Hope

Many people are searching for something. Something bigger/outside/more powerful than themselves. This search is undertaken to find this other and normally ends up finding something in ourselves. Our god looks like us, suits our needs and does what we want how we want it done.

Where is the hope in that?
If God does things like me, or I am part of god in a universal way then I am doomed. I can not even control my thoughts sometimes. I worry, stress, think I am better than I am, think I am worse than I am and everything in between. My hope cannot come from within me.

My hope comes from a personal God. God, who cares so deeply about having a relationship with me that he came in the flesh to show me the way to engage with others and with God. Jesus Christ lived out the way to follow God and showed us how to have relationship. He died as a criminal for this. By the power of God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus was raised from the dead declaring that God has the power over death. I have hope that through this act of a personal and caring God I have life now and forever.
This kind of hope is not a wish or a prayer but a solid hope that I can depend on.
Hope for all is a possibility when it is found in Christ and not us.

Grace

Grace cannot be defined

Cannot be fully described

Cannot be comprehended

We only know Grace through stories,
Changed and transformed lives touched by Grace

Personal Stories of God giving Grace where none is earned.
Stories of friends that are different.


The ultimate story where Grace is lived out is the Story of God. God; The giver, sustainer and source of Grace.
His Story of Creation, action, and sacrifice that culminates in the comings, goings and returning of Jesus Christ.
Like a vortex all things past, present and to come are pulled together in the life of Christ.

It is through this story we see Grace given fully. Words, actions and thoughts lived out to show us a Grace-filled life.

It is this life we are continually invited into. A life filled with stories that demonstrate Grace found in the context of God’s story. We are drawn to share in this life.

It is only because of God’s story that we can say” God’s Grace is enough”.

Open Source Church

I find myself thinking more about how God is working in the world at large. The way in which we can see the Spirit moving in different areas and how we can engage in these areas as God’s children.

This past week I was thinking about open source software. For those who do not know what I am talking about refer to this open source site.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source_software .

When looking at the idea of having an open, collaborative, and public way of operating I can only look at the potential for the church. There are those at the moment that are looking at how they can ‘do’ church and many models are there for exploration. Traditional, emergent, community based, denomination based and many others that look at the church in many different ways. I find the more I look into the differences of these structures, theologies and practices I see God who is creative. God who asks us to accept his grace, found in Christ, in the state we find ourselves and respond in a way that engages our personalities, experiences, context and abilities. The issue comes when our way of responding becomes the only/best way to do so. We find those that do things different to us are wrong. This goes both ways. When the ‘traditionalist’ says to the ‘emergent’ that is different therefore it is wrong and when the ‘emergent’ says to the ‘traditionalist’ that is not different therefore it is wrong. Why instead of having an us-them mentality, which to me in the church sounds really, really bad, do we not have open source approach? What do different people/groups in the kingdom do really well? How can we get them to help us de-bug the system? Who are the beta testers we can call on? What do we do really well that can help others in the kingdom?

This is a very wide view of the possibilities for the church. What if we used this idea in local centers? Inter-church and intra-church.
Different congregations discussing ideas, changing ‘applications’, enhancing basic operating systems and much more to enrich the church within local contexts.
What about different people in a local church being free to input into the different facets of the church in a way that is different. Acknowledging that people come from different places and are able to enhance and test things that may be daunting to some. Open source church would be very chaotic. New, exciting things happening that sometimes need a lot of de-bugging. Old, boring things being enhanced by someone who can see things differently. Life together would be more engaging, freeing and the church would be the better for it.

Spiritual Genetic Modification

This is a response that I made to someone asking about what it means to be a new creation refering to 2 Corinthians 5:17. The idea is not mine but I have expanded the origional thought.

I think that the metaphor that you have used to describe this new creation is a good one. Spiritual genetic modification. Our physical does not change, although we wish it did, and many things about us stay the same. So how does this new creation work?

When we join in the life of Jesus we are caught up in the relationship of God, the trinity. By his Spirit we are made new and now able to join in the unique relationship of God. Jesus’ life was the ultimate model of how this new life is lived out and we are to attempt the same. We will never be Jesus, the unique son of God, but we are adopted into this life. (Paul????) We do not see how this works out initially though. We might feel different on occasion but we in ourselves do not see us as a new creation when we look in the mirror.

Taking your metaphor further we could say that it is only when the situation arises that the modification shows its usefulness.
Look at the frost fighting tomato. It looks like a normal one but the modification to help produce a natural anti-freeze shows up when a frost hits and the tomato survives. Like this our new creation and connection with God shows up when the season appears. When we live our normal lives it can be hard for us and others to see this creation but when the right season comes we see the work of this modification. The peace, compassion, justice, humility and other characteristics of God are given to us by the Sprit of Christ. After a few ‘seasons’ of seeing the modification our lives show the change more and more, for us and, more importantly, others to see.

