Prayer Space

There we were sitting having a conversation about prayer and how the city of Belfast could be transformed and then we were joined by Noel: he had been out with his wife and mother-in-law and while he was having some coffee while they went off shopping he heard us talking and became increasingly inquisitive. he told us that he had resisted making an approach, telling himself it would be impolite but , in the end could not resist introducing himself. He was of the same mind and wanted us to know that. we were in a public coffee shop and he heard us talking so he came and joined in on the conversation. That is what real Christianity is all about and what gossiping the gospel means. For some time I have had the vision of creating a prayer space for anyone to comer and pray; a space in the middle of the community rather than hidden away inside the church. Then once I began to talk about it and took some action I have found that others have the same vision. We have a shop, right in the middle of the Protestant community and right up against the so-called peace line where we can pray.

The vision is for a prayer space which can be a shared space where people from different Christian traditions can pray together and own their own at any time of the day. That by praying in this way the division within our city can be healed and Christian unity can become a real thing. That by coming to this place we can pray for the transformation of this city we call home.

Can I ask the people who read this blog to pray for us as we begin to unpack what this means? Can I ask those who read this blog, even if that be a very small number of people to pray for the unity of the Christian community in Belfast? Can I ask you to pray for the creation of a Christian community in Belfast which will be counter-cultural and a clear demonstration of an alternative community: one which does not depend upon wealth or power or the need to dominate but one which has love as its core value and it's DNA?

Noel is just the beginning, there are people out there who are looking for a way to demonstrate unity and a way to demonstrate that they are not sectarian but desire to live with those with whom they disagree. the whole world looks at our city as an iconic example of division: lets show them how a fragmented city can be totally transformed. Where are the people who will stand with us? Where are the people whose desire it is to see the miraculous change in our city?

Bailey entered a strange place, well, strange for him:this was not a place he had been in for a long time. He felt, and looked, very ill at ease. It was like all the eyes of the people were fastened on him. He was all dressed up, and that was very unusual. Stranger still he was on his best behaviour, normally speaking he wouold still be in bed, recovering after the night before. Maybe he was more comfortable than he looked but I don't think so. He had no idea how he was supposed to behave: when to stand, when to sit, when to talk and when to be quiet and his friends were no better. Then there was the singing: he didn't normally sing unless he had been drinking for some time and as he sat down it ocurred to him that he had no money in his pocket and what would happen when the plate came round, how embarrassing?

Fortunately he began to feel a little better as time went on. By the time the sermon came he was feling much better: thankfully the preacher took a more conversational style and encourged inter-action. When one of the other visitors agreed to take some of the honey and when he laughed at a lame joke the akwardness left and the body language changed and there was even the faint glimmer of a smile,

Every time we have people with us who seldom if ever go to church these are the kind of cultural hurdles we expect them to cross. The way our services are arranged suit the people who know what happens and the way it happens: they are the people who have no need to be persuaded by making things suit them. The very ones that we should be helping by the way we worship are the ones who feel like fish out of water and when they don't return we are surprised because we think we have reached out to them. The church that wants to be apostolic in the way things are done and in the way they worship will ask the regular queston about how to make outsiders feel like insidders. Nothing we do will guarentee success, no external changes will ensure that non-believers will flock to the church: that rests in God's hands but that is no excuse for making life as difficult as possible for them.



As the service progressed he felt increasingly tense: would he be bored by the sermon? Would it embarass him? Surprissingly he began to feel less tense and his face reflected that. In fact he actually began to find it all interesting even though it was an involuntary decsion .

"Ask no questions and you'll be told no lies". I have heard that many times over the course of my life. One of the problems in asking questions is that people don't always want to give the answers, others don't want to open the box for fear of what will fall out and others just know that they will nt be able to put the contents back afterwards. When I was a young boy I took my sisters watch and took it to pieces to see how it worked. She was not exactly pleased, even less so when I failed to put it back together again.

