Marcus Curnow
Trying to explore alternative worship forms that engage, challenge and deepen the dominant culture rather than just buy into it or feed off it.
Good art should both communicate and challenge. Like a parable of Christ liturgy should warm our hearts with the familiar, respect tradition, but also cut through our sensiblities and defences to take us on a journey into new realms and possiblities. This is liturgical risk.
Art is not nice. -- Bertolt Brecht
PEOPLE have been THINKING too long that ART is a privilege of the MUSEUMS & the RICH. ART IS NOT BUSINESS! It does not belong to banks & fancy investors ART IS FOOD. You cant EAT it BUT it FEEDS you. ART has to be CHEAP & available to EVERYBODY. It needs to be EVERYWHERE Because it is the INSIDE of the WORLD. ART SOOTHES PAIN! Art wakes up sleepers! ART FIGHTS AGAINST WAR AND STUPIDITY! ART SINGS HALLELUJAH! ART IS FOR KITCHENS! ART IS LIKE GOOD BREAD! Art is like green trees! Art is like white clouds in blue sky! ART IS CHEAP! HURRAH! (The Why Cheap Art Manifesto, Bread and Puppet Theatre, Vermont, 1984)
"We too often forget that faith is a matter of questioning and struggle before it becomes one of certitude and peace. You have to doubt and reject everything else in order to believe firmly in Christ, and after you have begun to believe, your faith itself must be tested and purified. Christianity is not merely a set of forgone conclusions. Faith tends to be defeated by the burning presence of God in mystery, and seeks refuge from him, flying to comfortable social forms and safe convictions in which purification is no longer an inner battle but a matter of outward gesture." - Thomas Merton
Scholars have taken the dynamite of the church, have wrapped it up in nice phraseology, placed it in a hermetic container and sat on the lid. It's about time to blow the lid off. -Peter Maurin, Easy Essays
Living the liturgical day as much as we are able, beginning with prime, using the missal, ending the day with compline and so going through the liturgical year we find that it is now not us, but Christ in us, who is working to combat injustice and oppression. - Dorothy Day
Now if we want to know when there's a crime wave of civil disobedience coming, we consult the liturgical calendar.—Oakland County Sheriffs Deputy joking to a reporter, Advent 1983
What are you Waiting For: Advent 07
December 17, 2007
WRUW4? ADVENT 07
What are you Waiting For?
words, story, music and interactive stations for Christmas alterntatives
While you Wait !
WELCOME...to this reflective space curated by Seeds for Advent 2007. Seeds describes the types of conversation, relational connections, and commitments that have emerged out of the life of Urban Seed, which began as an ecumenical ministry of hospitality, education and advocacy in the heart of Melbourne.
Seeds now finds expression in groups of people who seek to Know the Word , Grow Home and Go Engage in various neighbourhoods around Victoria.
We value worship that is participatory, supportive of creativity, not afraid of questions and connected to the realities of our lives.
INSTRUCTIONS
This reflective space takes the form of an Advent wreath. As such it involves five stations that are based around the traditional Advent candle themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, Love, and Christ. After introductory readings at each station you will be invited to interact with the space.
You can move to all the stations , or stay at one. You are welcome to use the time to simply sit quietly and listen to the music. If the communion (the ritualized meal used to remember and participate in Christ’s death) at the central ‘Christ’ station is not according to your tradition or belief there is no expectation or obligation to participate but all are welcome to do so whatever your understanding.
Please respect the silence of other people.
Once the music stops a Closing ritual will be said marking the end of our gathering. Tea and coffee will be served in another room but feel free to remain and reflect in this space if you wish.
OPENING RITUAL
We acknowledge that we gather on the land of which the people have been custodians from time immemorial. We honour this history and commit ourselves to care for the land with them. May our worship and our service be work for reconciliation with people and with our God.
(We say together…)Jesus, light of the world, we confess that you are here. Shine your light into the hidden places of our lives, and bring warmth to the cold places of our hearts. Amen. (silence while a candle is lit)
ADVENT IS….
The four Sunday Period before Christmas Day. It marks the start of the Christian year and is traditionally used by the church around the world to reflect on the coming of Christ. Advent– means ‘To reach for’, ‘to arrive” - and has to do with waiting, hopeful expectation and looking forward. Advent is the time Christians look forward—to celebrating the birth of Christ and also, ultimately, to the return of Christ.
AUSTRALIAN ADVENT WREATH
One of the traditions of the Christian church leading up to Christmas is that of the Advent Wreath. Its origins are found pre-Christian Germanic peoples who gathered wreaths of evergreen and lighted fires as signs of hope in a coming spring and renewed light . The church adapted the tradition of lighting a candle in the wreath each Advent Sunday in order to reflect upon this aspect of the meaning of Christmas and the coming of the “Light of the World”
Annette Buckley from the Seeds: city mob said in 2006;
As I looked at Advent Wreath last year, it struck me that it was very ‘Northern Hemisphere’. The coming of light in the darkness is very appropriate when you are going into midwinter, and the days are getting shorter. But here in this part of Australia, I thought it would be good to think of Advent in terms of what we long and hope for most at this time of year – water! From a cool drink to a drenching summer storm, to protection from bushfires, water is, for me, the symbol of what we most need at this time of year.
In our land. we have a strange relationship with water.
Most of us, or our forebears, came across the sea to live here. Sent by the powers that be, or setting out with hope for a better future, or fleeing in desperation to escape tyranny – water has been a boundary to cross to get to the promised land or to separate us forever from home.
Most of us cling to the edges of our vast continent, our settlement dictated by where water could be found, for a long time defining ourselves as beach-loving bronzed ANZACS, or gritty denizens of The Bush, eking out a living at the mercy of droughts and flooding rains.
Sometimes, there is too much of the stuff. The Wet brings drenching rains to the north – creeks and rivers calm and tame for much of the time become wild and treacherous. Even in the cities, flash floods occasionally sweep away our carefully built notions that we are masters of our destiny.
But here in this part of the world at this time, we need water. We quiver on the brink of the bushfire season, knowing that much of our state is tinder-dry. We see the images of cracked, dusty farmlands, of almost empty reservoirs, of country towns shipping water in. And we wait, and wait, and wait…………for rain.
And so instead of lighting Advent candles, we pour water.
WAITING FOR HOPE
The Ancient Western church devised a rhythmic cycle for the celebration of Christ’s incarnation of which the centre was the time of Advent. By fasting and abstaining from public festivities, Christians were to prepare for the holy day by being drawn into the sense of longing for Messiah’s coming felt by generations of God’s people.
Hear this hope in the vision of the ancient Hebrew prophet:
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.
3You have multiplied the nation,
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder.
4For the yoke of their burden,
and the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5For all the boots of the tramping warriors
and all the garments rolled in blood
shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
6For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9:2-7
We wait as Israel waited. stranded, scattered, exiled, shamed.
Wait with the poor and captive, wait with the lost and lamed.
God we wait as prisoners wait for words to set them free.
For glimpses of your kingdom in the midst of the debris. We wait like weary travellers, sitting at the station.
Not knowing if our train of thought is hope or expectation.
This Advent time we wait, and hope, that just as God was found on earth,
so all that we’ve been longing for and waiting for shall come to birth.
Adapted by Marcus Curnow from Brenda Stone. (Ciytside Baptist, Auckland)
Wreath Pouring
As we pour the water for our Advent wreath we remember our deep thirst for hope.
Hope which revives us like that first icy cold drink of water gulped down from the fridge when you’ve trudged home from school on a 36 degree day.
Hope which transforms us, like drought-breaking rain on parched land.
Hope which carries us forward in its mystery, as the endless waves which connect us to the rest of the world.
Reflection/ Action:
Sit at the tram stop and consider what it is you hope for most this Christmas time. How do you find the hope you need to live?
What is the difference between maintaining high hope and imposing unrealistic or burdensome expectations upon yourself and others?
Graffiti your hopes, prayers or questions on the tram stop
WAITING FOR PEACE
We know the story God, the shepherds and the angels say ‘Peace on Earth’. But on the news tonight another bomb and lying words to mask the blame. While on the street and in our homes voices are raised in hate—a bottle smashed, the glint of knives. We want to help, but in the treadmill of our days there is not even time to calm the noise inside our heads. May the “Prince of Peace” draw near to us so that we may draw near to one another.
A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
2The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
4but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
6The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them. I
Isaiah 11:1-6
Wreath Pouring
As we pour the water for our Advent wreath we remember our deep thirst for peace:
The peace of a long soak in a hot tub after a hard day’s work.
The peace of steam rising around a home saved by the sweat and sacrifice of a community of firefighters and their supporters.
The peace of a spring mountain stream fed by the long anticipated thaw of winter snow.
Peace as deep and mysterious and teeming with life as the vast oceans.
Reflection/Action:
The lyric of Sinead O’Connor’s song “Jeremiah (Something Beautiful) speaks of someone needing to “steal” or “set free” a bible from a church on a ‘chronic Christmas Eve.’ Upon reading the thief receives the lament of God received by the prophet about settling for a false or superficial peace.
In what ways do you experience peace.? In what ways does the personal, social or global peace you have settled for remain superficial? What would it take for you to experience peace more deeply this Christmas?
