A "difference that makes a difference"

On being an available community

An interesting conversation has developed from Kathryn's original post and it's made me think a little...

How can we make our church families open and welcoming to the world and community around us?  The implication in Kathryn's post is that weddings and baptisms are a vital way of communicating our welcome. (I'm conscious from other posts - her blog is well worth a regular visit, by the way - that Kathryn wouldn't limit church involvement in the community to services)  But still, I'm not convinced.

I used to be very anxious to get church services right, up to date and easy to follow.  Not because I wanted to be trendy but because I wanted to get our services to be easy to follow. The logic of my thinking was getting people into our church buildings.  I'm not saying anything very original as I suggest that this is not a tenable strategy for Christian engagement with our community.

So how can the church family be noticed as we bring our Lord's love into our communities.  Of course, all of us have the opportunity as individuals during our day-to-day work and lives but that is not enough.  Somehow, we have to engage not only our individual selves but our community self, our body-of-Christness in the lives of our community.

If it is only individuals that serve, love and share then what's to stop people thinking "Oh so-and-so's a really lovely person"? It's as we do things as a body, I think, that the Christlikeness becomes recognisable.

Tim van Eyken

Ages ago, Paul Roberts (via his blog) directed me to Tim van Eyken's myspace site and his song John Barleycorn.  Ever since, I've returned to the site playing John Barleycorn and Australia, sometimes more than once. It's just great music.

Paul liked the ambivalence of the lyrics but its the music I enjoy.  It starts off with a simple riff on the base strings - it just draws me in, there's so much anticipation in the opening bars... and then an electric guitar comes in with simple chords... I don't know enough about music to explain what's going on but it's just right. Do go and have a listen here

On Careers and being a Kohathite

I found myself in the book of Numbers today... not, I confess a book of the bible that is etched on my memory but I'm trying to read through the whole bible a few pages at a time and round about now I'm in Numbers and I read about the Kohathites.

"Very good Caroline, so what?" I hear you ask

Well, to explain, the Kohathites were a clan of the Levite tribe of Israel and they had the special task of clearing up the mess after the priests had done their bit.  Very important I'm sure but not what I'd call a great career move. And that was when it struck me... their work was chosen for them because of their birth not because of some career choice plan. How far removed we are from parts of the bible.  Could you imagine young people today accepting that their role in life was determined by their birth - no get out clause, not career progression, no professional development...

As I write that, of course I'm reminded that the great majority of the world are condemned by poverty or oppression to live out one particular role.  But that's part of my point, I suspect that most of the people reading this post would see being consigned to one particular role because of their birth to be an oppression, to be a negative, to be something wrong.  But the Kohathites were called to be the clearer-uppers, whilst other clans were called to be the carriers of tent fabric or tent poles.  This wasn't a negative thing this was just their place within the economy of God's people.

Today, we all have careers.  They may not be very exciting careers, in personal hygiene, social or healthcare but no matter how lowly, we are encouraged to see our work as a part of a career, and to seek opportunities for training, developing and bettering ourselves.  We are to seek progression, moving up the ladder, achieving ambitions, fulfilment.

The Kohathites, on the other hand, just had their place within the economy of God's people, they cleared up after the priests. I guess they were 'paid' for their work, maybe some of them became leaders of clearing teams. Might they have had shifts? "Oh good grief, it's Eleazar on duty tonight; he always makes more of a mess with the sacrificial lambs than his father does"...

and a question starts to wrestle it's way to the front of my mind

if the economy of God's people is based on people being in their place, and doing their work because of their calling (and not because of some desire for bettering themselves and progressing their careers) might we occasionally damage the church when we go about developing our careers?

Free Market Capitalism assessed in Ecclesiastes

I read this today, Ecclesiastes 5 10-11

Those who love money never have enough;
those who love wealth are never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless.

As goods increase,
so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
except to feast their eyes on them?

I'm told that in Britain, we've never been richer.  Yet, people many people in London can not afford to buy a roof to put over their heads.  Even reasonably prosperous young people are having to share homes in order to be able to afford them. For, as our cash income has increased, so have house prices - only faster. So, "as goods increase so do those who consume them".  Has cash income growth increased our riches or just required us to spend more keeping up with the field?

Bill and Mary work hard...
very hard...

Of course they need to rest and relax... a sabbath...
which they take in the Maldives

they have to work very hard
to afford the flights and the exotic hotel
they have to work very hard indeed;
they take on extra responsibilities,
and every now and again, the need
to "get away from it all"
to relax,
so they take weekend breaks
(after all, the flights are so cheap)

They work hard to be able to afford these
(increasingly regular)
weekend breaks.
They work very hard indeed,
they drive themselves
to succeed
and be rewarded.

