We brewed a beer - and it was good

Solace hosted 'Take up beer for Lent' recently and it was brilliant. The creation of Marcus Curnow (marcuscurnow.wordpress.com/), the concept was for a small bunch of people to meet every week of Lent, brew a beer together and read through the bible readings for Lent from the common lectionary. Solace recognised this as a great idea and invited Marcus to make use of our facilities to make sure this happened. Marcus generously agreed to travel each week from Footscray and we made it happen.

The brewing journey was replete with risks, exotic ingredients and simple fun. We brewed a Celtic amber ale kit brew from Brewcraft in Heidelberg, sanitising the equipment, mixing together the wort and setting up the fermenter at Solace's place in Heidelberg Rd, Alphington. The fermenter chortled away during all of Solace's activities for a few weeks, bringing smiles of anticipation to the faces of Solace people experienced in the ways of home brewing. Bottling the brew was frenetic and much fun, a brilliant label was composed by the group and affixed to the bottles after a nervous two-week wait for the brew to mature. On the final night we opened a few bottles and tasted it. Some bottles were flat! But the beer tasted satisfactory anyway. The final bottle opened had a creamy head and the possibility remains that the rest of the brew will taste magnificent. Everyone agreed that brewing together had been fun and a great experience of stepping outside the usual consumer experience and undertaking the risk of producing something special for ourselves.

Each week we read another section from the bible, all the readings being traditional Lenten ones. Marcus did a great job helping us grasp the cultural nuances that shaped the original writing. One of Marcus' techniques is to interpret a contemporary political cartoon together, as this requires similar skills to reading the bible. Our small group of men (some women said they would come, but couldn’t make it in the end) took to debating the meaning of the cartoons and the bible stories with gusto - perhaps encouraged by tasting some highlights of the brewer's art. Each week we all gained a deeper understanding of a bible story and all achieved a fresh perspective on the world around us. We had joked about 'reading the bible through the beer goggles', but Marcus genuinely helped us see the text in a fresh way, bringing out how those who are tired and perhaps disenfranchised by the games the powerful in society play may react to these ancient stories of wisdom.

A theme throughout the season had been 'coming of age'. Both beer and wisdom stories have a profound influence on our coming of age rituals in Australia; all of us could recount stories of starting drinking beer as young men. Also, all of us could acknowledge that authentic food was a part of our spiritual lives, as is the bible stories. The journey together brought both of these themes together in a powerful way. All of us quickly became enthusiastic about what we were achieving together. The lessons we learnt together during Lent defy simple articulation; but each of us finished with a profound sense that we had learnt something that would enrich and encourage us on our life journey. Perhaps we learnt that making a profound connection with another person is a necessary part of reconciliation; perhaps we learnt that the promises of power are hollow compared with the chance to become aware of our place in a wonderful living creation. Whatever we learnt, we will look at the world in slightly different ways from now on.

Thanks to Marcus and all the good men who participated.

THE HEAVENLY BANQUET

I would like to have the men of heaven

In my own house:

With vats of good cheer

Laid out for them.

I would like to have all the saints,

Their fame is so great.

I would like people

From every corner of heaven.

I would like them to be cheerful

In their drinking.

I would like to have Jesus too

Here among us.

I would like a great lake of beer

For the King of Kings,

I would like to be watching heaven’s family

Drinking it through all eternity.

Autumn at Sunday Stuff

We've started our Autumn season at Sunday Stuff. Highlights are the return of our labyrinth (this week May 8), our famous upside down week (29 May), the creation of mugs for our hospitality (June 12) and the legendary yule feast (June 26). See www.solacechurch.org.au/sundaystuff for all the details and a down-loadable program.

