Our nervousness was allayed when locals explained that was a very low warning ... but it was quite something all the same.
It turned out to be a lovely evening weather wise and an even better evening setting the world to rights with a new set of friends!
The day began with worship which was all very moving.
Tom, who is going to host us in Spencer next weekend, preached, drawing on responses he had from members of his church and colleagues in ministry he had engaged with on Facebook page. Tom had given his sermon the title 'a curious table' and in it he reflected on what we do in communion. He drew on all the responses he had had in those conversations he had generated on Facebook.
If, as we reflected yesterday the way to do history is by entering into a conversation with people from the past ...
If, as I went on to reflect as my Bible lectures got under way we should think of the Bible as a conversation which we are invited to join ...
... then maybe preparing preaching through conversation is actually something to build on back home.
Watch this space!
Tom invited us to picture members of our own congregation and then proceeded to describe those he knew in his - a curious mixture of people we haven't chosen to be with each of whom comes to that table with their own story. What a liberating way of thinking of church.
He then went on to suggest different things he and his congregation and his colleagues had suggested was going on at the table.
Remembering - not just the words and life and death and resurrection of Jesus, but re-membering things that have been dis-membered - a process of putting things together again.
Repentance - involving starting all over again in renewal and forgiveness.
Binding together - with Christ, with each other, with all who have gone before, with all those right back to the upper room.
Looking to the future - we are like children sitting at the chldren's table and anticipating being called to share at the big table.
In all of what we do it is the fact that we are doing it that counts - it is a ritual. Those actions Tom had been more and more drawn to.
A great experience of worship - and a great hymn to finish taking up the theme of our conference.
Be not discouraged, no, be not dismayed. One worth singing!
After a short break we then heard a series of mission presentations.
Hosanna industries building a new house in four days ... and furnishing it.
The Pan American Institute where all staff are graduates - an interesting module.
Other mission initiatives too.
In the afternoon I did the first of my Bible Lectures, and then went straight into my reflections on the link between the history of art and the history of the interpretation of the Bible and on science and religion.
The Bible lecture I will put up on the next post!
The rest will have to be left to your imagination!
Felicity went to two other workshops on doing local mission work, and then on growing churches.
You can catch up with Felicity's reflections on Facebook.
In the evening we braved the Tornado watch, had supper at the Spaghetti works in the old market area of the town. It may have been an old warehouse that with its verandah had the feel of mid-west architecture, but all the signs were from Britain, as was the telephone kiosk outside! We couldn't resist getting the waiter to photograph us under a wonderful picture of John Bunyan!!!
We then stumbled across a wonderful Christian bookshop and coffeeshop with a rich array of books.
A new Walter Breugemann - Reality - Grief - Hope challenging our way of looking at the world, drawing on the response in the Hebrew Scriptures to the destruction of Jerusalem.
Richard Rohr, Falling Upward, a book of prayer suggesting life is in two parts - initially a search for identiy with the emphasis on achievement, and then a search for content as we realise that things are actually wearing away. Looks good!
Chilton and Neusner on the Jewishness of the NT
Marcus Borg's introduction the NT - Evolution of the Word.
We browsed until the shop shut, missed the evening concert and then made our way back to the hotel and set the world to rights with our new found friends.
The conversation ranged over church, our response to the anxiety of the world we are in with pointers to a book called Failure of Nerve and another Generation to Generation by Edwin Freiedman - all good stuff.
We then moved on to the state of politics in the USA, Britain, Europe, Iraq, the Middle East - and all sorts of interesting insights, not least that sense that the system is falling apart and what is needed is something new. Maybe we need to enter into conversation with the people involved in the build up and then the progress of the 30 years war in order to understand what's going on today.
It's got very late ... but it's been an excellent and stimulating day.
See the next blog for the Lecture!
No comments:
Post a Comment