Denominational Madness?

I’m coming to the conclusion that denominations are so yesterday. Is the current state of church as institution really what God had in mind? I don’t think so. All the schisms, splits, theological battles, etc just make me sick and really show none of the love that is commanded by Jesus himself. Is it any wonder that most church buildings have lots of space and empty pews/chairs?

Here’s some of what I read this morning (written in 1993) from Frederick Buechner in ‘Whistling in the Dark’ (p.37-38 ‘Denominations’):

“All the duplication of effort and waste of human resources. All the confusion about what the Church is, within the ranks and without. All the counterproductive competition. All the unnecessarily empty pews and unnecessary expense. Then add to that the picture of the Roman Catholic Church, still more divided from the Protestant denominations than they are from each other, and by the time you’re through, you don’t know whether to burst into laughter or into tears.

“When Jesus took the bread and said, “This is my body which is broken for you” (1 Corinthians 11:24), it’s hard to believe that even in his wildest dreams he foresaw the tragic and ludicrous brokenness of the Church as his body. There’s no reason why everyone should be Christian in the same way and every reason to leave room for differences, but if all the competing factions of Christendom were to give as much of themselves to the high calling and holy hope that unites them as they do now to the relative inconsequentialities that divide them, the Church would look more like the Kingdom of God for a change and less like an ungodly mess.”

Just beginning

So, it’s been almost a week since we had the grand opening of our new location in Elliot Lake. I figured I should share an update, so here it is.

It took just about a year from the date of purchase to the date of occupation and there were times, I have to admit, when I doubted it would happen. Red tape and regulations can wear you down after a while. But all of that is behind us now and we are finally in the place. The above sign greets you as you enter the building and it is our hope that people will stop referring to our space as the church or God’s house. Our old building had a sign that said ‘Welcome to the House of the Lord’ above the door and I hated it, but, for reasons that don’t really matter now, we were not able to remove it. So instead it remains where it is and has not followed us to the new place.

The place was buzzing last Saturday, beyond what we hoped or imagined, and many people from the community of all ages came to check us out. Quite a few came back for our worship celebration on Saturday evening, as well as having a few new faces for our Sunday lunchtime gathering. We decided to make some major changes to our Sunday ‘thing’. We now gather for lunch at 11.30am and get into some worship round about 12.45pm. We are hoping that this will help people get to know each other and lead to a better sense of community. We are also going to use our space during the week as a drop-in centre/cafe/hangout kind of spot and we’ll see how that develops as we encourage people to think beyond ’Sunday-go-to-church-Christianity’. We’re finding that lots of people from other fellowships want to be part of the drop-in/community thing, so we’re stressing that our building is more about community than SA building, so everyone is welcome to come and be part of what is happening without having to give up being a part of their particular fellowship.

Our biggest challenge now is not to fall back on the patterns of the past, but to keep on the path down which we believe God is leading us. We’ve been here almost 8 years, but it seems like it’s all just beginning. Looking forward to the next 8!

P.S. If you are interested in seeing some pictures from the opening click here.

Some random thoughts

The current economic situation should bring us freedom and simplicity, but for the people that I work for it seems to be bringing a barricading in mentality.

A cold shower first thing in the morning can be a good thing, but it’s not best if it is spraying out of the back of the toilet.

I dislike being told that I ‘have to participate’ in something that I believe is not good for me or for those around me.

The one good thing about the Leafs always missing the play-offs is that it frees up my evenings after the first week of April.

Reading books can seriously challenge one’s complacency and that’s what I like the most about it.

If I’d known what I know now, I may not have chosen the path that I did, but did I really have a choice at the time?

‘Unknown Caller’ is one of the best U2 songs ever.

It all boils down to ‘Love God and love your neighbour as yourself’. Without that nothing else really matters or makes a difference.

Happy Easter!

Spine Beach - Easter 2009

I managed to get up in time this morning to head down to one of the local beaches for a sunrise service at 6.40am, which was led by the local United Church. It was a bit chilly, but there was no wind, so it was a fairly pleasant morning. About 30 of us huddled together and shared in song and prayer as we celebrated our risen Lord. If we’d wanted, we could’ve literally still walked on the water today. We then all headed back to the United Church for some well-appreciated coffee, hot cross buns and Finnish bread. It was a great start to the day and by the time I got home the rest of the family were up and had some freshly baked croissants waiting for me.