Liv's Easter Journey

During our Easter journey we have been exploring how we might breathe new life into the liturgical saying of Easter Sunday "Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed!"
Some of the sessions have involved looking at the meanings in Mark, Luke and John's crucifixion accounts.
In those sessions we have tried to encapsulate the story succinctly and even replace "Christ is risen" with a short slogan that reflects some of these meanings
(it has been hard)

here are some of mine (taken from all three accounts)

death done God's way is victory
You can't keep an innocent man down
Jesus: just ask
Man's doom can not defeat God's hope
put all your eggs in God's basket
all things have come to pass



For me this Easter it turns out that the account by Luke has had a big impact and stayed with me these last 10 days. It is a doom laden account -with the wailing women (the greek chorus) and Jesus' prediction of a terrible future for Jerusalem as well as darkness when he dies. This fits my mood of these last months. (I have nothing to complain about but feel hemmed in by such bad news within our own country and round the world -both natural and human.) Within this setting Jesus acts as a confident hope filled man. It has been stark and shocking to me this Easter. He confidently offers paradise to the one dying next to him and his last act is to place all that he is into God's hands. He remains full of trust to the last. To the one next to him who also dares to trust he grants everything.

This last week when i have felt low or divided about how i want to live i have muttered to myself "Into your hands i commit my spirit". For me it is an act of throwing myself forward into a greater god-shaped future. Its about putting all my eggs into God's basket and choosing God's way as my way in all circumstances and God's being as the home of my spirit (my very self) at all times. A few years ago i realised that something had changed for me in my relationship with God, that i could sense a good God despite of or independent of circumstances. My trust of God was getting unhooked from how i was treated by life. This is a basic article of faith...blessed is the name of the Lord -he gives and takes away...Job chapter 1. But i am slow to learn it, and slower to live it. The idea that God is good despite there being lots of data in the world that some say proves that God is either wicked or non-existant is a foundation for living faith. However for me i can sense that only in these last years has it moved from my head to also inhabit my heart and i "know" it in a different way. Therefore the path to "more" with God continues to present itself as the best one for me to walk fully and deeply and it feels increasingly unsustainable to "hedge my bets" as well as unappealing.

In Luke Jesus does not waver and knows that even in this extreme situation God is his sure hope. For me to say this Easter "Christ is risen" is to own something like "all my bets are on Jesus" .

In committing my spirit to God i am of course committing my feet to walk his paths, my mind to his thoughts, my heart to his heart and so on. In daily life for me this means to keep finding practices and habits that make my heart soft and compassionate (i tend to respond to the many mundane tasks in my life by going harder and becoming harder), it is to keep forgiving and making space in my heart for those i am in long term relationships with (I am so much better at making new friends than keeping old ones close), it is to have a commitment to doing justice (I prefer to get away with whatever i can rather than acknowledge that in life i have already been given and taken so much). It is to make a place in my heart for a quiet and confident hope for the world alongside the muted grief and pain from the newspaper headlines. For me to say this Easter "Christ is risen" is to own something like " though doomed by the world, your ways offer me life"

What will it mean to you when you say "Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed!" this Sunday.

Easter week at Solace

Easter holidays have started here in Victoria, and Solace is celebrating running our first seasons of Tuesday Stuff and Sunday Stuff at our new venue in Alphington. Easter week is fast approaching and we're anticipating a fantastic time. Details on gatherings are given below, but first a comment on the meaning of Easter.

Easter is the time for celebrating and reflecting on Christianities central event: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many Christians greet each other on Easter Sunday with the words 'Christ is risen', and replying 'He is risen indeed'. At Solace we are exploring together what it means to affirm 'Christ is risen'. There have been many attempts at explaining the meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus over the course of the church's history. Many of those attempts have gone beyond the gospel accounts, some using the epistles plausibly, some using other parts of the bible with less credibility. At Solace we are encouraging each individual to reflect on the meaning of 'Christ is risen' for themselves. In our conversations about the meaning of 'Christ is risen' we come to a meaning that we as a dispersed community hold as truth.

One theme that has already emerged is our attraction to the opportunity to be transformed personally: by love, by grace and - mysteriously - by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We've considered contrasting ideas about Easter from Marcus Borg and from Keith Green. Really different men, different ways of understanding bible and yet both are excited (in their own way) about the opportunity for positive and loving transformation.