Consider images of the Credo Cross, an icon of the Seeds:city mob and the work of Urban Seed. It has often been taken to public events as a instrument of peace. Where could you put your own body as an instrument of peace?
Light a candle for peace amidst the barbed wire. Read the poem by Catholic Peace activist , Rose Marie Berger or the prayer of St. Francis.
WAITING FOR JOY
Joy to the World! The EFTPOS handset beeps among the tinsel, lights and shoppers shoulder-jostling, purchasing the Ghost of Christmas Past. In an environment where the right gifts at the right prices means that we can “Give like Santa and Save like Scrooge”, what are you waiting for? Why wait at all, when you can have it all now!
In a fast-food world, we have become so eager to get to Christmas that we bypass Advent. Fasting is replaced by feasting at endless Christmas parties. Waiting is replaced by instant gratification. Rather than savouring the plaintive mood of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” we immediately want to hear a robust version of “Joy to the World, the Lord is Come!”
Any sense of heart-felt joyous celebration is easily diminished.
By the time Christmas Day actually comes we are exhausted. Forget the twelve days of Christmas and Epiphany. By Boxing Day we are done, packed up and off to the beach.
Can we truly sing ‘Joy to the World” unless we wait? Unless like God’s ancient people we have thoroughly rehearsed “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.?”
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus 2it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
‘Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.’
5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,*
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8A highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it,*
but it shall be for God’s people;*
no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.
9No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
10And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Isaiah 35
In vain we seek the Christmas spirit lurking in a cup of punch, the parties and the smell of pine. True Christmas Joy is found packaged in swaddling rags and held within the gaze of two new parents marvelling at the life new born before them. How often joy enters our lives when we least expect it. In the midst of sorrow , or pain, or everydayness, joy may suddenly come to us. This Advent, whatever our circumstances, let there be moments of true joy as we embrace the presence of Christ in our World.
Wreath Pouring
As we pour the water for our Advent wreath we remember our deep thirst for joy.
Joy which soaks into us and makes our world stand still, like a sudden summer downpour.
Joy which makes our soul dance like kids under a sprinkler on the lawn.
Joy which becomes the centre of our life with others like the water boiling in the kettle for a cup of coffee with friends.
Reflection/ Action:
What is it that brings you joy?
Decorate the Christmas tree as an expression of joy and what it is you are waiting for this Christmas.
Consider giving that creates true joy for poor communities around the world through TEAR Australia’s “Arguably The Worlds Most Useful Gift Catalogue.”
WAITING FOR LOVE
For God so loves the world God comes to us.
Sleeping Bag by Steve Collins
Jesus is in the sleeping bag
Stopping over
He comes around any time he likes
Right time, wrong time
He don't mind
Foxes have holes, birds have nests
But the son of man has the sofa
He’s poking around the fridge
Which needs defrosting
Old sins stuck in the icebox
Fruit gone bad
Leftovers still left over
He throws them out
I guess I should clean up but I never get much warning
It’s embarrassing
But I’d still rather he came
We sit up late talking
Where we’ve been
And where we’re going next
He’s already bought the tickets
All I have to do is get time off work
Goodnight rustle in the corner
The room feels warmer
with him in it.
Christmas is the miracle of God’s love made flesh among us.
The message of Christmas is God’s great love for the world. This Advent let us make room for unsettling arrival of God’s love, in our hearts, in our homes, in our relationships together. Immanuel shall come and dwell with us….even if it means crashing on the couch...or in a manger.
Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
15The Lord has taken away the judgements against you,
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall fear disaster no more.
16On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
17The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing
18 as on a day of festival.
I will remove disaster from you,
so that you will not bear reproach for it.
19I will deal with all your oppressors
at that time.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.
Zephaniah 3:14-19
Wreath Pouring
As we pour the water for our Advent wreath we remember our deep thirst for love.
A tsunami wave of love, overpowering, all-enveloping, overwhelming, sweeping all up before it and changing the landscape forever.
Love which has the patience to seep into us, one drop at a time over aeons, forming stalagmites of beauty in the darkest places.
Love which holds us with the silent ethereal mystery of mist on a mountain top
Action / Reflection:
As you wait in the lounge space take time to recognise that you are loved and are surrounded by the love that created the universe. Consider the theme of love as you view Advent in Art Cards on the Coffee table.
What are you waiting for?
Write an Advent in Art Card to someone who needs to know this love this Christmas.
WAITING FOR CHRIST, WAITING TO LIVE, WAITING TO DIE, WAITING TO RISE. WAITING FOR. . .
What are you waiting for?:
An Advent reflection by Kate Allen and Marcus Curnow (Urban Seed, 2005)
It was the first week of Advent 2005. I was living as part of the Urban Seed residential community in the heart of central Melbourne.
I attended the Amnesty International Candlelight Vigil at the Alexandra Gardens for the condemned Australian Van Nguyen. Having acted as a drug mule in order to pay the debts of his brother, he had been captured and sentenced to death in Singapore. Over three years the case had sparked the usual polarised debate about the death penalty. Having exhausted official appeals and in spite of pleas for clemency, he was to be executed the next morning by the Singaporean Government.
I carried with me to the vigil a heavy wooden cross. The Credo Cross was built by a member of our community the day we heard that one of our close friends, a key volunteer at our open lunch for disadvantaged people, had been found dead from a drug overdose in a laneway close to our home. As most from our households gathered and mourned in silence that day, all that could be heard from our apartments was the sound of banging from the fire escape as the commemorative cross was constructed..
(hammer on cross)
Since that time, it has become an icon for our community, a symbol to cling to, a trusted companion when the pain of the world falls upon us like a hammer. We use it regularly during our prayers and worship gatherings, at weddings and at funerals. We take it with us when we attend the various protests and vigils that regularly take place in the centre of the city.
And so it was with me this night. I held it for Van. The vigil was quiet but moving. We lit our candles and made our prayers for a stay of execution and for the life and souls of the condemned, the condemners and ourselves. At its conclusion I headed home.
Carrying the cross upon my shoulder, I was walking past Flinders Street Station when a group of people carrying a video camera thrust a microphone in my face.
“What does Christmas mean to you?” they asked
I supposed that they must have been Christians, looking for “vox pop” responses, perhaps for some sort of Christmas presentation.
.
“What does Christmas mean to you?”
“Well…” I started, a little surprised by the interruption. (It can be hard to think on your feet, especially when you’re carrying a cross through a crowded city!)
“You might notice I’m carrying a cross.” I continued…. “You see, I am a Christian and it is because of this that I’ve been to the vigil for Van Nguyen, who is to be executed tomorrow.”
I spoke of my opposition to the death penalty. I spoke of how Jesus was also victim of a state execution but that through his example of nonviolent love he showed a way of life that triumphs over death. That this demonstrated that sometimes power could be weak and that what seems weak can be the most powerful force in the world. “And so”, I concluded, “I guess I believe in a world of grace, not the cold, hard, hand of the law.”
“Errr OK!”…..the interviewer looked a little confused. “That’s good; but what would you say Christmas means to you?”
There we both stood.
Waiting…
Me, with a cross upon my shoulder, waiting for him to comprehend.
Him, with a camera on his, waiting for an answer he wanted to hear.
Waiting…
It’s Advent again…..what are you waiting for?
Wreath Pouring
As we complete our watery Advent wreath , we remember Jesus, who said he was the living water for which we would thirst no more.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
4Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Psalm 23
Action / Reflection
You are invited to eat bread and drink the water from the manger, the place where God made flesh was laid.
We use water for our common cup because of its inclusivity. It makes up 70% of each of our bodies. We each need it. It is used as a symbol if life and death throughout the Hebrew/Christian scriptures.
Bread and water also reminds us of the staple rations of many who are imprisoned around the world.
Remember those who are imprisoned or on death row, waiting for a pardon or waiting to die.
Read the Amnesty international Literature and offer a prayer.
The Eucharist remembers the connection of life and death. Through his ordeal Van Nguyen reconnected with the Catholic faith of his childhood. He walked unbound to his execution, with confidence in the resurrection reciting the 23rd Psalm.
Those who would seek to “Put Christ back into X-mas” fail to understand the incarnation. Christ comes to us whether we like it or not, whether we recognise it or not. So often how Christ comes to us; What Christ offers us and our world comes as a surprise, subverting our expectation.
At his birth, in life, at his last meal, at his death and resurrection Jesus comes to us as the answer we least expect., challenging what we thought we were waiting for.
Eat and drink in this mystery.
