reach out to each other? Is it possible for us to recreate the sense of community that comes with a festival that incorporates all aspects of the congregation? These are things to consider as we head out into the future.

A Brief History of God (Trinity Sunday Prayer)

2008-05-27T20:29:00.002+10:00

(Image of Creation)

When the world was created and humanity was born,
people became aware that the world was bigger than themselves.
They proposed a creator,
but who was this God?

(Idolatry Image)

Some saw an overlord, a greater being to be served,
a model for a system of using those who are downtrodden.
A god that justifies the status quo
and punishes those who step out of line.

(Moses Image)

But a group of people who saw a different God
one who adopted a nomadic people
a God who loved the helpless
and called to a radical way of community.

(Nativity Scene)

Then we believe God came to earth at Christmas
divinity wrapped in primitive nappies
transcendence wrapped in flesh
the infinite becoming a child.

(Jesus’ ministry)

So, who was this man?
A godly man showing us how to live a good life,
or God living among us, taking the good and bad,
and even death.

(Good Friday)

And how about that death?
Was this the world’s rejection of all that is good,
or God’s thundering “yes” to the universe,
reconciliation coming through a sacrifice of love?

(Pentecost)

We have just celebrated Pentecost,
the coming of something new,
yet God’s transformative power
was mistaken for drunkenness.

(Flame image)

So what is this Spirit,
God’s action within our very hearts
or an evolutionary trend to help us get along?
Lord, help us to believe.

(Church Image)

And who are we?
A human institution craving power for itself,
or a community continuing God’s redemptive work.
Lord, make us your church.

(Trinity Image)

We gather here today to celebrate the Trinity,
three persons but one God,
God that astounds our expectation, and befuddles our imagination,
Lord, you are worthy of our life, our thanks and our praise.

Retreat Poem 2 (of 2)

2008-03-30T19:03:00.003+10:00

Followers of a Party-Trick God (based on John 11)

This happened so the glory of God may be revealed.
Lazarus broken,
his family distraught.
A hope deferred to the future met that day.

This happened so the glory of God may be revealed.
How obscene is that?
Children backed over by cars,
lives wrecked by disease,
families broken,
townships swamped.
The towers of our predictable, scientific world come tumbling down.

This happened so the glory of God may be revealed.
Your church scandalously divided,
squabbling to own those who can only be Yours,
excising themselves from Your world.

This happened so the glory of God may be revealed.
A world mistaking knowledge for understanding,
reducing wonder to statistics,
humanity to commercial value,
and beauty to symmetry.

Lord, do wondrous things through us,
the church cries out each day.
Fill us with your power and your glory,
so that we may point to you.

Lord, do wondrous things through us.
Pour us out for the hurt and unloved.
Expose us in our fragile humanity.
Lead us to die for those who hate us.

No, Lord, can't you just let us be?
Allow us to devise wise techniques and programs,
granting deliverance safely through statistics and strategy.
Mine be the glory.

Your faithfulness will not let us go.
Your love draws us in,
there's nothing left for us.
So, let us walk to Jerusalem with you.

Lord, replace our pride with your compassion,
substitute our control with your love.
Shake, shatter and rebuild us in your image once more,
so that your glory may truly be known through us.

Retreat Poem 1

2008-03-12T08:07:00.002+10:00

Dry bones (A reflection on Ezekiel)

Go and speak the word of life to the dry bones.
What a ludicrous concept!
Pouring one's life out for that which has died,
existing more for what it was than it is.

Go and speak the word of life to the dry bones.
Speak words of hope and joy to the tired, the fragile, the discourages.
"If only I were twenty years younger..."
But Go and speak the word.

Help me to see you in the dry bones
That which lasts when all else has faded away
Molecular buttresses and niches for life
A potential that only you can realise.

Help me to see you in the dry bones
the quiet faithfulness of the inobtrusive attender
the questing desire for a community that has gone
the fact they have been gathered by You.