We hope that you also will reflect on what 'Christ is risen' means in the coming weeks and find your own excitement in this age-old phrase.

Easter Week at Solace
April 17 10am Palm Sunday
April 22 2pm-3pm Good Friday
April 24 10am Easter Sunday
See Solace Lent and Easter events 2011 for more details and locations.

Solace Alphington is up and running

Solace has secured a new venue in Alphington for all our activities, office and resources. We shifted in before Christmas 2010 and have been fitting out ever since. We secured a commercial lease of a shop-front and dwelling in prominent Heidelberg Rd Alphington.

The new venue will help us grow the organization and better serve all our fantastic supporters and punters. Having a single place for everything is going to save heaps of time by getting rid of setting up, travel, packing up. We'll be more innovative too: both because we have the time and because we will have to adapt to a typical shop-front space. The lessons we learn about commercial leasing and using this type of building will be made available to other Christian communities: sharing the benefit around.

Sunday Stuff and Tuesday Stuff have made the move already. Both congregations are settling in well and enjoying the new space. Rebekah Pryor is our first artist-in-residence and her exhibition, 'homecoming' has launched and proven very popular already. A new group are meeting on Monday nights to brew a beer for Lent and read through the lectionary readings together. These are good signs that the venue works for us.

We're currently knocking down a wall and getting air-conditioning sorted, so the place will be even more comfortable and useful in the very short term. We've got some of our resources set up in our new library, so if you would like to innovate in your own community, why don't you come over and we'll share some lessons we've learnt?

Advent and Christmas at Sunday Stuff

December 5
All Ages Prayer
Labyrinth space
Conversation - what is Christmas for you?
Kid's Stuff is doing the Christmas story

December 12
All Ages Singing - carols!
Hot Topics - how many true meanings of Christmas have you got?
Kid's Stuff is doing the Christmas story

December 19 (our last Sunday for the year)
All Ages Jesus Meal and carol singing
Workshop - surviving Christmas by bringing a bit of Kingdom
Contemplation space
Kid's Stuff is doing the Christmas story

Christmas Day - get your donkeys ready, Gabriel's coming with a message.
9am champagne and salmon, stories and singing.

Sunday 2pm to 3:30pm. Chalice, 251 High St Northcote
Contact Paul Minty on paulm@solace.emc.org.au or 0418 307 475
http://solace.emc.org.au/SundayStuff.htm

Owning a transforming initiative

I've written previously about the Sermon on the Mount and how the major section of it can be read as a set of transforming initiatives (thanks the Glen Stassen for the academic work behind this concept). This week at Solace, the staff sat down and worked through the Sermon on the Mount together, asking questions and seeking understanding together. We all liked the transforming initiatives, but some of the cultural gulf between us and the original readers prevented us from becoming fluent in the idea of transforming initiatives. We each attempted to write our own three-part teaching, to develop a better sense of what the Sermon on the Mount is about. Here's what I wrote.

You have heard it said that you should focus on your prosperity. But I say to you that only the control of all the world's resources and people can be considered truly prosperous. For true prosperity shall be measured by the removal of all threats to you and your families lives and lifestyles. So go, lose focus and be distracted by the scary and disaffected; waste your time on insoluble social ills, so that at least you can be part of the solution, rather than a cause, of the problem.

I must admit, I was quite pleased with my first effort! I tried to use the same sort of phrasing as I saw in the Sermon on the Mount and the result was a similarly confusing piece of writing. I picked a 'traditional righteousness' which is both common in our culture, but one that's actually pretty easy pick holes in (to give myself something easy to work with). I then explained how I thought seeking absolute prosperity can lead us down a vicious cycle of domination and greed and my transforming initiative is to relax about focusing on prosperity. I don't think my result is anywhere near as insightful as Jesus teachings! But it helped me understand how the teachings are communicated.

It's getting close to Christmas now, so this blog will start writing on that theme. We're hoping to take the theme of a transforming initiative into the season of Christmas. How could your experience of Christmas be made more joyful by sowing the seeds of the Kingdom?

