Oboedire for Tuesday, September 29, 2015 "In-Sight: A School of Love #2" J. Steven Harper
"In-Sight: A School of Love #2" by J. Steven Harper
The monastic movement knew that, like any school, it had to have a curriculum. If it was to be a School of Love, that curriculum would be (yes, you guessed it) love. A two-volume textbook would be at the core: Volume 1--The Love of God, and Volume 2--The Love of Neighbor.
In obedience to Jesus' words, monasticism believed that all the Law and the prophets hung on the two great commandments. And it reflected Paul's conviction that when you stack up faith, hope, and love--the greatest of the three is love. From this conviction, the School of Love expounded the fruit of the Spirit as the inner and outer essence of the Christian life--the life of the believer in character and conduct--the manifestation of personal and social holiness.
When this love was present, its chief evidence was humility, because love never exalts itself above another. This love created a community where the members were servants of one another for Jesus Christ's sake.
And so, the atmosphere of the School of Love was (and continues to this day to be that of) hospitality. Monastic evangelism was rooted in welcome and acceptance--another reflection of the Spirit of Jesus, who always welcomed the stranger and said, "Come to me, all of you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Over and over again, I have experienced my time in monasteries (and a few convents) this way. The curriculum is in place, and school is always in session. I have always left these Schools of Love refreshed and desiring to be more loving myself. I always leave praying that the Church might catch the vision of the monastery and become more fully a School of Love--where all are welcomed, where the two great commandments define the community, and where the fruit of the Spirit is offered to all.[J. Steven Harper]
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Wednesday, September 30, 2015
The Daily Guide-The Daily Devotional grow. pray. study. from The Resurrection United Methodist Church in Leawood,Kansas, United States for Wednesday, 30 September 2015 - "Eternal life: present as well as future"
The Daily Guide-The Daily Devotional grow. pray. study. from The Resurrection United Methodist Church in Leawood,Kansas, United States for Wednesday, 30 September 2015 - "Eternal life: present as well as future"
Daily Scripture: John 5:19 Therefore, Yeshua said this to them: “Yes, indeed! I tell you that the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; whatever the Father does, the Son does too. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he does; and he will show him even greater things than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 Just as the Father raises the dead and makes them alive, so too the Son makes alive anyone he wants. 22 The Father does not judge anyone but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father. Whoever fails to honor the Son is not honoring the Father who sent him. 24 Yes, indeed! I tell you that whoever hears what I am saying and trusts the One who sent me has eternal life — that is, he will not come up for judgment but has already crossed over from death to life!
Daily Scripture: John 5:19 Therefore, Yeshua said this to them: “Yes, indeed! I tell you that the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; whatever the Father does, the Son does too. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he does; and he will show him even greater things than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 Just as the Father raises the dead and makes them alive, so too the Son makes alive anyone he wants. 22 The Father does not judge anyone but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father. Whoever fails to honor the Son is not honoring the Father who sent him. 24 Yes, indeed! I tell you that whoever hears what I am saying and trusts the One who sent me has eternal life — that is, he will not come up for judgment but has already crossed over from death to life!
1 John 5:11 And this is the witness: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Those who have the Son have the life; those who do not have the Son of God do not have the life. 13 I have written you these things so that you may know that you have eternal life — you who keep trusting in the person and power of the Son of God.
Reflection Questions:
Reflection Questions:
We often see “the life everlasting” as only far off in the future. But in John 5:24 John showed Jesus using the present tense: “I assure you that whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me HAS eternal life…HAS passed from death into life.” Methodism’s founder John Wesley hit a crucial turning point when he quit “wishing” or “hoping” to be saved. He recorded the change in these words: “An assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”
- Christian faith certainly looks to the future with hope. But the writings associated with John regularly put the idea of “eternal life” in the present tense (cf. John 3:36, 5:24, 6:47, 54, 10:28, as well as today’s reading). How have you “passed from death into life”? What is one aspect of your life where you are experiencing the eternal quality of life now, before your physical death ever happens?
- The Message captured what Wesley meant by the word “assurance” by phrasing 1 John 5:13 this way: “My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life.” Do you have that kind of confidence that God truly accepts you? In what ways has living with assurance created space in your life for you to experience the “fruit of the Spirit:” love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (cf. Galatians 5:22-23)?