Help me to see you in the dry bones
A holy man with the tax collectors and prostitutes
A body broken by the machinations of the world
Life being thrown away for dry bones.

Fill me with your word of life
Allow me to dwell in your love:
Not as a place I go to visit,
but that which I abide in wherever I am

Fill me with your word of life
may it overflow from me on the plains of my life.
Do with it as you will,
and may your will be done in me.

Gandhi's seven deadly sins

2008-02-02T11:11:00.000+10:00

One of my uncles gave me a book of 365 ways to change the world as my Christmas present.

I have been reading it each day in order to see how the agents of change in the secular world express their hopes and relating it to Christian discipleship.

Today's reflection was on the seven deadly sins (and also the seven virtues and righteous actions) out of the medieval Christian tradition, and an encouragement to drop one. I don't want to reflect too much on this, but on Mahatma Gandhi's seven deadly sins which were listed in the middle:

Wealth without work

Pleasure without conscience

Science without humanity

Knowledge without character

Politics without principle

Commerce without morality

Worship without sacrifice

I found this particularly interesting as the first six of these take on the commonly accepted virtues of the modern secular world and suggests that they need moderating values to stop them becoming vices (as I believe they do), and I suspect most members of religious groups would have no problem agreeing with them. Then comes the call from Gandhi on religion, worship that does not change your life in a real and practical fashion can easily just become a claim that God is on your side - and that leads to dangerous territory indeed.

What do you think? Can you think of anything to add to Gandhi's list?

On Shepherds and Sheep

2007-11-25T16:32:00.000+10:00

My friend Linda has helped me a lot with understanding the shepherds and sheep analogies in the Bible, as she grew up on a sheep ranch - but you can see her blog for that. However, the recent election coverage here recently used the old term "bellwether." Thankfully we still have experts in language studies that can help us unpack words like this.

A wether is a castrated male sheep. Obviously such a sheep would be one of the first to face the chop for meat production, as they have no ability to help grow the herd. However, farmers by observation noticed something interesting: if an adult wether can be convinced to enter a gate, the rest of the flock will follow. Anyone with experience in herding sheep would be happy to find a semi-leadable (or maybe even less flighty) sheep with such an ability - and thus these sheep were belled so they could easily be located by the shepherds and they were called bellwethers.

So often our views of the leadership of the church (and specified ministry in particular) are based on the shepherd-sheep analogy and this really does drive home the privilege and responsibility of ministry, but how would this look different if we thought of ourselves as bellwethers? How would it look different if we saw our role of leadership and developing trust with our congregations as something that still places our welfare within that of the group rather than considering ourselves as an alien from outside? Most importantly, is not our primary aim in ministry to develop our reception of and obedience to the will of God?

What do we expect?

2007-11-12T08:54:00.000+10:00

On Saturday I led a prayer afternoon and evening at my congregation. The question I wished to ask was how our activities would be different if we expected God to be there, and if indeed they could be considered to be as prayer.

So we had a day where we did several different activities, each preceded by a scripture reading and prayer and each followed by a review and prayer. So we did indoor bowls, craft, garden work, cooked together, ate together and sang together.

In order to frame the reflection I looked to what prayer does in our lives, and ran into the thoughts of Richard Foster in "Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home" and the broad structure of the book is based on three foci: Looking inward, looking upward and looking outward. In looking inward we look at the realities of our lives and ask God to make the changes we need in our lives. In looking upward we seek to develop our relationship with God. In looking outwards we seek God's calling to go into the world.

However, I found this model much more appropriate to individualistic rather than community prayer. We are called to be a community in the church, and when we share in prayer I would hope we also grow together as a community. So I would add the focus of looking around.

When we did this, we actually had fun but there was an air of expectation that helped us grow as a community. This made me think about how much the use of words can be used to control the agenda of our prayer lives. Just as sometimes we just need to be with each other, we need to spend time just being with God, and I wonder if we do enough of this as a community.

I'm not sure if this has made any difference in any people's prayer lives, but I did have a person ask me about dismissing the congregation prior to morning tea as it should also be considered as worship.

