As we move towards the Advent season once again, I write with love and concern for the well-being of our Communion and the future of our common discipleship. In II.Tim.4.8, the apostle speaks of the Lord’s promise ‘to all those who wait with love for him to appear’ - or, in the older translation, ‘all them also that love his appearing’. The Church is - in human terms - the assembly of those who ‘love his appearing’. We are drawn together by love and gratitude for what we see in Christ’s first appearing - his birth in humility, his ministry, his saving death and glorious resurrection - and by loving hope for his coming again. We look forward, praying (in the words of one of the most profound of the Christmas collects) ‘that we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our judge.’
Read the rest here.
A good message for us Lutherans to hear as well.
From our Baptist friends, Tony Campolo and Gary Bauer say they know the difference between George W Bush and Jesus Christ. Thanks to Jesus Politics for this.
Monday, November 29, 2004
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Apocalyspe (Almost) Now
Another great article by Nicholas Kristof.
On a different note, Vaclav Havel comments on the "elections" in the Ukraine.
On a different note, Vaclav Havel comments on the "elections" in the Ukraine.
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Christian-Republican alliance: Faustian bargain?
While conservative Christians are protesting the new Kinsey movie, the first ammendment center suggests why such tactics are inappropriate.
If it is true that North America has become a "secular" culture, would it neccessarily follow that Christians need to wage war against it? Is that what Jesus told his disciples to do?
If it is true that North America has become a "secular" culture, would it neccessarily follow that Christians need to wage war against it? Is that what Jesus told his disciples to do?
Klein wins (surprise!)
PC 61
Lib 17
NDP 4
AAP 1
Boy! My numbers came mighty close yesterday.
With only 46.8 percent of the vote, an issue-less campaign, the loss of some prominent Tories, NDP Leader Brian Mason was right when he said that Klein has no mandate to ram through privatized health care.
But it still astounds me that folks vote for the PC's despite the contempt they've shown towards the voters by not bothering to cobble together a platform. Specifically, saying that they won't unveil their health care plan until after the election. Or, one could say that Klein has a mandate to govern on the platform he ran on and the issues he presented as his priorities.
But if Klein himself was what the PC government had going for them heading into this election, then what might happen in 4 years after Ralph retires? We might have (shockers!) a Liberal government in Alberta. Kevin Taft certainly has the ideas, vision, and ability to pull off a victory when Klein gets out of the way. The Liberals doubled their seats with no money and against a very popular premier. Imagine what could happen with a fully stocked war chest against some nutty cabinet minister who's taken over Klein's job.
Alberta politics just got interesting.
Lib 17
NDP 4
AAP 1
Boy! My numbers came mighty close yesterday.
With only 46.8 percent of the vote, an issue-less campaign, the loss of some prominent Tories, NDP Leader Brian Mason was right when he said that Klein has no mandate to ram through privatized health care.
But it still astounds me that folks vote for the PC's despite the contempt they've shown towards the voters by not bothering to cobble together a platform. Specifically, saying that they won't unveil their health care plan until after the election. Or, one could say that Klein has a mandate to govern on the platform he ran on and the issues he presented as his priorities.
But if Klein himself was what the PC government had going for them heading into this election, then what might happen in 4 years after Ralph retires? We might have (shockers!) a Liberal government in Alberta. Kevin Taft certainly has the ideas, vision, and ability to pull off a victory when Klein gets out of the way. The Liberals doubled their seats with no money and against a very popular premier. Imagine what could happen with a fully stocked war chest against some nutty cabinet minister who's taken over Klein's job.
Alberta politics just got interesting.
Monday, November 22, 2004
Like the Proverbial Pooch
This weekend was hell. A nasty stomach virus made its way through our household, sending both kids to the emergency.
Today is Election Day in Alberta. Or should I say Coronation Day. The media’s input has been less than riviting. Most headlines say something like: “It’s voting day in Alberta, but Klein is expected to win a majority.” In other words, don’t bother voting, it’s already a foregone conclusion. Stay home and keep warm and sedate yourself with a cold beer and Monday Night Football.