No wonder they need to think about that second holiday,
after all they need quality time with the kids
(all that hard work and long hours
means they don't see so much of them in the week)

They feel bad about that...
so they work hard
very hard indeed
to pay for the privileges
they never enjoyed themselves as children;
they work hard,
very hard indeed
to pay for the clubs, computers and clutter
for their kids to enjoy

They never thought of themselves as
loving money

but

[they] never have enough;
[they may not love] wealth
[but they] are never satisfied with their income.
[and sometimes they think]
This too is meaningless.

As [their] goods increase,
so do [lifestyle choices that] consume them.
And what benefit are they to [Bill and Mary]
except to feast their eyes on them?

and wave the momentary things,
like love and hope and belonging,
goodbye

Facebook

Now just how sad is this?

Would you like to become my friend? then follow the link in the side panel (just below 'about') to Caroline's Facebook!

I'm not sure what I'm up to with Facebook - I registered initially since it was the only way of getting to talk to my daughter in France!  But she's avoiding me - I guess it's just too uncool to link to a middle aged parent!

So, if you want to join my two friends (my son Pat has over 40), can you see how sad I am :-)  sigh

Improv

Wes, in his comment on my last post, made me think of improv a bit more ..

I have a favourite fridge magnet that my friends at "Performance of a Lifetime" gave me it just says

Improvöe

I think this prayer is for me!

Came across this prayer in Celtic Daily Prayer yesterday.  It was my first day in a new job, so I'll keep saying (especially the bit I've put into bold)

Lord of my heart
be Thou my wisdom.
Be at the beginning of all I speak,
of that I begin.
Be Thou my true word.

I might not say so many dumb things if that prayer is answered! :-)

Happy New Year by the way

Nativity Plays and Safe Religion

Mike reminded me of a favourite quote about Aslan from the Narnia Chronicles

"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver; "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."
    "Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.
    "Safe?" said Mr. Beaver; "don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

It got me thinking, and I sent him a comment which I thought I'd post here as well:

I was watching a nativity play just before Christmas and saw 3 or 4 pretty little girls dressed up as angels ..

and yet the angels in the story scared the shepherds witless

I wonder next year, if we might have a nativity with a couple of 'heavies', thugs as angels. Mary and Joseph played by Palestinians who've been cut off from their homelands. Herod could be played by any of the politicians who've sent armies into Iraq because of their fear of terrorism. The Shepherds might be played by the poor of New Orleans and the Magi, played by Sting, Bono and Bob Geldof. Might that capture more of the feeling of the actual nativity? not quite so cute, I guess.

but it is all symptomatic of the sanitised, comfortable Chritianity we enjoy in the west.

He is not tame but we have safely tamed Him
He is not safe but we've caged Him in a church
The commands He gave we've turned to wishful thinking
and the life He lived we've iced with sugared, almond paste.

He is not tame but we keep him at arm's distance.
He is not safe but we've made Him one of us.
The journey that he maps, is travelled by our SUVs
and His way diverted through leafy, suburban lanes.

He is not tame yet we hardly seem to notice.
He is not safe so we've simply turned our heads;
But His call still echoes in our stabled ears
and His way still lies through a country not our own

The 'I' in writing

Maggi pointed me towards an enjoyable essay this morning entitled "Why I Write".  In it Joan Didion notices that each of those words centre around 'I'. In writing she can find out what she's been thinking and she can get herself heard.

This made me think about poetry.  You see I don't like just-expressing myself (perhaps a strange thing for a blogger to write) and poetry, and this may surprise some readers, does not allow you to just-express yourself. You see in a poem you're always in dialogue: dialogue with the poetic structure and form, dialogue with a metaphors and imagery, and then those images give much more space to readers (or audience) to interpret a poem differently to the way it was written.  Prose is the medium that allows an individual 'I' to express herself - Poetry is a conversation that can surprise me more.

And, in a way, that's why I sometimes find blogging an unsatisfactory process.  Sometimes I'm left wondering where the dialogue is.  Some sites are really successful at stimulating dialogue in the comments (on occasionally vitriolic); I don't appear to be so skilled (or successful) in that regard.  That has been a disappointment to me.

But in poetry there is always some 'other' there negotiating the direction of my writing and  that is exciting.

Iowadrift

If you enjoy a wonderfully told story with enough tongue placed in the cheek, then you may enjoy Iowadrift.  It's one of my favourite blogs, perhaps one for mums but I suspect that many dads or other humans will cherish the skilled writing and the thoughtfulness here.