a means of grace

“…HOSPITALITY  is a means of grace. It is an avenue, path, or opening to God’s grace in the world in which we both receive grace and pass it on to others. Means of grace are often very simple acts: eating together, praying together, listening to God’s word, or simply being together in fellowship.

Such concrete experiences become doors that open to the grace that infuses the universe. Hospitality is a way of life infused with grace, a participation in the grace of God all around us, not a set of particular actions or behaviours. Hospitality is more a matter of becoming attuned to grace, and participating in its movement, than it is trying to create a particular atmosphere or situation.

Put this way, hospitality can start to sound ethereal and vague. For hospitality is indeed less than discreet deeds and more of an orientation embedded in the Christian life, a way of being in the world that entails acts of welcome and sustenance, yet is more than those particular acts.

This way of being includes mercy, justice, and recognition. All of these characteristics speak of communities and individuals with a mature spiritual awareness of God’s grace and presence. It may be that the best way to cultivate hospitality is to cultivate a deep awareness of God’s grace and the means that open to it. Only out of that awareness and gratitude can hospitality be genuinely practiced.”

– Amy Oden, And You Welcomed Me: A Sourcebook on Hospitality in Early Christianity

Used in welcome service

Big hat tip to the Missional Church Network for resourcing me with so many lovely quotes!  Now I want to go and read the books - a good thing.

opportunities for learning by listening

I just followed this link over to the Jesus Creed which I'm pleased about - another lecture to listen to!  This time by John Polkinghorne, tackling issues of science and religion.  Possibly won't try listening while ironing this time, but since I'm feeling somewhat grotty it may be a good option.  Due to feeling unwell I've not done much writing but instead am practising its sister art of reading - but listening could be even better.

I meant, in my previous post re. Alister McGrath, to add that if you do enjoy listening to this kind of topic, there are various other audio resources over at the Zacharias Trust.

Another place for audio resources is the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity (LICC).  Type in 'audio downloads' in the search box and it will give you a list of what's available.

Added later:  check out the audio section of bethinking.org for a whole list of possibilities and topics.

Does anyone else know of any audio gems for those times we want to learn but are feeling to eye-weary to read?

unity on a Tuesday

Today sees the start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2011. I'm not sure why it starts on a Tuesday.  Why does it start on a Tuesday?

Anyway (such a useful word).

This is an issue I have long been interested in and even passionate about - although I confess I find words like 'ecumenism' heavy in today's world (I believe the Greek word from which it comes means 'the whole known world' - I'll have to investigate more on that.). I like talking about co-operation, discussion, sharing ideas and sharing resources.

At our church on Sunday evening we had a cafe style discussion evening talking about 'Christians United'.  Most of the time was spent in group discussion, with no shortage of things to say. Many of us had backgrounds which were denominationally diverse, and the overall feeling of the evening was positive, recognising that we are all made in God's likeness and that working together in the name of Christ was a good thing.

Of course there are always things that baffle one group about another. What is highly symbolic in one tradition seems a nonsense to another - the associations simply aren't there. Once explained, we still may not agree, but at least a level of understanding has been reached.

What I believe is so important is a willingness to talk, and keep talking, and to do so in a way that is genuinely loving and constructive. Unfortunately the phrase 'speak the truth in love' has become so well known that sometimes it is used as a get out clause for any behaviour - 'may I speak the truth in love?'  You may, but will you?  Really?

Of course, blogs are great vehicles for such communication - as long as love, respect and humility still apply.

Sometimes there are areas of such firm disagreement that a kind of stalemate is reached and recognised.  Then it's a matter of looking at areas of commonality and finding that tiny chink where you can work together.  You may not feel able to worship together in a church context, but what's stopping you picking up litter and demonstrating a united concern for your community?  It's just one part of our witness to those around us.

Unfortunately sometimes the stalemates lead to visible enmity within Christ's church.  This, I find heartbreaking.  By this I mean actual nastiness, which is totally contrary to our imitating Christ.  There will be frustration and exasperation, as there is in any disagreement - particularly when it comes to interpreting what God wants of us.  Sometimes this will mean walking away from each other and taking a breath.  Sometimes we will feel genuine grief over another's point of view.  We may feel a surge of deep disappointment when we discover their opinion - on something terribly important to us - is the complete opposite to ours.

By no means is it easy, and a willingness to talk openly and lovingly, recognising a mutual desire to do what is pleasing in God's eyes, is essential.  It's also an individual choice, which is where things can get mucky, because for a genuine debate to occur in a healthy framework, there needs to be some mutual agreement as to how we will treat each other when we disagree, what attitude we will choose to embody in those moments.

Perhaps I'll look at some of these aspects in further detail at some point, as I realise I'm skipping about as I introduce the topic.

Some of these are thoughts that arose out of our discussion, some are my own.  But they don't truly explain my interest in the issue. For that, I'll have to tell you a little about my personal journey within the Christian church...watch this space for more thoughts on Christian unity this week.