But it despite the PC’s hold on the province, neither the Calgary Herald nor the Edmonton Journal have endorsed Klein, but neither have they come out and endorsed one of the opposition parties, effectively sanctioning the status quo. As one who has lived here for only a year, I get the province's cultural conservatism (but am not part of it), but these conservatives do not represent the best of conservatism. They thrive on Fed-baiting, hurting the marginalized, and represent big money. The best of conservatism focuses on civic responsibility, rewards achievement, is fiscally responsible and community minded. These conservatives speak only one language: money.
Having said that, here is my prediction
PC 61
Lib 16
NDP 4
Alliance 2
Today is Election Day in Alberta. Or should I say Coronation Day. The media’s input has been less than riviting. Most headlines say something like: “It’s voting day in Alberta, but Klein is expected to win a majority.” In other words, don’t bother voting, it’s already a foregone conclusion. Stay home and keep warm and sedate yourself with a cold beer and Monday Night Football.
But it despite the PC’s hold on the province, neither the Calgary Herald nor the Edmonton Journal have endorsed Klein, but neither have they come out and endorsed one of the opposition parties, effectively sanctioning the status quo. As one who has lived here for only a year, I get the province's cultural conservatism (but am not part of it), but these conservatives do not represent the best of conservatism. They thrive on Fed-baiting, hurting the marginalized, and represent big money. The best of conservatism focuses on civic responsibility, rewards achievement, is fiscally responsible and community minded. These conservatives speak only one language: money.
Having said that, here is my prediction
PC 61
Lib 16
NDP 4
Alliance 2
Friday, November 19, 2004
December's Pastoral Letter
Too late have I loved You, O Beauty so ancient, O Beauty so new,
too late have I loved you!
You were within me but I was outside myself, and I sought You there!
In my weakness I ran after the beauty of the things you have made.
You were with me, and I was not with You.
The things You have kept me from .
You were with me, and I was not with You.
The things You have kept me from You –
the things which would have no being unless they existed in You!
You have called, You have cried out, and You have pierced my deafness.
You have radiated forth, and have shined out brightly,
and you have dispelled my blindness.
You have set forth Your fragrance, and I have breathed it in,
And I have longed for You.
I have tasted You, and I hunger and thirst for You.
You have touched me, and I ardently desire Your peace.
St. Augustine of Hippo, 354-430
As I write this I can’t believe that I’ve been here for a year already. When I left Halifax, it was a beautiful autumn day. When I stepped off the plane in Calgary, I was met by snow and ice. But after listening to news reports, it looks like fortunes have been reversed, as Nova Scotia is digging out of a foot or two of snow and waiting for their lights to come back on, we are enjoying warm, October-like weather.
But weather is not the only reason I’m glad to be here. I am enjoying ministry here immensely. Mostly because I am surrounded by a people whose faithfulness to this ministry leaves me inspired and humbled. What drives me so intensely in ministry is being caught up in the vision that God has for our community. But that vision doesn’t happen in a vacuum. God’s visions come from a community grounded in worship and prayer.
Worship and prayer remind us who we are and whose we are. I liked that quote from St. Augustine because it reminds us that our true stance is toward God in prayer, hungering and thirsting for the presence of God in our lives and the world, but also being aware enough to know that we miss signs of God that exist all around us.
For me, one of the greatest challenges in preaching is finding hints of God’s presence in peoples’ lives and our community. Too often, I look for the big moves of God. The child healed of cancer. The marriage pulled from the brink of divorce. The radically transformed “sinner” into a card-carrying member of the church.
But God doesn’t always work that way. God, most often works within the smallest, almost imperceptible areas of life: the child giving a spontaneous hug to the older woman who just lost her husband. A bag of groceries dropped on the door step of the young family struggling to pay the bills. A brief prayer in the hallway between friends. Nothing earth shattering. But wholly life-giving.
It is my prayer that we will breathe deeply the fragrance of God and taste profoundly God’s grace in our lives, and that we will sing the song of our salvation to each other and to a world that so desperately needs to listen to God’s lyric of new life.