Jesus wisdom teachings in the Sermon on the Mount

Most of the Sermon on the Mount contains radical and transforming teachings from Jesus. The longest section of the Sermon on the Mount contains teachings of Jesus; I'll call this section 'the teachings of Jesus'. The teachings are written in an unfamiliar style, and most western interpretations of them disregard the teachings as too hard for normal people to live by. However, recently a bible scholar from the Fuller Seminary in the USA, Glen Stassen, published an interpretation of the teachings which has helped unlock the teachings of Jesus for contemporary readers.

Stassen's contribution was to return to the way Matthew is written and take seriously the style of writing that Matthew uses. Matthew uses a three-part style to communicate wisdom and uses this three-part style consistently throughout the gospel of Matthew. The three-part style is used in other documents written at a similar time to Matthew's time of writing, making Stassen's interpretation a credible and persuasive approach. The three-part style includes reminding the audience of a conventional wisdom, illustrating how the conventional wisdom leads to a vicious and unhealthy cycle and offers a transformative initiative to break out of the vicious cycle.

The three-part style is most obvious in the first part of the teachings of Jesus section. The conventional wisdom is 'do not murder'. The vicious cycle is the festering hatred between men, which could lead to murder, in spite of the law against murder. The transforming initiative is to prioritise reconciliation above anything else, even practicing religious rituals of purification. I've laid this out below, adapted from a table in an academic paper by Stassen.

Traditional Righteousness
Matt 5:21 You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.”
In the Greek, “shall not” and “shall be” are futures, not imperatives; as translations of the Hebrew in the Ten Commandments, they do of course imply a command. Jesus is quoting commands rather than giving them.


Vicious Cycle
5:22 But I say to you that every one being angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council, and whoever says, ‘You fool!” will be liable to the hell of fire.”
There are no imperatives in the Greek, so this sentence isn't written as an instruction or command from Jesus.

Transforming Initiative
5:23-26 So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there... and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then coming, offer your gift. Make friends quickly with your accuser....
Explanation: lest your accuser hand you over to the judge... you won’t get out till you’ve paid the last penny.
(Italics mark the Greek imperatives. The words Jesus are using as direct instructions.)

Matthew doesn't follow the three-part form slavishly as we might if we used a code or a poetic structure; he follows the three-part form as a logical form of persuasion. Other parts of the teachings of Jesus section don't follow the three-part form as obviously. I have worked through the teachings of Jesus section on my own, highlighting what I thought were the conventional wisdom, illustrations of vicious cycles and transforming initiatives and I am satisfied the whole section uses the three-part form. Sometimes the transforming initiatives or the vicious cycles are omitted as they would be repetitive or so clearly implied that to state them would insult the audience's intelligence. If you are really keen, try to find all fourteen sub-sections and work out the three parts for yourselves. If you don't care for that kind of thing (I love it!) then Glen Stassen has written academic articles that are publicly available or some popular books including "Living the Sermon on the Mount: A Practical Hope for Grace and Deliverance (Enduring Questions in Christian Life)", available from Amazon.

The transforming initiatives taught by Jesus are incredibly helpful and are still radical in our contemporary world. I hope to unpack them further in coming blogs. A useful thing to ponder is whether laws (whilst absolutely necessary to bring justice for the victims) can hope to prevent injustice and harm - they may be a deterrent, but can law affect our passions and instincts?

The Beatitudes

The Sermon on the Mount is in Matthew 5-7. While it should be read as a whole, there are distinct sections within it. The first section is known as 'The Beatitudes'. I've put a copy of that text at the bottom of this.

The Beatitudes is a collection of statements, with the phrase 'blessed are...' being repeated. The people who Jesus say are blessed (or will be blessed) are the opposite of what we would call 'succesful'. Success is commonly held to mean wealthy, influential, comfortable. Instead, Jesus focuses on those who are enlightened, generous, vulnerable, dissatisfied. It's easy to say that the Beatitudes is a good list of what it is to be 'good' and that we all should try to be 'good'. However, it is much harder to commit to the Beatitudes as a set of core ethical principles.

