like a pub with no beer ...

A Bible Society without Bibles? We need 11 Bibles for Sunday to present to our 3rd graders. My job: purchase same. Call Church Office and find that the ones we already have are Contemporary English Version (CEV) burgundy hard cover, published by Bible Society. Google Bible Society. Find a national website with no real contact details. Assume mail order only. Then remember this is a federal country. Add NSW to the Google search bar. Praise Be. An address near work appears. And open 'til 8pm on Thursday. Call them to confirm. Ask if they have CEV with Burgundy cover. Say I need 11. Confirm open until 8 pm Thursday.

Today finish selection by 6 pm and enjoy pleasant walk through Hyde Park and down to the right street. Find Bible shop. See the perfect version. Indicate these are just what I'm looking for to present to children in our congregation.
"So you want to place a bulk order?"
" Well only 11, I can presumably just purchase them now"
"You can't do that. We don't keep Bibles in stock"
"Isn't this a Bible shop?"
"Well yes we do have different kinds of Bibles but we don't have many in stock"
"When I called yesterday there seemed no problem with purchasing 11."
"Well the person must not have understood you. We do have 45 out the back but we are keeping them for another customer. We don't sell Bibles in bulk"

I realise I didn't ask specifically if they had 11 in stock, but I did start by saying I needed to purchase 11 copies of the CEV. And said I would be in tonight to purchase them. If they had only said they did not have them, I could have ordered from a more reliable supplier. Just that I naively thought the Bible Society would be the place to purchase Bibles.

Thank goodness for Koorong. Maybe with stock a bit to the right of the kind of thing I prefer to read. And a source of religious kitch for the days I need a book on how to be 'God's Little Princess' (who keeps a handbag full of lipstick and nail polish) or a massive toy car emblazoned with a Biblical injunction to 'race to win'. AND a good supply of Bibles, great customer service, and open on Saturdays. A timely solution!

Walked out

For the second time ever I walked out of church. Quite something for a compliant wanting-to-please type person. Maybe the Friday Five heightened the sense of looking for perfection. It was so weird. (The first time I was in a 2 hour parking space and the service had continued for over an hour and a half)
Away from home for a work-related conference, awake in time for breakfast at hotel and read of Cheryl's brilliant article, asked concierge about churches in the vicinity and was informed of one a couple of blocks away.
Actually as I approached there were two church buildings virtually side-by-side. A glance in the window showed elaborate robes and stuff and I assumed this must be the Catholic version - until I saw the Protestant sign outside.
Inside to a friendly welcome. And shuffled upstairs because there would not be room downstairs. Looking down on a fairly full sanctuary with still a lot of empty seats (they would do well to install a system which actually indicates that there are seats left). Processed in the Bible and some symbol of the Jesus' Seminar (does that have an apostrophe - I don't know). The weirdest part was when the sermon began - all the lights went off except for a spotlight on the speaker. Who had been the only voice in the whole event. And for this reasonably tolerant middle-of-the-road Christian the total emphasis on faith as an illusion which we need because we are weak ... leading on to a list of ways to cope with hard times was just altogether too much ... and along the row in the dark and out the door I went. At number 3.
Lessons:

1. Inclusive language means INCLUSIVE and not pushing one line of thought only.
2. Carefully crafted word-perfect politically correct liturgy cannot replace fire-in-the-belly, conviction, passion, joy and hope.
3. It can never be about me me me (or individualistic hubris)

There were some good words spoken in the event. It's amazing how much of my F5 would get a tick here - theologically coherent, lots of evidence in the announcements of engagement or at least interest beyond Australia, acknowledgement of the first peoples, special care to provide for visitors.
St Paul springs to mind - all this without love clashes and twangs and fails to resonate. Alas!

Perfection

Singing Owl posted a great fun Friday Five this week:
Please pardon me for talking about church in the [Northern] summer when many of you may be on vacation. However, the church we are talking about today is the one you dream of. I've been thinking about this because I miss pastoring and preaching, because I am sending in resumes, and because...well...jut because. So have some fun with this.

Tell us five things that the perfect church would have, be, do...whatever.

We can dream, right?

Tempting to recite the solas but according to Facebook I'm only 80% reformed - they do influence my narrative but here, off the top of my head, are my top five:

1. Theologically coherent. My perfect church has thought carefully about who we are, and what we do, and this is all underpinned by a sound theoretical framework
2. Globally oriented ... part of the church universal and linked inextricably with brothers and sisters internationally. Today she is joined in anguish with the church in Fiji whose members are being arrested and taken into custody one by one.
3. Grounded in place ... with a real and tangible and regular acknowledgment of and place for the first peoples of this land and where the imagery and music and language is of this place (where Christmas songs are hot and dusty)
   
4. Wonderfully diverse ... reflecting the community in which she is placed in all its diversity of age, gender, lifestyle, marital status, ethnicity, creativity. In fact there are no walls between this church and the surrounding community: They are part of each other
   