Grace and peace to you,
Kevin
too late have I loved you!
You were within me but I was outside myself, and I sought You there!
In my weakness I ran after the beauty of the things you have made.
You were with me, and I was not with You.
The things You have kept me from .
You were with me, and I was not with You.
The things You have kept me from You –
the things which would have no being unless they existed in You!
You have called, You have cried out, and You have pierced my deafness.
You have radiated forth, and have shined out brightly,
and you have dispelled my blindness.
You have set forth Your fragrance, and I have breathed it in,
And I have longed for You.
I have tasted You, and I hunger and thirst for You.
You have touched me, and I ardently desire Your peace.
St. Augustine of Hippo, 354-430
As I write this I can’t believe that I’ve been here for a year already. When I left Halifax, it was a beautiful autumn day. When I stepped off the plane in Calgary, I was met by snow and ice. But after listening to news reports, it looks like fortunes have been reversed, as Nova Scotia is digging out of a foot or two of snow and waiting for their lights to come back on, we are enjoying warm, October-like weather.
But weather is not the only reason I’m glad to be here. I am enjoying ministry here immensely. Mostly because I am surrounded by a people whose faithfulness to this ministry leaves me inspired and humbled. What drives me so intensely in ministry is being caught up in the vision that God has for our community. But that vision doesn’t happen in a vacuum. God’s visions come from a community grounded in worship and prayer.
Worship and prayer remind us who we are and whose we are. I liked that quote from St. Augustine because it reminds us that our true stance is toward God in prayer, hungering and thirsting for the presence of God in our lives and the world, but also being aware enough to know that we miss signs of God that exist all around us.
For me, one of the greatest challenges in preaching is finding hints of God’s presence in peoples’ lives and our community. Too often, I look for the big moves of God. The child healed of cancer. The marriage pulled from the brink of divorce. The radically transformed “sinner” into a card-carrying member of the church.
But God doesn’t always work that way. God, most often works within the smallest, almost imperceptible areas of life: the child giving a spontaneous hug to the older woman who just lost her husband. A bag of groceries dropped on the door step of the young family struggling to pay the bills. A brief prayer in the hallway between friends. Nothing earth shattering. But wholly life-giving.
It is my prayer that we will breathe deeply the fragrance of God and taste profoundly God’s grace in our lives, and that we will sing the song of our salvation to each other and to a world that so desperately needs to listen to God’s lyric of new life.
Grace and peace to you,
Kevin
Thursday, November 18, 2004
Build a Better Bush
This is a little immature, but fun nonetheless. Thanks to Warren Kinsella for this...
Monday, November 15, 2004
Jesus Sells
Jeremy Lott, offers a stinging critique of the Christian culture industry. Excellent stuff from an insider.
On a different note, Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, calls upon Europeans to stop blaming the Americans and confront the horrors and injustices of industrial globalization. It looks like the American Experiment may be about to emigrate...back to Europe. Thought provoking!
On a different note, Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, calls upon Europeans to stop blaming the Americans and confront the horrors and injustices of industrial globalization. It looks like the American Experiment may be about to emigrate...back to Europe. Thought provoking!
Saturday, November 13, 2004
To join the union or not to join the union, that is not the question
By my friend Kevin Little. Published in today's National Post.
TO JOIN THE UNION OR NOT TO JOIN THE UNION, THAT IS NOT THE
QUESTION
I read with interest the debate over whether United Church
clergy should join the
Canadian Auto Workers union. I can't say I was surprised,
as a United Church minister I
have heard my colleagues expressing deep frustration over
how they have been treated for
years. My concern is not whether United Church clergy are
unionized or are represented
by the likes of Mr. Hargrove. My concern is whether my
church has a sense of purpose and
a confidence in its mission.
When a parishoner or someone off the street comes to my
office complaining of anxiety
and lack of fulfillment my first questions to her/him are
not about working conditions
and their level of salary. Frankly I know Nuns and Priests
who run soup kitchens and
encounter life disasters each night that I can't ever
imagine. Their salaries can't be
much more than the manager at the Burger King down the
street. But they have purpose and
mission in their work. They know that what they do matters.
