August 30, 2009
11:00 am to 12:00 pm
=Idris will be with us for a Confirmation on 30th August at the 11am Service.
Monthly Archive for August, 2009Page 2 of 2
October 3, 2009
7:00 pm to 9:30 pm
The Party to celebrate the opening of the new hall has become a saga of Peyton Place proportions. (Who remembers Peyton Place?) After much deliberation, we have now pencilled in 3rd October, at 7pm, when we will be putting on a Centre of the World Party, St Auggie’s obviously being the centre! All welcome, but don’t put it in ink just yet!
One day, a woman’s little daughter was playing with her paper dolls. These were special paper dolls. They were all Bible characters. Suddenly the wee girl realized that the Jesus paper doll was missing. They looked all over the house, but they couldn’t find Jesus anywhere.
Later that afternoon, the wee one came running to her mother with some good news.
She had found Jesus! He was in one of her Daddy’s magazine. She proudly held out her new Jesus. The mother gasped as she took the picture from her hands. It was a picture of a tall, bearded homeless man dressed in rags. Because of his long hair and beard, he did resemble the paper doll Jesus.
As mum reflected on Jesus’ own words about the poor and powerless, she agreed that her little girl had found Jesus.
Let’s talk for a few moments about finding Jesus.
In the Gospel we heard, “Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.”
What sort of Jesus are you looking for? There are plenty of options around! There always has been and there always will be.
There is the Jesus that we find sitting in the streets of our towns and cities, homeless, helpless, bleeding, crucified still, among the hopeless and helpless, crying out for resurrection.
Some of you will be looking for that Jesus, for this is the Jesus you relate to best. It is maybe the Jesus you serve in your daily life or in your work. This Jesus is found amongst the least and the last, calling out for you to serve him, and some of us actively seek him in these places.
Others are looking for a different sort of Jesus. There are some who are looking for a Jesus to liberate them, to free them from bondage or oppression, and that Jesus is just as valid.
What sort of Jesus are you looking for?
The gay community within the Church, just now, are looking for a Jesus like this, and claim him to be on their side as they call for equality and understanding, acceptance and freedom to be as God made them.
There are others who are looking for a different Jesus. They are looking for a judgemental Jesus, one that will come, and come soon. One that will separate the sheep from the goats and send those of us in sin into hell and the fiery pit. These are scary people who want to hit you over the head with the bible, until you learn the verses they want you to learn. And some find comfort in that, in knowing that the world may be going to hell, gay folk included, but that they are saved. That certain types of Protestants and Roman Catholics are bound for the fiery pit!
What sort of Jesus are you looking for?
You can have the meek and mild blonde one, or the fiery wee Jew that looks awfully like Che Guivarra! You can have an angry one, or one that judges, or a weeping one, a crucified one, or a resurrected Jesus!
All through history, folk have claimed Jesus as their own, and claimed that he is on their side, whatever side they’ve chosen to take. Even the fascists claim him for their own.
People are still searching for Jesus today. Rich people, poor people, young people, old people, people of every race and nationality. We are still trying to find Jesus. This search for God which seems to be programmed into our souls.
What sort of Jesus are you looking for?
There is only one Jesus we need to look for, and that is the one which we meet deep within ourselves… the one we meet in silence at the centre of our souls…. the one we meet in our silent prayer… the one that touches the space within ourselves that often feels empty and needs filled.
We will never meet this Jesus unless we learn to pray. We will never meet this Jesus unless we take some time out of our busyness to find him in the silence.
This is the Jesus who is the Bread of Life, who comes deeply into our souls, our deep-inside bits, and feeds the hole that many of us feel is there, needing to be filled.
And we need to make time for this Jesus, for he will be our personal Jesus, our personal God, and the bread for our souls.
Coming to Holy Communion is just that, a time that is “holy” a time when Jesus himself, the Bread of Life, is taken into your very soul, but it is a sign, too, of what should be happening in other points in your week.
And so we make this sacred time, a time, daily if we can, for Jesus to touch our souls and be what HE wants to be… the bread that fills our souls.
What sort of Jesus are you looking for?
I need one that is going to give me contentedness, happiness and peace within. And the one who touches the depth of my soul in prayer and Holy Communion is just the job for me.
Many of you already know him.
‘We, the undersigned, welcome and admire the position which our elected representatives have adopted on behalf of the whole community of Dumbarton at the recent meeting of the Licensing Committee. We regret the Sheriff’s decision to overturn the ruling of West Dunbartonshire Council’s Licensing Committee which refused permission for the proposed Demonstration of the RBP on our streets on 8th August 2009.
Our community has made clear that it does not wish to have these marches on our streets in the future, in view of the fact that it has caused division within the community and has brought to the surface past problems which we felt were long behind us. We, therefore, call on the organisers of any such demonstrations, from either side of the divide, to recognise the united will of the whole community. The march passed relatively peacefully, with much relief on our part, and that was due to the dignity and restraint of the people of Dumbarton even though it is clear that a large majority of us are opposed to sectarianism in whatever guise it may appear. It was also due to the high level and competency of the policing for which we are grateful.
We shall continue to work together to build in Dumbarton a community which rises above the historic sectarianism which has blighted the West of Scotland in the past.
Specifically:
1) We shall be organising a united service of thanksgiving within one of our churches in the near future, celebrating the fact that we are all one in Christ Jesus, Our Lord.
2) We shall be organising a meeting of interested public officials and clergy to determine the best way forward in combating sectarianism within our own community, without interference from outside groups or organisations
3) We shall attempt to find a way that such future demonstrations will be deemed unacceptable to the courts, and endeavour to take all such steps necessary to lay such foundations
4) We pledge ourselves to build a community which is strong enough to withstand influences beyond our town boundaries which seek to divide us or heighten awareness of divisions which may already exist, albeit below the surface of our community.
5) If it is deemed necessary or constructive, we will arrange a public meeting to allow a rational discussion, within a safe environment, to allow us to progress as a united community fostering reconciliation.
Revd Kenneth Macaulay
The Anglican Communion faces a giant schism, but has Mad Priest got an answer?
“Firstly, we should not hold so tightly to each other within the Communion. We should go back to the early church paradigm of independent churches – in our case this would probably be at provincial level. Each church, as it did in those early days, should exist within the culture of its own location. Not always aping that culture but always knowledgeable of it – especially in respect of its customs and language. All our missionary effort should be local and based on our relationship with the society we live in.
But, secondly, the sacraments of baptism and communion must be common among all the churches. All this rubbish about not sharing communion for whatever reason has to stop. All the baptized should be able to receive and/or be prepared to receive communion in any church. It is my greatest hope that one day this will be accepted by all Christians in all denominations.
In other words we should not seek unity through human constructs such as dogma and covenants. Our unity should be in our common baptism and our sharing in Christ’s body.
The branches of the vine are in different places. But, no matter how far apart they are from each other they are connected to each other through the stem of the vine. Until we understand that the different parts of the universal church can only relate to each other through Christ – not through human councils, we will never be able to live with each other. We need to accept our human limitations and humbly allow God to heal us, in his own time, through the body and blood of his Son.
In other words – keep it simple, let it be, accept diversity and leave the hard work to the Spirit.
I name this solution – The Provincial Church Movement. I don’t think anybody will be able to make PCM sound mucky.
August 8, 2009
9:00 am
A Friends Outing with a difference. Wonderful day out with a wee sail included and a meal for only £25.
Sign up soon!
