Christology - Missiology - Ecclesiology

A statement that I have heard quite a bit is:
"Christology should inform our missiology which should inform our ecclesiology".
(it's probably someone in particular's quote but I have no idea of the originator of it - if anyone knows do let me know so I can give credit where credit is due!)

What?, you say. That is, what we know of Jesus and who he is and what we believe/know about him should inform how we live that message out/share that with others which in turn should inform the way we be/do church, the people of God.
Think about it for a while and I suspect that it will transform how you think about these things, and even more how you live them, like it has, and is even more at the moment, transforming mine.

I think often as Christians we separate all of these things our view of Jesus in one corner, our mission in another and our view of how church should be in another, or we certainly do it in a different order to this. I think often the way we do church (ecclesiology) comes first or at least second and especially informs how we do mission rather than the other way around.

I've been asking myself how would my life change if I really lived with these things informing each other in this order? What would look different?

I've had a number of conversations over the last couple of years about handling the amount of information and contactability that is "available" to us these days, if not pressed upon us .... including some conversations with people who may be reading this blog.
If that topic interests you, you may well be interested in this article about Bit Literacy (http://www.goodexperience.com/columns/04/0128.bitliteracy.html) which Dave put on his site and which I found quite interesting.

Reading a book at the moment by Sally Morgenthaler "Worship Evangelism" and loving thinking about the need to provide spaces where people can encounter God. It's helping me even more passionate than normal about our gatherings and our lives giving people opportunity to have an encounter with God - not just telling people about God.

Great blog entry

Here's a great blog entry by Justin about missional communities - don't agree with what he's saying but he raises questions that I wrestle with. You might like to have a look: Missional Communities blog entry

Spirituality Interest

Somethings been really bugging me lately - the way so many Christians think that people outside the church aren't interested in spirituality ... and I so disagree with that!
In my experience, people are so much more interested in spirituality than most people in the church give the impression of ... and are quite insulted by the implication that they are not interested in spirituality ... often they are more passionate about their search for meaning/God/an experience of the "Other" than we in the church & search for it in more genuine ways

A Predicament

Here's the situation a friend of mine found herself in.
One of her friends is involved in a political/activism group, that my friend also has an interest in, and was heading up some times on holistic health within that scene. My friend, naturally, was invited to take part. Along the way she discovered that one of the people involved/going was quite into spells and that kind of thing and wanted to do chant type stuff over everyone. Should she go?
Two opposed lines of thoughts:
Firstly, going opens you up to a range of spiritual influences.
Secondly, what better opportunity to be a presence of the kingdom!

What do you think?

Allegience

Almost out of nowhere I started thinking about the concept of allegience today. It was like a thought completely left of centre that just made alot of sense. Not sure if words can give it justice - but I'll try.
I thought about how in an army or when I think about things like ancient times - the concept of someone changing their allegience from one kingdom, one persons ways of doing things to another seems very real and natural. You need to de-program yourself from the ways of kingdom y because you now belong to kingdom x.
Struck me in a new way that is what it is like for us who are followers of Jesus - our allegience is a changed thing, and that it is about learning slowly but surely what that allegience to Jesus and the kingdom of God means.
All stuff I've even talked about heaps - but today a new level of hit my wholistic understanding.
And the key question - am I spelling allegience correctly?

Blogging Quiz

For those of you who are bloggers, you might like to take this blogging quiz - I enjoyed and came up with a score that indicated that I was a dediated blogger but that I still had a social life. That's about right!
Here is the url - I am still trying to work out how to put links in.
http://wannabe.catharsis.org/bin/quiz.cgi?quiz=one
Enjoy!

I have been conscious that I haven't written for awhile - but also conscious that I'm quite tired and while I have been thinking of plenty of things to write about they aren't quite coming at the time I could sit down and write.
One of the many things that I have pondered in the last week has been "what does it mean to be the presence of the kingdom of God in the world"?
I wonder what it means for you today?

Email Lists and Web Communication

One of my communities email list has had a sudden influx of emails about the bible and questions that the Old Testament raises about the character of God and that kind of thing - which has then prompted a discussion about the usage of the email list and about email/web communication - all good stuff actually.
One of the questions has been around the fact (?) that you don't have body language etc to mitigate and filter what you say in email/web communication. I have been thinking about that and the various forums in which I am part of web communities of sorts. In my experience, where you have some experience of the person, or knowledge of the person, then you read what is written in email or discussion through your knowledge of them - and that picture builds over time and interaction, however that interaction is. I do think that physical interaction is important but that is where the strength of the kind of email forum I am talking about comes in - it is one of many interactions possible within the given community, with plenty of other types of interaction possible.
Within all this I've been thinking about the difference in the way people view things like web communication and have blinkers on the types of communications they consider "normal" - even though the questions raised about web communication are perfectly valid and helpful too.
I have also been thinking about emotion, tone and freedom in such communication.
Just small issues!

In Adelaide - sightseeing and stuff of the like, having been with a Beach Mission team for a few days in Port Fairy ... lots of time to be prompted by things to blog about (now in an internet cafe):

First thing that has been prompting thought in me is the Parable of the Weeds - have a read of it. But the thing it made me think about is that it seems to be a kingdom principle to let both the good (the wheat) and the bad (the weeds) grow side by side so that in pulling out the weeds you don't kill the wheat that is there. I think so often I see weeds and want to get rid of them straight away and in doing so actually kill wheat along the way. What do you reckon? What thoughts does it prompt for you?