Peace on Earth: U2
Album: All That You Cant Leave Behind, 2000
Heaven on Earth, we need it now
I'm sick of all of this hanging around
Sick of sorrow, sick of the pain
I'm sick of hearing again and again
That there's gonna be peace on Earth
Where I grew up there weren't many trees
Where there was we'd tear them down
And use them on our enemies
They say that what you mock
Will surely overtake you
And you become a monster
So the monster will not break you
And it's already gone too far
You say that if you go in hard
You won't get hurt
Jesus can you take the time
To throw a drowning man a line
Peace on Earth
Tell the ones who hear no sound
Whose sons are living in the ground
Peace on Earth
No whos or whys
No one cries like a mother cries
For peace on Earth
She never got to say goodbye
To see the colour in his eyes
Now he's in the dirt
Peace on Earth
They're reading names out over the radio
All the folks the rest of us won't get to know
Sean and Julia, Gareth, Ann, and Breda
Their lives are bigger than any big idea
Jesus and the song you wrote
The words are sticking in my throat
Peace on Earth
Hear it every Christmas time
But hope and history won't rhyme
So what's it worth
This peace on Earth
Written about the Real IRA Omagh bombing in Northern Ireland in 1998. The song lists the names of people killed. Similarly, inspiration for the lyric, "She never got to say goodbye / To see the colour in his eye / Now he's in the dirt" comes from the funeral of James Barker. The Irish Times quoted his mother as stating, "I never realised how green his eyes were."
Jeremiah (Something Beautiful) : Sinead O’Connor,
Album: Theology, Dublin Session, 2007
I wanna make
Something beautiful
For you and from you
To show you
To show you
I adore you
Oh you
And your journey
Toward me
Which I see
And I see
All you push through
Mad for you
And because of you
I couldn't thank you in ten thousand years
If I cried ten thousand rivers of tears
Ah but you know the soul and you know what makes it gold
You who give life through blood
Oh I wanna make something
So lovely for you
'Cus I promised that's what I'd do for you
With the bible I stole
I know you forgave my soul
Because such was my need on a chronic Christmas Eve
And I think we're agreed that it should have been free
And you sang to me
They dress the wounds of my poor people
As though they're nothing
Saying "peace, peace"
When there's no peace (2x)
Now can a bride forget her jewels?
Or a maid her ornaments?
Yet my people forgotten me
Days without number
Days without number
And in their want
Oh in there want
And in their want
Who'll dress their wounds?
Who'll dress their wounds?
" Theology is an attempt to create a place of peace in a time of war. It is my own personal response to what has taken and is affecting everyone around the world since and including September 11, 2001. I want to be very clear - there is no message. No preaching. Nothing deep and meaningful the artist wants to say, nothing trouble making. I simply wanted to make a beautiful thing, out of something beautiful, which inspires me."
Sinead O’Connor
That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!: Sufjan Stevens
Songs for Christmas Vol 3., Ding! Dong! 2005
Going outside
Shoveling snow in the driveway
Driveway
Taking our shoes
Riding a sled down the hill side
Hill side
Can you say what you want
Can you say what you want to be
Can you be what you want
Can you be what you are
Our father yells
Throwing the gifts in the wood stove
Wood stove
My sister runs away
Taking her books to the school yard
School yard
In time the snow will rise
In time the snow will rise
In time the Lord will rise
In time the Lord will rise
Silent night
Holy night
Silent night
Nothing feels right
True Love Waits: Radiohead
Live Album: I Might be Wrong, 1991
I'll drown my beliefs
To have you be in peace
I'll dress like your niece
To wash your swollen feet
Just don't leave
Don't leave
I'm not living
I'm just killing time
Your tiny hands
Your crazy kitten smile
And true love waits
In haunted attics
And true love lives
On lollipops and crisps
In an interview about this song Thom Yorke suggested the image of "dressing like your niece" means to give up the ego & all the masks we put on in order to love. The reference to "lollipops & crisps" refers to a story in the UK where a young boys parents left him alone in the house for a week & that is what he survived on. It depicts the lover as entirely dependant upon finding scraps & small ways to hang on until the caregiver comes back.
The Rebel Jesus: Jackson Browne
Album: The Bell’s of Dublin, Chieftans
All the streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants' windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
Will be gathering around the hearths and tables
Giving thanks for God's graces
And the birth of the rebel Jesus
Well they call him by 'the Prince of Peace'
And they call him by 'the Savior'
And they pray to him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavor
And they fill his churches with their pride and gold
As their faith in him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worship in
From a temple to a robber's den
In the words of the rebel Jesus
We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why there are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus
But pardon me if I have seemed
To take the tone of judgement
For I've no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In a life of hardship and of earthly toil
We have need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure
And I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus
CLOSING RITUAL
Come and be born in us
Jesus of Bethlehem and Nazareth and Calvary
We are expecting you tonight
Come and be born in us.
Jesus of the manger and inn
Workshop and temple
Lakeside and the city
Fireside and the roadside
We are expecting you tonight
Come and be born in us.
Jesus of Mary and Joseph
Shepherds and angels
Children and animals
Fishermen and priests
women and men disciples
Taxcollectors and prostitutes
Of all who will receive you
We are expecting you tonight
Come and be born in us.
Look and see
We have brought our bread and wine
to be your body for us.
Look and see
We have brought our flesh and blood
to be your body for you
Look and see
The same spirit which lived in your flesh
Is living in your people here
Look at us and let us look at you
And see you now
We are expecting you tonight
Come and be born in us
Doug Gay (Late Late Service)
Curated by Marcus Curnow. Seeds Footscray at Footscray Baptist Church and for Seeds Bendigo, Advent 2007.
Much of the Hope, Peace, Joy, Love reflections have been based on a candle lighting liturgy put together by Brenda Stone of Cityside Baptist, NZ. Obtained from Mark Pierson's Fractals Worship Resource.
Posted by marcus at 11:58 AM | Comments (0)
Brianna's Wedding
October 28, 2007
Ex-Urban Seed ressie Bri Noonan marries Damian Peck. The main visual image of the wedding was rose petals....so I set up some projectors with powerpoint images of rose petals on slow fade type animation. It was one of those modern blank/ bare/ big stage/ performance space oriented church buildings that I often think dont work well for weddings. The images were an attempt to have a BIG visual fill up the vacuous church space. Complemented well I thought with the boquets and the rose petals strew over the dark carpet down the aisle and on stage. Congrats Bri and Damian!
Posted by marcus at 02:08 AM | Comments (0)
Loopholes in Love (Good Samaritan)
October 15, 2007
WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?: Looking for Loopholes in Love
Signposts on the Journey from Jerusalem to Jericho
TEAR AUSTRALIA Victorian Gathering
5-7th October 2007
Looking for Loopholes in Love, Concept originally developed by
and curated by Mark Pierson for World Vision Australia at Montsalvat, Victoria, October 5, 2006
WELCOME...to this mornings worship curated by Seeds for the TEAR Gathering...
Seeds describes the types of conversation, relational connections, and commitments that have emerged out of the life of Urban Seed, a ministry of hospitality, education and advocacy in the heart of Melbourne.
Seeds now finds expression in groups of people who seek to Know the Word , Grow Home and Go Engage in various neighbourhoods around Victoria.
We value worship that is participatory, supportive of creativity, not afraid of questions and connected to the realities of our lives.
INSTRUCTIONS
Around the property there are 11 different stations. They are located inside buildings and outside. You are free to move around the area over the next 60 minutes and to interact with the stations as you wish.
You can move to all the stations marked by the signposts, or stay at one. You are welcome to use the time to sit quietly here and watch images and text on the screen or to wander around the property.
Please respect the silence of other people. If you wish socialize please do it away from the stations.
"Come on Up to the House" by Tom Waits will play again at 9.55am and a Benediction will be said in this space should you wish to return, after which the morning session will begin.
Opening ritual
We acknowledge that we gather on the land of which the Jajowurrong (or Djadja Wurrung) people have been custodians from time immemorial. We honour this history and commit ourselves to care for the land with them. May our worship and our service be work for reconciliation with people and with our God.
(We say together…)Jesus, light of the world, we confess that you are here. Shine your light into the hidden places of our lives, and bring warmth to the cold places of our hearts. Amen. (silence while a candle is lit)
‘Well the moon is broken, And the sky is cracked,
The only things that you can see, Is all that you lack,
Come on up to the house’ - Tom Waits
1. MY WORD from Luke 10:25
Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. "Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?"
26He answered, "What's written in God's Law? How do you interpret it?"
27He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself."
28"Good answer!" said Jesus. "Do it and you'll live."
29Looking for a loophole, he asked, "And just how would you define 'neighbor'?"
30-32Jesus answered by telling a story. "There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.
33-35"A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man's condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back.'
36"What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?"
37"The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar responded.
Jesus said, "Go and do the same." The Message
As you re-read the text notice what words or phrase stands out for you. Write or organise the word/s on the whiteboards and ask God to show what they may mean for you.
My word/s ...... Gods word for me.......
2. ROBBED!
People can be robbed of much more than material goods...Time, love, attention, trust, acceptance...
Do you feel like you have been robbed of anything? Who by?
Have you robbed someone else of something?
Can you forgive your ‘robber’?
Can you forgive yourself?
Forgiveness can rarely be of human making, and is rarely a single event or moment. What would you like from the ‘innkeeper’ as you continue on your journey through life?
Jesus welcomes all of us and every part of us to join him at the Table.
Jesus was at a meal with his close friends, and in the same way that he had taken the bread they were eating he also took what they were drinking and said, ‘This is my lifeblood. It represents the new life I’m making possible for you when you have a relationship with God.’ Drink and encounter the healing and renewing presence of Christ in your life and for your journey.
(fill up a cup from the water container...)