Dave Andrews of Brisbane has teamed up with the Bible Society to create a great resource for engaging with the wisdom in the Beatitudes. Dave's reading of the Beatitudes is that Jesus intended them to be a core set of ethical principles, and the adoption of these ethical principles was an important aspect of what Jesus meant by 'salvation'. Dave has worked hard on producing a rational and comprehensive theology supporting his view, and also an accessible set of resources that you can find at www.wecan.be. I particularly like Dave's riff on the name: he calls them the 'Be Attitudes', uses the phrase 'Be the change you want to see' (borrowed from Gandhi, I believe) and describes Jesus' intention as 'Plan Be'.

In contrast to Dave Andrew's reading of the Beatitudes is the view that the Beatitudes represent an unattainable ideal, which will only become a reality in an after-life. I don't find the 'unattainable ideal' view convincing. I think that Jesus intended the Kingdom of Heaven to become a reality in our current lives, even if only in an imperfect form. Given that I'm keen to somehow be pro-active in participating in the Kingdom of Heaven in my own life, I'd prefer to take the Beatitudes as the basis for my own ethics - as challenging as that may be.

As a middle-class male in a democratic and capitalist society, the Beatitudes present me with a different set of challenges and hopes than they would have to the peasants and aristocracy of 1st century Judaism. I think our political and economic freedoms are great; however, our reliance on individual consumption and our willingness to have economic losers in order to create more economic winners are challenged by the Beatitudes.

So, the Beatitudes have become an important part of my study and worship in recent times. They are both a comfort and a challenge for me. I think they raise difficult questions for anyone who chooses to engage with them; but those difficult questions are the kind that can really energise our lives.


Matthew 5.1-10

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

How I encountered the Sermon on the Mount

Once upon a time, only a few weeks ago, I was pondering how I could find new inspiration in my own spiritual life, and to bring that inspiration into the Sunday Stuff community that I lead.

Every day I would read opinion pieces and study spiritual practices and theological themes and positions, and they were all good, but they lacked the spark I was looking for.

Until one day, I looked at a bible reading daily reading guide that my wife was reviewing for her work, and it struck me that most of the readings were either in the Old Testament, or from the Epistles, with only about 4 weeks of the year spent in the Gospels, looking directly at Jesus’ teachings and actions. It struck me that focusing my own spiritual journey on Jesus, and encouraging others to do the same, would be best inspired by actually focusing on Jesus.

Because of this, I did some research into the Gospels and discovered that they contained large chunks of teachings from Jesus, as well as stories about healing, leadership and the ultimate story of Jesus death and resurrection. The first chunk of teachings, and one of the most famous, is a set of three chapters from Matthew (6-8), which is the first gospel in the New Testament, known as the Sermon on the Mount. So I read the Sermon several times, and started researching, looking at how others have understood the it through history and how the Sermon on the Mount has shaped the Christian Tradition.

Because of this, I discovered the complicated and disputed nature of the Sermon on the Mount. It is probably the most read text, not only in the Christian Tradition, but also in Western thought (perhaps globally). The Sermon on the Mount is hard to read: there are apparent contradictions, some parts seem to be metaphors, other parts are meant to be taken literally, it’s a big chunk of text presented in a way that is very foreign to me, there isn’t the structured argument or the story-telling conventions that I’m used to. The fact that the Sermon on the Mount has inspired so many people through history was both a big selling point and a barrier to getting to grips with it. Opinions, books, papers, ideas, and things written on paper started to rise on my digital and hard-light desktops, rising above my head and continually growing. There came a point when I despaired: would my attempt to understand the Sermon on the Mount be overwhelmed by a mountain of sermons?

Until finally I concentrated on the first little bit of the Sermon on the Mount: the Beatitudes. I thought about them as something that could be done right here and now, something that described an inspirational and tantalizing concept: the Kingdom of God. The rest of the Sermon on the Mount started making more sense and I found that thing I was looking for: a source of inspiration and a rich insight into Jesus’ teachings, ministry, purpose, spirituality and passion.