The purpose of de-contruction is to understand how things work: when theologians and philophers de-construct the scriptres the intention is to unsderstand both text and culture more completely. At a time when the institutional church is under such pressure and when attempts are being made to see how we can be more authentic and real in the contemporary world it is important to ask the right questions. Jesus tells us that "The truth will set you free" and the acceptance of light from any quarter has to be good but it is understandable that some will be afraid of damaging the tried and tested ways and others will gear that the baby will be lost along with the bath water. Yet we, surely, have nothing to fear from the truth.

I agree with those who want to loose the boxes and the definitions we have made over the years. Some of what we haver come to acept as true and b iblical have more to do with our evangelical or liberal or conservative or charismatic/pentecostal culture than they do with what the bible actually says. For that reason we must keep asking the questions.

In the continuing conversation in the emerging/emergent church movement we must talk with a sense of humility and provisionality: anythong ese smakes of arrogance. The Doctrinal systems which stem from systematic theology are like the curate's egg- good in parts. As a presbyterian I have learnt much from the Reformers like Luther and Calvin but there is much in the teaching of Wesley also. Some of the comments made on bloggs and on YouTube about the thoughts and thinking of the oppostion are really dreadful and lack any grace. I am constantly horrofied at some of the comments I read and hear about the contributions from people like Brian McLaren frpom what some would consider the emergent liberal wing of the emergening conversation. Rob Bell is another pastor who is frequently attacked for apparent error. Personally I find the contribution that these and other thinkers make very stimulating in helping me to think through what I believe.

The bible teaches me to love my brothers in Christ and to listen to all men. As one who lives in Norhtern Ireland, a place which is often considered to be a veery negative culture, I understand how difficult it is to be certain about what one considers to be the truth and to do so in a gracious way. Why do Christians have to so arrogant in our attitudes? Are we insecure? We seem to lack the capacity to be critical of ideas, without being critical of the peole themselves.

If we are going to recapture the missio dei in the contemporary church we will need to question everything that we become sure of what we believe and how we are to live.

Do you think it’s true to say that everyone is afraid of something? Is there anything you have realised that you are afraid of? When I was much younger I used to fear my parents would have a fatal accident or I would die of some awful disease. Fear is a God-given part of our make-up which protects us from danger, so we learn not to touch the fire or the electric ring of the cooker. But taken to extremes it makes us paranoid and is only destructive. It can paralyse us into inactivity and make us ultra conservative and cautious. Master Yoda, in the latest Star Wars film, says to Anakin Skywalker, “The fear of losing leads to the dark side”. At the heart of the story Anakin feared loosing his wife in childbirth just as he lost his own mother. He became consumed with protecting her and in his paranoia he became susceptible to the manipulation of the evil chancellor who wanted him to cross the line from light into darkness to further his plan to take over the Republic and become the Emperor. In the end he became the very thing he had dedicated his life to resisting and lost the very person he wanted to save by crossing the line from light to darkness. Fear is a very potent emotion which leads people to do and to act in ways which they would not normally. Fear can lead them to take violent action to defend their community or their home or to exhibit other negative qualities which later they regret. In the heat of emotion they think they are acting for those they love only to find that they too have crossed that line in the sand which makes them part of the problem rather than the solution. The New Testament makes it clear that the way to be free from fear is to trust in Christ. The Apostle Paul says that “nothing separated us from the love of God” and asks: “If God for us, who can be against us?” Who indeed?

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Human Beings? Who needs them?

Why would Pinocchio want to become a real live boy? Here are a few examples taken from a recent edition of the London Times illustrating the unattractive side of being human: A woman sent herself threatening text messages’ using her estranged husband’s mobile in an attempt to get him blamed. A father of four was told by the Child Support Agency that he had fathered a son by a woman he had never met 15 years after having a vasectomy. And an 84 year old former town mayor has been sentenced to five years in prison for raping five young girls. He told them that no one would ever believe them because he was a man of standing in the community. And I could go on. You might well have personal experience of anti-social behaviour. Does God not despair? Would it not be better if He had made us less than human? In the same edition Dr Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi in the UK, said that “God does not want us to cease to be human, for if He did, He would not have created us” I agree whole-heartedly with that sentiment. When God created Adam He made him in His own image and when He created Eve He made her different yet the same. The intention was that they would live in perfect bliss in the Garden of Eden but “self” had other ideas. From that time on conflict instead of harmony was the norm. With the coming of Jesus into the world we have the complete man, the second Adam who was at peace with His heavenly father and with men- yet there were some who went after him. Some just can’t cope with the perfect person; such is the woeful state of humanity. Having made us in the image of God He has not changed His mind. He wants us to know Him. The Son of God came to be the Son of Man and being like this Jesus is nothing but good. He came and clothed Himself in our humanity in order that we might be more like Him. Don’t just look at the newspapers; look at the man or woman who is being transformed before your very eyes by the power of God in Christ, the chief of men. In a strange kind of way God wants human beings and we need Him. Human beings? Who needs them? We do, when they are like Christ.