When you have emptied your cup fill it with potting mix and plant a seed. Water it from your water bottle. Take this away with you and nurture it to life as a reminder to nurture your own life on your journey toward wholeness.
3. DITCHED BY GOD?
What if you are the person in the ditch, and God is the “Good Samaritan?”
In the story the ‘enemy’ brings life to the person left for dead. The person who cannot help herself, who has nothing to lose, who can’t even refuse help, is saved by someone usually scorned and derided. Perhaps, at different times, you see God as your ‘enemy’ and as your rescuer?
In what ways, if any, do you see God as your enemy?
In what ways would you like God to be your rescuer?
What ditch are you lying in?
Jesus did not come to rescue the healed...he came for the broken, offering to get in the ditch with us, and making us the promise of being put into a right relationship with God.
“On the night before he was to be deserted by everyone around him, Jesus was at a meal with his close friends, and he took the bread they were eating, gave thanks for it and broke it saying, ‘This is my body given for you. Eat it and remember what I can do for you.’
Break and eat bread and allow the unexpected mercy of God into your life, even as you are in you ‘ditch’. Know that there is the promise of the presence of the Christ with you wherever you are in life and however you feel toward God.
4. NEWS-LINE
To ask ‘Who is my neighbour?’ is to ask ‘Who can I exclude?’ ‘Who can I leave out?’ ‘Who am I not responsible for?’ Examples of exclusion and inclusion surround us every day.
Tear out any newspaper article, heading, picture or text that sums up a plea from someone who needs a neighbour. Someone who is excluded in some way.
Hang it on the line.
Read what others have chosen.
Can you act as neighbour in any of these situations? Can you include someone who would otherwise be excluded? Pray for those who can; pray that someone will.
5. NEIGHBOUR-ED
Reflect on a recent situation where someone ‘became a neighbour’ or acted as a neighbour to you, or to someone close to you. How does this feel? Were you surprised? Why, or why not?
How did you respond? Could you or should you have acted differently?
Do you find it easier to be a neighbour or to be ‘neighboured’?
‘In the Kingdom of God mercy is always a surprise.’
Psalm 141 says, ‘God, come close. Come quickly! Open your ears— it’s my voice you’re hearing! Threat my prayer as sweet incense rising; my raised hands are my evening prayers.’
Drop a few grains of incense into the bowl as a symbol of your prayer of gratitude or confession.
6. BAND-AID
The point of Jesus’ interaction with the lawyer was to have him see that , ‘Who is my neighbour?’ is the wrong question. The right question is ‘ Who sees me as their neighbour?’ In other words, ‘Who needs me to be a neighbour to them?’ Who needs me to show mercy, compassion, understanding, acceptance, practical help toward their situation? The initiative comes from the need, not my response.
Are you aware of a person or situation that needs your merciful neighbourly response? Maybe you need that from someone else? Could you use a neighbour at the moment? How will you seek one out?
Take a Band-Aid and write or draw on it with a pen that person or circumstance.
Attach the Band-Aid to the person in the ditch as a symbol of your prayer for, and your commitment to being a neighbour.
7. TEAR
What reasons may the Samaritan have paid the innkeeper to care? For what reasons might you give time or money to TEAR or be an inn keeper, paid to care?
TEAR is committed to serving those in desperate need, prioritising people over money or structures. How do you feel when corrupt officials, warlords or racist bureaucrats stop that happening? What about the failings of TEAR or Australia generally. What keeps you going?
The story Jesus told isn't about doing good works, or following a good example. It’s a story about doing what is right because it is right. It’s about identifying with the loser and sacrificing your best for the lost , the least, the little and the almost dead (Robert Farrar Capon’s litany). It’s about losing your life and somehow in doing that, according to Jesus, finding the meaning of your life.
How do you feel about these tensions and stuggles? Take a copy of the picture and colour it in using colours that represent the emotions evoked in you. When you have finished, nail your picture to the cross.
8. MELTING AT THE CROSS ROADS
There is no reason given in the story to think that the Levite and the Priest were morally corrupt, or self- centred, or too busy to notice what was going on. They were probably good, respectable people. They saw the situation, but were caught between their duty to the people they served, and to the victim. They knew if they touched the injured man they would not be able to carry out their own scheduled duties of service to others in temple worship. They would be considered ‘unclean’.
I don't think the story is about putting the Samaritan’s response above those of the Priest or Levite. It’s about getting the lawyer to understand that his view of ‘neighbour’ was too simplistic and narrow. Too black and white. Jesus doesn't condemn anyone’s choice.
Service, community development, being a neighbour, offering love can’t be defined with words; they are worked out in the messy, compromising, risky reality of difficult and often conflicting choices.
Do you feel pulled in this way in your personal life or work circumstances?
How do you maintain you integrity? How do you ‘love yourself” in these situations?
Take an ice cross in your hand and walk or sit with the discomfort of the cold and wet melt. Talk to God about the impossibility of the situations you face. Remember the similarly difficult choice God faced with Jesus and the cross. Know that you are not condemned by God for your choices. At some point let the cross fall from your hand and walk away.
9. LOVE ME?....LOVE ME NOT?.....
Look over the faces on the wall. Write on the wall your reaction to any of the people that you want to, or your prayer for them.
10. IDENTIFICATION
The main characters in the story are—Jesus, The lawyer, The victim, The robbers, The priest, The Levite, The Samaritan, The Innkeeper.
What do you identify most with?
Do you know why this is?
Is this identification something you are happy with or wish was different?
What location would you place yourself at in the story?
Using the materials make a ‘stick figure’ avatar to represent you. Place that figure in the sand at the place you currently see yourself in the story.
Then light a stick of incense and place it where you would like to be.
11. BRAINS AND BRAWN
“Love the Lord you God with all your passion, and prayer, and intelligence and muscle...Do this and you will live. “
Passion Heart
Prayer Soul
Intelligence Mind
Muscle Strength
What do you think you’re strongest in?
What do you think could use some strengthening?
They’re probably meant to be taken together as an expression of a wholehearted and whole of life commitment to loving and following God rather than broken down and analysed.
Use the paint to draw, or leave your handprint on the plinth as an indication of your desire to follow God with all of your being and in every area of your life as best as you are able.
BENEDICTION
God of the journey, you are always calling us to follow you into the future, inviting us to new ventures, new challenges, new ways to care, new ways to touch the hearts of all. When we are fearful of the unknown, give us courage. When we worry that we are not up to the task, remind us that you would not call us if you did not believe us. (Unknown)
You are God’s servants, gifted with dreams and visions
Upon you rests the grace of God Like flames of fire,
Love and serve the Lord in the strength of the spirit.
May the deep peace of Christ be with you,
The strong arms of God sustain you and the power of the Holy Spirit strengthen you in every way.
(Dianne Karay Tripp)
Posted by marcus at 12:19 AM | Comments (0)
Xavier's Baptism/ Dedication
September 12, 2007
Liturgy for Xaviers Dedication at Dancing Dog Cafe in Footscray which kicked off our Sunday Seeds Gatherings in partnership with Footscray baptist. Due acknowledgement to kester for the circles idea and lots of good words.
Dedication of Xavier Patrick Lacey
Opening Ritual
We acknowledge that we gather on the land of which the Wurundjeri people have been custodians from time immemorial. We honour this history and commit ourselves to care for the land with them. May our worship and our service be work for reconciliation with people and with our God.
(We say together…) Jesus, light of the world, we confess that you are here. Shine your light into the hidden places of our lives, and bring warmth to the cold places of our hearts. Amen.
(silence while a candle is lit. This candle is Xavier’s Baptism Candle used earlier today at hisCatholic Baptism Ceremony. )
Call to Worship
In the name of God, the giver of life, who creates and loves us all, we have gathered to celebrate the gift of Xavier, born into the world;
given to us to love, to nurture and to enjoy.
Within this gathering we embody the different influences that will impact his life: Parents, Godparents, family, friends, community.
Concentric circles, overlapping, radiating and expanding,
Focused on a God who’s centre is everywhere and circumference nowhere.
Every perimeter is simultaneously a boundary that protects the treasure inside, and a border we are encouraged to cross. So as we gather to give thanks for his coming life, we will be focusing on each circle in turn: ever expanding our boundary in the hope that Xavier’s’ vision will be wide, and his centre true.
Gathering Song
________________________________________
Gathered here in the mystery of the hour
Gathered here in one strong body
Gathered here in the struggle and the power
Spirit draw near
Prayer of Confession/Forgiveness
Psalm 131
My heart is not proud, O Lord
My eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
Or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quietened my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Put your hope in the Lord
both now and for evermore.
Knowing the Word
What happened this morning? : Katherine
Why Seeds? : Chris
Seeds Prayer of Promise
Chris and Katherine: God our holy community of gracious hospitality, in the midst of our homelessness you extend us an invitation to Grow Home.
Holding up the packet of Seeds and bowl
Help us to raise Xavier to know and to grow a rich sense of home. Let us teach him the danger of wealth and the freedom of economic sharing. May the poor always be with him. Teach him the power and beauty of his body; fidelity with your wild creativity and respect for the sacred connections of your Spirit, our bodies and all creation. Teach him how to eat ‘slow’ so that his eyes may be opened to your presence through the breaking of bread. Guide him in his use of power, teaching him the art of mutual submission. Grant us courage to teach him what laws to break and how to give of ourselves with the same passion with which you lived and died.