Life dishes up another lesson

2007-10-26T15:48:00.000+10:00

Today I walked into a circular building I frequent. The stairs for these houses go down the side of the building and have fixed windows recessed into the wall for lighting.

When I walked in I heard a fluttering and saw a Brown Honeyeater (pictured) struggling to escape through the window. As I approached it got more and more frantic, and as it got more and more tired it kept bumping up against the window and falling until it was basically bouncing up and down on the sill of the window.

I was washing my bed linen, so I had a pillowcase handy and was able to capture the weakened bird in its folds. It was amazing, the bird ceased to struggle almost immediately once it was in darkness and its heart rate slowed perceptibly as I carried it to freedom and released it. No animals were harmed in the making of this blog entry.

I cannot help but think we can be a little like this poor bird. We can get ourselves so caught up in the one solution we see for a situation that we just keep butting up against it and tire ourselves with our striving.

Thankfully we have God and each other to release us from any thought that we have to solve everything for ourselves, but I do suspect I am one of those who has to absolutely be exhausted before I'm willing to accept help. One of the great things about having friends and being church is that we have people who look out for us and can help us spot when we're heading for trouble.

What does it mean for the church to specify ministers?

2007-10-07T12:42:00.000+10:00

I have had a few reasons lately to think about where the ministry of the church resides.

The first was when a student I was mentoring told me that God only communicates with ordained people.

The second was at a conference on the diaconate that I attended over the weekend.

At the conference, the thought of a diaconate that exists in a distinct identity from congregational life was critiqued on the basis of a re-examination of scriptural references to diakonia, but I don't really want to draw too much from that.

What makes a person in specified ministry different from a lay person? The answer lies in their specification: the church sets them apart (and may or may not liberate them from their prior employment) to perform ministry on behalf of the church.

But what then separates a deacon that works for the wider community from a person employed by the church to serve? It comes back again to the call to serve. The particularities of the call include a lifetime commitment and the decision to submit to the guidance of the church in both the manner of seeking a placement and the discipline of how it is carried out.

In specifying people, we recognise God's presence and activity in a call. This is a sign of hope to the church in that we recognise the work of God in the person, but we also recognise the work of God in the work of the specified person.

A person who engages in prayer and meditation of the scriptures indeed gains much, but one who does so on behalf of a community is specified. But what would a congregation where a minister was the only one who prayed or studied the scriptures look like? Obviously, this is an unhealthy situation. How does this relate to service?

We are in a church who employ deacons and have developed agencies that perform ministry on our behalf. If we consider relationships to be an important thing in what we do, I feel we have to look seriously at how we articulate congregations and agencies so that we do not artificially divide the worshipping life of the church from its service. If congregations lose the connections to the needs of the real world in their place that the agencies can provide, we lose much of our call to ministry and are asking for a church of ill-health.

Blue Care Sunday is a great idea, but we need to do more than launch a web-page and expect people from within the worshipping community to deliver them. Wouldn't it be great to work on a local worship together - maybe even combining congregations in order to celebrate this important part of our ministry? I have suggested to my minister that we offer a pulpit swap to a neighbouring deacon.

How can a congregation learn to respect and participate in the ministry of the diaconate if they never see a deacon?

I mean no disrespect to deacons or other specified ministries (or candidates from these streams), but would appreciate any comments to develop this conversation further.

A noted change

2007-08-13T00:33:00.000+10:00

I know this is a little late at night, but its time to think this through. Today I had two people remark that there was "something different" about the way I have been leading in worship, and in a good way.

Today's worship in particular had a few changes: I did not wear a tie, instead I wore a wooden cross that has a story of its own, instead of a cardigan or a suit jacket I wore a more contemporary type of jacket and in the end I had a sizable proportion of my aging congregation participating in singing and dancing "Father Abraham" with the four children of the congregation. Just a few changes, and it seemed totally out of step with a challenging message asking the congregation what we have to let go of to follow Christ more fully.