Today’s Prayer:
Lord God, I choose to pass from death into life right now. Please keep quietly creating in me the whole new quality of “eternal life.” Empower me to choose you and your kingdom more and more. Amen.
Insights from Dr. Mike Graves
Dr. Mike Graves is McElvaney Professor of Preaching and Worship at Saint Paul School of Theology. Ordained in the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, he has spent more than 25 years helping to prepare persons for ministry.
I didn’t really grow up in church, so when I graduated from high school my life goals could be summarized in one phrase: “to grow my hair really long.” This was the ’70s, and I was really successful at reaching that goal. Not having a spiritual background per se, I perceived Christianity from the outside and concluded that all they cared about was getting people “saved,” saved from an eternity in hell. I may not have paid close attention in math class, but eternity was not a hard concept to grasp. Symbolized by that figure 8 turned on its side, it was how time marches on forever and ever.
When I finally did become a Christian at the end of my freshman year in college, I was surprised to learn that when the Bible speaks about “eternal life,” it has nothing to do with a quantity of time, but rather a quality of life here and now. Maybe “eternal” isn’t really the best interpretation. Maybe a “full” life would be more accurate. I finally understood that what Jesus offers isn’t a ticket punched for the final train to heaven when you die, but a fullness of life here in the present even when you’re stuck in traffic on I-435.
But if one trap is thinking Christianity is only about a future in heaven, another is thinking it’s limited to the past in ancient Israel. The theologian Harvey Cox tells the story of a woman in New Mexico calling an operator to place a call to Jerusalem. The operator said, “Oh, honey, Jerusalem is in the Bible. It’s not a real city.”
Maybe the most important feature in these two passages is the use of present tense: “whoever has the Son has eternal life” (1 Jn 5:12). It may not be good grammar, but in the ’70s we might have said it this way: “The present is where’s it at.”
Return to the GPS Guide to read today’s scripture and reflection questions.
Dr. Mike Graves is McElvaney Professor of Preaching and Worship at Saint Paul School of Theology. Ordained in the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, he has spent more than 25 years helping to prepare persons for ministry.
I didn’t really grow up in church, so when I graduated from high school my life goals could be summarized in one phrase: “to grow my hair really long.” This was the ’70s, and I was really successful at reaching that goal. Not having a spiritual background per se, I perceived Christianity from the outside and concluded that all they cared about was getting people “saved,” saved from an eternity in hell. I may not have paid close attention in math class, but eternity was not a hard concept to grasp. Symbolized by that figure 8 turned on its side, it was how time marches on forever and ever.
When I finally did become a Christian at the end of my freshman year in college, I was surprised to learn that when the Bible speaks about “eternal life,” it has nothing to do with a quantity of time, but rather a quality of life here and now. Maybe “eternal” isn’t really the best interpretation. Maybe a “full” life would be more accurate. I finally understood that what Jesus offers isn’t a ticket punched for the final train to heaven when you die, but a fullness of life here in the present even when you’re stuck in traffic on I-435.
But if one trap is thinking Christianity is only about a future in heaven, another is thinking it’s limited to the past in ancient Israel. The theologian Harvey Cox tells the story of a woman in New Mexico calling an operator to place a call to Jerusalem. The operator said, “Oh, honey, Jerusalem is in the Bible. It’s not a real city.”
Maybe the most important feature in these two passages is the use of present tense: “whoever has the Son has eternal life” (1 Jn 5:12). It may not be good grammar, but in the ’70s we might have said it this way: “The present is where’s it at.”
Return to the GPS Guide to read today’s scripture and reflection questions.
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
913.897.0120
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Gather hope, not just candy this Halloween with Imagine No Malaria Donation Boxes from United Methodist Communications in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - Imagine No Malaria is a initiative by the People of The United Methodist Church to end needless suffering from malaria.
Gather hope, not just candy this Halloween with Imagine No Malaria Donation Boxes from United Methodist Communications in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - Imagine No Malaria is a initiative by the People of The United Methodist Church to end needless suffering from malaria.
Make a Donation
5 Ways to Celebrate Imagine No Malaria
During Your Church's Fall Events
1. Trick or Treat or Trunk or Treat for Imagine No Malaria using INM donation boxes, which are available for free. Make sure to snap a picture of you or your kids with the box and tweet it with hashtag #MalariaIsScary or email it to inminfo@umcom.org!