Lord hear us.
All: Lord hear our prayer
Dave: May we Know the Word.
Holding up the Bible
May we raise Xavier to know the stories of a God who re-creates a fallen world, not just ancient words on a page but the living Spirit of Christ among us. May your story choose him. Teach him how to choose his stories and story his choices; how to spin a life giving yarn and to listen for your voice in silence and Sabbath rest. Teach him to meditate and pray so that he may experience your love and cling to hope in the midst of failure, suffering and adversity.
Lord hear us.
All: Lord hear our prayer
Kylie : May we Go Engage.
Holding up the bottle of oil (symbol of healing)
May we raise Xavier with the confidence to engage our troubled world. To speak truth to the powers and to each of us. To name and cast out that which is evil in our world and within, through militant nonviolence. Teach him the arts of hospitality, mercy and forgiveness. Teach him how to negotiate the streets and danger by teaching him every community safety trick you know and having done this, when and how to risk it all for the sake of love. Teach him the good work of love as the only true measure of success. And because each of us will fail him, in the midst of our brokenness, may he know and share your healing power; your gracious hospitality to us. (Kylie marks sign of the cross upon Xavier’s forehead with the oil)
Lord hear us
Lord hear our prayer
May we teach him all this but also not forget to learn from him, because the economy of God belongs to such as these.
Amen
Dedication :
Circle 1 : Chris and Katherine come to the centre with Xavier, and light their candles from the main candle.
God our Creator,
Thank you for the waiting and the joy,
Thank you for new life and for parenthood,
Thank you for the gift of Xavier,
Entrusted to our care.
May we be patient and understanding,
Ready to guide and forgive,
That in our love Xavier may know your love.
May he learn to love your world
And the whole family of your children
Through Christ our life,
Circle 2 : The Godparents come to the centre and have their candles lit by Katherine and Chris
God who gave up all to become a baby, a child, a man
Help us be wise guides as Xavier begins his journey back to you
As his world grows, may we:
Walk with him,
Inspire him,
Protect him,
Encourage him,
Correct him,
Trust him
Release him
Circle 3 Everyone
Parents and Godparents now go out to light the candles of everyone else starting with immediate family (who may assist!)
Marcus: It is the responsibility of all of us to ensure that not only Xavier, but all the children we know are encircled with love and helped to understand where they are from and to whom they belong. It is also our responsibility to gently expose them overtime to the other stories, place and cultures that make up our cities, nations and world.
So I ask you all:
Will you welcome Xavier to this community? We will.
Will you support his parents as best you can as they bring him up? We will.
And for all the children gathered, will you always try to widen their vision and deepen their understanding? We will.
Blessing for Xavier: Marcus
Xavier, We welcome to our Seedy mob! For you Jesus Christ has come and has lived; life in all its fullness. For you he endured the agony of Gethsemane and the darkness of the cross; for you he has uttered the cry, ‘It is accomplished!’ For you, he has triumphed over death; for you he prays at God’s right hand; all for you, little child, even though you do not know it.
The blessing of the God of Sarah and of Abraham
The blessing of the Son, born of Mary,
The blessing of the Spirit, who broods over us
As a mother over her children
Be with you now and for ever
Amen.
Responses:
(Song: I Want to Be Ready: Ben Harper)
Candle Prayers: place your lit candle in the sand tray as a prayer for Xavier.
Communion: help yourself to water/bread.
Oil and white robe: write your name in the white linen circles and or mark yourself with healing oil.
Offerings: for the work of Seeds in Footscray can be left in the urn.
Community Notices
The Servant Song
________________________________________
Brother, Sister let me serve you
Let me be as Christ to you
Pray that I may have the grace to
Let you be my servant too.
We are travellers on a journey
And companions on the road
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load
I will weep when you are weeping
When you laugh Ill laugh with you
I will share you joy and sorrow
Till weve seen this journey through.
I shall hold the Christ light for you
In the night time of your fear
I will hold my hand out to you
Speak the peace you long to hear
When we sing to God in heaven
We shall find such harmony
Born of all we’ve known together
Of Christ’s love and agony.
Benediction…
we say to each other…
You are God’s servants, gifted with dreams and visions
Upon you rests the grace of God like flames of fire.
Love and serve the Lord in the strength of the Spirit.
May the deep peace of Christ be with you,
The strong arms of God sustain you,
And the power of the Holy Spirit strengthen you in every way.
Amen. (Dianne Karray Tripp)
Posted by marcus at 02:07 PM | Comments (0)
Surrender Faces
August 05, 2007
Used this as the worship/response/sending out to Shane Claibourne's message at the Surrender Conference at Belgrave Heights Convention Centre last weekend. Thanks to Christop for printing all the images. To Dave and Gemma and Talitha for helping set up and Stella for singing the song. It was great having the images hanging around the conference space during the whole event.
Reflection
The face is a powerful symbol for reflection.
Shane Claibourne tells a story of a power point presentation of faces he once used as a response to a talk about scandalous grace. Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch “like me” and the faces came up with the text “like me” , “like me”, “like me”. The faces included that of Timothy McVeigh the man executed for the Oaklahoma bombing.....
In the later service the same message, the same presentation but the face of McVeigh had been removed.
Tonight the faces that hang in the space act as a symbol of our-selves and our world. The face is your face, the face is the face of your friends and family, the face of your enemy, the face of the poor and forgotten...the face of Christ. Who do you see when you look into the face of another?
Tonight’s response is shaped by the generous invitation of Jesus to those who would seek to follow his example of engaging a broken world through preaching, healing and casting out evil.
Teach me Jesus.
What “word of truth’ does this conference make you want to proclaim. What is the word of “good news” from tonight for yourself or for others. Using the chalk write this word upon a face as a prayer.
Heal me Jesus.
Consider that which is broken and hurting within you and those you would seek to serve. As a symbol of healing use the bandaids to write the name of a person or an issue that requires healing.
Free me Jesus
Consider the evil in our world that binds, divides and entrenches separation from God and God’s justice.
Take the tin snips and cut a piece of the wire that covers the face as a symbol of your desire to cast out that which is evil within your own life and within our world.
Take it with you as a reminder of the chain breaking freedom that exists in the way of Jesus.
Thuma Mina(South African: Take Me) ________________________________________
Thuma mina , Thuma mina
Thuma mina , Somandla
Send me Jesus, Send me Jesus,
Send me Jesus, Send me Lord.
Teach me Jesus, Teach me Jesus,
Teach me Jesus, Teach me Lord.
Heal me Jesus, Heal me Jesus,
Heal me Jesus, Heal me Lord.
Free me Jesus, Free me Jesus,
Free me Jesus, Free me Lord.
Thuma mina....
Shane Claibourne, Simon Moyle, Gemma and Simon Reeves....
Posted by marcus at 10:17 PM | Comments (0)
Mealtime Liturgy for Seedy Mobs
July 13, 2007
The Seeds Meal
Central to the emergence of the Seeds Covenant has been the spirituality of the table. It is the gathered meal that often unites our efforts in knowing the word, growing home and going to engage the problems of our world. Some queries from our covenant point to the table.
How regularly will we come together around a common meal?
Who will be invited and made to feel welcome at the meal?
How will our meal reflect the Eucharist as practiced through history?
How will our meal reflect peace, justice and joy by making reconciling connections with God, others and the earth?
What practical processes and symbolic rituals around production and consumption of our food will shape the spirit of the meal and build a sense of home? (Who’s cooking and who’s doing the dishes? How and why?)
The following is an attempt to make our spirituality of the table more explicit and to make some of the words and processes we have found helpful more accessible. To celebrate and share different food traditions that exist among our Seedy Mobs and to inspire new production and consumption.
Some of the values of these meals take their cues from the “Slow Food” Movement which arose in Italy as a response to the negative impact of multinational food companies and is spreading around the world – slowly!
Slow Food opposes the standardisation of taste, protects cultural identity tied to food and seeks to safeguard processing techniques inherited from tradition. It involves valuing time to prepare, eat and build community through food.
It is sometimes critiqued as being an elite pursuit, however Jesus himself would often seek out the best feed in town! Far from extravagant eating, Slow Food is about the celebration of the connections that food can make with sustainable production and local food traditions that are often lost in our economy.
Slow Food has helped reframe our understanding of what it means to be “church” because If we read the gospels without getting hungry we aren’t really paying attention. The how, what, where and with whom Jesus eats is a central point of gospel conflict and ”understanding about the loaves” (Mark 6:52) is presented as essential to understanding Jesus’ ministry of recon-ciliation.
This ministry is symbolised in the offer of wilderness bread and of his body and blood in the Eucharist. Our prayer is that like the followers at Emmaus, it would be in the offer of hospitality to strangers, and at the breaking of bread that our eyes will be opened and that Christ may be made known among us.
Possible Elements of a Seeds Menu
Welcome
Grace
Confession
Eucharist Prayers
Know the Word : Sharing Story
Concerns/Prayers for Others
Benediction
BELLS Menu
(Mike Frost / Small Boat Big Sea)
Blessing
Eat
Listen to each other
Listen to the gospel
Sending Out
The Welcome
1. A Listening Welcome
Hear the cry and promise of Jesus who said ;
“Listen, I stand at the door and knock: if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you and you with me.”