But was it? If I am going to proclaim the challenging message of Christ, how can this be done from a life of half-measures? If the lack of a tie makes the gospel unable to be heard through me, how deaf will we be to the word of God coming through anyone who doesn't fit our narrow definitions? This is not to say that I do not treat my calling with respect, or am unwilling to give the congregation a chance to participate in the shaping of my ministry (and indeed, thus large segments of my identity.) However the leap of faith has to be made, I do this through the call of Christ. If Christ found me worthy to proclaim the gospel to the youth I was comfortable with and to the congregations I used to call home, why did I convince myself that changing my status and receiving training to enhance my ministry would need to make me go back to relearning everything from the beginning again?

Perhaps instead of learning how to be the minister that I envision when I think of the word, I need to start learning how to be the minister that my Lord envisions when he thinks of me.

Am I a radical fundamentalist?

2007-08-10T09:51:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I was having coffee with one of my friends who is an atheist playwright. He says that he is always willing to discuss the big issues about God and life, but all he generally hears from the church is the side issues: homosexuality, ordination of women and the list goes on and on... He stated that he can't get to the basic truths of the faith without working his way through centuries of overlaid tradition.

I cannot say that I have sorted out all of the side issues in my mind, but then again I thankfully have not been in the situations where I have needed to. Yet one things stands out far and above over all others. If fundamental is seen as being that which is at the very basis of something and radical is taking something to its logical extreme, I probably have to plead guilty. For me, the basis of Christianity comes back to something quite simple. If you were able to travel back approximately 2000 years and witness the crucifixion of Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth and convicted blasphemer, what would you see? Do you see the death of a criminal whose claims were treasonous and could be interpreted as being delusional? Or do you see the Son of God dying for humanity on the cross, and interpret the resurrection as the validation of those claims? If your answer is "yes" to the second question, how does this inform your view of God and of humanity, how does it affect the way in which you live your life?

I am aware that this could be seen by some as a diminishment of the role of scripture to merely carrying one little section. Scripture is important for me as it carries that we know about Christ that I may hold most certain and the reflections of a community over centuries about what it means to be in relationship with God. As such, scripture stands at the centre of my meditative, contemplative and proclamatory life. However, I am not willing to stake my faith in Christ on a line-by-line street battle against the tools of modernity. Perhaps I'm making my faith a small target, but this is the rock on which I may stand.

An amazing few days

2007-07-29T23:07:00.000+10:00

This may not be my most coherent post, but this one is as much for me as anything. I've just been lying in bed with thoughts rushing through my head, so lets see how we go.

I am amazed by the places that ministry takes us, the privileged, private places that we are allowed into by the people around us.

The first place I visited was that of a desert, speaking with a lady who has worshipped at the same congregation for 17 years, but still does not feel like she belongs. I can only pray at the moment, there is not only a great need for her to forgive, but also a lot needs to be forgiven.

The other place was that of great celebration. Two of my friends needed to get married in January for visa reasons, but also wished a ceremony for their friends and family. As they did not wish a specifically church wedding, I was able to help them when they asked. In the planning progress, I still was able to keep God as a small part of the service and they graciously allowed me a Bible reading, some short words of advice, and a prayer at the end.

What really surprised me was the lack of pressure. I was not marrying these people (even in a hypothetical where I was acting as a legal celebrant), they were marrying each other, in addition I believe that any gifts given by me are given through Christ. Thus I was merely a facilitator, a friend not only offering to help their day smoothly but also helping them in crafting and giving vows to each other. This was easy, I've sorta got used to going in front of people and saying words of faith. What is not so easy is now realising that I hold a special place in these people's lives by my connection with such a special event. The gifts I have been given have been used and thus passed on, but the glory needs to go to the giver rather than the vessel.

How can we do this better? Perhaps I need to stop thinking of witness in instantaneous terms and think in terms of the opportunity for witness long-term that this has drawn me into.

What makes us happy?

