Two Profiles

The reflection and regeneration process reached an interesting milestone recently with the development of the "personal profile" of each of the two congregations in the LaPêche pastoral charge. This self identity exercise - characterizing the congregation as a person - seems to have been a useful tool in helping create and verbalize common identity. Here are those profiles as published in the Sunday Bulletin insert for 21Mar10 ...



Rupert: “Eb’nFlo” is a person nearing old age, with the warm likeable qualities of a favourite Uncle “Eb” and the stateliness of “Flo” who by the way is “well-preserved”! Combining a laid back kind of way with a vital and active energy, Eb’nFlo enjoys farming, seeding, harvesting, canning and appreciates that living by the seasons has developed a keen awareness for the environment. Resilient, resourceful and confident, Eb’nFlo also has an active funny bone and loves to sing.



St. Andrew’s in Wakefield: “Andrea-Sophia” is a woman approaching middle age and in transition with an empty nest. She is wise, humble and while open to moving forward, wonders about the risk. She is reflective and seeks direction in transition. She is strong, with a big heart and has a good work ethic. Right now she is a bit overwhelmed and needs to care for herself, but has found it exciting to contemplate the rewards of bee-keeping!

A lengthy multisession process facilitated by Gisèle over the course of a couple of weeks shaped these two profiles. A number of things strike me as important:

1. The Andrew’s profile is that of a woman while Rupert is a person of undefined gender. Part of me prefers the inclusiveness of the undefined gender. Another part appreciates the reflection, caring and frankness of the female profile.

2. The two profiles are quite distinct beyond their gender. Or at least what has been written creates quite different images for me. One rather acute difference seems to be that Rupert is about what the person does while Wakefield is more about what the person thinks.

3. The does vs. thinks observation above has me wondering if a next step is planned to critique each other’s profiles. That is to question and learn from and perhaps ultimately to reshape. I am sure the process is intended to be an evolving one.

4. We are one church with two profiles ... there is some risk in continuing to feed some of the divisions which have challenged us over the years. Do we have the courage to use this process ... and these identities ... in the context of trying to resolve some of those divisions?

Seed sowing and bee keeping ... those images make me proud to be a member of the United Church of Canada at LaPêche.

Practice

It is Lent and we are exploring ourselves, our relationship to the world and our faith in God. Last Sunday at the Basilica de St Sernin in downtown Toulouse I heard the minister talk about examining our choices – specifically with respect to upcoming municipal elections in France.

It is an important invitation from God. And an important call to be responsible and active in our faith. I identified very strongly with Gisèle’s reflection last week (07March2010) in which she highlighted the need to practice our faith – to act out the things we believe in ... She said ...

“The more we actually practice the teachings of Jesus - forgiveness or non-judgment in our own behavior, generosity or compassion, trust, thankfulness - the more we experience God ... In this way we are responding to the welcome of God, the holy invitation to come, see, seek, forsake and return.

God will always be beyond our naming or understanding... and we won’t ever get to the bottom of God. (However) in our willingness and our practice - in the suffering and the joy and in the grit of our lives and in our practice of the virtues - we reveal that God has indeed been tending and growing us…we experience it as real … God, here right under our noses, in our thinking, in our beating hearts."

I have always come at “practice” from a social responsibility point of view – believing that it is our responsibility as Christians to exercise leadership in working for social justice. I now appreciate even more the importance of practice – it is an important medium for strengthening our faith.

And essential for us to experience God.

Life dovetails with scripture

Gisèle responds to "We have permission"...

I am glad to hear that you're seeing some symbiosis Peter. It's encouraging, enriching and strengthening I think. In my life here, so many times the events and the encounters of the week dovetail with the scripture I'm pondering on the reflection I am preparing ... again this week I have found this. It's very moving to me and provides such a surge of spiritual energy!

May it continue Peter - it encourages our movement further into spiritual conversation and exploration...

Note - this response is a copy of the comment made by Gisèle on the "We have permission" post

We have permission

I am privileged to receive Gisèle’s reflection on Sunday mornings by email. Today on the first Sunday of Lent she positions Jesus out in the wilderness, setting the stage to challenge us to examine our own spiritual path ...

