The Prairie Chicken

An American Indian tells about a brave who found an eagle's egg and put it into the nest of a prairie chicken. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them.

All its life, the changeling eagle, thinking it was a prairie chicken, did what the prairie chickens did. It scratched in the dirt for seeds and insects to eat. It clucked and cackled. And it flew in a brief thrashing of wings and flurry of feathers no more than a few feet off the ground. After all, that's how prairie chickens were supposed to fly.

Years passed. And the changeling eagle grew very old. One day, it saw a magnificent bird far above in the cloudless sky. Hanging with graceful majesty on the powerful wind currents, it soared with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings.

"What a beautiful bird!" said the changeling eagle to its neighbour. "What is it?"

"That's an eagle - the chief of the birds," the neighbour clucked. "But don't give it a second thought. You could never be like him."

So the changeling eagle never gave it a second thought and it died thinking it was a prairie chicken.

Source: The Christophers, Bits & Pieces, Economics Press.

Christianity on Display

I came across a series of very interesting clips that are a parody of the PC Vs. Mac computer adds. I know when I first saw these adds on television I was particularly taken with them and marveled at the ingenuity of Mac advertising prowess. A church in the US took the idea and put there own twist on it...Christian Vs. Christ Follower. Over the next couple of weeks I'll be using them as a spring board for reflection.
This weeks succinctly presents one of the reasons I think more people do not participate in Sunday morning worship or organized religion in general. While the actions of the "Christian" may seem comical, they are very real. People in churches do behave this way. I've lost track of the number of times I've heard comments about the way people dress - especially new people or returning people. Many of us have heard them (some of us have made them), comments like: "can you believe she's wearing THAT," or "Jeans in Church...the nerve," or "can't they dress their kids any better," or "its a good thing his pants aren't any tighter!" All of these comments turn people off from Christianity. They also serve as a very sad commentary of the faith lives of those who make them.
What about the envelope? Prominently placed so that everyone can see that the "Christian" has money to give to the church. Its almost as if he wants you to take note of the thickness of it and guess the literal monetary amount of his discipleship. Can you really put a dollar figure on discipleship?
Then there's the WWJD bracelet on his wrist that serves as a tangible reminder to the "Christian" that he needs to keep asking himself What Would Jesus Do? How interesting, the weekly church goer, the one who professes his faith in the way he dresses and the amount of money he contributes, needs a physical reminder to live out his faith in his day to day actions - outside of worship.
On the other hand is the Christ Follower, a person whom I believe embodies far more of the Gospel than the "Christian" does. A person who isn't caught up on external appearances. A person who doesn't need to be reminded to ask himself the Jesus question - because its intrinsic to who he is. A person who's commitment isn't found in an envelope - because its found in real life lived-out discipleship.
So who would you rather be?
Oh, and by the way, Jesus did worship on a Saturday.

Religion and Politics

Its that time again - provincial elections. On October 10th we'll head off to the poles to elect another provincial government and answer the question on representative representation in provincial politics. I'm always a little weary about making any comments during elections, after all there are those who believe that church and politics don't mix. On the contrary I think that religion...church...faith have a lot to say about politics and the way we vote. Now before people get too worried I'm not going to tell you who to vote for. I'm not going to espouse any one party over another. What I am going to do is encourage you to let you faith and understanding of the gospel of Jesus our Christ inform the vote you will make on the 10th. When you enter that polling booth ponder who the gospel of love is calling you to elect. Ask yourself who will represent those on the fringes of society the best? Who will assure that our health care system is enhanced so that everyone is assured equal access to health care? Ask yourself who will make responsible decision about public education so that it does not become a second rate alternative to private eduction, but becomes the primary choice of Canadians for their children? Who will enable equal access to post-secondary education without the burdensome reality of student loans? Who will help develop our cities and rural communities? Who will further develop the economy and bring good jobs with a fair wage to Ontarians? Who will help provide enough affordable housing for those who need it?
These are guiding gospel questions that don't seek the benefit of the few, but rather seek to balance the needs of many with a sense of social justice so that the least are cared for before the affluent. On October 10th VOTE. Do not let your voice go unheard. Be informed. Pray. Discern. And let your faith lead you.

Thanks-giving

We're here again. Its thanks-giving 2007. Another year has come and gone leaving us, yet again, to reflect on who we are and what we've done with the treasures God has heaped upon us. But wait a second. Perhaps you think I'm spelling it all wrong…after all isn't it suppose to be thanksgiving? Well yes, technically, it is. Yet I think that proper spelling misses the theological and spiritual significance of this holy day. Too often I think we perceive this time of year as simply a holiday and neglect that as Christians we are called to give thanks. We are called to ponder…even list…all the ways that God has blessed over time. Yet if that's all we do…name of the things we're thankful for; eat lots of turkey; invite family and friends over for dinner; fall asleep on the couch; watch the football game; and sneak a little work in at home – then we've missed the point. Understanding what we have to be thankful for is only the first part. The gospel calls us to action – that's the giving part. After we've listed our blessings its time to give back. Its time to give of ourselves so that others can have the same sense of God at work in their lives. Its time for us to go out into the world and actively engage in building God's kingdom of shalom. So why not join me this thanks giving and not let it end with thanks. Let's make sure we also focus on the giving part of this holy day.

iWorship

This week is our first iWorship experience. What is it, you might ask? iWorship is similar to the iPod ideology. In both cases the 'i' stands for integrated. In the case of iWorship it also has the deeper theological significance that worship is not meant to be focused on a capital I. We, you and I, are not the focus of our worship – God is. Its for this reason that we've capitalized Worship to indicate that what's really important and central to these kinds of experiences is our focus on the co-creative relationship between God and God's people in various different ways. So we'll be using hymns, songs – both Christian and popular; sung and recorded, media clips, movie clips, art work, creative interpretation, projection technology, a mix of various instruments, and some of or all of the above. The driving theology is that people encounter God in different ways and through different means. We don't all learn by reading the directions – some of us only learn by physically doing it. The same is true for worship. Its for that reason that these services are multi faceted, media rich, and offer various means for engaging our faith in order to live out Jesus' call to discipleship.

We'll be providing this opportunity in the months that have 5 Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that people will experience a new way of encountering God that isn't off putting to anyone. So whether you enjoy "traditional" hymns and liturgy or something alternative, this service is intentionally designed for everyone wherein the focus is still theme based, grounded in scripture, and built around The Message.

So come and join the fun, depth, and praise of iWorship.