2007-07-27T07:58:00.000+10:00

I was having lunch with a friend who is a playwright, and not a Christian. He remarked on the way that I have become a happier person over the last five or so years, and this has contributed to his theory of the two things people require to be happy:

A clear sense of values and living a life in accordance with it
Having something in life to look forwards to

This is of course my summary of a longer conversation, and may not fully reflect the depth of his thought. When I considered further, I would place the source of my happiness as coming from similar, but distinctly different places.

Being comfortable in your own skin
Having a place in the world

For me, both of these are only available through Christ.

It is through Christ that we have the gift of forgiveness for ourselves and others and, as we were told on Monday, "releasing us from the fear of our history." Our relationship with God both brings us peace and something to live for. What is scary for me is that my place in the world seems to be that of the nomad.

What makes you happy?

It is finished?

2007-07-25T08:14:00.000+10:00

It's been a while since I blogged, but I've been working on my congregation's web page.

Yesterday we had a ministry team retreat and were encouraged to think on God, God's ability to change us and the acceptance of our own humanity.

The final session used (among other things) some writing by the martyred Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador titled "A Future Not Our Own" (You might want to Google it).

When I read this I was reminded of the words of Jesus on the Cross, "It is finished."

This is ridiculous, almost offensive!

Jesus entered his ministry proclaiming the words of Isaiah, yet at the time the one who claimed to be the bringer of that grand proclamation is hung, broken on an instrument of torture. Mission accomplished?

The world moved on, people were still lost, hungering, thirsting, sick and imprisoned.

At that moment, Jesus was mindful of his own humanity. He was in a body, at one moment in time. He had one set of legs, one heart, one mouth, yet Jesus changed the world beyond description. it still is an object of wonder to me that Jesus submitted to death, the ultimate acceptance of humanity. His earthly ministry was finished, but God's work in the world continued, and continues...

Are we humble enough to accept the limitations of our own bodies and situations? This is not a cop out, we are called to be bold and audacious for the gospel. On the other hand, are we like Christ, humble enough to accept that we have only a limited part in God's plans? I will die, but God's plans will live on without me. I can take risks, because God's plan will not stand or fall on my witness. A call to work with diligence, but without fear, is one that is well worth listening to.

A note of caution...

2007-07-17T16:42:00.000+10:00

Sometimes you need a bit of forewarning about where your ideas might take you...

I tried out the children's talk last weekend, but the congregation was only small.

When I was handing the drinks out to the children, one said "Why don't you give a drink to everyone?"

Suddenly even those people who did not like lemonade were asking for an empty glass, or a half one.

Who would think saying a prayer of thanks over a drink and then consuming it together would be so precious?

Ooops, I forgot what eucharist means (prayer of thanks). After our moment together, and me not giving people long enough to reflect, the rest of the service seemed like an anticlimax, like me coming on to sing a solo Rolf Harris medley after a U2 concert.

I wanted people to see the sacred in the everyday, but you can't do that without touching God and being changed.

After all the fun we've had about the use of dealcoholised wine at the Eucharist at college, I wonder what they'd think of lemonade! After all, its not about what we do but the recognition of what God has done and continues to do.

Goodbye minister, mentor and friend

2007-07-14T10:33:00.000+10:00

This morning I have received news that the person originally appointed to be my field education supervisor has passed away after over six months of incapacitating illness. He is part of the reason why I started the blog with its title, as he encouraged me to retain my connections with science as something that gives a particular distinctiveness to my ministry - and to contribute to the diversity of the church.

It is both good news and sad news, and I feel very much for the congregation and his family, but I cannot get past the enormity of the change of attitude towards death we have in Christ.

I feel grief and loss, the absence of a wise man who had contributed so much, and held the potential to contribute more to my formation in ministry.
Yet I cannot get past his gain and legacy, the people he changed and his work that lives on.

I feel pain, the recognition of human existence, the mortality of myself and those I love.
Yet I cannot get past the joy for a friend's life lived in Christ to the end.