In the gift of Jesus and through the presence of his Spirit, we have tasted God’s gracious hospitality to us. And so we extend this grace to each other…
(Each person names the person seated beside them saying….
Welcome to this table in the name of Christ.
Reply: Amen. (expressions of personal feelings or acknowledgement of what people bring to the table may also be offered.)
(adapted from Tablelife, Oxford)
2. Setting Place for the Unseen Christ.
This may involve a simple setting of an empty place at the table. It may involve the lighting the Christ Candle (see below) or Prayer for Placing the Seeds Covenant Symbols which includes a bowl.
3. Lighting of the Christ Candle
We acknowledge that we gather on the land of which the (insert) people have been custodians from time immemorial. We honour this history and commit ourselves to care for the land with them. May our worship and our service be work for reconciliation with people and with our God.
(We say together…)
Jesus light of the world we confess that you are here. Shine your light in to the hidden places of our lives and bring warmth to the dark places of our hearts. Amen.
A time of silence is held during and/or after the candle has been lit.
Grace
Neil’s Grace
(a long term volunteer at Urban Seed’s Credo Café and example of gentle humility and service.)
Heavenly Father we thank you for……………..
May we always be grateful for your provision and may we always be mindful of the needs of others. Amen
Marcus’s Grace
(used at Credo Café 2004)
Take a moment to become aware of your body and your senses.
The smell of the food prepared for you, your salivating mouth, your growling stomach. Become aware of your hunger.
The hunger we bring to this table is not for bread alone but for a sharing with others and our Creator.
No matter who we are at this table, no matter our difference, we are united by our hunger.
We give thanks for our bodies, this bread and that some of what we long for will soon be satisfied.
We remember those whose hunger will not be satisfied this day.
May this food give us the energy we need to work for a world without hunger.
Amen
Eucharist Prayers.
1. Explanation of Water.
At our Seeds Gatherings we use water as our Eucharist cup because of its inclusivity. Water is common and essential to all and does not divide those of us who struggle with alcohol or with watered down grape juice.
As communion serves to remind us of Jesus, using water serves also as a reminder that our city was established here because it was a place for good water.
It reminds us that indigenous peoples often showed settlers how to find the water we needed to survive and that these sources were sometimes poisoned in response.
Bread and water.remind us of the rations of those who are imprisioned and in detention.
It reminds us of the climate change, drought and the constant reality of a culture for whom water is scarce.
It reminds us of Jesus words that he was “Living Water” who would forever quench our thirst.
“To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the river of life.”
2. Prayer for Water.
Eternal God,
We thank you for the gift of water, Essential for life; cause of death; and metaphor for both.
A symbol of your Spirit’s transformative activity within our lives and creation.
Raging water which Jesus our Saviour crossed and subdued,
Still waters to which you guide us.
In the beginning you brooded over the waters
Bringing order from chaos and birth to creation.
The waters of the great flood brought a judgement of evil
and floated an ark of hope and salvation.
Through their baptism in the Red Sea,
you led your people to freedom and drowned the powers that enslaved us.
Water flowed from the rock of Moses,
Sustaining us in the desert.
You directed us through the River Jordan
Guiding us to abundance in a Promised Land.
Within that same river, Jesus was baptised by John and anointed by the Spirit.
With the water of our own baptism we remember our participation in your story
Water and blood flowed from the side of your wounded body at your death
Your sacrifice for our sin and a broken creation
As we share this meal may we continue be born anew of water and the Spirit,
Raise us to new life in Christ, and strengthen us to serve you in the world, until that day when you make all things new.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Adapted from Uniting in Worship baptism liturgy for Communion at Seeds Gatherings, Melbourne, 2005)
3. Tablelife Eucharist (Tablelife, Oxford)
Bread and wine are placed on the table
While they were at the table Jesus took a loaf of bread and after giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying “Take; this is my body”. Then he took a cup of wine, and gave it to them. “This is my blood – which is poured out for many.”
Thank you God that ordinary things can become special when placed in your hands. Thank you that that which is broken may be made whole, and that which is given is not wasted.
In the silence we think about things in ourselves and in the world that we would like to change
Bread is passed around
Be grateful when you touch bread
Let it not lie uncared for, unwanted.
There is so much beauty in bread;
Beauty of sun and soil, beauty of patient toil.
Winds and rain have caressed it.
Christ often blessed it.
Be grateful when you touch bread
We eat bread together
Wine is poured
Be loving when you drink wine-
Let its colour, life and joy be appreciated.
There is so much beauty in this wine
Beauty of self-giving, beauty of forgiving
Winds and rain have caressed it.
Christ often blessed it.
Be loving when you drink wine.
We drink the wine and say together…
Thank you God, for love, for food, and for friends to share it with.
4. Freedom Bound: A Tale of Two Meals
(adapted from Ched Myers’ address at Greenbelt, 2005. Each person could read a sentence around the table.)
• As we eat this day we remember Passover and Eucharist.
• The foundational meals that gave birth to our people.
• Meals that commemorate the journey of faith. “Which make a way out of no way.”
• The Exodus march and the discipleship path.
• Last meals of memory for communities on the run, hunted by the powers of empire.
• Meals that acknowledge blood (of the Lamb), as the power of life over death.
• Meals for a people “Freedom bound.”
• Where the Exodus reminds us we are “Bound for Freedom”; Eucharist reminds us we are bound to the freedom struggle and its cost.
• That God’s freedom calls us to self- restraint, servanthood and justice for all.
• It reminds us that the “first supper” for a free people was wilderness manna where we are reminded our freedom is contingent upon gathering only enough and sharing the gifts of creation.
• Jesus re-enacted this story when, surrounded by hungry masses, he “took bread, blessed it, broke it and distributed it” among the people.
• Using the same ritual words at his Last Supper he made the feeding of the multitudes the bridge that connects these two meals.
• Standing ever between Exodus and Eucharist are poor folks hungering for bread and for the Bread of Life.
• And Jesus’ word to disciples remains: “You feed them!”
• The tale of these two meals is God’s extraordinary invitation to turn the world right side up, coming in the form of the most ordinary thing we do: sharing food together around a table.
• Let us not imagine these meals as a religious entitle-ment, or empty ritual, or for strictly private spirituality.
• Rather, when we take this Bread and lift this Cup, let us understand that we are part of a legacy that invites our embrace. For we, too, are part of the ongoing struggle to take back the Freedom story from empire-builders and profiteers, and to restore it among Kingdom-seekers and prophets.
• Upon these two memorial feasts, we can confidently stake our lives, our aspirations, our vocations.
• On a faithful practice of meal and memory we can rebuild a church that will truly be Freedom Bound, so that the history of liberation may also have a future.
5.
During 2000 and at the height of the heroin crisis the Urban Seed residential community at Central House, Melbourne experienced great struggle hanging its own relationships together.
Peter Chapman of Common Life suggested we share communion as it had a unique power to unite beyond words. Communion was shared weekly where we served each other using the words.
The body of Christ broken for you and all creation. The blood of Christ shed for you and all creation.
A simple Taize style chant was also sung such as:
Jesus Christ, bread of life, those who trust is you will not hunger. Jesus Christ, Living Word, those who trust in you shall not thirst.
Eat this bread drink this cup, Come to me and never be hungry. Eat this bread, drink this cup, Come to me and you will have new life.
At night we hasten in darkenss to drink from the Living Water. Only our thirst drives us onwards. Only our thirst drives us on.
Confession
Jesus said “When you have supper, do not invite just your friends, or relatives, or those who are wealthy, but rather invite the poor and the marginalized.”
We confess to God the ways in which we have not been inclusive and welcoming in the past week.
For our blindness to the needs of others, and our preoccupation with our own agenda
Lord, have Mercy
For our failure to pay attention to the still small voice in our lives
Christ, have Mercy
For our life choices since our last meal which have not contributed to greater love and justice in the world.
Spirit, have Mercy.
Affirmation
The prophet Isaiah writes: On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare for all peoples a feast of rich food, a banquet of well-aged wines – the best of meats and the finest of wines. God will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; God will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces, and take away the disgrace of the people from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. In that day they will say
This is our God; the one in whom we trusted, the one who saved us. This is the Lord for whom we waited, let us rejoice and be glad.
(Adapted from Tablelife, Oxford)
Know the Word
Sharing time
Each person shares with the group (one item at a time around the table.)
*Good things that have happened in the past week
*Challenges of the past week
*How they believe they have lived as a Christian disciple, according to their personal covenant with God.
(Used in meals by Central House ressies 2006 initiated by Ali Turnbull, obtained from Richard Arnold, Brunswick Uniting Church.)
Offering our past week to God in Confession
From the unsteady heights of our own importance, we sometimes look down on the frailty of others
O God, we offer you our pride; replace it with humility.
At other times we feel that we are nothing and that most other people are more successful and capable than we are.
O God, we offer you our feelings of inferiority; make us realistic and honest in our estimation of ourselves.
Sometimes what we profess sounds good but what we practice doesn’t match up. We are not always the people we make out to be.
