Another great cartoon from Asbo Jesus, I saw it and just had to post it.
Missio Dei – God we worship January 27, 2010
After conversations in the last few weeks, it has sparked me to think about ‘Missio Dei’ the mission of God. How often in our worship do we think about God who sends; God who rescues his people, God who sent Jesus, Jesus sends the church. If the church is going to grasp that we need to be missionally focused then we need to start talking, speaking to God as someone who is a ’sending God.’ From that we will see that the church’s vocation is not to ‘do mission’ but ’to be mission’. I might be too harsh but it seems to me that we often worship a kind of static God, a God who once-upon-a-time offered us his grace. A God who likes things in an ordered, tidy, and uncomplicated way. That’s not the God I see in scripture. I see a God on the move, who is embracing us, that seeks to reach out in love towards us, and who changes as a result. God is really interested in his world and is not retreating from it like many of his followers!
The westminister confession notes that; ‘man’s chief aim is glorify God and enjoy him forever’ a maxim that many in our churches have taken hold of but what kind of God are we glorifying? Our own God? A God who wants to be sung at all the time? What about a God whose interest is in the poor, marginalised, rejected? What about a God who wants to heal and restore creation? If we worshipped that kind of God how would our thoughts, behaviours, attitudes, existance, change? We often think God’s primary activitiy is in the church, if we only get people into the church building, away from the world outside then God can act in their life. Rather God is at work in his world, and the church is the instrument sent into the world to participate in redemptive mission. We are not to retreat from the world, but grow more in love and concern for it. Therefore if we saw God as a sending God, if we saw the church in the light of the sending God then we might think in a more outward way. If we worshipped a God who was sent, then it seems to me the best way we could give glory to God is by being a sent people, engaging actively in mission. Instead of it being an add on, mission would become the ’real deal’ the essence of our existance, and the expression of our praise.
New Year prayer January 2, 2010
Its a new year, a new decade, and my first blog post of the new year. As I thought about a new year, for all the newness from the birth of a new year, and all that has gone past. When I was thinking about that; I found this prayer by Pamela Hawkins, who I haven’t heard of before, and thought I’d share it. I think its best prayed aloud!
A Prayer: For the Birth of a New Year
God of winter morning,
Of new day born from the waters of night;
A feeble cry from Mother Earth’s horizon,
A murmured moan from lingering stars;
Infant soft, blue-veined is your child, Dawn.
Into the waiting arms of Your people
You gift this newness to us…O God, help us to look with awe-laden eyes,
Let us hear with soft-edged hearts the first cries
of the New Year, of a new day,
that we may come running as if life,
fragile and tear-stained,
awaits us.O Creator, lover of life,
What child has been born as Day this hour?
Stretched across heaven and earth,
Arms wide open
Waiting for us to return the embrace –
To count fingers and toes of light and rivers,
bird and flower,
woman, man, and child.
Straining to hear a whispered word –
A song of peace,
A hymn of promise,
A lullaby of justice.God who was, now is, and will still be,
Show us the way of newness –
conceived by Your desire,
born of Your Love’s labor,
made visible,
embraceable.O Lord,
In this now toddling year,
we move, outstretched in hope, toward You.Amen
Best of 2009…. December 31, 2009
1. Film watched at the cinema: Slumdog Millionaire
2. Film watched on DVD: The boy in stripped pyjamas
3. CD purchased (I know CD’s are bit old school now!): No line on the horizon, U2
4. Theological book read: difficult to pick just one but probably: Money, Sex, and Power, Richard Foster.
5. Popular Christian book: The Shack, W.Young.
6. Place visited: The Gower and the best view in the Gower- Three Cliffs Bay.
7. Restaurant: Sorabol Korean Restaurant in New Malden with friends from Bristol – especially good when you have a Korean friend with you!
8. Each year I discover some another muscian/group that I’ve not heard of before this year the best one has been: The Mountain Goats (I’ve particular enjoyed this song Romans 10:9)
9. History/Current affairs TV series : Obama’s America shown on BBC2.
10. TV Drama: Doc Martin on ITV (a great way to unwind after preaching/leading Sunday services).
11. TV series on Christianity: A History of Christianity on BBC1 (Athough the channel 4 series was good at the beginning of the year I especially liked this one as it deleved into the radical reformation, it also looked at the age of reason and its impacts on the study of the theology).
Of course other things have happened but I thought I’d keep it down to the best things I’ve listened to, watched, read, and done otherwise it could be a long list!
‘Christmas starts with Christ – it starts with a name.’ December 21, 2009
Yesterday was our carols by candlelight service, and I preached on the theme of Christ’s name (the full title is above). I thought I’d share the poem I wrote to accompany the sermon. I hope it makes you think about the names that will call Christ and your response to His name.
What’s in a name?
Your name defines you, it tells me what you’re called.
Its been given not because you’ve earnt it, its not worthy for an applaud.
It wasn’t wrapped in gift paper with a pretty bow,
no one asked your opinion, or if you mind it being on show.
Its just the name you’ve been given my friend, it tells us who you are.
It tells you when to come forward, it identifies you in a crowd.
It helps in the doctors surgery, or queuing in the bank.
It doesn’t do much else though, to be frank.
But I said your name defined you, as if there was something else?
Oh yes I remember now, it reminds us when you’re birthday is, its a good excuse to see my friends.
Apart that I’m struggling, I’m not sure what your name means,
if it has any history, or any relevance to anything.
But now you’ve come to mention it, I do remember one thing,
Something about a Messiah and an anointed King.
But I’m unsure what that’s got to do with snow, tinsel, and five golden rings.
Then I read a book, and your name appeared.
It was quite a surprise to see; you know you’re mentioned more than once or twice.
‘Jesus Christ’ it called you, ruler over all.
No other name like yours in all the world.
Your history is included, with your family tree,
no one had every told me you were royalty.
It called you by other names not ones I’d heard before;
‘Immanuel’ and ‘Prince Peace’ just to name a few.
Your name means everything, it defines who you are.
How could I ever forget what Christ means, you are the reason for it all.
Lucy Wright December 2009.
