daniel rondeau – Page 5 – Hear what the Spirit is saying

Wind Chimes: 1 Feb 2013

The chimes were down for a time, for rest and repair. With the wind blowing and the chimes up again, what do you hear?

Missional

The Acts of the Apostles was the subject matter for a recent teaching series presented by Brian D. McLaren.

I was at Claremont Seminary last week with a vigorous and energetic group of Methodist leaders (along with a standing-room-only public panel with my friends Philip Clayton, Diana Butler Bass, and Mark Whitlock). I concluded my time at Claremont leading a study from the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament. From childhood, I was taught to read Acts as a manual for ecclesiology … to prove that our denomination was the only true and biblical one, of course (a common theme in Protestant Bible reading). But now I read Acts as a missional account of how Jesus continued his work – his Spirit alive in the bodies of growing numbers of his followers who constitute – quite literally – his body on earth.

And the message is the same – the message of the kingdom (or reign, or commonwealth, or sacred ecosystem, or new love economy, or regeneration network, or creative community, or …) of God. You could think of it like this …

Acts 1: The risen Christ teaches the apostles, as he always has, about the kingdom of God. The apostles learn to stop waiting for the kingdom to appear in the future, and instead, wait for the Spirit who will empower them to live in the kingdom here and now.

Acts 2: The Spirit comes – and demonstrates that God is not monocultural and monolingual, but that God speaks all languages, and God is concerned with the poor and rich alike, everywhere … a profound, revolutionary discovery!

Acts 3: Peter demonstrates how the Kingdom begins with those who have been marginalized and excluded (kept outside the gate) by conventional religion – starting with the physically handicapped.

Read the rest of his post here: I love the Bible

In our Prayers of the People, Form III we petition God:

“Give us grace to do your will in all that we undertake; [so] that our works may find favor in your sight.” BCP, p. 387. May it be so, even as it was for the Apostles and the early Church.

Wind Chimes: 25 Jan 2013 — Day 8

Readings for Day Eight — Walking in celebration

Habakkuk 3:17-19 | Celebrating in a time of hardship
Psalm 100 | The worship of God through all the earth
Philippians 4:4-9 | Rejoice in the Lord always
Luke 1:46-55 | The Song of Mary

To walk humbly with God means to walk in celebration. The visitor to India is struck by the hardships and struggles endured by Dalits, but at the same time by their sense of hope and celebration. 2013-WPCU-Readings-and-Prayers

Prayer on Day Eight

Gracious God, may your Holy Spirit fill our communities with joy and celebration, so that we can cherish the unity we already share, and zealously continue in the search for visible unity. We rejoice in the faith and hope of peoples who refuse to allow their dignity to be diminished, seeing in them your wonderful grace and your promise of freedom. Teach us to share in their joy and learn from their faithful endurance. Rekindle our hope and sustain our resolve, that in Christ‘s name we may walk together in love, raising a united voice of praise, and singing together one prayer of adoration. God of life, lead us to justice and peace. Amen.

Image: School of Theology & Ministry, Seattle University

Wind Chimes: 24 Jan 2013 — Day 7

Readings for Day Seven — Walking in solidarity

Numbers 27:1-11 | The right of inheritance to daughters
Psalm 15 | Who shall abide in God’s sanctuary?
Acts 2:43-47 | The disciples held all things in common
Luke 10:25-37 | The Good Samaritan

To walk humbly with God means walking in solidarity with all who struggle for justice and peace. This poses a question for those who pray for the unity of Christians this week: what is the unity we seek? 2013-WPCU-Readings-and-Prayers

Prayer on Day Seven

Triune God, in your very life you offer us a unique pattern of interdependence, loving relationships and solidarity. Unite us to live our lives in this way. Teach us to share the hope that we find in people who struggle for life all over the world. May their endurance inspire us to overcome our own divisions, to live in holy accord with one another, and to walk together in solidarity. God of life, lead us to justice and peace. Amen.