And ever since that day I’ve been excited about what I’ve been reading, both the raw text of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, and also the writings and thoughts of many humble servants and great leaders in the Christian Tradition. I suspected that focusing on Jesus would bring inspiration to my spiritual journey, and it has. The Sermon on the Mount is now a rich source for ongoing inspiration, learning and contemplation.

I'll be blogging more about the Sermon on the Mount over the next weeks - join in the conversation!

Solace picnic day

If you're reading this and are in the Melbourne area, then we've got a family-friendly picnic day coming up to help our dispersed network and our congregations connect.

The Solace picnic day

The Saturday of Melbourne Cup Weekend (30th October)
Start 11am and run to 3ish

Darebin parklands in Alphington
Eastern end of Separation St, Alphington
http://www.dcmc.org.au/parklands/index.php

BYO for BBQ lunch (and treats for late morning tea and early afternoon tea)

Organised games for kids, giving adults a chance to play, catch-up or walk the spiritual healing trail that is in the parklands

Sports challenges for kids and adults as teams

The Kingdom of God parables

I'm doing the research and early writing for a new theme across the Solace network: the Kingdom of God. It's a foundational concept in Jesus' teachings and well-worth studying.

We'll also use it as a theme in our contemplative practices: at the moment I'm preparing a contemplative time on the parable of the Mustard Seed from Luke 13:18-19. A tiny seed (most people get the symbolism here) grows into the gnarliest, weediest, tree that's actually very healthy for you (know that's symbolism).

Right now, we're stilling rolling out our theme on 'The Sermon on the Mount' across the Solace network. Sunday Stuff used it for the Winter 2010 term, Tuesday Stuff is looking at it for the next of their cycles and I'll be posting regularly to our blog, Solace Facebook group and online community over the next couple of months. It's a great theme and is really developing into a lived thing as people incorporate into their spiritual practices.

October at Sunday Stuff

Sunday Stuff is an emerging Christian church, combining contemplative practices, contemporary readings of the bible and a focus on personal well-being to create a dynamic and rich spirituality in the Christian tradition. After a two-week break for school holidays, Sunday Stuff returns for the Spring term. Below is the program for October, head on over to www.solace.emc.org.au/sundaystuff/ for a full calendar and more information.

The learning theme for Spring is the 'Kingdom of God', a brilliant concept from ancient Judaism that has grown and developed in the Christian tradition and remains an inspiring and life-giving wisdom for today.

October 3
All Ages Prayer
Labyrinth Space - conversation
Kid's Stuff - The Dinner Party (7 love languages)

October 10
All Ages Singing
Presentation - The Kingdom of God
Kid's Stuff - The Dinner Party (7 love languages)

October 17
All Ages Jesus Meal
Workshop on the Kingdom of God
Contemplation time
Kid's Stuff - The Dinner Party (7 love languages)

October 24
All Ages Stories
Solace Liturgy - a contemporary and multi-sensory liturgy
Kid's Stuff - The Dinner Party (7 love languages)

October 31
Games
Blokes to lead kid's stuff, Olivia to lead the adults
Kid's Stuff - The Dinner Party (7 love languages)

Sunday 2pm to 3:30pm. Chalice, 251 High St Northcote

Church for August

We've had a short July at Sunday Stuff - but lots of fun! August is coming up, so why don't you consider visiting us at Sunday Stuff?

There's a nice calendar at Solace Sunday Stuff Emerging Christian Church

August 1
All Ages Prayer - prayerful bits using voice, body and soul that anyone can do anytime (very refreshing)
The Labyrinth - our unique take on an ancient contemplative practice.
Conversation time - 'cause chatting is what comes natural. This month: what is scripture?

August 8
All Ages Singing - a joyful noise
Presentations on the 'Sermon on the Mount' from Paul and others, actions, images, music and more.

August 15
All Ages Jesus Meal - when we come together in a sacred ritual of remembrance and hospitality
Small groups on interesting bits of the Sermon on the Mount - salt, light, ostentatious piety!
Contemplation time - experience the transcendent in a supportive and accessible environment.