I've been reading a book called Mass Culture - different perspectives on Communion. Been thinking about whether this meal that Jesus instituted is for his followers and the role that it has for people who are not followers of Jesus What do you reckon?

Just been talking about one of my long standing dreams with a good friend of mine ... thought I'd write it on here too:
A second hand bookshop/op shop/cafe ... in a groovy part of town like Northcote where I now live ... with a lived discipleship community connected to it (and involved in running it), connecting with the communiy around in many ways but with that as a base ... and with a worshipping community around it ...

I was accused of just wanting an op shop so I can get all the good stuff first ... well maybe ... but no really it's got way other reasons ... truly!

The last few weeks I've been watching God grow excitement in a range of things within one of the communities that I'm part of in Melbourne - it's exciting watching people get passionate about ways of drawing people into the community, ways of sharing our faith in Jesus and contexts to help people keep exploring spirituality.
I've also had a number of moments where I have really known God's spirit's presence in conversations and where things have come together in ways that are way outside our bringing things together.
All spins me out!

Been thinking quite a bit about "individual mission" opposed to "corporate mission" - should we together as communities of faith do the hard work of working out what God is calling us to together or should we encourage each other to go off and do what they feel called too "on their own" - and with others who might feel called to the same thing ... or both. I think that I think both - but I don't know or understand the balence or how's of that. I also wonder if there are no "rights" or "wrongs" - just that different communities will go on the emphasis differently.
I do think though that we need to work hard to make sure that we are not just going off on our own thing but rather making sure that we are in step with the spirit and each other.

It's a couple of days after Christmas - a good quiet time for me this year.

One of the things I have planned for the coming year is to celebrate both Christian and Jewish festivals more as a way of entering into and remembering the story of my faith and my ancestors in the faith. I'm excited by it - and have just been enjoying looking at the different festivals and what they represent and all of that - it will be an interesting time of remembering and celebrating - and hopefully embracing more of the story ...

Long day doing Christmas prep today ...
but lots going through my mind as/through doing that.

Firstly, just did my round of blogs and spun out at something Colin who is guest blogging for Steve Taylor said on the grid blog topic for the week: source ... here it is:
[grid blog :: source]
The source of life {Trinity}
Out::sourced life {Incarnation}
So that we might re::source Kingdom life {Ecclesiology}

Which means that mission, life for others, is at the heart of Trinity. Which means that church, wagons circled, defensive, enjoying itself, enjoying its worship,
is a disjuntive, disordering, misrepresenting of the Source of Life.

How good is that!

Quite separately, been thinking about Simeon's response to Jesus (Luke 2): especially these words he speaks to Mary about him "the rejection will force honesty, as God reveals who they really are" ... Jesus brings light to what we want him too - and what we don't!

And separately again- been thinking about faith stages prompted by some thinking someone else in my community has been doing - but I will write about that another time.

As I said in my last post, Christmas is being a very special time this year.

Two thoughts of my day with regard to Christmas:
If you put a picture of a baby on your fridge (all year) and the words "This is your God" with it - how would it change the way you followed Jesus ... mmm ... interesting - not sure really but it helped me reflect on the place of this part of the story in my relationship with God and in my life.

The other thing I've been thinking about is the aloneness that Jesus must have felt - and actually chose in coming to earth. As The Message says: he became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood" - that was a choice! He chose to move into a neighbourhood that didn't receive Him and certainly didn't welcome Him throughout his life ... a neighbourhood where he was shoved into the stable! Whatever he knew at various points of his deity/humanity he certainly must have felt different and must have been profoundly aware of the ways in which he was alone - even when surrounded by people and even when people loved him dearly. Aloneness was something he would have known well - and still does I reckon.

So much to write at the moment - hopefully this will be the start of regular blogging!

Just been to a communion meal with some friends to think about Christmas etc. Having also been on a retreat earlier this week with some other friends I'm really conscious of just how unique a lead up to Christmas I'm having. It occured to me the other day that it doesn't in any way feel like Christmas - but it does very much feel like I'm remembering Jesus' birth and things around that. So I'm extremely conscious of the real celebration but have hardly been around all the other sutff!
I kind of feel like that has been a real privelege and I'm heaps thankful for it.
It is feeling like the most real, special Christmas time I have ever had!

Today I spent some time studying - reading a couple of commentaries on 1 & 2 Samuel to be exact.

I loved a comment by Eugene Peterson:
For the biblical way is not so much to present us with a moral code and tell us "Live up to this"; nor is it to set out a system of doctrine and say, "Think like this and you will live well". The biblical way is to tell a story and invite us, "Live into this. This is what it looks like to be human; this is what is involved in entering and maturing as human beings.

He goes onto talk about how as we submit our lives to what we read in 1 & 2 Samuel: "we find that we are not being led to see God in our stories but to see our stories in God's."

Had an Anglican "Year of Discernment" meeting tonight. Mostly about being a chaplain in schools, hospitals and universities - not a riverting meeting!!!! However, we met at an Anglocatholic church and as is the custom one of the priests from there told us a bit about the parish. Interesting ... but most interesting was the art in the room we met in.
They have a group that meet on Wednesdays to do art together and explore spirituality through art ... and they have done some great stuff ... and then occasionally they have an exhibition and after church on the Sunday the person whose art is mostly displayed talks about their art.
Interesting - I loved it ... some amazing art and ace space for spiritual exploration.