O God, we offer you our hypocrisy; help us to be open and sincere.
There is much more that we could confess, both personally and publicly. It is not our acts of confession which maintain us as God’s people, but the mercy and grace of God on which we are entirely dependent.
O God, we offer ourselves to you. We give you only what we are. Whilst we are sorry for our failings, we are grateful for your abundant grace. Amen
The Assurance of forgiveness
The heart of God through Jesus Christ is moved in love. There is no end to the new life which God offers to us. We are forgiven and can live in freedom. Thanks be to God
(Used in meals by Central Houseressies 2006 initiated by Ali Turnbull, obtained from Richard Arnold, Brunswick Uniting Church.)
Benediction
we say to each other…
You are God’s servants, gifted with dreams and visions
Upon you rests the grace of God like flames of fire.
Love and serve the Lord in the strength of the Spirit.
May the deep peace of Christ be with you, the strong arms of God sustain you,
And the power of the Holy Spirit strengthen you in every way.
Amen.
Dianne Karray Tripp
Seeds Symbols Prayer
(This prayer takes some of the key aspects of the Seeds Covenant.)
Holding up the packet of Seeds
Holy community of gracious hospitality, in the midst of our homelessness you extend us an invitation to Grow Home.
We thankyou for your invitation to join the vocation of those who through the ages have vowed to grow new households of love.
Set us free to share our wealth and may the poor always be with us. May we live in fidelity with your wild creative power respecting the sacred connections between your Spirit our bodies and all creation. May we only be obedient power. Grace us with mutual submission. Give us courage to give of ourselves with the same passion with which you lived and died.
Lord hear us.
All: Lord hear our prayer
Holding up the Bible
May we Know the Word. Not ancient words on a page but the living Spirit of Christ among us. Guide us in our speech at this table, choosing our stories and storying our choices. May this table be rich in story give us strength to raise our voice and to discipline to listen for yours.
Lord hear us.
All: Lord hear our prayer
Holding up the Credo Cafe bowl
May we Eat Slow. Make us mindful of all that has been given and received in the process of production and consumption. ( At this point mention could be made about different elements of the meal and what is known of their process of production). May this meal reconcile us with God, creation and others. May our eyes be opened to your presence through the breaking of the bread and may our eating bear witness to the meal to come, to which all are invited and where there is enough for all.
Lord hear us.
All: Lord hear our prayer
Holding up the bottle of oil
May we leave this table energised to Go and Engage our world. To speak truth to the powers and to each other; to name and cast out that which is evil in our world and within; and in the midst of our brokenness may we know and share your healing power; your gracious hospitality to us.
Lord hear us.
All: Lord hear our prayer
Amen.
Posted by marcus at 12:59 AM | Comments (1)
SYG Sacred Space 07
June 12, 2007
Another Queens birthday long weekend and another huge effort attending State Youth Games and curating the Sacred Space. This year without any Oasis Global Action Team punters to help us we went minimal and invited Age Greenwood and the Uniting Church more>praxis mob to run their cafe praxis. UNOH also set up a table selling wares from the Klong Toey slum in Tailand where they work. They organised the go_stand pledge and as our contribution we dubbed our major reflective station the GO_STAND SHOE SHRINE.
Thankfully we were joined by Warragul local Nahkita, who is yet another legend in the long line of Urban Seed work experience legends so we didnt look like total losers...
Thanks to everyone who contributed shoes and stories to the shoe shrine. It was really good seeing the variety of stories which captured the spirit of Urban Seed and our diverse connections really well without being too preachy. You can't see what's on the telly stacks in the photos but we ran a looped image of feet walking in the sand on one stack and some biblical text re feet and shoes on the other. Some people wrote their own shoe stories which was nice. No one donated any shoes but someone took one because they lost theirs!
It was great hanging out with our Credo Cricket buddy the indomitable Johnny Jensen who spoke really well on the Sunday night. Classic line: "Have you ever been asked to give Jesus a cuddle when he's drunk and covered in vomit!??!"
As part of the response he encouraged people to stick newspaper in their shoes as part of the go_stand pledge and to visit sacred space to chat further. I was really encouraged by some of the chats I had with young people about how to go and stand with those on the margins in our world. I was great talking about Urban Seed residency and our youth/community work training course called praxis. Thanks for a great weekend!
Posted by marcus at 03:55 PM | Comments (0)
Go Stand Shoe Shrine
June 05, 2007
I would like to borrow your shoes and to hear your shoe stories.
As part of our participation in the State Youth Games and possibly Surrender Conference the Urban Seed/Seeds mobs are putting together an installation for Urban Neighbours of Hope’s GO_STAND. GO_STAND is the way of describing the altar (alt-ernative) call and response time for these events. You can check out the idea at www.myspace.com/go_stand It is about making a commitment to follow Jesus who leads us to the rough places, the unpopular places, to stand in solidarity with our poor brothers and sisters.
As part of the response we are seeking to create a SHOE SHRINE installation using shoes, sand, a simple labyrinth and candle lighting from a “burning bush”...
The idea was inspired in part by artist Paul Hobbs' installation, Holy Ground, which premiered at Greenbelt in 2005 - sponsored by the Church Missionary Society.
It was a collection of shoes from Christians around the world and each pair tells a story. Among the donated footwear were contributions from a world champion runner, a former Indian prostitute and Hitler's goddaughter. The shoes on display were accompanied by the personal testimonies from a broad range of people across the world.
And so I am seeking shoe stories for our own version. You may not want to give up your prized shoes, I could just borrow them, ….what I’m really interested is the stories. For example a young girl who has experienced homelessness has offered a story of stealing a pair of shoes whilst living on the street.
What I am after is a few paragraphs (definitely.no more than an A4 page) that give a short sense of
What your shoes say about you? (Who you are, what you’ve done and why)
How are your shoes a symbol of your belief and your journey toward “sacred space” or “holy ground”? (eg. Moses or following Jesus)
You may or may not have a dramatic shoe story but the whole idea of the stories is to capture a sense of difference. Whilst I have asked some migrants, refugees and homeless people I am also really after some very average everyday Aussie suburban shoes/stories.
I am trying to finalise some stories by next Wednesday June 6th for State Youth Games but am keen to build a good collection for UNOH in August and beyond. Feel free to email me a story or contact me should you have any queries.
Much Grace and Peace
Marcus
PS. no stories but here is the blurb that i came up with.....
go_stand shoe shrine
and he told them to go…
and to take nothing with them except a walking staff…
no food, no cash, no extra clothes…
just the shoes upon their feet.
Mark 6:7-8
GO_STAND is about making a commitment to follow Jesus who leads us to the rough places, the unpopular places, to stand in solidarity with our poor brothers and sisters.
Responses
#1 Take time to read the shoe stories of others around the edge of the shoe shrine. Consider what it may mean for you to see the world (or God) from someone else’s perspective or to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.
#2 You may wish to use the paper provided to write your own shoe story. Consider the questions:
What do your shoes say about you? (Who you are, what you’ve done and why…)
How are your shoes a symbol of your belief and your journey toward “sacred space” or “holy ground”?
You may wish to leave your shoes and the story with the other shoes at the edge of shoe shrine space (you can grab them again later if you need them!)
#3 “Moses, take off your shoes, you are standing upon holy ground.”
Take off your shoes and walk into the centre of the shoe shrine space. Take steps in the footprints that already exist and consider the journeys of others who have gone before you.
#4 When you get to the centre of the space kneel at the foot of the “burning bush”. The burning bush was the place where Moses was told to go_stand up for his enslaved people. He felt terrified and inadequate. Where is God calling you to go and stand? What feelings does this create within you?
#5 Take a candle and light it from the “burning bush” as a symbol of your call. As you walk with it out of the shrine space offer the darkness of your fears and inadequacies to Christ and ask for the light you need to take the next step.
#6 Place the candle in the sand tray. Take a go_stand pledge form and/or other information about ways you can go_stand at the info. table
www.myspace.com/go_stand
Posted by marcus at 11:12 AM | Comments (0)
Dead Man Rising 07
April 25, 2007
A Seeds Easter Installation in Footscray and Bendigo inspired by last years Dead Man Waiting. Most content gleaned from NT Wright, Marcus Borg and John Dear....
Running Order
Welcome
Reading 1: Mark 16:1-8 Stone
Song: “Stone” James Laidler
Reading 2: Luke 24:13-43 Bread
Reading 3: Luke 24: 36 Fruit
Reading 4: John 21:1-13 Fish
Reading 5: John 20: 24-29 Touch
Reading 6: John 20:19-22 Breath
Interactive Time/Meal
Background Songs:
“I’ll Rise” Ben Harper
“Life is…” Martin Wroe
“There is a Kingdom” Nick Cave
Reading 7: Food for Risen Bodies VI
Song: “Feeling Good” Nina Simone
continue for full liturgy and pix...
Running Order
Welcome
Welcome to Dead Man Rising.
Today we invite you to respond to the mystery of the resurrection. Like Christ’s followers we invite you to stand, run, touch, eat, fear, worship and doubt. To know and to feel within your own body what it means to bear witness to resurrection.
Along with gospel stories this space features the poems “Food for Risen Bodies” by Michael Symmons Roberts.