August 22
All Ages Stories
Taize style liturgy

August 29
Games week! Maybe a simulation game exploring poverty in Cambodia
Blokes will be taking the kid's program and Olivia will be taking the Adults - come here our best teacher on the Sermon on the Mount

Sunday 1:45pm (doors open) for 2pm to 3:30pm. Chalice, 251 High St Northcote

mission is best called "compassionate service"

Last term the sunday adults community spent a number of weeks exploring the idea of "mission". The tools used, and the conversation generated was excellent. Hopefully the sense of freedom AND call has expanded some people's lives as well.

The resources are easy to grab and so i am including them in this email. You might like to use them with a group you are part of or perhaps do some of your own private work, or with a friend/partner over a meal.

If you are interested read on......

Mission as compassionate service table of contents:

good questions to start a conversation on the topic
notes from a conversation Olivia and Paul had together
some great talks on compassion at one of solace's favourite websites
a broad view of mission using the 7 ways

GOOD QUESTIONS TO START A CONVERSATION ON THE TOPIC

lets start close to home with our real life flesh and blood neighbours

*What are the names of the people living around us? How long have we known them? Do we like them? do they know or like us?
*What are the names of the people we work with? What are they like as people?
*What are the names of the people we buy from? Do we know the names of any of their customers?
*How frequently do you see/connect with someone in order to regard them as a neighbour?
*How selective are we in our relationships? (Can you describe what happens?)
*What good things are our neighbours up to?
*What could/do our neighbours teach us?
*How could/do our neighbours participate on our "salvation"
*Who is the neighbour most different to us?
*Who is the neighbour most similar to us?

NOTES FROM A CONVERSATION BETWEEN OLIVIA AND PAUL

Mission is one of those terrible words that gets used by the Church and carries a big stick. the word "should" gets used with it a lot and we tend to feel guilt and duty at its mention. We are keen to divest ourselves of that baggage!! The words and ideas of mission and evangelism are often mentioned together and seem to be used more by fundamentalist or conservative groups. YEt their take on the idea is fairly narrow.

Mission is an outward focus -the wellbeing of others not yourself. (Life with God has a huge and primary place for every person's wellbeing and whilst we start at the place to be renewed we are inevitably urged by God to focus on "others" as well.)

Jesus' whole attitude was "missional" -focused on "other" - he was sent and sends his friends and followers in a likewise manner.

Compassion seems to be the motivator and the compass. If we can be soft hearted and full of love for the "other" then perhaps we may not go too far wrong. So practices and lifestyles that grow our hearts are vital - much more so than messages or techniques.

Loving God and loving our neighbour are the core of God's commands to us and make up the communal fabric of our life on earth. They are the same command with different faces and as all the letters of John in the NT make clear you can NOT love God and hate your brother.So service to God and the world is the same thing.

To really care for people and get involved in being changed and offering positive change is hard work, so the word "Service" seems apt.

Solace will use the term "compassionate service" to talk broadly and deeply about Jesus' command to be sent out into the world in his name. (The thing some parts of the Church call "mission")

Compassionate service makes sense of and is integral to Jesus' teaching. It is the fulfilment of our true nature.

We wish to include people in the things of God that we have found and enjoy NOT convert. We do not think it has much future focus (apart from hope on the renewing of the earth and heavens), we do not think that it is about getting energy from end times and judgement. It is about God and goodness and each individual and group having a unique and respectful place before God. IT is not about universal homogeneity (we are not all going to look the same, do the same, believe the same etc). It is a dialogue, we are learners in every way. We do not seek to make others like "us".

Can we expand peace and love in the midst of diversity and confusion? Can we truly serve with compassionate hearts?

GREAT TALKS FROM TED

Robin Wright: The evolution of compassion

Pasted from http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_wright_the_evolution_of_compassion.html


Natural History of compassion. Compassion as part of the gene pool. Atheistic take on the golden rule.



Rabbi Jackie Tabick: The balancing act of compassion

Pasted from http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jackie_tabick.html


Woman, UK, Rabbi. Love one's neighbor. The challenges of compassion.

