felix hominum

An event the felix clan will be attending:

What:  Songs for Small and Tall- all ages music & singalong

Where:  St. Margaret’s Anglican Church: 12603 Ellerslie Road

When:  Friday, October 2nd at 7.30 pm.

Bryan Moyer Suderman is a musician in the Mennonite tradition; his music company is called ‘Small Tall Music’, because, as he says, he writes ‘worship songs for small and tall’ – for children and for adults (see his website at http://www.smalltallmusic.com/). Bryan has produced several CDs of songs for Vacation Bible School and Christian Education programs, as well as worship songs, a CD of songs about stewardship, and a new CD based on texts from the prophets. This concert is jointly sponsored between St. Margaret’s Anglican Church and Edmonton First Mennonite Church, and it will be an all-age event. Admission will be by donation at the door, with a suggested donation of $10 per person or $25 per family.

Quote of the day

Before looking at the specific problems posed by what I am from here forward going to call cultural Christianity, I would like to address the problem of the faulty ideas many people have regarding the importance of authentic faith. You might think that if you consider yourself a “good” person and are against “bad” things, your faith is adequate. The fact is, you might not be a Christian at all but simply a moral person. You might understand the Christianity our culture has adopted without understanding what constitutes authentic faith. You might know some of the basic facts about Christianity but have no idea how those facts should apply to your life.

from this book

Walking as a spiritual discipline

i have come to be a great believer in the virtue of walking as a spiritual discipline for those of us who live in cities and towns and such places.  I don't mean the sort of intense power-walking of physical fitness types.  I mean the casual walking through neighbourhoods, across streets, past and then into shops and cafes - the sort of walking which actually goes somewhere, which allows for those chance encounters and observations.  I have met more neighbours while walking than while driving.

I believe the only times Jesus used an advanced form of transportation to get anywhere was on the road to Palm Sunday, and, once must add, at least a few boat rides.  But even when the other disciples chose the boat, Jesus preferred to start out across the sea by foot...

I digress, which is itself the point.

New Bishop for the Anglican Diocese of Athabasca

The Rev. Canon Fraser Lawton, Rector of St. Thomas' Church, Fort McMurray, was elected as Bishop of Athabasca yesterday. Pray for Fraser and the people of the Diocese of Athabasca as they minister together in northern Alberta.

h/t Tim Chesterton

I've met Fraser briefly a few times at clergy events,  & join my prayers with Tim's that he might be supported and led by the Holy Spirit as he takes on this new ministry.

Mark 9:30-37 sermon notes, Pentecost 16

They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again."  

But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.  Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the way?"  But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest.

He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all."  Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them,  "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."

Let's begin with the end.  If the biggest sacrifice Jesus ever asks of us to be more welcoming to the children in our churches, then we have it pretty easy.  I actually find this episode rather humorous.  After all, who are the ones who are being "childish", as we say?

Jesus begins by telling the disciples what his program is:  suffer, die, and rise again.  This is what Jesus - what God - is up to.  But the disciples did not understand what he was talking about, and so did what every rational person does when confronted with a situation they don't understand:  they ignore it and go on to something else.  I am reminded of times when I have observed either myself or someone else in a similar predicament:  you are in a situation where something is going on, or someone is talking, about something you don't understand.  And then the greatest of instincts kicks in - the instinct to avoid looking stupid at all costs.  This, I speculate, is even greater than the instinct to preserve life itself.  I would venture that there are situations where we would rather end life, rather than face the embarrassment of admitting that we don't know something.  That we don't understand what is going on.

I suspect this instinct is even particularly acute when it comes to Jesus, when it comes to God.  We don't have a full grasp, or perhaps even any grasp, of what Jesus is doing.  And so the instinct to avoid looking stupid takes over, and we avoid either asking the question, or doing something to help us find out (like praying and asking God himself).  And this is the first thing we need to admit - we often just don't know or understand what God is up to.  And so those first disciples, like thousands that have come after them, avoid Jesus, avoid God, and miss out on what Jesus is trying to tell them.

And then I think a second instinct kicks in, we might almost call it a law of nature.  It goes kind of like this.  If you are not going to talk about how great God is, you are going to talk about how great YOU are.  If a group of disciples is not focused on what Jesus is doing, then they will naturally become preoccupied with what THEY are doing.  And of course their must be a ranking of all the disciples - who is the greatest?

