Two Visions of the Emerging Church
December 11, 2006
Embracing Worship 2.0 – an Architecture of Participation
by Johnny Baker, excellent column published in Church Times
Brian McLaren shared this poem with me at the end of October, after it was shared with him on a recent trip to Mexico City. It resonated with me so strongly that I recently got permission to publish the English translation (trans. by Amy Stabeno and Elisa Padilla). Many thanks!
Do You Know Someone Like this?
A poem by Pablo Alaguibe
Could there be someone out there,
someone else,
who would be interested
in participating in an experiment
of Christian community
’model 2006,’
Read the rest of this entry »
Advent Meditation Pieces
December 4, 2006
1)
The wind has changed
I can smell you again
In the soft open air
Beneath the mountains of the moon
In the stillness of the night
I sense your sweet scent
2)
we speak of matters of the soul
when we’re alone in this world.
men and women trying to figure
it out and our insides to know.
we work to know ourselves, and
thereby accept the other folks, we.
work together in the struggle for
liberation and peace in our land.
3)
some goals for the new liturgical year…
be honest about your life.
cherish your inheritances and pass on to other people.
come to know yourself by taking time to think and worship god.
be creative. move ideas around. be curious.
struggle for justice.
be flexible. breathe.
be kind to living things and appreciate nature.
share. believe.
love.
what else? please comment with additional goals.
Psalm 13
November 30, 2006
1) How long, O God? How long will you hide your face from me? How long will I be clinging so tightly to wisps of smoke?
2) How long will I wrestle with these traditions, these scriptures, this church? How long will this obsession last? How long until I can happily live a secular life?
3) I need answers, God! You have left me too many questions. Give me a sign that my struggling is more than foolishness or please release me from this burning need to seek you.
4) My friends will say, “We’re glad you’ve matured out of your religious phase. We’re glad you’ve come to your senses.” They will rejoice for me and welcome me back with open arms.
5) But even if I cannot take hold of you, Silent and Invisible One, the wisdom of this world is insufficient. My search gives me meaning that this world never will.
6) And so I will write songs for you and craft rituals for you. I will walk your road because my struggles, wanderings, and discouragements are a blessing. You have given me a bounty.
Thanks Giving
November 22, 2006
Dear God, you provide for the birds of the air and the lillies of the feild. You have given us our minds our bodies, and your love.
For this we come to you in humble thanks giving.
Let us give thanks for all that we have.
Let us give thanks that we have enough to be thankful for.
God is There
October 28, 2006
Commemoration Ceremony of the Destruction of the Bamyan Buddhas, originally uploaded by Chris Kuhn.
a photo I found on flickr looking for pics tagged: friends god alone
—————————————
by Bowie Snodgrass
a poem I wrote wednesday night:
I want
A church
that’s part
of my private life
the life I live alone
in my head and heart
so many public personas,
media mentalities/realities
we yearn for integration
to become whole again
be part of something
bigger than just me
when two or three
gather together
God is
There
Sad, Sad Story
October 13, 2006
this is one of my favorite songs written by my bro, TJSnodgrass. I thought they were good lyrics to muse upon while thinking about house church. the arrangement reminds me of an ol’ revival grace or, perhaps, a campfire song.
From The Sundry Brothers WORK OUT
Bring your sad, sad story to the table
To lay between the salad and the steak
Spill it like the horses from the stable
You’ll find the cloth is clean ‘fore you’re awake
Bring your sad, sad story to the table
To flow between the politics and news
Bring it satire, daydream, fact or fable,
You’ll find there’s still an ending left to choose
Bring it if it’s beautiful or terrible
Bring it gospel truth or pretty parable
Save your certified learning
Don’t preach your practice sermon
Don’t try too hard to hide your cards
Just share it all
Bring your sad, sad story to the table
To lay between your set-up and your stash
You’ll know you’re getting somewhere
If it’s painful, and in the morn we’ll
Throw it in the trash, yes, in the morn
We’ll throw it in the trash
© Snodgrass 2006
Some Prayers
October 4, 2006
Coincidentally, both Bowie and I have brothers who are deploying to Iraq for the war. We also both have brothers who are brand new parents. We’re also both starting a church together.
With these things in mind, I wrote a few prayers:
God of Isaiah and Daniel, who has promised us a day when we will beat our tools of war and destruction into tools of food and abundance, we pray for our brother who is going to war. We pray that you will keep him safe from violence and we pray that you will keep him safe from having to commit violence himself. Above all, dear God, we beg for the advent of a time when your children are no longer sent away from their families so that they may spend their energy bringing about your kingdom on earth.
God of Abraham and Sarah, Zechariah and Elizabeth, we thank you for the gift of this child. Please help us love this child with the same love with which you have loved us, so that the bonds of love and kinship may be continually cemented in your community.
And finally, I have an excerpt from the Disco Episco which you might enjoy. The Episcopal Church requires us to pray for a) the church, b) the nation, c) the world, d) the community, e) those who are suffering, and f) those who have died. Since we only have thirty minutes to play with, my collaborator John penned the shorted Prayers Of The People I’ve ever seen:
Praying for the church and nation,
Keep the earth and congregation,
Those in trials and tribulations,
Those who’ve passed their expiration.
St. Francis & Storahtelling
September 22, 2006
Originally uploaded by perhapsfairfax.
Yom Kippur 5767 (in the Jewish calendar) is coming up on Oct 2nd. Ike has been gigging with a group called Storahtelling – “a radical fusion of storytelling, Torah, contemporary performance art and traditional ritual theater” – for three years now. Since Yom Kippur is so close to St. Francis’ Day this year, they have invited us (Transmission) to do a littler interfaith component during their day long YK 5767 RituaLab.
Here’s an email I sent to a Storahtelling leader on Sept 11th -
Hi Amichai -
Again, thank you very much for welcoming me in yesterday. What an amazing and wonderful group you have. And so welcoming – this morning Ayelet stopped me in the Times Square subway to say Hi!
I wanted to send you a little more info on Francis, who is arguably the most beloved Christian saint (he is certainly a favorite for Episcopalians, who value their saints for the lives they lived and as role models, more than for miraculous powers).
Francis’ feast day is October 4th, but will be celebrated by Christians on Sunday, October 1st (which is often a ‘blessing of the animals’ service). So incorporating Francis into an Oct 2nd Yom Kippur is timely – and will hopefully be one more way for us to think together about the interplay between atonement and peace – both personal and shared.
Blessings, Bowie
Info on Francis
St. Francis Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
* this, other prayers by Francis, and many other great prayers from World Prayers
prayer litany for greenbelt
August 17, 2006
God we thank you for the fabrics of our lives: cotton for comfort, wool for warmth, silk, corduroy, denim, and spandex. For the way cloth feels against our skin: layers of memories embracing us, protecting us, and presenting us to the world. [please add your own petitions] God, in your mercy: Hear our prayers.
For the transformative wonder of a prom dress or tuxedo, a costume, a haircut. For scarves, boots, pajamas, sneakers, and all that we wear to live – and express ourselves – in the world. [please add your own petitions] God, in your mercy: Hear our prayers.
For uniforms and those in them – the police force, firefighters, sanitation workers, doctors in scrubs, priests in collars, and all those dressed and ready for service. [please add your own petitions] God, in your mercy: Hear our prayers.
For the gift of our bodies, in more colors, sizes, and variations than the human mind can comprehend. For our nakedness, made in God’s image, and the moments in our life when there is nothing between God and us. [please add your petitions] God, in your mercy: Hear our prayers.
For the celebration of Christ’s incarnation, the word become flesh and dwelt among us. [please add your petitions] God, in your mercy: Hear our prayers.