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Fw:

----- Original Message -----
From: "jack drennan" <jack.drennan@ntlworld.com>
To: <jackdrennan.revjack@blogger.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2005 11:28 PM

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God DEMANDS

God roars to 6 nations. Two of them are His people and the others are Not His People. He roars as the Lord of Zion. He is the sovereign Lord, the creator and the Almighty whether people believe in him or not. He is the Lord, YAHWEH, the one who WAS and IS and WILL BE for ever and ever. As the creator He has certain demands and expectations of people. That is not what we usually think- in a world were people look to their RIGHTS we can easily forget that God makes DEMANDS on all people. It was true then and it is still true today. God ROARS out His judgement as the Lion of Judah to all men. Let me repeat again, like the politicians and like the media men- When God created the world and everything in it and when he created the man, Adam, and the woman, Eve, He did so that they might know him. The shalom that the Jews speak of is a harmony between men and God and between men and men and men and women and even between men and nature. This Shalom has been broken and there is conflict all around Internationally Nationally And in families and communities Amos stands in unity with the other prophets and also the apostles who say that every person has the remnant of the image of God- while that image was marred at the fall when Adam decided to do his own thing, it was not totally destroyed- the doctrine of total depravity does not mean that every part of every man is depraved, it does mean that all men and all women have been thoroughly tainted because of sin but there is some hope, at the same time. Part of that image means that we are all born with is our conscience which helps us to know right from wrong. So, in Romans 1 Paul makes the point that there is no excuse for any man who rejects God- “since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” So God makes His judgement on the grounds of conscience. The point is that whether or not a person is a Christian he is required, by God Himself, to live with certain agreed principles of conduct in regard for other people. He begins with the people that Israel regarded as her enemies and is very critical of them and declares His punishment for them and that makes Israel feel good but then he turns his attention to Judah and Israel herself and he is even more critical. Lets look at 6 principles of right living according to Amos: 1. PEOPLE ARE NOT THINGS Amos 1:3-5 The sins of Damascus or Syria are extensive- this phrase “For three sins…even four” is to give the idea that her sins have been many and God has given opportunities to repent and be forgiven so Peterson says, “I’m not putting up with her any longer” And what has her crime been that she is to be punished? “She threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth…” The point is that Damascus in the time of king Hazael had no mercy for its prisoners of war. Even though she was carrying out God’s will she has gone much too far. We have heard it before- in a time of emergency the normal rules and principles go out the window and in come the emergency powers- we heard Mr Bush saying that the prisoners at Guantanamo were not POWs but terrorists so they did not deserve the protection of the Geneva Convention and we have witnessed the charges brought against soldiers of Britain and the USA who dished out degrading treatment and we know that no trials have been given to the detainees . We know too that there have been suspicious goings on in our conflict over the thirty years of turmoil- these are not only wrong according to the laws of God but they are counter-productive, as they only build up further resentment so that the turmoil continue to destroy lives, on both sides. Amos said that this was a moral imperative that you should treat people as people and not as things and that is true for your friends and for your enemies. 2. GIVE PEOPLE PRIORITY OVER MONEY v6-8 Gaza “took captive whole communities and sold them to Edom.” Here we move from the battlefield to the boardroom. Money talks, does it not? All the slave owner wanted to know was how much he would get for his slaves. What they were doing was selling God’s people to Edom. – remember Edom was descended from Esau who had been cheated by his brother Jacob and now his descendants seize the opportunity to get revenge. Even given the truth of this grievance by taking their relatives into slavery they were breaking the covenant with Abraham and Gaza was aiding and abetting her and in ancient times that was just as bad. So they were to be punished- “til the last Philistine is dead” What do you do with your grievances? What does this community do with them? When we look at a person, what do we see? If we can only see their money or their power or some talent or ability we are in danger of being guilty also. If we only make friends with those who are wealthy in one way or another we are guilty In some congregations people are elected to positions of responsibility because of their business success or their money and that is wrong as far as Amos is concerned- we are to prefer people over money. 