I feel the absence of a leader, a man who was sure that Christ leads us on into the world and constantly called us to look for our own signposts.
Yet I cannot get past the fact that he has run his race, and is receiving his reward, but the road leads on for us all. Our work is not yet done, we have our own joys and sorrows to face.

I feel loneliness, never again to meet in this world with a man with a huge capacity and openness for love, and particularly think of those who were most close to him at this time of loss.
Yet I cannot get past the joy of a faithful man who gets to sit at the feet of his master at last.

Goodbye minister, mentor and friend.
See you later, once my own race is run...

Who is my neighbour

2007-07-13T15:44:00.000+10:00

When thinking about who is our neighbour, what came to mind is the current myth of self-sufficiency. I buy my products with my money and it is my right to enjoy them for my own purposes. right?

We still maintain the good habit of thankfulness to God when we say grace, but what does this mean in our disconnected world? And so I came up with my children's address.

I will bring several aluminium cans of lemonade and ask the children about what it means to say grace (They already know about this).

When they say it is giving thanks to God, I will ask if the person who purchased it had served God, and the how about the people who made it.

My working life had been in the aluminium industry, and I will show them my old work uniform and explain to them how thousands of people contributed to making the can. In one can of soft drink we have thousands of neighbours, who have contributed to our lives and us to theirs.

We then will prayerfully drink glasses of lemonade together as we thank God for all the people who helped made it.

Prayerful consumption as a way of recognising neighbourhood in a seemingly disconnected consumerist society? Hmmm, its almost crazy enough to work.

A strange way to answer a question

2007-07-12T20:25:00.000+10:00

This week I have been at a media training course. We were told that whenever we face the media we need to have a clear idea of the message we wish to convey, or the interviewer can dominate the discussion. This may seem a little domineering, but we see similar behaviour in the life of Jesus.

One of this weekend's readings in our church is that of the Good Luke 10:25-37 and I have been preparing my sermon on this for a while.

One of the interesting things I found in this account was the way in which Jesus did not answer the question. Jesus was essentially asked, "Who am I compelled by the law to love?" Jesus' story essentially gave the answer to "Who may act towards you in love?" We have lost the sense of outrage that this story would have caused in the original community. The behaviour of the Priest and the Levite would have been totally understandable, as they were subject to Levitical laws that would not let themselves be made unclean for anyone other than a blood relative. There are historical accounts of Samaritans killing dozens of pilgrims travelling from Galillee to Jerusalem about the time of Jesus, and only a chapter or so earlier we hear the disciples asking Jesus to call down fire and destroy a Samaritan village. Are we ready for the parable of the Good Moslem, or the Good Communist?

One other thing this also brings out for me is the concept of neighbourhood in the unexpected. Are we able to accept charity from those we think of as being lesser than us or threats to us? God's grace and love is universal, there are story after story of unexpected heroes inside or outside of the Hebrew community all through the Old Testament. Even a donkey manages to get a word in! The man dying on a cross in abject loneliness and agony is the saviour of the world! When we go forth to do the work of God in the community, are we ready to accept God working through those we go to serve? Are we too proud to accept the widow's mite so valued by God for the love and sacrifice with it shows? Are we willing to accept the love of the hurt and broken? Are we willing to listen for the word of God through the witness of the young, the frail, or those who we just don't seem to get along with? Perhaps we have to be stunned like the hapless traveller to accept the gifts that God sends us through these people.

Finally, I haver been looking at some writing by Moltmann in "The Crucified God" in preparation for the coming semester and some of his comments on the church are rather pointed and suitable for this meditation:

"The cultic division between the religious and the profane is potentially abolished in faith in the Christ who was profaned by crucifixion. Thus the eucharist, like meals held by Jesus with sinners and publicans', must also be celebrated with the unrighteous, those who have no rights and the godless from the 'highways and hedges' of society, in all their profanity, and should no longer be limited, as religious sacrifice, to those who are members of the same denomination.
The Christian church can re-introduce the divisions between those who are within and those who are without, only at the price of losing its own identity as the church of the crucified Christ" (p 40)

Who is worthy of our love? Only those who are worthy of the love of God... and that distinction has been obliterated by grace.