It’s not to escape that Jesus went into the desert; it was intentional - to be clear about his truth. Sometimes the solitude of self reflection can lead to insight ... to wisdom... to ultimate satisfaction – more than bread. Especially those of us who have the luxury of asking for spiritual food: questing, wrestling with what ails us, retreating into some silence and solitude. Lent gives us the permission to go there.

First of all I am struck by the ”we who have the luxury ...”. We do ... in LaPêche ... each in our own generally comfortable rural Canadian milieu ... have the luxury of time and energy and support To go into our own desert to seek clarity. With that luxury perhaps there is greater responsibility to find.

And we have permission. To create our own rituals. To carve out a place of our own. To be unique.

To be searching. To be thirsty.

I feel a little more encouraged to discover the Spirit in symbiosis with my unique and evolving spiritual life.

Setting the stage - internal division and thirsty Spirit

Intrigued by the power of Paul’s message in chapters 12 and 13 – the vulnerability of the “one spirit body” and the passion of “without love” – I thought it might be helpful to read from the beginning of 1st Corinthians. Chapters 1 to 3 set an interesting stage. Paul begins by acknowledging the divisions within the church, and he appeals for consensus. It recalled a disturbing conversation I had last year about community unity at all costs – even if it meant in that context sublimating our feelings about same sex marriage. Such silence is bad community building. I think the body of Christ metaphor is intended to help us respect and nurture difference. That said we may also have to draw lines – is that Paul’s intention?

One of my many challenges with the Bible is the black and white nature of its metaphor’s. I don’t know the authorship very well but it seems to me that at least Jesus and Peter talked – and taught – this way. It can be painfully uninclusive ... us and them - the perishing and the being saved – and dismissive – neither Paul planting the seed not Apollos watering it is anything but only God who makes things grow. Language is important ... our words are powerful ... the bible is intended to be taken seriously.

Chapter 2 hints at a helpful characterization of the Spirit for those of us who are challenged by the Trinity. The Spirit searches all things ... man has a spirit ... even God has a spirit ... only the spirit knows. It is still rather elusive – there seems to be a preoccupation with the wisdom that the spirit imparts. I see the searching by the man and god spirits as thirsting. And the Spirit is the medium of our “spiritual” practice - our pursuit to quench.

Struggling for balance in building the healthy "body of Christ"

If the “church” is the body of Christ, then what is the "school"? The New York Times reports on the battle for a stronger voice in US school policy and curriculum by fundamentalist Christian churches. Their premises include that the founders of the USA were dedicated Christians and intended a Christian country. Their tactics include controlling the Texas State School Board of Education which by virtue of its size “governs (the curriculum process of) 46 or 47 states”. Their track record is subtly successful.

I take issue with the fundamentalists on a number of issues – such as six day creation in recent cosmic history. I am all for the separation of church and state – the “wall of separation” according to Thomas Jefferson third president of the USA and principal author of the Declaration Independence. Religious fundamentalist movements are fulminating global havoc - the intolerance they preach is unacceptable.

The article objectively suggests that separation of church and state may or may not have been the intention of the founding fathers. It is not for example stated explicitly in the constitution. On the other hand neither are certain constitutional tested principles such as “judicial review and separation of powers”.

What interests me is the depth of organization and intensity of passion of the fundamentalists. Do we the United Church of Canada or the “moderates” or whatever label we adopt have such a passion for our faith? Should we have such a well developed religious agenda?

Being the body of Christ – working together – requires acknowledgement that we are a whole that needs structure and common voice to be healthy. We need to use what we know about group dynamics and organizational development to build a healthy body. At the same time we must be cognizant of the dogmatic and power grabbing tendency that is inherent in any organization. It is a constant struggle for balance.

Does the Body we call the church really believe it is sustained by the Spirit

Gisèle responds to "One Spirit Body"...

I don't know "why" equal value - except that this was likely one of the issues Paul was writing to this little church about - one of the bones of contention perhaps was that they gave more value to some people over others - still an issue today ...

Can we give the body rest from living? So is "living" a burden of responsibility for the body? Maybe it is when the focus is survival and not possibility.

Interestingly this dove tales into conversation I had this morning with clergy - does the church truly believe it can "rest" in the Spirit - does the body we call church really believe it is sustained by the Spirit, that we are more than the sum of our parts - are we really closet atheists... thinking we need to do it all by ourselves or else choosing to try to control it all?