5. Socially active ... with clear social justice goals and actions happening everyday

And I know it was only five but all this is held together by a leadership team with the requisite gifts

The Mystery of Love

Walking home with iPod on shuffle I experienced a real mixture - from Jack Johnson's Banana Pancakes to the traditional carol 'Christians awake salute the happy morn ... rise to adore the Mystery of Love which hosts of angels chanted from above". Echoes of the Lads 'Beetroot stain' in the morning selection: A quirky devotional from before the days of Napisan OxyAction. I consider this the contemporary Christian song that the 16th Century reformers would identify with - it seems in its own unique way to capture those Reformed essentials of the wholly other God who reaches out in grace; who first loved us; and who is faithful and whose love is beyond measure.

It's a long time since I read Ian McEwan's Enduring Love. I think it is my favourite work from this author. With skill many of the dimensions of love were captured, explored, examined; all the while seemingly handled gently and with respect. My random music choices today have rekindled some of the affect I remember from the novel (the movie didn't evoke the same affective response). And led me to reflect again on what it means to live in love.

In the challenges and the mundane tasks of everyday I hope that I keep within a hair's breadth of an awareness of the great Mystery of Love in whom I live and move and have my being. And within a hair's breadth of attending to relationships with those with whom I know the joy of loving and being loved. Not taking this gift for granted. Living in gratitude. And getting on with what needs to be done. So be it.

Liturgical elements for Pentecost 6

Call to worship (Psalm 24 with a glimpse of the prophet Amos)

Lift up the gates and open the doors that the King of glory may come in

Who is the King of glory?

The one who founded and created the world, this is the King of glory

Lift up the gates and open the doors that the King of glory may come in.

Who is the King of glory?
The one who is strong and mighty, who never passes by the people of God, but shares body and life with them, this is the King of glory.

Lift up the gates and open the doors that the King of glory may come in.

Who is the King of glory?

The one who is with all people in every place, with each person in each space breathing life in all fullness, this is the King of glory.

Prayer of praise – from Thom Shuman PCUSA

Every moment, we have the chance
to breathe in your goodness and grace;
every hour, we have opportunities
to share your love and hope;
every day, we have occasions
to rest in the comfort of your heart.
In you, we discover the fullness of time,
Delight of the Ages.

In every challenge we face,
we can find the strength to persevere;
in every person we meet,
we can find the blessing you have sent;
in every need we encounter,
we can find the help you would have us offer.
In you, we discover the fullness of life,
Companion of our days.

In every conflict of our lives,
there is your healing we can offer;
in every brokenness we experience,
there is that reconciliation we can receive;
in every difficulty which makes us stumble,
there is that dance of hope you would teach us.
In you, we discover the fullness of faith,
Promised Spirit.

God in Community, Holy in One,
in you we discover the fullness we long for

Prayer of confession

We join your dance of joy

Responding to the echo of your heartbeat

Delighting to be your people

Sometimes we get so caught up in the dance

That our focus shifts from you

We can get caught up in pleasing others

and lose sight of what it means to be fully ourselves

We can make rash promises

And get caught up in damaging and destructive patterns of behaviour

just to save face

(Thom again - from this point on)

Forgive us, Gifter of every blessing. Open our hearts and fill us with your mercy. Open our ears that we may hear the songs of grace you would teach us to share with the world. Open our eyes that we may see the hope we have in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, our inheritance of love and joy.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
Before the earth was shaped, God created the music of grace which sets our hearts, our souls, our feet to dancing with joy in the hope God has given to us.
It is God who has created us, it is God who has redeemed us, it is God who sends us forth to live as brothers and sisters of Christ. We are forgiven.

Thanks be to Godde. Amen.

Prayers of the people

Good Lord, hear our prayer

And let our cry come unto you

We gather as your people, good God of Grace

Who have heard and reflected on a part of your story this morning

Good Lord, hear our prayer

And let our cry come unto you

We pray for those who speak out against wrongdoing

The sometimes prickly characters who make us uncomfortable

Especially when they get too close to truth

And whose lives are in jeopardy

When truth challenges the powerful

Good Lord, hear our prayer

And let our cry come unto you

We pray for children and the adults in their lives

That praise and encouragement may be genuine and life-giving

We pray for adults and children in households and families

That relationships in all their complexities may be affirming and respectful

And family violence eliminated

Good Lord, hear our prayer

And let our cry come unto you

We pray for our nation and State

For our Prime Minister and Premiers, and all Ministers and officials

For our local and community leaders, for every citizen and resident

That we may recognise the significance of what is happening around us

And act to promote reconciliation within our nation and between nations

To preserve and protect our world and our planet

Good Lord, hear our prayer

And let our cry come unto you

We pray for ourselves – a people of God

For Kent and Rick and Lois and Bruce

Ann and Brian

.....

