The Sophia Network is, according to their blog, for women in youthwork and ministry, and the blog provides really useful resources for this. However, it also has a range of interesting and useful articles for anyone who is interested in equality for women and men within the leadership of the church.
For those who are UNE students, a warm welcome back for Semester 2 (even if it’s not all that warm outside). I’d like to share something that caught my attention this morning.
A former colleague of mine, Cheryl Lawrie, works for the Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania as the project worker for their alternative worship project. She blogs at hold :: this space and yesterday’’s blog reproduces a piece that she wrote for Melbourne’s Age newspaper, where she’s a semi-regular contributor of opinion pieces.
In it, she reflects on her experience of visiting Port Phillip men’s prison, where she works with the chaplains to conduct worship. In it she says:
Every visit to the prison converts me. I’m reminded that the assumptions by which I live my life outside are the product of privilege. What I so glibly think is achievable, for both humans and any God I can imagine is beyond hope inside. Sometimes love doesn’t conquer all. Sometimes justice doesn’t come. There are some places hope can’t exist.
It’s made me an awkward Christian – bad company, I fear, in the circles of faith. If truth be known, by most definitions, I couldn’t be called a Christian. I’m not at all convinced by the being of God, though the event of God – the actions and transformations that have been traditionally attributed to God – entice me. But much as the label ‘Christian’ doesn’t fit, I’m loathe to give it up. It’s not for nostalgia, it’s certainly not because I’m superstitious, it’s not even because I have a need to belong or be part of a group. It’s because I need to be held to an expectation that is way beyond myself, and I’m compelled by the expectation that Christianity has of me: that I will live as though everyone can begin again, and that I will act as though the impossible might one day be true.
I’d encourage you to visit the site and read the rest of the article, which isn’t very long. And if you’re a Christian, to think about what that means for you.
The Uniting Church works as a series of interconnected Councils, the national one being Assembly. The Assembly meets once every three years and that meeting is happening at the moment. We are a quite young church - this is only our 12th Assembly. Yesterday, Rev Alistair McRae was installed as the new president and his sermon can be veiwed on the Assembly website, together with ongoing reports of the proceedings. Why would you read the sermon? The theme of this Assembly is Living Water, Thirsty Land and Alistair preached on this theme and on the woman at the well in John’s gospel. He says:
Friends, what a gospel we have to share. Not imperialistically, but in humility and joy. We don’t possess it — we have been possessed by it! Can we exorcise our demonic preoccupation with survival and risk losing everything for the sake of the gospel, the pearl of great price? Can we cease being anxious about so many things and concentrate on the one thing needful? To call thirsty people to drink, bathe, wash and play in the living water poured out for all in and through Jesus Christ?
I was impressed by what he had to say.