This morning was our final gathering in our present location. We were expecting it to be fairly low key, as we knew there were a few who would be away for Easter. To our surprise the place was fairly packed and it was a very uplifting time of sharing together for the last time on Dieppe Ave. During the sharing time there was a good mixture of memories, Easter experiences and hopes for the future. Then most people just hung around and fellowshipped over coffee, tea, cake, vegetables and cookies.

Our new location is not ready yet, but we felt that Easter Sunday would be a good time to bring our present location and what we do there to an end. We might be able to gather in our new place on the first Sunday of May, if all goes according to plan. If not then we will definitely be fully moved in before the grand opening on May23. Some people have been worried about what to do in the next few weeks as far as getting together goes. In response a few people have offered their houses for informal gatherings over the next few weeks. This will hopefully give people a taste of the informal more ‘organic’ type of gatherings that we hope to have in our new place, where we hope to move towards a model of the ‘priesthood of all believers’ that goes beyond the talk to actual practice.

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, however you celebrate, I trust that you have a blessed and happy Easter.

A question?

Earlier this week I was given cause, by an English friend of mine, to reflect upon an ethics paper I wrote a couple of years ago on the topic of same-sex marriage. Having reflected upon what I wrote, I feel that my approach to the topic was fairly compassionate and, hopefully, in line with the way in which Jesus would have his followers live in this world today.

As I thought about this topic again, it got me thinking about how unfortunate and sad it is that the two hot-button topics (same-sex partnerships and abortion) that seem to define Christianity in the minds of the general public are things that didn’t seem to be on Jesus’ mind as he ministered on this earth almost 2,000 years ago. So my question is this:

Why, as Christians, have we allowed two seemingly non-issues in the mind of Jesus paint a distorted picture of what is supposed to be the greatest message of love ever, ignoring very often the things that Jesus actually commanded us to do?

And now for something completely different

It probably doesn’t look like much yet, but there’s real progress happening here. Our new gathering place is really coming together – walls are being put in place, the plumbing is all ready and the electrician is getting on with the wiring. Every time I drop in I get quite excited about what the future holds.

This has been so long coming now that it’s not funny. There were times in the last couple of years that I thought it would never happen. Some of the obstacles in our way seemed insurmountable. But we always had the vision God had given us before us to keep us in focus. Our main prayer is that we don’t fall into the old habits of ‘going to or doing church’. It’s time for us to just be the church. The building is just the place that we hang out and encourage/develop relationship. We’re glad to have this new place, but it’s not the focus for what we do or, more importantly, for who we are.

And so, the countdown begins…

And now the end is near…

…and so I face the final curtain. I think I can hear this ‘old’ building singing that song now. Sunday 29 March will see the final worship service, gathering, get together, whatever you want to call it, in this building. It’s probably not a moment too soon. Although we won’t have possession of our new and renovated location by then, it has been decided not to drag out the end for what has been any longer.

The above building really has become a bridge to nowhere, a time machine, a self-serving structure, with no relevance or effectiveness in the vicinity of where it is situated. There may have been a time, probably about 20 years ago, when there was vibrant ministry taking place here, but as the world has moved on, what takes place here has withdrawn itself into a safe cocoon.

The past few years have been difficult as I have become painfully aware of the disconnect of what this has all become. It is hard to put your heart into something that doesn’t make sense any more, into something that glorifies program over relationship, into something that looks nothing like the community that God intended for His people. Over the last year or so we have been attempting to transition to something new and different, but that is always hard when you are surrounded by the ghosts of the past. It will be good for all concerned to move out from here to something new.

However, that’s not saying that by just moving everything will instantly be better and more effective. That is why the old and ineffective has to be shut down with a break before commencing the new. The break could be as long as a month or as short as two weeks. But when we finally get back together it will look nothing like the old. Those looking for a traditional Sunday-go-to-church experience will be very disappointed, but it shouldn’t be a shock to their system as we have been explaining and talking about the day this would come for over a year now. The worst thing that could happen to our new location is that it become a Sunday church in new clothes. What happens on a Sunday will only be a small part of what takes place there every day of the year. We have no idea what it will all look like in the end, but we are stepping out in faith to only God knows what. It is both exciting and scary at the same time. One thing is for sure – once we step away from what has been, there is no returning to the safety of the past. To do that would show a lack of faith and trust in the vision that God has given us for Elliot Lake.