15:46 min.


A TABLE OF THE 7 WAYS AND COMPASSIONATE SERVICE



see the next blog entry!

compassionate service and the 7 ways table

July at Sunday Stuff Emerging Christian Church

Sunday Stuff is continuing our fun journey together as an emerging christian church after the mid-year holidays. We're going to be looking at the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes over the season, as well as all the rich contemplative practices that we enjoy so much.

July 11
All Ages Singing
Informal All Ages Time - some simple things to celebrate the new season together. No Kid's Stuff this week, we'll all be doing things that kids can enjoy alongside adults.

July 18
All Ages Jesus Meal - our central ritual
Learning time for adults - workshop the beatitudes from the sermon on the mount
Contemplation time - a short time for practicing contemplation, with a bit of help!

July 25
All Ages Stories
The Solace Liturgy

Sunday 1:45pm (doors open) for 2pm to 3:30pm. Chalice, 251 High St Northcote
Contact Paul Minty on paulm@solace.emc.org.au or 0418 307 475

June at Solace Sunday Stuff emerging church

6 June
All Ages Prayer
Labyrinth and contemplative prayer for adults - disorient and re-orient.
Small group - our own connection to land and place; where do you come from?

13 June
All Ages Singing
A visit from the folks at the Indigenous Hospitality House - offering hospitality to indigenous Australians on land traditionally owned by indigenous Australians.

20 June
Mid-Winter Feast! Yule Tide celebration. All welcome, so bring your friends! Carol singing, a message of hope, yummy warm things to eat.

No Sunday Stuff until July 11 - enjoy the winter holidays!

Solace Sunday Stuff. An emerging church in Northcote Melbourne Victoria Australia.
Sunday 1:45pm (doors open) for 2pm to 3:30pm. Chalice, 251 High St Northcote
Contact Paul Minty on paulm@solace.emc.org.au or 0418 307 475
www.solace.emc.org.au/sundaystuff

Rabbi Jackie Tabick on Compassion

We used a great Ted talk from Rabbi Jackie Tabick on compassion at Sunday Stuff last week. Rabbi Tabick is a cheerful and engaging woman with a gently passionate manner. Her talk is part of the 'Charter for Compassion', a project to gather support for compassion as the central value uniting humanity and religions.

Rabbi Tabick focuses on the everyday challenges of being compassionate. She reminds us that saying we will love our neighbors is all very well, but often we dislike them! She draws on the ancient Jewish teachings of the Torah and the ongoing Rabbinic teachings to illustrate the idea that compassion and justice need to be in balance so that compassion is possible. Our capacity to be compassionate is enhanced by accepting our true selves, understanding when compassion needs to be moderated by justice and then performing acts of kindness as we can.

Rabbi Tabick's talk at Ted is worth watching (it's only 18 minutes), I personally found it very interesting inspiring and comforting. I found the insights into the Torah and Rabbinic teachings gave me a fresh perspective on Jesus' teachings, as Jesus was certainly a Jewish wisdom teacher.

After engaging with Jackie's ideas, I have started exploring the idea that 'mission' may be best described as an act of compassion. I'm inspired to deepen my understanding of mission by exploring how compassion has been a part of Christian spirituality since Jesus time.

So, a good video, well worth watching, and more ideas to engage with.

Sunday Stuff is back on for May

Solace Sunday Stuff has started back for May.


9 May
All Ages Singing
Video - the challenges of compassion & facilitated chat about being compassionate
Multi-Sensory Prayer options

16 May
All Ages Jesus Meal
Meditation practice
Video - a secular view on compassion

23 May
All Ages Story Time
Taize

30 May
Games for everyone!
Olivia McLean on compassion in the Seven Ways of the Christian tradition.

Sunday Stuff is an experimental emergent church in Melbourne.

Sunday 1:45pm (doors open) for 2pm to 3:30pm. Chalice, 251 High St Northcote
Contact Paul Minty on paulm@solace.emc.org.au or 0418 307 475