3. BE A PERSON WHO KEEPS YOUR WORD 9-10 they “disregarded a treaty of brotherhood” Like Gaza Tyre was involved in the buying and selling of human flesh but the difference was that Tyre could not be trusted to keep her word- she spoke with forked tongue. We all like those who keep their word, whose word is their bound. Sometimes, though it is not possible for us to keep our word and might even be wrong to keep it because it should not have been given in the first place. Take Herod as an example- he gave his word to Herodias and that cost John his head – he should NOT have given his word in the first place and he would not have been wrong to break his word in this situation- prefer people over things and even principles- tell that to our politicians also 4. DON’T KEEP HATRED IN YOUR HEART Edom had a long history of antagonism against Israel which later would come to a head when Jerusalem fell- Ps 137:7- -See also Numbers 20:18-21] “Remember. O lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down.” They cried, tear it down to its foundations” Hs anger against Israel raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked.” Remember that prayer which says- “As we forgive those….” The implication is that there will be no forgiveness for those who harbour hate and refuse to forgive. Matt 6:15 Those who cannot forgive have forgotten or have yet to learn that they too have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Motyer says “Those who allow old sores to fester proclaim that they are not interested in forgiving, they do not see it as having anything to contribute, it is not important to them: how then can they ask for it? This is something that our community will have to come to terms with so that we can be at peace, shalom, with God, with our enemies and with ourselves. 5. LIMIT YOUR AMBITION The desire to do well in life is a good thing but not at all and any cost. V13 “…they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend their borders” Naked ambition has wrecked marriages and families and even communities. There is nothing wrong in a business man doing all he can to make his business successful There is nothing but good in a minister who has great ambition for his ministry and church- but not at the cost of family life, not at the cost of other businesses in the area- slashing the price so much that other businesses can’t compete and then go out of business- that is a different matter- is there a warning for the big boys like Tesco? Is there a warning for the workaholic man or woman? I think so. Ammon was extending her borders at the cost of others and Amos says they are wrong and they will suffer for it. The unborn babies, never mind their mothers had done nothing against Ammon- no wonder God ROARS at them- we would expect him to. Even those who are critical of God for his judgements against the good people like them and give the impression that they would expect a loving God to suspend his judgement, would demand that he do something in a case where there is Ammonite ambition. 6. RENOUNCE REVENGE This burning of the king’s bones was an act of revenge by Moab on Edom. Edom was no innocent party- she was involved in the slave trade and she had been treacherous but no one deserves this kind of treatment- it was an act of sacrilege Moyter says “ could anything publicize more clearly the senseless irrationality of a nourished hatred than to see a venerable corpse [the King of Edom] dragged from its tomb to suffer pointless indignities?” 2Kings 3:26,27 is best understood in the light of the hatred between the two peoples- Moab was pinned down by a coalition of Edom, Israel and Judah- the battle was going against him and so he decides to plan to hurt Edom, at least, before defeat. So he attacks with 700 cavalry but that failed so he took Edom’s son and sacrificed him in front of everyone- this enraged Edom and also destroyed the coalition- Israel went home. This explains the reaction and action of Moab but does not excuse it. Hatred like this poisons the heart more than it hurts the object. Here we have an important lesson for people like us because he teaches us about the past- our history has divided us and continues to divide us, revenge only keeps the circle going and makes things worse. Drawing a line in the sand is not enough- we need to renounce the sins of the past and to look to the God of Grace to see us through and to allow him to deal with it- he is well able and he will, Amos tells us, deal with it, don’t let it fester- too late but God can still deal with it, IF WE WILL LET HIM. We need safe places were we can begin to talk over our past and allow God to deal with it. So the 6 lessons which set out God’s expectation for our society are: 1. PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THINGS. 2. VALUE PEOPLE OVER MONEY 3. KEEP YOUR WORD 4. DON’T KEEP HATRED IN YOUR HEART 5. LIMIT YOUR AMBITION 6. RENOUNCE REVENGE