Image: School of Theology & Ministry, Seattle University

Wind Chimes: 23 Jan 2013 — Day 6

Readings for Day Six — Walking beyond barriers

Ruth 4:13-18 | The offspring of Ruth and Boaz
Psalm 113 | God the helper of the needy
Ephesians 2:13-16 | Christ has broken down the dividing wall between us
Matthew 15:21-28 | Jesus and the Canaanite woman

To walk humbly with God means walking beyond barriers that divide and damage the children of God. Christians in India are aware of the divisions among themselves. The treatment of Dalits within the churches and between them is a church-dividing issue that betrays the biblical vision of that unity for which we pray this week. 2013-WPCU-Readings-and-Prayers

Prayer on Day Six

Father, forgive us for the barriers of greed, prejudice, and contempt that we continually build which separate us within and between churches, from people of other faiths, and from those we consider to be less important than us. May your Spirit give us courage to cross these boundaries, and to tear down the walls that disconnect us from each other. Then with Christ may we step forth into unknown terrain, to carry his message of loving acceptance and unity to all the world. God of life, lead us to justice and peace. Amen.

Image: School of Theology & Ministry, Seattle University

Wind Chimes: 22 Jan 2013 — Day 5

Readings for Day Five — Walking as the friends of Jesus

Song of Solomon 1;5-8 | Love and the beloved
Psalm 139: 1-6 | You have searched me out and known me
3 John 2-8 | Hospitality to friends in Christ
John 15:12-17 | I call you friends

To walk humbly with God does not mean walking alone. It means walking with those who are those vital signs of God‘s presence among us, our friends. “But I have called you friends.” says Jesus in John‘s Gospel. 2013-WPCU-Readings-and-Prayers

Prayer on Day Five

Jesus, from the first moment of our being you offered us your friendship. Your love embraces all peoples, especially those who are excluded or rejected because of human constructions of caste, race or colour. Filled with the confidence and assurance of our dignity in you, may we walk in solidarity towards each other, and embrace each other in the Spirit, as children of God. God of life, lead us to justice and peace. Amen.

Image: School of Theology & Ministry, Seattle University

Wind Chimes: 21 Jan 2013 — Day 4

Readings for Day Four — Walking as children of the earth

Leviticus 25:8-17 | The land is for the common good, not personal gain
Psalm 65:5b-13 | The fruitful outpouring of God’s grace on the earth
Romans 8:18-25 | The longing of all creation for redemption
John 9:1-11 | Jesus’ healing, mud, bodies, and water

If we are to walk in humility with God, we will need always to be aware of ourselves as part of creation, and recipients of God‘s gifts. There is a growing recognition in today‘s world that better understanding of our authentic place in creation must become a priority for us. 2013-WPCU-Readings-and-Prayers

Prayer on Day Four

God of life, we thank you for the earth, and for those who care for it and bring forth its fruits. May the Spirit, the giver of life, help us to recognise that we are part of creation‘s web of relationships. May we learn to cherish the earth and listen to creation‘s groaning. May we truly walk together in the steps of Christ, bringing healing to all that wounds this earth, and ensuring a just sharing of the things that it brings forth. God of life, lead us to justice and peace. Amen.

Image: School of Theology & Ministry, Seattle University

Wind Chimes: 20 Jan 2013 — Day 3

Readings for Day Three — Walking towards freedom

Exodus 1:15-22 | The Hebrew midwives obey God’s law over the command of Pharaoh
Psalm 17:1-6 | The confident prayer of one open to God’s gaze
2 Corinthians 3: 17-18 | The glorious freedom of God’s children in Christ
John 4:4-26 | Conversation with Jesus leads the Samaritan woman into freer living

Walking humbly with the Lord is always a walk into receiving the freedom he opens up before all people. With this in mind we celebrate. We celebrate the mystery of the struggle for freedom, which takes place even in the places where oppression, prejudice and poverty seem to be impossible burdens. 2013-WPCU-Readings-and-Prayers

Prayer on Day Three

Liberating God, we thank you for the resilience and hopeful faith of those who struggle for dignity and fullness of life. We know that you raise up those who are cast down, and free those who are bound. Your Son Jesus walks with us to show us the path to authentic freedom. May we appreciate what has been given to us, and be strengthened to overcome all within us that enslaves. Send us your Spirit so that the truth shall set us free, so that with voices united we can proclaim your love to the world. God of life, lead us to justice and peace. Amen.