2. Family game night featuring the malaria-themed Jeopardy game
3. Pumpkin decorating contest with voting for best pumpkin donations to Imagine No Malaria
4. Include an Imagine No Malaria display at your church's Fall Festival with facts about malaria deaths in Africa and facts about how The United Methodist Church is helping
5. Invite children to make Imagine No Malaria-themed crafts, including fans, donation boxes and pipe cleaner mosquitoes
#MalariaIsScaryOrder your donation boxes
United Methodist Communications
810 12th Avenue South
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-4704 United Statesumcom@umcom.org
Phone: 615.742.5400
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Make a Donation5 Ways to Celebrate Imagine No Malaria
During Your Church's Fall Events
1. Trick or Treat or Trunk or Treat for Imagine No Malaria using INM donation boxes, which are available for free. Make sure to snap a picture of you or your kids with the box and tweet it with hashtag #MalariaIsScary or email it to inminfo@umcom.org!
2. Family game night featuring the malaria-themed Jeopardy game
3. Pumpkin decorating contest with voting for best pumpkin donations to Imagine No Malaria
4. Include an Imagine No Malaria display at your church's Fall Festival with facts about malaria deaths in Africa and facts about how The United Methodist Church is helping
5. Invite children to make Imagine No Malaria-themed crafts, including fans, donation boxes and pipe cleaner mosquitoes
#MalariaIsScaryOrder your donation boxes
United Methodist Communications810 12th Avenue South
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-4704 United Statesumcom@umcom.org
Phone: 615.742.5400
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The Daily Gospel for Wednesday, 30 September 2015
"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."[John 6:68]
Wednesday of the Twenty-sixth week in Ordinary Time
Saints of the day:
SAINT JEROME
Priest & Doctor of the Church)
(c. 340-c.420)
St. Jerome, born in Dalmatia, in 329, was sent to school at Rome. His boyhood was not free from fault. His thirst for knowledge was excessive, and his love of books a passion. He had studied under the best masters, visited foreign cities, and devoted himself to the pursuit of science.Priest & Doctor of the Church)
(c. 340-c.420)
But Christ had need of his strong will and active intellect for the service of His Church. St. Jerome felt and obeyed the call, made a vow of celibacy, fled from Rome to the wild Syrian desert, and there for four years learnt in solitude, penance, and prayer a new lesson of divine wisdom. This was his novitiate.
The Pope soon summoned him to Rome, and there put upon the now famous Hebrew scholar the task of revising the Latin Bible, which was to be his noblest work. Retiring thence to his beloved Bethlehem, the eloquent hermit poured forth from his solitary cell for thirty years a stream of luminous writings upon the Christian world.
Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]
Wednesday of the Twenty-sixth week in Ordinary Time
The Book of Nehemiah 2:1 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of Artach’shashta the king, it happened that I took the wine and brought it to the king. Prior to then I had never appeared sad in his presence. 2 The king asked, “Why do you look so sad? You’re not sick, so this must be some deep inner grief.” At this, I became very fearful, 3 as I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why shouldn’t I look sad, when the city, the place where my ancestors’ tombs are, lies in ruins; and its gates are completely burned up?” 4 The king asked me, “What is it that you want?” I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 then said to the king, “If it pleases the king, if your servant has won your favor, send me to Y’hudah, to the city of my ancestors’ tombs, so that I can rebuild it.” 6 With the queen sitting next to him, the king asked me, “How long is your trip going to take? When will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a time.
7 I then said to the king, “If it pleases the king, have letters given to me for the governors of the territory beyond the [Euphrates] River, so that they will let me pass through until I reach Y’hudah; 8 and also a letter for Asaf the supervisor of the royal forests, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress belonging to the house, for the city wall and for the house I will be occupying.” The king gave me these, according to the good hand of my God on me.
Psalm 137:1 By the rivers of Bavel we sat down and wept7 I then said to the king, “If it pleases the king, have letters given to me for the governors of the territory beyond the [Euphrates] River, so that they will let me pass through until I reach Y’hudah; 8 and also a letter for Asaf the supervisor of the royal forests, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress belonging to the house, for the city wall and for the house I will be occupying.” The king gave me these, according to the good hand of my God on me.
as we remembered Tziyon.