Good Lord, hear our prayer

And let our cry come unto you

In all domains of life, gracious Godde

Stir our hearts that we may seize every opportunity to learn from our brothers and sisters in faith, to stand with them and to carry their stories close to our hearts each day

Grant wisdom and courage to speak and act in the best interests of all, especially of the most vulnerable

Grant courage and strength to those trapped in life patterns and those in prison or treated inhumanely

When the darkness seems overwhelming grant faith that hope can be found in the darkest night

Help us to pray in the words Jesus taught us

Our Father ...

Amen

What is netball?

My Friday Five prompted a few queries about netball, that I should have anticipated given that our daughter was politely told it is called volleyball in the USA. Quite a different sport. Sophia is right that netball is possibly most similar to basketball - but it is a more structured game with a different set of ball-handling skills. I found the video below from the UK = which gives a good picture of the game although it also features NZ being defeated. The game originated in the USA and there is an American association for those interested

Netball Superleague promo video 2007

Exercise

Sophia posted the RevGalBlogPals Friday Five after an 8 mile bike ride down the beach boardwalk near her home, where she "was struck with the number of people out enjoying physical activity. Runners, other cyclists, surfers, swimmers, dogwalkers, little kids on scooters....

"It's easy to lose track of my physical self-care in the midst of flurried preparation for a final on-campus interview Monday for a college teaching position in the Midwest (prayers welcome!) and the family move that would accompany it. But each day that I do make time to walk or ride my bike it is such a stress reliever that it is well worth the time invested!"

So how about you and your beautiful temple of the Holy Spirit?

1. What was your favorite sport or outdoor activity as a child?
Netball in winter. Looking back at the photo I was clearly in the bottom team. But I never had an inkling of that at the time and I don't think my peers did either. We must have had amazing teachers and parents to encourage us and build our confidence.

2. P.E. class--heaven or the other place?
In between really. At High School we had these tunics with box pleated skirts over rompers (all royal blue) that I quite liked. Never much good on the skills side, but I did enjoy the classes.

3. What is your favorite form of exercise now?
Walking - along the riverbank especially or through Hyde Park, but anywhere really. With or without iPod. Preferably in walking shoes but I can manage with heels (more stroll than exercise).

4. Do you like to work out solo or with a partner?
Solo solo solo. It's my time.

5. Inside or outside?
Outside whenever possible

Bonus: Post a poem, scripture passage, quotation, song, etc. regarding the body or exercise.
No inspiration for this one tonight

Happy Birthday JC

500 years ago in France the babe John Calvin was born. How amazed his parents would be to know that in Australia 500 years later a Kiwi woman would get up early to write about it in her blog before heading off to work in a Catholic university (although for them all universities were Catholic I guess)
No time for new research and thinking, so here's a repeat (excerpt) from a previous post ...

Conviction about the mercy and justice of God also characterise our reformers. Their powerful intellects and passion for holy living can sometimes obscure our view of their humanity and experience of love. Calvin was once described as a brain without a personality. Yet these were women and men who integrated heart and intellect. Their experience of God’s love enabled joy through what Calvin called ‘troubles’ and helped them to put aside anxieties and needless worry. Troubles for Calvin were real life events, like the deaths of his three children, his only children, in infancy, and the death of his wife Idelette [de Bure] which affected him greatly. In a letter to a friend he said “Mine is no common grief. I have been bereaved of the best companion of my life.”(Bouwsma p.23).

and a UK site that seems pretty comprehensive and unbiased has heaps more information

don't get angry (a cryptic saga)

he said. "You are the rock. Things have happened in the past but we must let them go and move on. You can do that, help the others to put aside anger and focus on the things that need to be done."
So when, within a few hours, I was sitting in front of the computer screen swearing and getting very very angry, and persisting in this behaviour while recognising that it was unhelpful and wrong I kind of knew that something had to change.
Surprise visit from someone very high up gave a chance to talk about the issues, to clarify how we will do things, who does what and how we communicate with each other. Very professional. Very helpful. Very wise. Again within a few hours a sudden realisation of lighter shoulders and lighter heart. Thank God.
A few spare minutes late in the day to rethink, clarify concerns and be convinced that there are important issues to address. Send off email with some anxiety. And then this morning the gem. There on screen.
St Teresa of Avila: Let nothing disturb you; let nothing frighten you; all things pass; God alone does not change.
Walking with light step, heart knowing something new about healing, about judgement, about GRACE. Thanks be

Wise words

Doing more reading and hanging out on the book of face than blogging lately. In the true spirit of plagiarism - or maybe of sharing resources I would like to post a link to Cheryl's midwinter post This is so wise, so raw, so real. While the anxieties and troubles (it is Calvin's birthday this year - and I do like this expression) of my life are minuscule in global perspective, Cheryl's profound words touched me at a deep level and brought a sense of peace