Today I received my sparkly copy of Theological Reflection: Sources courtesy of Amazon.  Lots of creep points for buying the Prof's latest book, I trust.  A few sly smirks when flicking through I found bullet points and numbered lists - it's not just me after all...  Also a sense that actually I have heard of quite a few of these people, so maybe I'm not quite so ignorant after all.

Amongst the flicking, I found some poetry by Oscar Romero, and this one (dated 19 December 1977) struck me...

Let us not measure the church

by the number of its members

Or by its material buildings.

The church has built many houses of worship,

many seminaries,

many buildings have beeen taken from her.

They have been stolen

and turned into libraries

and barracks

and markets

and other things.

That doesn't matter.

The material walls here will be left behind in history.

What matters is you,

the people,

your hearts

God's grace giving you God's truth and life.

Don't measure yourselves by numbers.

Measure yourselves by the sincerity of heart

with which you follow the truth and light

of our divine Redeemer.

Theological Reflection: Sources, Elaine Graham, Heather Walton and Frances Ward, London, SCM, 2007 p. 368 

Yes and Amen

A while back I saw a spoof version of the famous 'Footprints' poem that ended up something like 'when you see only one set of footprints it was then that we were hopping' (there's also a version about dancing).  Over the last week or so, as I've been pondering what to say about Habakkuk on 'authenticity' it came back to me, and I think that, whatever its intention, it actually has a better message than the original.

Our life experience is not usually that we are carried through the tough times, rather that are a real slog - not unlike hopping a long distance.  I think I'd rather imagine God hopping alongside me, sharing in my struggles, than as someone who scoops me up out of the nastiness of real life.  I think this is more authentic theology (mourn with those who mourn, laugh with those who laugh) and more helpful.  If we believe, as I do, that in the cross, Jesus and hence God somehow embraced and shared suffering, then a God who shares the hopping and the dancing seems good to me.

This week our TV news has been filled with accounts of murder and mayhem.  People may well ask where God is.  Hopping mad with those who are enraged, limping with those who limp from moment to moment - and big enough to take our anger, questioning and pain.  "Our God is a great big God" who hops with us, hand in hand.

You know the ones...

Thou shalt start thy morning service at 10:30 a.m. and evening services at 6:00 p.m.  [It is regretted that in some places heresy such as bus timetables or rental arrangements have been permitted to corrupt the natural order and morning service commence at 10:45 or 11:00.  In certain places (please pray for them) a single 3 p.m. service is now deemed permissable!!!]

Thou shalt keep thy services to 60 minutes unless it is Communion Sunday in which case 75 is permitted.

Thou shalt have Communion on the evening of the first Sunday of the month and the morning of the third Sunday of the month.  Where there is a fifth Sunday in the month thy minister may get confused and do Communion again; where this is so thou shalt forgive thy minister as a mere fool for Christ.

Thou shalt sing only from the green book/red book/SOF book/MP book/powerpoint as thy musicians shall dictate, and all single verse songs shall be sung a minimum of twice, though 3.5 times, beginning half way through shalt be preferred if more than 50 persons are present. 

Thou shalt sing four hymns on ordinary Sundays, five when thou celebratest the Lord's Supper.

Thou shalt provide for children to be sent eleswhere in the premsies to spare them the full horrors of listening unto the sermon.  Here they shalt engage in creative means of exploring faith including disucssion and questioning.  Then thou shalt be surprised that they leave the church when thou deemest them too old for this method of learning to listen for God.

Thou shalt hold Church Meetings at 7:30 p.m. (unless thou art in NWBA in which case it shall be Sundays after the service) and thy meetings shall not exceed a duration of 2.5 hours unless thou precedest them with coffee.  Likewise thy deacons shall meet for at least 3 hours, and meetings continuing unto midnight are yea verily impressive...

Any others?

Every now and then I post on this topic, usually when I've been away from my own little patch and have experienced the paucity of prayer in worship elsewhere.

Evangelical Christians are big on 'Quiet Times' and 'Personal Prayer' or even 'Prayer Meetings' to which no one comes (cynical?  you bet!) but we are rubbish at corporate prayer.  Thinking back to this year's Baptist Assembly, my only experience of corporate intercessory prayer was in the closing All Age Worship; apart from that and the prayers for Minsiters and Missionaries, it was mainly a lot of 'really just wow Jesus' stuff.

Here in Costa del Old Fangled, we have two very distinct prayer slots in the service - at the start is a combination of Praise/Thanks and Confession (sometimes as two distinct items rather than one flowing into the other); after the sermon (and before Communion if it's that week) we have 'Prayers for Others' led by various people on a rota, which include world affairs, local issues and finally our own fellowship.  I honestly believe that this connection of 'church and world' begins to shape our thinking about Mission and allows God to speak to us about our role as Good News (word made flesh); in churches where there is no prayer for the world/local community I suspect there is less urgency to live out the connection as church becomes the place we go to enjoy God.

This Sunday our service is a rare 'one woman show' when I will lead the intercessions.  It is a joy and privilege to lead God's people in praying for God's world; just wish a few more Baptist events would discover it...

A couple of times recently I've been asked by people what we did when we closed our church building, and today am posting off a copy to someone not on email.  Maybe there's a need for something people can access 'ready made' so I'm offering it here.  Some of it is from other (acknowledged) sources, but most is my own work.  Please feel free to adapt or use it but not either to pretend you invented it or to publish it for profit.  It was my offering to God, I hope it helps you with yours...

Thanksgiving for Building

A couple of other ideas, with candles...

1. At the start of the service a large candle is lit, at the end, each person lights a small candle and carries it out symbolising taking the Light of Christ out into the world or to a new place  (courtesy of Stuart Jenkins)
2. A candle is lit before the service, as the servcie prgresses, the story of the congregation is told and smaller candles are lit or extinguished as groups are born or die.  At the end of the service the central candle remains, surrounded by candles that represent what is still 'live' and illuminated by the central Christ light; even if this congregation closes, the light burns on.  (courtesy of Katie Baker).

I guess these last two could be combined if desired.