2 We had hung up our lyres
on the willows that were there,
3 when those who had taken us captive
asked us to sing them a song;
our tormentors demanded joy from us —
“Sing us one of the songs from Tziyon!”
4 How can we sing a song about Adonai
here on foreign soil?
5 If I forget you, Yerushalayim,
may my right hand wither away!
6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I fail to remember you,
if I fail to count Yerushalayim
the greatest of all my joys.
The Holy Gospel of Yeshua the Messiah according to Saint Luke 9:57 As they were traveling on the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Yeshua answered him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds flying about have nests, but the Son of Man has no home of his own.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me!” but the man replied, “Sir, first let me go away and bury my father.” 60 Yeshua said, “Let the dead bury their own dead; you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God!” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, sir, but first let me say good-by to the people at home.” 62 To him Yeshua said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and keeps looking back is fit to serve in the Kingdom of God.”
Wednesday of the Twenty-sixth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day:
Saint Athanasius (295-373), Bishop of Alexandria, Doctor of the Church
Life of St Antony, 19-20
Follow Christ along the right way
One day, all the monks came to see Anthony and begged him to speak a word to them. He said to them:.. See, we have made a beginning and are already on the way of virtue. Let us continue our pursuit toward the goal, (Phil 3,14). And let none turn back as Lot's wife did (Gen. 19,26) since the Lord has said: “Anyone who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not worthy of the Kingdom of heaven.” To turn back is nothing other than to change one’s mind acquire a taste again for the things of this world. Have no fear when people talk about virtue and do not be astonished by these words. For virtue is not far away: it does not originate apart from us; it is our very own affair and easy to accomplish so long as we want it.The pagans leave their country and cross the sea to gain an education. But we have no need at all to leave our country either to get to the Kingdom of heaven or to gain virtue. For the Lord has said: “The Kingdom of God is among you,” (Lk 17,21). So virtue has only need of our will since it is within us and originates from us. If only the soul preserves its intellect in conformity with its nature then virtue springs forth. The soul is in its natural state when it remains as it was made; and it was made beautiful and upright. That is why Joshua, son of Nun, exhorted the people, saying: “Turn your hearts to the lord, the God of Israel” (Jos 24,23). And John the Baptist said: “Make straight your paths” (Mt 3,3). For the soul uprightness means to keep one’s mind as it was created. By contrast, when the mind deviates and turns aside from its natural state, then we speak of vice in the soul. So, then, it is not difficult… If we had to go looking for it outside ourselves it would have been really difficult, but since it is within us , let us keep ourselves from impure thoughts and preserve our souls for the Lord as though we had received a deposit so that he may be able to recognize his work, finding our soul just as he made it.
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The Daily Readings for Wednesday, 30 September 2015
The Daily Readings for Wednesday, 30 September 2015
as we remembered Tziyon.
2 We had hung up our lyres
on the willows that were there,
3 when those who had taken us captive
asked us to sing them a song;
our tormentors demanded joy from us —
“Sing us one of the songs from Tziyon!”
4 How can we sing a song about Adonai
here on foreign soil?
5 If I forget you, Yerushalayim,
may my right hand wither away!
6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I fail to remember you,
if I fail to count Yerushalayim
the greatest of all my joys.
Luke 9:57 As they were traveling on the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Yeshua answered him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds flying about have nests, but the Son of Man has no home of his own.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me!” but the man replied, “Sir, first let me go away and bury my father.” 60 Yeshua said, “Let the dead bury their own dead; you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God!” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, sir, but first let me say good-by to the people at home.” 62 To him Yeshua said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and keeps looking back is fit to serve in the Kingdom of God.”
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Nehemiah 2:1 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of Artach’shashta the king, it happened that I took the wine and brought it to the king. Prior to then I had never appeared sad in his presence. 2 The king asked, “Why do you look so sad? You’re not sick, so this must be some deep inner grief.” At this, I became very fearful, 3 as I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why shouldn’t I look sad, when the city, the place where my ancestors’ tombs are, lies in ruins; and its gates are completely burned up?” 4 The king asked me, “What is it that you want?” I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 then said to the king, “If it pleases the king, if your servant has won your favor, send me to Y’hudah, to the city of my ancestors’ tombs, so that I can rebuild it.” 6 With the queen sitting next to him, the king asked me, “How long is your trip going to take? When will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a time.