Image: School of Theology & Ministry, Seattle University

Wind Chimes: 19 Jan 2013 — Day 2

Readings for Day Two — Walking with the broken body of Christ

Ezekiel 37:1-14 | “Shall these dry bones live?”
Psalm 22:1-8 | God’s servant, mocked and insulted, cries out to God
Hebrews 13:12-16 | The call to go to Jesus “outside the camp”
Luke 22:14-23 | Jesus breaks the bread, giving the gift of himself before his suffering

To walk humbly with God means hearing the call us to walk out of the places of our own comfort, and accompany the other, especially the suffering other. 2013-WPCU-Readings-and-Prayers

Prayer on Day Two

God of compassion, your Son died on the Cross so that by his broken body our divisions might be destroyed. Yet we have crucified him again and again with our disunity, and with systems and practices which obstruct your loving care and undermine your justice towards those who have been excluded from the gifts of your creation. Send us your Spirit to breathe life and healing into our brokenness that we may witness together to the justice and love of Christ. Walk with us towards that day when we can share in the one bread and the one cup at the common table. God of life, lead us to justice and peace. Amen.

Image: School of Theology & Ministry, Seattle University

Wind Chimes: 18 Jan 2013 — Day 1

Readings for Day One — Walking in conversation

Genesis 11:1-9 | The story of Babel and legacy of our diversity
Psalm 34:11-18 | “Come … listen.” God’s invitation to conversation
Acts 2:1-12 | The outpouring of the Spirit, the gift of understanding
Luke 24:13-25 | Conversations with the Risen Jesus on the road

To walk humbly with God means to walk as people speaking with one another and with the Lord, always attentive to what we hear. And so we begin our celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity by reflecting on scripture passages which speak of the essential practice of conversation. 2013-WPCU-Readings-and-Prayers

Prayer on Day One

Jesus Christ, we proclaim with joy our common identity in you, and we thank you for inviting us into a dialogue of love with you. Open our hearts to share more perfectly in your prayer to the Father that we may be one, so that as we journey together we may draw closer to each other. Give us the courage to bear witness to the truth together, and may our conversations embrace those who perpetuate disunity. Send your Spirit to empower us to challenge situations where dignity and compassion are lacking in our societies, nations, and the world. God of life, lead us to justice and peace. Amen

Image: School of Theology & Ministry, Seattle University

Wind Chimes: 17 Jan 2013

Unity. United. Different. United. One but different. Common, yet not the same. The chimes are moved by the wind and remind me that to be united in Love means to celebrate all that makes me, makes us, unique. Followers of the Way are unique creations of God who is Love. Each of us will respond differently to Love. Yet, each of us ‘loves’ the best we know how. Like the chimes, each of us sounds a different note, yet all of us together can make beautiful music. What do you hear?

Upcoming: A Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Jan 18-25)

The traditional period in the northern hemisphere for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is 18-25 January. Those dates were proposed in 1908 by Paul Wattson to cover the days between the feasts of St Peter and St Paul, and therefore have a symbolic significance. In the southern hemisphere where January is a vacation time churches often find other days to celebrate the week of prayer, for example around Pentecost (suggested by the Faith and Order movement in 1926), which is also a symbolic date for the unity of the church.

2013 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Brochure, p. 2

The theme for 2013: What does God require of us? The theme was developed in India and is based upon the text of Micah 6:6-8:

6 ‘With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?’
8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? —NRSV

Over the next 8 days (beginning tomorrow, Jan. 18, 2013) I’ll invite you to join me and join others worldwide as we pray that the Spirit bring us even closer together as we walk humbly with God.

Image: School of Theology & Ministry, Seattle University

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