The way Jesus interrupts them is brilliant.  He is about to teach them using children as an example.  And so his approach to them is a pattern which every parent recognizes.  You can hear the noise from across the city.  There are sounds of bones breaking, walls caving in and glass shattering.  you walk into the room.  "What's going on?", you ask.  And the reply is always the same:  "Nothing."   I have ascertained through research conducted over the course of a decade, with 4 constant Experimental Subjects (with an equal number of each gender) that when something is "going on", the reply is pretty much the same.  Peter, James, John!  What are you disciples talking about?  "Ummm...Nuthin', Jesus..."

So Jesus calls them out on their desire to focus on themselves.  On their desire to be great, to be in charge, to have things go their way.  This is not how the kingdom of God works.  The kingdom of God is not a place where I get to have my way all of the time.  It's not even the place where you get to have your way.  It's the place where God through Jesus gets to have His way.  It's the place where our first question is not "what do I want", but rather "what does Jesus want".

And then Jesus takes a child and puts the child in the midst of them.  Now this is where Jesus confronts their greatest fear:  beyond looking stupid, beyond getting caught doing something dumb, I suspect that these disciples, like thousands that have come after them, have another paralyzing fear:  the fear of children in their midst.  The most unpredictable, uncontrollable element is thrown into the mix.  Jesus took a little child and put the child among them.  You can almost see them squirm.

It often goes unnoticed that there just happened to be a child close by.  I suppose we read these stories thinking that Jesus just pulled a kid out of thin air.  But it seems to me that Jesus had kids around him on a fairly regular basis.  Children tend to show up in the Gospels at the most inconvenient times for the disciples.  Look what Mark records in the next chapter:

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.


Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them,  "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."  So a word for the church:  do you want to welcome God?  Then welcome Jesus.  And if you want to welcome Jesus, then welcome the children in your midst.  Too often the church fails to learn from the simple examples that Jesus gives us.

Which leaves me with a couple of questions which are still lingering in my mind...  How comfortable are we with kids acting like kids in church?  Or how comfortable are we with kids in church generally?  Or how do we respond & provide for kids' desire and need to worship, to pray, to be present with Jesus?

St Tim's Open House & Fun Fair

We had a great time participating in the Laurier community league celebrations last Saturday, and this weekend it is St Tim's turn to host something for our neighbours.  So come out his weekend to the Fun Fair at 8420 - 145 St, just across from Laurier Park.

St Tim's Anglican Church is hosting a neighbourhood fun fair and open house on Saturday, September 19.  The events run from 3:30 to 7:15 pm.  Here are a few of the things happening:

• 3:30-4:00 pm - all ages games in the park
• 4:00-6:00 pm - giant Inflatable jumping zone
• 4:00-5:00 pm - petting zoo for kids & grown ups
• 4:00-6:00 pm - pub zone & East Coast music
• 4:30-6:00 pm - free subs & refreshments - dinner's on us
• 6:15-7:15 pm - variety musical cafe at the Courtyard

Everyone from the neighbourhood & beyond is welcome to attend.

I'll be able to sleep easy now, thanks to

this news.

In the footsteps of St Paul - pilgrimage 2010

Churches carved into the rock…ancient cities where the Gospel was first proclaimed…  the birthplace of the Creeds of the Church…  Roman and Byzantine ruins…Greek islands…sandy beaches…one of the friendliest and most interesting cultures in Asia…   All this and more can be found on our pilgrimage to modern-day Turkey, ancient Asia Minor, and the Greek island of Patmos.

Turkey was the site of much of Saint Paul’s work of evangelism, the home of Early Church theologians, and the site of the earliest ecumenical councils of the Church. Patmos was the home to St John the Divine, author of the last book of the New Testament, and the place where his Revelation was written. Both are tremendous places of pilgrimage for Christians today.  If you have ever wondered about the ancient world, about the life and times of Saint Paul, about the meaning and message of the Book of Revelation, or even about Christian theology in general, then this pilgrimage is for you! We will be following in the footsteps of the great Apostle, exploring the cities where he preached, taught and wrote, and visiting the land that in many ways gave rise to our modern church. In Western Turkey and on the Greek island of Patmos, we will explore the challenges of early Christian life in the ancient world, and the context which gave rise to some of the great Christian writings. We will visit, among other places, Ephesus, Colossae, Pergamum, Laodicea, Antioch of Psidia, Patmos, Nicea and, of course, Byzantium.

Please consider joining us for a pilgrimage in the footsteps of Saint Paul next spring. The trip will be led by the Rev. Sally French and the Rev. Joe Walker.  A full itinerary and registration materials will be posted soon for downloading.

Itinerary in MS Word  Download Turkey_2010

Itinerary as PDF: Download Turkey Itin

Campus Ministry at the University of Alberta

Sue Oliver is host of The Worship Room,

God is not a part of my life

really, it's the other way around...