7 I then said to the king, “If it pleases the king, have letters given to me for the governors of the territory beyond the [Euphrates] River, so that they will let me pass through until I reach Y’hudah; 8 and also a letter for Asaf the supervisor of the royal forests, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress belonging to the house, for the city wall and for the house I will be occupying.” The king gave me these, according to the good hand of my God on me.
Psalm 137:1 By the rivers of Bavel we sat down and wept7 I then said to the king, “If it pleases the king, have letters given to me for the governors of the territory beyond the [Euphrates] River, so that they will let me pass through until I reach Y’hudah; 8 and also a letter for Asaf the supervisor of the royal forests, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress belonging to the house, for the city wall and for the house I will be occupying.” The king gave me these, according to the good hand of my God on me.
as we remembered Tziyon.
2 We had hung up our lyres
on the willows that were there,
3 when those who had taken us captive
asked us to sing them a song;
our tormentors demanded joy from us —
“Sing us one of the songs from Tziyon!”
4 How can we sing a song about Adonai
here on foreign soil?
5 If I forget you, Yerushalayim,
may my right hand wither away!
6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I fail to remember you,
if I fail to count Yerushalayim
the greatest of all my joys.
Luke 9:57 As they were traveling on the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Yeshua answered him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds flying about have nests, but the Son of Man has no home of his own.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me!” but the man replied, “Sir, first let me go away and bury my father.” 60 Yeshua said, “Let the dead bury their own dead; you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God!” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, sir, but first let me say good-by to the people at home.” 62 To him Yeshua said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and keeps looking back is fit to serve in the Kingdom of God.”
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The Word Among Us: A Catholic Devotional based on the Daily Mass Reading & Meditation for Wednesday, September 30, 2015
The Word Among Us: A Catholic Devotional based on the Daily Mass Reading & Meditation for Wednesday, September 30, 2015
7 I then said to the king, “If it pleases the king, have letters given to me for the governors of the territory beyond the [Euphrates] River, so that they will let me pass through until I reach Y’hudah; 8 and also a letter for Asaf the supervisor of the royal forests, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress belonging to the house, for the city wall and for the house I will be occupying.” The king gave me these, according to the good hand of my God on me.
Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Memorial)
Why do you look sad? (Nehemiah 2:2)
What makes you sad?
Someone hurt me long ago. I don’t have a spouse, a child, a satisfying job, robust health, financial security, or a nest egg. I long for answers to challenges that seem insurmountable, dilemmas that seem insoluble.
I may be sad because someone else is hurting. My child or friend is suffering because of an incurable illness or an ill-advised choice. So many people in our world are hungry or homeless, their very lives at risk because of warfare, genocide, or natural disaster. I feel helpless.
Although he lives in exile, Nehemiah has a secure position in the pagan court. So when he hears about the sorry state of affairs back in his homeland, he could easily have dismissed the news as irrelevant. “It’s a good thing I’m doing well here. Too bad for everyone back home.” Instead, he identifies so strongly with his God and his countrymen that he can’t help feeling sad. He pays attention to how he feels.
But Nehemiah doesn’t stop there. He asks God, “What shall I do about this? How can I turn my strong emotion into action?”
When the king notices his sadness and asks why, Nehemiah pauses to pray before he answers. God shows him what he is in a position to do, so Nehemiah boldly petitions the king for the resources to help his countrymen.
Sadness is a God-given emotion. In fact, there are many things that sadden our Lord. It’s fine to linger with that sadness, but the direction of our prayer should always be, “Holy Spirit, thank you for this strong emotional reaction. What are you calling and equipping me to do about it?”
One person can set a chain of events in motion that makes a huge difference. Think about St. Monica praying tirelessly for her son, Augustine. Think about St. Catherine of Siena admonishing the pope. Think about Mother Teresa picking up a dying man on the streets of Calcutta. Each of these individuals was saddened by a situation, and turned to the Lord for guidance. Then each took one small step that set the whole world on a different path.
“Holy Spirit, what makes me sad or angry today? What are you inviting me to do about it?” Amen!