If we believe God empowers and sustains us, lives in and through us then do we also believe in the possibility of the impossible? Does that just lay more responsibility on us as a body or burden? How do we "rest" in a faith that anticipates the impossible?

Note - this response is a copy of the comment made by Gisèle on the "One Spirit Body" post

One Spirit Body

1st Corinthians chapter 12 has also figured in the preparatory scripture – this is where the body metaphor is laid out. Our gifts are numerous. All from the same source the scripture tells us. All of value – all needing application. Our gifts are the manifestation of God’s goodness.

I like verse 13 “Whether Jews or Greeks – slaves or free – we were all baptized by one spirit into one body.”

There is a message here for one voice – Jew or Greek or slave or free - of tolerance for all and the desire to include. Every act of inclusion however runs the risk of being co-opted into an act of assimilation. Institutions by their nature seek to become bigger and better. We the church – the body of Christ – must seek to balance the need to be humble with the desire to thrive.

By one spirit – the same spirit – empowers and inspires us all. I feel the “spirit” is ambiguous – I do not see the Trinity as a useful piece of Christina theology. Are we all therefore part of the same ambiguity? The key context is I believe that by being baptized by one spirit we take on that spirit – we are that intangible – we are that longing for justice/peace/happiness. Maybe this also helps with the frustrated sense of responsibility – we can’t necessarily fix it.

Into one body – this entity so vibrant and yet so fragile – such a miracle and so finite. We still have our own bodies – and the need to take account of so many other bodies. We have to co-exist. The one body metaphor is hard because we are so protective of our own bodies – we see that as our life – our imprint on the world.

Therefore .... Can we give our bodies a rest from the responsibility of living AND can we let the body of Christ take over. ohh ... there is a community place for “we as part of the body” but how is each of us a body part of equal worth the rest of the time? By virtue of the gifts that god has given us we have value ... but why “equal” value? Sounds rather politically correct.

Help me out here.

Sometimes ...

Gisèle responds to "Without Love"

Something someone said to me long ago...when we "do" out of our giftedness, whateve that is - kindness, truth-telling, encouragement etc...it doesn't feel like work, it doesn't "cost" much energy.

Sometimes you are already "doing" out of this place, this gift, without trying hard, without even knowing it - it just oozes out of you. sometimes it is like a passion that just overtakes you. Sometimes maybe it is a "should", a nudge that is guiding you someplace else...the thing about the "should" though is that it is often tied up with guilt...

Note: This post is a copy of Gisèle's comment found at the end of "Without Love"

Without Love ...

The upcoming bible study uses Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. One of our references is chapter 13 - the “Without love (I am but a sounding horn)” soliloquy. It makes the powerful point that love is an essential component of all our interactions. It sets high standards for love. Like good scripture it makes love more possible – when we move beyond the scripture.

Scripture making possible when we move beyond it is a cornerstone of what I see as the proposed approach to the upcoming Bible Study. Using a reading as the starting point for a reflection on the reaction of each member to that reading. The personal makes the possible.

I want to be a part of this the personal making love more possible. By that I mean I want to examine how I can be more loving of the world. That could be interpreted as less egocentric, or more proactively egalitarian. Some measure of “loving the world” ... would be helpful.

This desire to better love the world comes from reflection on the last three sabbatical months in India. I have talents - I should be out there using them. I have curiosity – I should be out there tweaking my mind. I have ... therefore I can and should ...

It has taken three months to get to this place.

Pour quoi “Weare-theBody”?

Lots of motivation to participate in this critical thinking process for the church ... Specifically ...

- to create more anchors for my faith ... the body as god’s creation ... the church as god’s community
- to explore love – and be more loving of the world.
- to be public – but not evangelic - about my faith.
- like Gisèle to see a continuum between the sunday reflection and the personal ... and the congregation/community
- to be part of this church process despite my distance.

Weare-thebody ... of Christ

Welcome ... to a reflection on the church as the body of Christ. During this month of Feb2010 the United Church of Canada in LaPêche Québec will be undertaking a bible study exercise to facilitate a larger church reform process. That study will focus on Paul's first letter to the Corinthians - chapters 12 and 13. The body of Christ is front and centre as the loving institution that is both humble and determined. Being that love is our greatest challenge ....

Thanks to Rev. Gisèle Gilfilan and the members of the Church for supporting my participation at a distance in this exciting process.