What's the picture?

2007-07-11T19:35:00.001+10:00

I suppose I'd better do something to explain the picture I have for this page. For those scientifically inclined it is the 3dz2 orbital density plot. It is one of many places of mystery that I found in my studies in chemistry.

For some people, the explanation of things by science can cause a reduction in the level of beauty or wonder in them. For me, the further that I delved into science the more things I found that were full of beauty and wonder. Whether they are the wonderful balances seen in ecology or the absolute perfection seen in the properties of certain chemicals for life, I found they added to rather than removed from my sense of faith. I believe that science and wonder can co-exist, I see no difference in the wonder of God parting the Red Sea by miraculous event or by the extremely coincidental event of a major undersea land collapse occurring at the most absolutely opportune time (as was offered as a debunking of this story by an atheist friend to me last year). What's most important to me is that I don't let petty debates about mechanisms of God's activity either get in the way of approaching the world of science with rationality or, most importantly, from approaching my relationship with God through faith in Christ crucified.

Sometimes God acts in strange ways...

2007-07-11T19:05:00.000+10:00

One of my greatest struggles of going into ministry has been that of worthiness. I have often caught myself struggling to accept I am worthy to lead humans, let alone to serve God. It is often more easy to see what we lack than the gifts we have been given.

To some extent, thinking on the fact that participation in God's plan is an act of grace freely given by God to humanity has corrected this. It is not a matter of our worthiness but God's grace, as I said yesterday.

Then I read one of my scheduled Bible readings for today. It included Acts 16:16-18. In this passage Paul and Silas are harassed by a person possessed, who continually proclaimed their identity. I don't know if any of you have ever worked with those who have diminished mental capacity, but I know from experience how hard it can be to convey a message to the wider community while being enthusiastically and continually interrupted by someone with a limited sense of boundaries. After two days, it would be no wonder that the ministry team would have been more than a little frustrated and annoyed.

In a moment of what seems to me like sheer frustration, Paul casts out the demons in Jesus' name. While it is not one of Paul's greatest moments, it is a moment where Christ was present and active through Paul's ministry. I believe that if Paul was genuinely concerned about this woman on his own basis, he would have done this much earlier. It was not through Paul's love, but through the love of Christ that this woman was healed.

So what does this mean for us in ministry? To me, it shows that Christ is able to do great things with and through people, despite their weakness and even uses a moment of weakness to bring profound change to the life of one of the most disadvanteged in the community. While I don't believe that this means that God does not strengthen us and change us on our walk, it does serve as a reminder of the unconditional love of God for us and the strange ways in which God is free to work in the world. If we get too hung up on our needs to be worthy for ministry, we deny the grace that is inherent in our call.

Into the great unknown...

2007-07-10T18:48:00.000+10:00

Hello, and welcome to my blog. This is a new thing for me, but I'm willing to try it for a while and see how it all works.

I've only put limited information about myself in my profile, but those who know me will know me and it'd be a little too easy to identify me if I speak too much about myself. Hopefully I'll be able to say enough to keep things interesting.

To kick things off and let people get some idea of at least how I think, let's start with a little bit of thought that came out when I was thinking about preaching lately. My supervisor kept telling me that I can only ever preach my own gospel, and this got me thinking. So here's the latest version of the gospel of Bunsen.

God loves us
God calls us
God renews and transform us
God has a future we are blessed to be able to participate and share in.
This is an awesome task;
we cannot do this on our own.
We can only do this through

the Father's unimaginable and immeasurable grace,
the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ,
and the power and gifting of the Holy Spirit.

In this there can be joy and hope with the humility that comes from the acceptance of our own brokenness.

It might not be much, it may not be theologically complete, but it (like me) is a work in progress.