Psalm 137:1 By the rivers of Bavel we sat down and wept
as we remembered Tziyon.
2 We had hung up our lyres
on the willows that were there,
3 when those who had taken us captive
asked us to sing them a song;
our tormentors demanded joy from us —
“Sing us one of the songs from Tziyon!”
4 How can we sing a song about Adonai
here on foreign soil?
5 If I forget you, Yerushalayim,
may my right hand wither away!
6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I fail to remember you,
if I fail to count Yerushalayim
the greatest of all my joys.
Luke 9:57 As they were traveling on the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Yeshua answered him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds flying about have nests, but the Son of Man has no home of his own.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me!” but the man replied, “Sir, first let me go away and bury my father.” 60 Yeshua said, “Let the dead bury their own dead; you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God!” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, sir, but first let me say good-by to the people at home.” 62 To him Yeshua said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and keeps looking back is fit to serve in the Kingdom of God.”
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Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Bishop Ken Carter for Tuesday, September 29, 2015 "Where We Actually Live and Gather: An Ordinary Sunday Morning"
Bishop Ken Carter for Tuesday, September 29, 2015 "Where We Actually Live and Gather: An Ordinary Sunday Morning"
Fifth in a series of reflections on the Fresh Expressions movement in the Florida Conference and in United Methodism, and its relation to the “Nones,” the “Dones” and the “Spiritual but not Religious.”Click here
to continue reading Bishop Ken Carter's blog.
Dist: Bishop's blog subscribers"Where We Actually Live and Gather: An Ordinary Sunday Morning"
Ken Carter
Fifth in a series of reflections on the Fresh Expressions movement in the Florida Conference and in United Methodism, and its relation to the “Nones,” the “Dones” and the “Spiritual but not Religious.”
In the next reflection I will offer some of the theory that explains the changing contexts of community in our culture. But I wanted to preface that with a personal note, one that gives a glimpse of how and why the shift is happening.
I have recently concluded a couple of weeks of study and renewal, a time that also included some teaching, meals with students and conversations with academic leaders. I lived in an extended stay hotel; I chose it because it was comfortable, economical and adjacent to the school where I spent time each day.
On the first Sunday morning I knew I would attend worship, most likely at eleven o’clock. This would give me time to enjoy coffee, read my devotions and perhaps take an extended walk. When I entered the dining area, I met a number of the men and women who serve in the hotel—at the front desk, in the kitchen area and as servers. All were without exception friendly and welcoming. I soon realized that I had timed my arrival perfectly. A college field hockey team was just leaving; most had sweatshirts with their school’s name prominently displayed. Then, in a few minutes, another college team (soccer) came down for breakfast. They were from a different school, and they filled the room.
I finished my coffee and breakfast, completed my devotions, looked at the calendar and scanned my iPad. I then went to the front desk and asked if there was an area near the hotel that would be a good path to walk. Again, the desk clerk (who happened to be from Nigeria) was very helpful: “If you cross the street,” he said, “you will come into a parking lot of the shopping center. Many people walk outside there in the mornings and evenings.”
So I looked at the time (I was hoping for a 30-40 minute walk) and stepped outside. I crossed the street and, just as the clerk had said, it was fairly quiet and pleasant. I walked about twenty minutes from the hotel, and then began to retrace my steps, returning to the hotel.
As I walked back, I noticed that the parking lot was beginning to fill up, particularly the spaces nearest the big box store related to home and building supplies. I noted that seniors, young couples and individuals were streaming into the store. And, again, employees were watering plants, putting out signs and displaying items for sale.
I returned to the hotel, got ready for church and drove to the service. Later that day I would reflect on what I had experienced that morning. Most of my life, the Sunday morning experience in a local church has been at the center of my experience. This was true in my family of origin, in my young adult years, and in my work as a pastor. A Sunday apart from this rhythm helped me to see three distinct groupings whose experience is very different. I am not judging them in any way; I simply describe their lives as data that points to the necessity for new and emerging forms of church.
The first grouping included those who were working on Sunday mornings. We have clearly transitioned from a production economy to an experience economy. People are mobile—they travel to see family (who are also mobile), to watch sports, to celebrate weddings and to find recreation and renewal. I met people in all of these categories. And, there is labor at the heart of serving these persons—lodging, meals, security and housekeeping. My experience in meeting many men and women who work in these fields is that they are quite open to conversations about faith and the church—they are simply in a place where the work happens at exactly the same time the church traditionally offers worship.