If you are in the vicinity on March 29 at 10.30am then drop by and say goodbye to something that has had its time, but is now making way for a fresh expression of community. Come and say thanks for the faithfulness of the past and join the journey of stepping out, with God, into the future.

Season of Lent – Day 1

Lent - Day 1

All over the internet today people are writing about giving up this, or giving up that, and so on in recognition that today is the first day in the Season of Lent. Even Strombo mentioned Lent on last night’s The Hour. But it’s not just about giving up. In the intro to the above pictured book (Bread and Wine) the editors wrote the following:

…Lent is traditionally associated with penitence, fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. It is a time for “giving things up” balanced by “giving to” those in need. Yet whatever else it may be, Lent should never be morose – an annual ordeal during which we begrudgingly forgo a handful of pleasures. Instead, we ought to approach Lent as an opportunity, not a requirement. After all, it is meant to be the church’s springtime, a time when, out of the darkness of sin’s winter, a repentant, empowered people emerges.

So, lighten up people! Enjoy the next 40 or so days. Whatever you may have given up is nothing compared to the the one whom we remember at this time, who gave His all. Maybe you’ll discover that what you have given up was something you didn’t need anyway, or perhaps was something that was holding you back from living life to the fullest.

On a personal note, I didn’t miss eating meat today. I tried out some phenomenal recipes from ‘Vegetarian Cooking for Dummies’ and also managed to bake a batch of oatmeal muffins. It might actually not be all that difficult to go without meat. Time will tell.

Some changes

These are the two books I am working through just now. Both are challenging in their own way and for reasons of change.

‘Vegetarian Cooking for Dummies’ is being read because on Wednesday I will be starting a meatless diet. For some people who know me that may be a hard one to swallow, but it is something I have been seriously considering for some time now. The main reasons are for health and well-being, but  there are also some ethical and environmental reasons for this choice. It was initially only going to be for the period of Lent, which commences on Wednesday, but I’m now moving towards the probability that it will be permanent. It’s a personal thing, so I’m not urging the rest of the family to join me on this particular journey. Also, if you do come and visit us in Elliot Lake, there will still be meat on the menu if you so choose.

‘Pagan Christianity?’ is challenging in the sense that it questions everything that the Christian church does and the origins of these practices. The present group of Christians that we lead/meet with only have five more Sundays in our present location – we close down the old on Sunday 29 March. We had hoped that the first Sunday in our new location would be 12 April (Easter), but that might not happen, due to some hold-ups with material/construction. Nevertheless we will still close down the old on 29 March. We are endeavouring to move towards a more Organic model of church and ‘Pagan Christianity?’ is helping to work out what some of that means.

It’s been a long journey so far, but exciting changes and challenges lie ahead. All prayers would be greatly appreciated!

Hear the Voice!

I still enjoy reading the Bible. I’m always discovering new things about me, about life, and about God, amongst other things. I try to avoid the translation wars, which is one of the dumbest, divisive things in the church today. If people can understand what God is saying through the archaic language of the KJV, then that’s fine for them, but it doesn’t work for me. I appreciate the people today who involve their lives around trying to translate the ancient words into something we can understand and share with others. That’s why I really enjoy reading the books in The Voice series, which has been described as ‘a Scripture project to rediscover the story of the Bible’. 

A large number of scholars, writers, musicians and others have been brought together to bring about this project. We used The Voice on Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday to help us tell the story and were able to have people from the congregation contribute the various voices included in the narrative. It offered a fresh perspective to words that sometimes become too familiar.

Check out the website for yourself. It may not replace your own personal favourite translation, but you may find it helpful as you try to share the good news with people around you who have no idea what it’s all about. Some people won’t like it. That’s okay. But don’t knock it or spoil it for those of us who do.

My favourite verse is translated as follows: “But think about this: while we were wasting our lives in sin, God revealed His powerful love to us in a tangbile display – the Liberating King died for us.” (Romans 5:8)