We are changed in a way that we cannot see but can acknowledge. Look back over your life and you will see the change in effect. The changed attitude or kind-er words spoken. The Grace to enter into this relationship is one that we are to give to others. This is the new creation. To live like others in a world that changes and asks us to respond. The difference is that we respond out of what we have been given. Grace given to us to enter into the relationship of God and grace to introduce others to Christ. The Spirit guides and prompts us to live this way and to show the new creation we have.

Ask before consuming

When visiting always ask before saying yes to coffee. “Is it instant or
plunger?” This might save face while sipping.
“We have always had our coffee like this…we tried the other stuff but didn’t like it”, is a common response. Much like coffee is the realm of theology. We all drink coffee
(same belief in Christ) but the cup it is poured in to (practice) and the
process it goes through (method) looks different. We all still drink coffee(the analogy loses somthing here with those who do not enjoy a strong cup). In the past this would have bothered me but I now do not mind if people drink bad, wrong, weak, instant, different coffee.

Put Your Claws Away

I have a perfect body, death defying courage, unlimited determination, the ability to re-generate, bones that have had an alloy bonded to them and metal claws that come out to fight whatever I want to fight!!! That’s right…I’m a Christian!!!(Except for the obvious lack of claws and bonded alloy.)

You may be laughing, as I am, at the thought of linking a picture of a Christian with that of Wolverine (a mutant tough guy in a recent movie…for those uninitiated). But let us take a moment to look at they way this could work.

1. Both Wolverine and the Christian are right. No matter who tries to turn them in the right direction the stand that they both take is 'right'. Whether it is fighting for revenge or a strongly held, possibly debatable, ‘truth’ both seem to be hell bent on getting to the place where they are right.

2. Both Wolverine and the Christian are ready to fight when the wrong word is said. Like a good Canadian Ice Hockey player Wolverine is ready to drop his gloves and duke it out with anyone who looks at him funny. Similarly the Christian is ready to defend themselves, their belief, their church and other ‘theirs’ whenever a probing question is in ear shot.

3. Both Wolverine and the Christian are vulnerable but allowing anyone else to see that is bad. Both are to be strong, composed, and tough whenever they walk around so that people see who they are. Build up the reputation that ‘you don’t want to mess with me.’

I realize that this is total over generalization of Christian’s and I probably have done an injustice to you as you read this. I know that I have done an injustice to Wolverine…for that I apologize more.

BUT


Just think about the way we are showing ourselves as Christians. Are we the ones that are standing against the world with our spiritual alloy bonded claws out ready for a fight that we know we will win because we are ‘right’? Can people even get close enough to see the softer side? Do you have a softer side?

Silvia Park Christianity

I live down the road from Silvia Park Mall. Quite a good place to be. 3 minutes walk from anything I need to get. A choice of 2 Supermarkets, the Warehouse extra, loads of retail stores for clothing, computer stores, and many others. Beside that a section of the mall that has a choice of fast food places in a food court, an entertainment area that houses restaurants, cafes, a book store and a huge cinema. Anything that I could want or need I can get in just a simple walk. If I had to, I think it would be possible to live there.

I personally enjoy mag nation the best. I get good coffee, free wi-fi, and can read from one of the many mag titles they have without buying one. How good is that? All I have to do is walk in, order what I want, read what I want and look at what I want.

I got thinking about this and the same attitude that I have to malls sometimes creeps into my thinking about church. If I can get a coffee, turn up when I want, and get all that I want then I'll keep coming back. It is sad to see that churches have brought into this idea. We now program for peoples wants, provide things that keep people coming back, and ask nothing in return except maybe buy a coffee. All we are missing is free wi-fi.

But lets take a look at this. I believe that churches should be attractive. People that are not tied in should want to come back without committing. But what should they be attracted to? The programs we offer, the entertainment they get? I believe that we should be living in such a way that people come back because of the authentic relationships we have with each other. The challenge is to have this as the main focus rather than having a good face. Yes we do need to reach out to the community and having things that people will come to will draw people in. The key is to have relationships that keep people coming back. This can only come from the same Spirit that we have in Christ. If people are only there because of the coffee or the children's program then what is to stop them from going somewhere else when better coffee or programs are offered?

It is a challenge that we face. To be relevant, attractional, and still strong in relationship building. If we are not deep in our relationships then people only stay until it suits them. We need to be willing for our churches to be different to malls and offer something that people can commit to and are linked into. A challenge for all of us.