The second grouping include those who are athletes—on this particular morning, both teams were female, but they could have been male. Travel sports now begin at an early age, and many young people play a single sport on a year-round basis. I remember a conversation with a family fifteen years ago. “Our son will be playing soccer for the next few years,” his mother began, “and we will miss worship more than we will be present. Can we find a different way for him to be confirmed?” Many of these young people play sports in college; many more become lifelong fans who also travel on weekends through the year as adults to follow their favorite teams. Again, they are not averse to developing in the Christian faith (this was at the heart of the mother’s question, and we did devise a plan for her son to read scripture each week with one of the pastors); they are invested in the development of their athletic skills and committed to the teams on which they play.
The third grouping consists of men and women who work many hours each week. When they have leisure time (and this is often Sunday), they want to spend that time in their homes or apartments. And because they value these spaces, they want to decorate and improve them. The “do it yourself” industry has exploded as a form of creativity and as an economic activity. As many spend more time at work and in commuting, there is a pull to stay home on weekends, especially on Sunday, when not traveling. This reality is true in both the United Kingdom and the United States. There was a stream of folks entering into that big box department store that Sunday morning; it almost had the feel of some of the large and newer worship centers that have also been constructed over the past two decades.
I grew up in a time when there were three television networks. There are now hundreds, and of course movies are now streamed in media beyond the networks. It is interesting that particular television networks support and communicate with the second and third groupings: ESPN and HGTV, respectively. These networks can engage these groups with hours of programming and market products that are appealing to them.
The traditional church does not exist in a vacuum. We serve many women and men who can often be found in each of these three groups. In the church culture of decades past, we might have been critical of these groupings and their lifestyle choices. We no longer live in a church culture. And, yet, we as a church have not always been motivated to adapt to a culture whose rhythms of life are shifting. People live and gather in increasingly varied and non-traditional ways. Here I have simply listed three of them.
In the next post I will reflect on learnings from the Fresh Expressions movement in seeking to address our missional context. The key learning, going forward, is that we are shifting from neighborhoods to networks as our primary sources of identity and meaning. And, we should not assume that, because some people are not attending our churches, they are, therefore, not engaged in a search for God.
Questions: How have patterns of life changed in your own family? How does your local church respond to Sunday activities in your community?
Next: Where We Actually Live and Gather—Networks and “Third Places”
To Learn More:
Mission Shaped Church: Church Planting and Fresh Expressions of Church in a Changing Context by Graham Cray.Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church
450 Martin L King Jr Avenue
Lakeland, Florida 33815, United States
863-688-5563
Like us on Facebook!
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Fifth in a series of reflections on the Fresh Expressions movement in the Florida Conference and in United Methodism, and its relation to the “Nones,” the “Dones” and the “Spiritual but not Religious.”Click here
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Dist: Bishop's blog subscribers"Where We Actually Live and Gather: An Ordinary Sunday Morning"
Ken CarterFifth in a series of reflections on the Fresh Expressions movement in the Florida Conference and in United Methodism, and its relation to the “Nones,” the “Dones” and the “Spiritual but not Religious.”
In the next reflection I will offer some of the theory that explains the changing contexts of community in our culture. But I wanted to preface that with a personal note, one that gives a glimpse of how and why the shift is happening.
I have recently concluded a couple of weeks of study and renewal, a time that also included some teaching, meals with students and conversations with academic leaders. I lived in an extended stay hotel; I chose it because it was comfortable, economical and adjacent to the school where I spent time each day.
On the first Sunday morning I knew I would attend worship, most likely at eleven o’clock. This would give me time to enjoy coffee, read my devotions and perhaps take an extended walk. When I entered the dining area, I met a number of the men and women who serve in the hotel—at the front desk, in the kitchen area and as servers. All were without exception friendly and welcoming. I soon realized that I had timed my arrival perfectly. A college field hockey team was just leaving; most had sweatshirts with their school’s name prominently displayed. Then, in a few minutes, another college team (soccer) came down for breakfast. They were from a different school, and they filled the room.