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This is Peter- now we know why he wants to go off to America for a year!
Belfast Castle

This is what Gillian likes doing the most!
Belfast Castle

Gillian Drennan
Belfast Castle

This is Crumlin Road Presbyterian or Mitchell's Church as it is sometiomes known. This building is the one which rose from the ashes of Hitler's night of bombing in 1941
Belfast Castle

Social Justice in Amos

INTRODUCTION As the general election looms closer we have seen the rash of accusations about the Prime Minister and we have heard the in-fighting in the Unionist camp. We are living in a society were gangerism is all around- the housing is made more expensive because of the demand for protection money and businesses are held to ransom by some traveling families. We hear about the sexual abuse of children by professional people – even within the church. The reason for the campaign against third world debt and the push for fair trade is that there is much in the world which is unfair and its not against the powerful and the wealthy but against the poor and disadvantaged. The quotation I read this morning from Tim Keller- “We live in a time when public esteem of the church is plummeting. For many inquirers, the deeds of the church will be far more important than the words in gaining plausibility. The leaders of most towns see “word-only” churches as costs to their community, not a value. Effective churches will be so involved in deeds of mercy and justice that outsiders will say, “we cannot do without churches like this.” Mercy deeds give the gospel words plausibility. Therefore, evangelistic worship services should highlight offerings for deed ministry and should celebrate what is being done.” This can work for us but it can also work against us The Prophet Amos has much to say today about practical Christian living and about social justice and the need for the church to speak the prophetic word because his society was just like ours-he could speak of * sexual indulgence [2:7], * transgressions * sins [5:12] * commercial sharp practice [8:5,6]. This was a time of luxury, they had never had it so good-some lived in ivory houses [Amos 3:15,6:4]. Jeroboam was an astute politician who had made much territory. Upper class women spent their time listening to the music of their day, eating the best food and drinking the best of wines and taking beauty treatments. The men too were indifferent to the needs of the poor within their gates and were happy to take bribes and generally do whatever they could get away with in business. At the same time his society made a big thing of religion and religious practice. The church had become self absorbed in the status quo-its tradition was all important but had little interest in hearing from God [7:12,16]. It was a church with a severe attack of hypocrisy. He saw this in society generally and his words were for those who were guilty-in a sense he speaks to anyone who finds that the "cap fits" Yet God called him to address the church-the "people of God", in particular. It was because of the state of the nation that he swopped the shepherd’s crook for the pulpit. Over the years the emphasis of the church’s message has lurched from the , so- called social gospel to the, so-called spiritual Gospel when the complete gospel will always have spiritual, social and materialist and economic repercussions and demands. It's in this context that the lion roars with judgment. Amos comes to us as a source of great encouragement, why? I say this because he was not a professional prophet like Elijah he had no formal training or teaching-he was no prophet or the son of a prophet. What was he then - HE WAS A SHEEP FARMER. Farmers and factory workers have this one thing in common-they very often have a very low self esteem- yet we need to remind ourselves that God accepts us as we are- not because of our wealth or education or good looks, as we are. One consequence of this attitude is the 'I couldn't do syndrome'. Sometimes this is just a tree to hide behind, sometimes it is true but the only way to find out for certain is to be willing to have a go. Take a step of faith. I well remember the days when I was in the C.E. and was asked to do something up front. I couldn't do it and as a teenager no one would have thought I would be here no doing what I do. I am still a shy person but that's no excuse. Amos was called as a sheep farmer to do a work for God and when this job was completed he went back to his day job. Today we take an overall view of the work of this farmer/shepherd prophet. His word is a word to the church today-we are separated by thousands of years and by cultural differences-like another world altogether but the situation he faced is very like today and so as we look at Amos we look at a man and hear his words we are hearing the word of God for our situation today. Lessons of Amos in brief * Privilege brings peril and responsibility * Past history cannot take the place of present spiritual and moral commitment * Religious profession and practice are blood brothers. 