Feeling a little less sore today but quite groggy from the pain killers and a little shaky (to say the least) as the "heavy stuffy" really does wear off!
I was talking about how Jesus might react to drug addictions (through prescribed or not) - or any other addiction for that matter - and how the sermon on the mount takes on a whole new meaning. Perhaps somewhat differently to how we might react, there is a certain inevitable reaction in many congregations of having sympathy and even giving money to worth-while causes relating thereto but at the same time a "not in my back yard" approach.
Just read a review of Mike Yacconeli's Messy Spirituality, better still, read the book for yourself.
Just doing this series of posts feels like a big risk, I am will be in a curacy by this time next year, how will people view this post?, will it put them off?, and instantly I am sucked in to the world of perfection and celebrity status, a world that John Thompson captures as that distorted by celebrity status and explains "in the mundane contexts of much discipleship celebrity models can appear superficially attractive but in fact simply indicate the relative poverty of their admirers." (See here for book details, page 17.)
It can feel very much like a cliche but it really is in our weakness that God's strength comes through. How we address and deal with issues as real ordinary people in the language of Christian believing.
One of the biggest compliments I have ever received (and I didn't have much of a clue on receipt) was when my pastoral selector (at my selection conference for ordination training) described me as a "wounded healer" in the vain of Henri Nouwen. As I said, at the time this was wasted on me, as I didn't really know much about Henri Nouwen and his work, however, over the past few years that has changed and I now understand more.
In short the trials and tribulations of life are what break us, shape us and make us, where we can be the best salt and light, and God can be closest with us. An absolute paradox I know, but then we are dealing with the God who transcends all understanding!
Ours is a Gospel for the marginalised, those On the Edge, and we are all marginalised, on the edge, isolated in some way or another, but we need to be church in a way that allows a safe place for those issues to come to the fore.
There is a tremendous amount of talk and writing about narrative and story, shared journeys, shared exploration of the bible narrative, of lived experience and of practical theology. For good reason! This way forward will allow shared understanding and pastoral care that flows naturally and effortlessly as well as a deeper spiritual walk in faith with Christ.
Feel I have started to preach...
Just to close, I will share a bit more later, for those who have read this and think may be I am "preaching from an ivory tower", that can be a difficult state to achieve as I take my young children to the park and have to check it out for syringes first or share with old friends who are frightened silly that they have "fried their brains" with drugs in their clubbing days or when I look in the mirror and see dilated pupils in blood shot eyes, framed in black!
A book well worth reading is Stuart: A Life Backwards by Alexander Masters - thanks for that one M.- and thanks to Alexander Masters for daring to do it.
We are called to the dark and foul tasting places to bring salt and light, colour and flavor.
Thanks Steve...and thanks to Lynne!
Comments