I believe that some of the anxiety, the frustration, the
anger that many clergy feel,
that many lay people feel, is a result of what William
Willimon in his study guide "The
Search for Meaning" calls meaninglessness. "Spiritual
emptiness is a precursor of
hopelessness, depression, existential sickness..."
After fifteen years of ordered ministry, serving churches
in rural, small town, suburban
and urban contexts I have discovered that the church often
fails to understand its
mission. Most evangelical churches are more clear about
their purpose. They are there to
save people from damnation, to give people the joy of
Christ in their lives. For all of
the conflict and crisis in these churches there is still a
clear vision of what the
pastor and the church is about. Who needs a union when
everyone understands the rules
and the role of the participants?
But for mainline churches and their clergy this is not so
clear. We are not
fundamentalists. Some of us clergy think our role is to be
chaplains to a social club,
some of us think we are social workers, some of us think we
are teachers, some of us
think we are revolutionaries, and some of us just don't
know. And the churches we serve
are even more conflicted. They want to grow, but why? So we
can restore the legacy of
our forebearers? So we can civilize the state? So we can
civilize the masses? So we can
be a bright beacon shining on a hill? So we can show others
the way? What?
And this lack of a clear mission has real consequences to
the covenantal relationship
between clergy and the churches we serve. When attendance
falls, when volunteers are
tired because no one will replace them, when ministers with
seven years of university
education are paid less than any and all professionals,
when churches are forced to
merge or close, there is the inevitable blame game, finger
pointing. Clergy blame
listless laypeople and laypeople blame incompetent clergy.
My point is this; dwindling numbers in the pews wouldn't
matter to anyone if the church
felt it was making a meaningful difference to the
community, to each other. Volunteers
would find the time if they truly believed in the mission
of the church. Clergy would
take jobs as nightclerks and serve the parish by day if
they believed that the mission
of the church was crucial to providing purpose to their
lives. Churches wouldn't care if
they merged, moved to the school gymnasium down the street,
or just met in people's
living rooms, IF the congregation was motivated by a common
sense of mission.
Instead churches will draw up job descriptions that make
being the new CEO of Nortel
look like a cake-walk. They are looking for a Messiah to do
it all! Clergy quickly
become disillusioned with their churches and start looking
for Chaplain positions,
staff positions at Conference or National Office or
Outreach ministries. Why? In all of
the above the purpose and mission are much more clearly
understood.
My sense is that the church is the very place in our
consumerist, individualistic, and
narcissistic culture where the search for meaning can have
real consequences. Where
Jesus can speak to us. One possible solution for the United
Church of Canada is to adopt
a model for mission along the lines of the Church of the
Saviour. There to become a
member one must complete a rigorous two-year education
program in five fields; Old
Testament, New Testament, Doctrine, Ethics, and Christian
Growth. When I was confirmed
at 13 I can't recall a thing the Minister and my class
talked about. At Church of the
Saviour new members serve an internship in one of the
mission groups, usually in a inner
city context. Community discipline includes tithing,
keeping a personal journal,
reporting weekly to the group's spiritual director,
fasting, and renewing one's covenant
annually. Tithing is almost unheard of among members of the
United Church.
Still we in the United Church have a rich history of social
activism I am very
proud of; the equality of women, medicare, refugees, gays
and lesbians, care for those
with HIV/AIDS. If every denomination had our courage in
addressing these issues the Body
of Christ would be a bolder and more dynamic force to be
reckoned with! The missing
link, it seems to me, is to connect our hungry Spirits with
the nourishing work of Jesus
in our midst. Mission cannot be an after-thought or a busy
alternative to a deeper and
more profound encounter with the Divine. It has to permeate
every aspect of the church;
our Bible studies, our prayer life, our worship
celebrations.