1. Privilege brings peril & responsibility. They thought that the privilege of being the chosen people only brought benefits. They were secure-the other nations would be destroyed but they were OK. God had shown at various times that he was on their side. -Look at the picture of David and the might of Goliath. God did a mighty work in that mans life and in the life of the nation-the shepherd boy became a mighty king look at the way his kingdom had become so strong -look at the way the promised land was given to them even though it was a land full of giants. God did a mighty work. Now Amos shows them that they had got it wrong, this was only one side of the covenant-there's two sides to it. he gave them, and he gives us gifts to use, money to share and time to spend on others. His particular stress is that the nearer to God the closer the scrutiny and the more certain the judgment- that's why the NT says that teachers will be judged differently that others. It is an easy thing for those in places of power to abuse their power- that was seen in many of the worlds empires-and it would be wrong of us to take the attitude that now I'm saved I can do what I want-now that I'm a member of the most exclusive club of all I'm alright. We've only just begun. The church is not exempt from judgment- there's no guarantee that the PCI or this particular congregation will still be here in 200 years time-history is cluttered with churches that rose up are now no more. Jesus spoke very sharply against hypocrisy and when we see it we are very critical also. Looking back or looking out we are able to see inconsistencies and hypocrisies but its another thing looking inward. There are times when people could, with justification, say to us-Physician heal yourself! As a church we need to maintain a continual walk with God-not to keep our religion but to be real and allow Him to keep us pure. There are two realities in the world and in the church- sin is a very real reality even in our lives and now's the time to acknowledge it the other reality is the power of Jesus Christ to change us but we need to realize that he does that all through our lives. Its an ongoing work not just a once off. Religion was a potent force in Israel but it didn't touch peoples lives-Amaziah was a priest who was one of the best of worshippers-yet he had no interest in hearing God's word. The people liked their traditions and way of doing things but they "pooh-poohed" the preachers of judgment preferring to think "it could never happen to us". We make a grave mistake if we think that worship is simple singing psalms and hymns-its offering our whole lives to the living God! 2. Past history is no substitute for present spiritual and moral commitment. A stale testimony of what God has done for you years ago is an interesting history lesson but God wants a current relationship. He wants us to be walking with him and he wants us to be people of high moral commitment-we shy away from the idea of Christians being good living people-yet that IS our calling-not that we can use this as a way of getting into heaven-we can only do that by GRACE-but that is the way we are to live once we are saved. So often I have heard people talking about those who profess to be Christians but who have questionable business practice or whatever-there are two things to say about this- A. To the Christian-you have a responsibility to live your live in a way that honours and doesn't defile the name of Christ. The best way to do this is to keep a vital spiritual relationship with Him and make a solid commitment that with His help you will live a high moral lifestyle Don't place stumbling blocks in the way of people who may be thinking of coming to Jesus-remember how stern Jesus was to the disciples when they tried to keep the children away from him? B. To the non Christian-you have no right to demand a standard of morality or spirituality of someone else if you are not willing to live it also. Don't look only at me look at Jesus. Most of us don't have very dramatic stories to tell. Not had a problem with drink or been wife beaters or done anything we consider terrible or notable but God needs us to relate to people just like us. I don't. Don't feel that this disqualifies you from telling your story, God works with people in different ways and we all have a story to tell. Your life is like a bank you can live on the capital but only for a while. If you do this too long you will only get frustrated and lose your joy of salvation. 3. Profession and practice are blood brothers. Profession without practice is repulsive to God and that’s why he rejected their sacrifices in Isaiah. When you stand before the congregation and profess faith be warned and be careful-its easy to say the words but to BE A CREDIBLE PROFESSION is another thing. Don't make the profession unless it is true-that's what you do every time to sit at the Lords table or have a baby baptized. Be wary of making this p[profession if your words speak differently. True religion is, in the thinking of Amos, to respond fully to the grace and law of God, living out the law in a life of obedience, resting on the grace both for ability and forgiveness; towards God, true religion is a reverent hearing and receiving of His word; and towards other people it appears as honesty, considerateness and unfailing concern for the needy." To take these elements away is to invite the judgment of God.

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