Endgame

Thanks for those of you who helped me think through priesthood for Sunday morning. It would be great to have your feedback if you were here on Sunday morning- or if you really want to, you can find a podcast here:

http://www.stopsley.net/Media/Player.aspx?media_id=35832&file_id=38610

I am particulalry interested now in following through on thinking about worship in the light of this discussion on priesthood and in the light of Old Testament teaching about true fasting as serving the poor. Somehow the endgame has to be about more than singing. I am trying hard to work though putting a justice agenda, a world transforming agenda at the centre of church life. I guess to me the incarnation is a big part of my thinking around this. The book Exiles by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch goes some way to addressing this. What does it mean that Christ is fully God and fully human? What is this tentative balance between humanity- the accessible and everyday and the divine- distintive and transforming?

On a different tack, it has been great to walk to work recently through autumnal leaf storms. This is a beautiful time of year. Funny how much of natural beauty is expressed at times of change. Just a thought...

And finally, for those who are interested and indulgently, hope again from Anfield yesterday. I am very pessimistic when it comes to these games, but it is great to be proven wrong. I always thought Benitez was just being sporting and giving the others a head start. Hoping for the tortoise success in April next year...

Have a good day...

RSVP

Begin the begin

I have been spending some time thinking where to begin. There is something awesome and terrifying about beginning. It makes a declaration; it puts you 'out there'; it is exposing and fragile.

In the end I decided to begin with a few words- after all that is how everything began we believe; it is how everything begins and remains. A few powerful words, 'Let there be...'. I wonder how exposing, and terrifying that moment was.

Anyway here we are blogdom, the blogosphere. I aim to write from time to time, some things thoughtful, some silly, some persoanl, some detached, some very mundane. It's a kind of getting to know each other place; a thinking place; and I hope a praising place.

A couple of things I am doing today. This evening I am speaking at a prize day for a secondary school. It's been quite a striuggle thinking of something to say. I have been through all the inspiration stuff and then came to a point when I realised that most of that was about making the most of yourself. We live in days when I am not sure whether that challenge is enough. To misquote an American, maybe we should not be asking what the world can do for us, but asking what we can do for the world, or to refer to a middle eastern, we should be concerned not only with loving ourselves but loving our neighbour, loving others as we love ourselves. Someone pointed me to the video below the other day. I think that is what I mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5JxULAX9P4&feature=related

The other thing is I am preparing for Sunday morning. I am thinking about being priests and then realised I did not know entirely what the word means. Tell me what do you undertsand by the word 'priest'?

Talk soon...