Many of our churches are figuring this out. It is slow
evolution from being a church of
privilege and status like we were in the 50's (where
cabinet ministers would routinely
appear at groundbreaking ceremonies) to churches today that
offer sanctuary to illegal
immigrants and risk serving jail time. But this painful and
yet re-energizing
transformation won't be helped or harmed by unionizing
clergy. In fact it is irrelevant,
a distraction. Pay every clergy person six figure incomes,
empower Mr. Hargrove to
negotiate our contracts, engage Mr. Greenspan to represent
us every time we are in
conflict, and it won't change a thing if we don't believe
that what we do really
matters. That it has intrinsic meaning and purpose.
Kevin Little is a United Church minister serving in Ottawa.
TO JOIN THE UNION OR NOT TO JOIN THE UNION, THAT IS NOT THE
QUESTION
I read with interest the debate over whether United Church
clergy should join the
Canadian Auto Workers union. I can't say I was surprised,
as a United Church minister I
have heard my colleagues expressing deep frustration over
how they have been treated for
years. My concern is not whether United Church clergy are
unionized or are represented
by the likes of Mr. Hargrove. My concern is whether my
church has a sense of purpose and
a confidence in its mission.
When a parishoner or someone off the street comes to my
office complaining of anxiety
and lack of fulfillment my first questions to her/him are
not about working conditions
and their level of salary. Frankly I know Nuns and Priests
who run soup kitchens and
encounter life disasters each night that I can't ever
imagine. Their salaries can't be
much more than the manager at the Burger King down the
street. But they have purpose and
mission in their work. They know that what they do matters.
I believe that some of the anxiety, the frustration, the
anger that many clergy feel,
that many lay people feel, is a result of what William
Willimon in his study guide "The
Search for Meaning" calls meaninglessness. "Spiritual
emptiness is a precursor of
hopelessness, depression, existential sickness..."
After fifteen years of ordered ministry, serving churches
in rural, small town, suburban
and urban contexts I have discovered that the church often
fails to understand its
mission. Most evangelical churches are more clear about
their purpose. They are there to
save people from damnation, to give people the joy of
Christ in their lives. For all of
the conflict and crisis in these churches there is still a
clear vision of what the
pastor and the church is about. Who needs a union when
everyone understands the rules
and the role of the participants?
But for mainline churches and their clergy this is not so
clear. We are not
fundamentalists. Some of us clergy think our role is to be
chaplains to a social club,
some of us think we are social workers, some of us think we
are teachers, some of us
think we are revolutionaries, and some of us just don't
know. And the churches we serve
are even more conflicted. They want to grow, but why? So we
can restore the legacy of
our forebearers? So we can civilize the state? So we can
civilize the masses? So we can
be a bright beacon shining on a hill? So we can show others
the way? What?
And this lack of a clear mission has real consequences to
the covenantal relationship
between clergy and the churches we serve. When attendance
falls, when volunteers are
tired because no one will replace them, when ministers with
seven years of university
education are paid less than any and all professionals,
when churches are forced to
merge or close, there is the inevitable blame game, finger
pointing. Clergy blame
listless laypeople and laypeople blame incompetent clergy.
My point is this; dwindling numbers in the pews wouldn't
matter to anyone if the church
felt it was making a meaningful difference to the
community, to each other. Volunteers
would find the time if they truly believed in the mission
of the church. Clergy would
take jobs as nightclerks and serve the parish by day if
they believed that the mission
of the church was crucial to providing purpose to their
lives. Churches wouldn't care if
they merged, moved to the school gymnasium down the street,
or just met in people's
living rooms, IF the congregation was motivated by a common
sense of mission.
Instead churches will draw up job descriptions that make
being the new CEO of Nortel
look like a cake-walk. They are looking for a Messiah to do
it all! Clergy quickly
become disillusioned with their churches and start looking
for Chaplain positions,
staff positions at Conference or National Office or
Outreach ministries. Why? In all of
the above the purpose and mission are much more clearly
understood.