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The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns

 

Richard Stearns is the President of World Vision US. In ‘The Hole in Our Gospel’ he tells his own story of faith and of the journey from being a corporate CEO of a luxury tableware company to President of World Vision. Together with this, and out of it, the book looks at the terrible needs in the world today, the disparity of rich and poor, and what the church is (or not) doing about it.

An excellent balance of personal testimony, world statistics and examining what it means to live a gospel without a hole in it makes for a potentially life changing book. Much of what Stearns says resonates with my own thoughts and growing determination that world-changing is necessary – and indeed expected of those of us who have been given much. Because we have been given much. The difference between a wealthy Western church and a struggling congregation in the developing world is vast – too vast.

Stearns looks at passages which have been dwelling on my heart lately – the parable of the sheep and the goats, the trees bearing good fruit – passages which show us that to be followers of Jesus means to act differently in our world – to actively engage in issues of poverty and injustice. And on the whole, the Western church is failing. (Stearns is particularly addressing American churches in his book, but the principles carry to the rest of us too.)

What kind of world would we have if we acted on the words of Jesus? What kind of life could be given to those in extreme poverty if the Christians of the world decided to give it their all (which is what they’ve always been called to do.) My post yesterday talked about the problems of safe drinking water. Do you realise that we can eliminate this problem if we worked together to do so – if we all lived the whole gospel, in our actions and words and giving? This book provokes a sense of shame – a healthy one. Stearns outlines what is needed for change, and shows that it is within easy reach. And yet we choose not to act. It doesn’t even occur to us we are not doing enough.

We’ve made the Christian gospel about a ‘one ticket to salvation’ faith. And that is a gospel with a gaping hole in it. It is so much bigger, brighter, better, more compassionate, fuller, more intensely-world-changing than we have made it.

We are indeed saved by faith – but we are saved for works. ‘Show me your faith without works!’ said James in his letter (it’s in the New Testament). The two were never meant to be separated. True faith works – works to change the world. Stearns talks about becoming ‘radioactive’ – absorbing gospel ‘radiation’ until that day it all clicks. We can no longer ignore the call to a whole gospel. We go radioactive.

It’s impossible to encapsulate all the information in this book. These are just some of the thoughts that have come out of my reading it.

Read it.

Go radioactive.







I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

plumbing the depths

Shortly after I wrote my last post, the book I had chosen as my next to review from Thomas Nelson arrived.  I am just over a third of the way through, and will probably not get to post my proper review until the new year, but I wanted to share some personal thoughts.  It takes a month for these books to get to me, but this one arrived at exactly the right time.  It is The Liturgical Year: the spiraling adventure of spiritual life, by Joan Chittister.

Curling up with this book gives me a strange sense of peace.  So many of the sentences and paragraphs trigger a whole host of related thoughts in my head, turning them over and pondering the import of them, enjoying reflecting on a deeper level.  of course, the Liturgical Year as it is called, the Christian year, begins with Advent.  So for me to start reading it now is very apt.  I needed some deeper reflection on the things of faith, related to the times of pause and celebration.

'Life is not meant to be escaped, we learn, as the liturgical year moves from season to season,' she says at one point. 'It is meant to be penetrated, to be plumbed to its depths, to be tasted and savored and bring us to realise that the God who created us is with us yet' (p60).

This idea of immersing oneself in the rhythm of the Jesus life finds a reverberation in my heart I did not know was there.  I am desperate to embrace a more reflective way of living, of finding the pause, of not mistaking distraction for fulfilment, or as Joan Chittister puts it, not racing 'over the top of [life],satiating ourselves with the obvious, unmindful of its depths. We become stale of soul.'

In this Advent season, this book has helped me begin to think and reflect deeply once more - always something I have had a tendency towards, but easily crushed and squeezed out by life's inanities, distractions and quick-fixes.  I look forward to reading the rest of the book.

Bernard and the mystery rabbit

Went to the CRE (Christian Resources Exhibition) on Wednesday. Was quite nice to go somewhere different for the day. Didn't come back with loads of things (probably to the relief of our bank account). I was somewhat grumpy because there is a company which sells beads which was originally supposed to be there and I couldn't find it anywhere. Had to buy a guide for £3 which listed the stalls by theme, but it wasn't listed. Then I promptly lost the guide (found it later at home in Andy's rucksack - neither of us can remember putting it there!) I went to a Saltmine play in the afternoon, which was over rest stop 2, but I figured that since I was missing rest stop 2 anyway I may as well be sitting and watching something than wandering around tiring myself. Had to try and stop myself sinking underneath my chair with exhaustion in the middle. Began to perk up towards the end and enjoy myself. But being towards the end, it then ended. Duh.

Just before we left we randomly decided to purchase two rabbit glove puppets. One each - Andy has called his Bernard but I'm still trying to think of a name for the female counterpart...any ideas?!

Bernard and .....??

It's quite interesting taking photos of two glove puppets with no one else on hand. Tried propping them up on a chair but they slumped. In the end, Bernard had to hold Insert Name Here while I took the photo.

Wednesday: 5/10, medium
Thursday: 5/10, medium - low
Friday: 6/10, low
Today: 5/10 medium - low