I finished my coffee and breakfast, completed my devotions, looked at the calendar and scanned my iPad. I then went to the front desk and asked if there was an area near the hotel that would be a good path to walk. Again, the desk clerk (who happened to be from Nigeria) was very helpful: “If you cross the street,” he said, “you will come into a parking lot of the shopping center. Many people walk outside there in the mornings and evenings.”
So I looked at the time (I was hoping for a 30-40 minute walk) and stepped outside. I crossed the street and, just as the clerk had said, it was fairly quiet and pleasant. I walked about twenty minutes from the hotel, and then began to retrace my steps, returning to the hotel.
As I walked back, I noticed that the parking lot was beginning to fill up, particularly the spaces nearest the big box store related to home and building supplies. I noted that seniors, young couples and individuals were streaming into the store. And, again, employees were watering plants, putting out signs and displaying items for sale.
I returned to the hotel, got ready for church and drove to the service. Later that day I would reflect on what I had experienced that morning. Most of my life, the Sunday morning experience in a local church has been at the center of my experience. This was true in my family of origin, in my young adult years, and in my work as a pastor. A Sunday apart from this rhythm helped me to see three distinct groupings whose experience is very different. I am not judging them in any way; I simply describe their lives as data that points to the necessity for new and emerging forms of church.
The first grouping included those who were working on Sunday mornings. We have clearly transitioned from a production economy to an experience economy. People are mobile—they travel to see family (who are also mobile), to watch sports, to celebrate weddings and to find recreation and renewal. I met people in all of these categories. And, there is labor at the heart of serving these persons—lodging, meals, security and housekeeping. My experience in meeting many men and women who work in these fields is that they are quite open to conversations about faith and the church—they are simply in a place where the work happens at exactly the same time the church traditionally offers worship.
The second grouping include those who are athletes—on this particular morning, both teams were female, but they could have been male. Travel sports now begin at an early age, and many young people play a single sport on a year-round basis. I remember a conversation with a family fifteen years ago. “Our son will be playing soccer for the next few years,” his mother began, “and we will miss worship more than we will be present. Can we find a different way for him to be confirmed?” Many of these young people play sports in college; many more become lifelong fans who also travel on weekends through the year as adults to follow their favorite teams. Again, they are not averse to developing in the Christian faith (this was at the heart of the mother’s question, and we did devise a plan for her son to read scripture each week with one of the pastors); they are invested in the development of their athletic skills and committed to the teams on which they play.
The third grouping consists of men and women who work many hours each week. When they have leisure time (and this is often Sunday), they want to spend that time in their homes or apartments. And because they value these spaces, they want to decorate and improve them. The “do it yourself” industry has exploded as a form of creativity and as an economic activity. As many spend more time at work and in commuting, there is a pull to stay home on weekends, especially on Sunday, when not traveling. This reality is true in both the United Kingdom and the United States. There was a stream of folks entering into that big box department store that Sunday morning; it almost had the feel of some of the large and newer worship centers that have also been constructed over the past two decades.
I grew up in a time when there were three television networks. There are now hundreds, and of course movies are now streamed in media beyond the networks. It is interesting that particular television networks support and communicate with the second and third groupings: ESPN and HGTV, respectively. These networks can engage these groups with hours of programming and market products that are appealing to them.
The traditional church does not exist in a vacuum. We serve many women and men who can often be found in each of these three groups. In the church culture of decades past, we might have been critical of these groupings and their lifestyle choices. We no longer live in a church culture. And, yet, we as a church have not always been motivated to adapt to a culture whose rhythms of life are shifting. People live and gather in increasingly varied and non-traditional ways. Here I have simply listed three of them.
In the next post I will reflect on learnings from the Fresh Expressions movement in seeking to address our missional context. The key learning, going forward, is that we are shifting from neighborhoods to networks as our primary sources of identity and meaning. And, we should not assume that, because some people are not attending our churches, they are, therefore, not engaged in a search for God.
Questions: How have patterns of life changed in your own family? How does your local church respond to Sunday activities in your community?
Next: Where We Actually Live and Gather—Networks and “Third Places”
To Learn More:
Mission Shaped Church: Church Planting and Fresh Expressions of Church in a Changing Context by Graham Cray.Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church
450 Martin L King Jr Avenue
Lakeland, Florida 33815, United States
863-688-5563
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