My sense is that the church is the very place in our
consumerist, individualistic, and
narcissistic culture where the search for meaning can have
real consequences. Where
Jesus can speak to us. One possible solution for the United
Church of Canada is to adopt
a model for mission along the lines of the Church of the
Saviour. There to become a
member one must complete a rigorous two-year education
program in five fields; Old
Testament, New Testament, Doctrine, Ethics, and Christian
Growth. When I was confirmed
at 13 I can't recall a thing the Minister and my class
talked about. At Church of the
Saviour new members serve an internship in one of the
mission groups, usually in a inner
city context. Community discipline includes tithing,
keeping a personal journal,
reporting weekly to the group's spiritual director,
fasting, and renewing one's covenant
annually. Tithing is almost unheard of among members of the
United Church.
Still we in the United Church have a rich history of social
activism I am very
proud of; the equality of women, medicare, refugees, gays
and lesbians, care for those
with HIV/AIDS. If every denomination had our courage in
addressing these issues the Body
of Christ would be a bolder and more dynamic force to be
reckoned with! The missing
link, it seems to me, is to connect our hungry Spirits with
the nourishing work of Jesus
in our midst. Mission cannot be an after-thought or a busy
alternative to a deeper and
more profound encounter with the Divine. It has to permeate
every aspect of the church;
our Bible studies, our prayer life, our worship
celebrations.
Many of our churches are figuring this out. It is slow
evolution from being a church of
privilege and status like we were in the 50's (where
cabinet ministers would routinely
appear at groundbreaking ceremonies) to churches today that
offer sanctuary to illegal
immigrants and risk serving jail time. But this painful and
yet re-energizing
transformation won't be helped or harmed by unionizing
clergy. In fact it is irrelevant,
a distraction. Pay every clergy person six figure incomes,
empower Mr. Hargrove to
negotiate our contracts, engage Mr. Greenspan to represent
us every time we are in
conflict, and it won't change a thing if we don't believe
that what we do really
matters. That it has intrinsic meaning and purpose.
Kevin Little is a United Church minister serving in Ottawa.
Friday, November 12, 2004
Friday, November 12, 2004
From The Revealer
Barry Goldwater biographer Rick Perlstein reports on some surprising numbers crunched by political scientist Phil Klinkner. Bush's support among heavy churchgoers in 2000 and 2004? Identical. Bush's support among wealthy voters? Big surge in '04. "It's the wealth, stupid," writes Perlstein.
Jeff Sharlot offers a strong rebuttal to this claim. Click here for the rest of the article.
Also, Arafat was buried today and many folks are suggesting that this is a new day for Israeli/Palastinian peace talks. But Mark Levine has concerns:
As the Bush Administration and America’s pundocracy search for a new generation of pragmatic and non-violent Palestinian leaders, they should be heartened to know that they won’t have to look very hard to find them. But that’s because so many are either in the hospital, jail or exile. And like Arafat shriveling away in his besieged Muqata’a (which will now be his tomb), the Palestinian peace movement will continue to wither as long as Israel is more comfortable confronting Hamas than Ahmed Awad.
Read the rest of the article here.
For a summary of many religous leaders' responses to Arafats death, check out this article from the Anglican Journal.
Barry Goldwater biographer Rick Perlstein reports on some surprising numbers crunched by political scientist Phil Klinkner. Bush's support among heavy churchgoers in 2000 and 2004? Identical. Bush's support among wealthy voters? Big surge in '04. "It's the wealth, stupid," writes Perlstein.
Jeff Sharlot offers a strong rebuttal to this claim. Click here for the rest of the article.
Also, Arafat was buried today and many folks are suggesting that this is a new day for Israeli/Palastinian peace talks. But Mark Levine has concerns:
As the Bush Administration and America’s pundocracy search for a new generation of pragmatic and non-violent Palestinian leaders, they should be heartened to know that they won’t have to look very hard to find them. But that’s because so many are either in the hospital, jail or exile. And like Arafat shriveling away in his besieged Muqata’a (which will now be his tomb), the Palestinian peace movement will continue to wither as long as Israel is more comfortable confronting Hamas than Ahmed Awad.
Read the rest of the article here.
For a summary of many religous leaders' responses to Arafats death, check out this article from the Anglican Journal.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Is Ned Flanders Keeping George Bush in the White House?
How would Homer vote? Check out how folks in Springfield might cast their ballot. A week outdated, but fun nonetheless.
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