He explains that the poems “take this other-worldly physicality as their starting-point, imagining what the first meal in a resurrected world might be, and how it might be conducted. What would they eat, drink, smoke, talk about?”
This installation was created by , an ecumenical covenanted community supported by the Baptist Union of Victoria.
After the formal readings feel free to interact with stations at your own leisure.
Many thanks to the Dancing Dog Café, St Matt’s Long Gully, Christop, Talitha, Long and Minh, the Bendigo mob and as ever, Mark Pierson.
Reading 1: Mark 16:1-8 Stone
Who will roll away the stone?
Food for Risen Bodies-I (by Michael Symonns Roberts)
Stone
Immersion in water was traditionally used on Easter Sunday as an initiation symbol of rising up from the watery grave to new life with the risen Christ.
Consider your life and our world. We are weighed down by many things.
Pick up a stone. What insurmountable barriers stand in the way of hope?
Take time to feel the weight of the stone in your hand.
The resurrection is God’s ‘yes’ to the way of Jesus, affirming that suffering love is a force more powerful than the daunting powers of death.
“When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.”
Let your stone “roll away” into the watery grave.
Baptism
Let your hand wash in the water for a time. Feel the water on your skin and running through your fingers.
If the way of Jesus is true then we too will rise again and live with Jesus in peace. All that is required is that we too lay down our lives for suffering humanity. We too must risk the way of the cross.
Use your moistened finger to make a sign of the cross upon your forehead as a symbol of baptism… of your own desire to die to your old life and rise to new ways of living with Christ.
Song: “Stone” James Laidler
Reading 2: Luke 24:13-43 Bread
What were you talking about upon the road? What things?
Food for Risen Bodies - IV (by Michael Symonns Roberts)
Bread
Following the political execution of their leader, Cleopas and his friend walk the road to Emmaus as refugees, fleeing the scene of death. What things fill you with despair, doubt and sorrow?
View the images at the head of the table. Consider those who walk the road as refugees this day.
Whisper grace for those have been silenced in Iraq, Zimbabwe, across Sudan and in other places of our world this day.
Know that the resurrected Christ walks with them and all who suffer, even if unrecognised…
Christian tradition suggests that at the feast of the resurrection those who suffer injustice are given places of honour.
Using the dinner knives, slit their stitched lips free.
What unexpected voices or stories might you hear to make our hearts burn within us.
The story suggests that we may recognize the presence of Christ through the offer of hospitality to strangers.
Break some bread and eat with them.
Make a donation to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in the urn provided or sign the petition as an act of hospitality.
Reading 3: Luke 24: 36 Fruit
Why are you fearful and why do you question in your hearts? Do you have anything to eat?
Food for Risen Bodies - III (by Michael Symonns Roberts)
Fruit
Like a ghostly apparition the risen Christ mysteriously re-appears, raising fear and troubled questions within his followers.
How do we deal with death? What happens to our bodies when we die? Numerous beliefs exist about the afterlife, our body and the spirit.
Many beliefs deny or seek liberation from the body, promoting the development of private spirituality, emphasising life after death for individuals.
However with invitations to touch, feel and eating before their eyes, the gospel demonstrates that resurrection does not involve the abandonment of the body…
The risen Christ shows a transformed physicality where continuity exists between the present life and the resurrected body.
Because of this hope the present time is shot through with significance. Our choices resonate through eternity.
Generations back...fruit was clad…childrens children waited.
Taste a seed from the pomegranate. Swallow or keep it with you as a symbol of the seeds you will choose to plant for future generations.
“Look at my hands and feet… Touch me and see”.
What beliefs do you hold about your own body?
Touch and eat the flesh of fruit reminding us of the holiness of the human body and wounds of Christ.
Reading 4: John 21:1-13 Fish
Children, have you caught anything to eat? Simon, Son of John, do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me?
Food for Risen Bodies - II (By Michael Symonns Roberts)
Fish
At death, Jesus was abandoned by his own followers who returned to business as usual. Now without malice the risen Christ stands on a beach offering them an abundant catch, a cooked breakfast and the chance to follow again.
Peter had earlier made himself comfortable in the house of death whilst Jesus suffered at the hands of the Roman Empire. He denied Jesus three times whilst ‘warming himself’ around a charcoal fire in the palace courtyard.
Now by contrast Jesus invites Simon Peter to warm and feed himself in the house of life, around his own charcoal fire, at the dawn of a new day…
Using his pre-discipleship name of Simon, the risen Jesus offers three opportunities to reconcile, reversing Peter’s three statements of denial with three expressions of agape (unconditional love) and fidelity.
Dip some fish in salt. As you taste remember the bitterness of an experience of denial and failure in your own life.
“Feed my lambs” (poetic Greek reference to martyrs)
The resurrection offers a new invitation and co-missioning.
Light a candle as a prayer
• for those who have died;
• for those whom you have failed or with whom you remain unreconciled;
• as hope for your new work.
Reading 5: John 20: 24-29 Touch
Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Food for Risen Bodies - VI (by Michael Symonns Roberts)
Touch
How is it that you see the stories of resurrection?
• historical fact,
• inspiring metaphor
• a wishful projection of the powerless
• archetypal myth…others?
How is it that you come to know or trust something as being true?
Like Thomas acknowledge your doubts. Choose a quote with which you identify. Use it to touch Jesus’ side. Dip and hold.
“My Lord and my God”
For the first 300 years of Christianity the refusal to address the Roman Emperor by divine title, “My Lord and My God” resulted in execution. Even though people had not seen Jesus, their experience of him as God meant they were routinely martyred for refusing the Empire.
The resurrection proclaims Jesus as King over all the systems and powers of this world including “conventional wisdom”.
Express your allegiance or ongoing doubt by placing your quote upon the central stones or on the crown of thorns above. Know you are loved regardless.
Reading 6: John 20:19-22 Breath
He breathed upon them…
Food for Risen Bodies - V (by Michael Symonns Roberts)
Breath
In the creation stories of Genesis the Spirit blows across the waters and God breathes life into the first human bodies.
Now far from the Spirit’s breath of Genesis we find ourselves living in a time of de-creation. When the suns rising reminds us as much of drought and global warming as it does of the risen Christ.
“Peace be with you”
In the midst of a spirit of fear and the many spirits of the age, Christ breathes upon his disciples in order to release his own Spirit into the world and to enable people to function from a new reference point.
The significance of Jesus resurrection is not simply that it opens up hope for life after death for individuals but that the new creation has begun.
The apostle Paul taught that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with what will be revealed when the creation is liberated from its bondage.
He describes the whole creation as groaning as in the pains of childbirth right to the present time.
“ ’Later, later’...and went straight for the cigarettes”
What is it that you groan for?
Is it possible to imagine a universe where entropy, corruption and suffering is not the final word? How do you feel about the story’s suggestion that the Spirit gives you the power to loose or to bind?
Burn some incense as a prayer of hope. You may long to smoke outside!
Paul concludes that in our weakness the Spirit prays and breathes hope for us with sighs too deep for words.
Interactive Time/Meal
Background Songs:
See his body broken in the shadows of my mind. Can you see the ripple fading from the stone that’s fallen in. Stone, Solid Stone.
James Laidler
Life slips through the cracks, looking for now…
Life is brushing up against you,
worlds within worlds,
the no space between me and you,
between all of God and all of us.
The see through,
seen through,
fat with life…..
Life is waking again and knowing, with thanks, you are waking again.”
Martin Wroe
Just like a bird, that sings up the sun
in a dawn so very dark. Such is my faith for you. All the worlds darkness can’t swallow up, this single spark.
Such is my love for you.
Nick Cave
Reading 7: Food for Risen Bodies VI
Song: “Feeling Good” Nina Simone
Posted by marcus at 12:24 AM | Comments (1)
Why are we baptising Lowenna?
April 23, 2007
Our invitation and explanation of what we have been seeking to do in baptising our kids (includes Seeds Prayer of Promise)...
In a culture where choice is perceived as freedom and spirituality is regarded as a largely private matter, the idea that we are making some sort of public religious choice for Lowenna before she can choose for herself can be easily misunderstood and even regarded as oppressive.
One of the ironies of today is that our Seeds Gatherings are supported by the Baptist Union whose principles are based on naming the historic abuse to individual freedom caused by such practices. We do value individual choice and seek to sensitively engage with this consumer culture.
However with the triumph of late capitalism we presently minister to many young people whose freedom to make life choices of any substance are profoundly limited because they have little connection to an understanding of God or community beyond that of individual consumer choice. We choose baptism for Lowenna in a culture that has already aggressively sought to predetermine many of Lowenna’s choices.
We were both brought up in Christian families where our identities were profoundly shaped by the Christian Story. Both of us were baptised as infants in the Methodist church. We were taught to understand that the significance of this was that as children of believers our identity had a claim over it. Our identity was wrapped up in covenant promises that extend from Abraham and Sarah, to their children and children’s, children.
We were given a secure foundation that came from the Wesleyan idea that the prevenient grace of God reaches out and surrounds us before we are capable of responding. We were always treated as part of the people of God, participating fully in the sacraments before we could decide for ourselves.
Grow