Nigel Wright

thinking about the good samaritan for 21st century teenagers..

thinking about the good samaritan for 21st century teenagers at reality tonight and what I am going to say to them...

"A lawyer stood up. He wanted to test Jesus.

He said to Jesus, “Teacher, what are the things that I must do so that I can have eternal life.”

Jesus asked him, “What are the greatest commandments in Moses’ Law?”

The lawyer answered, “Love your God with all your heart and soul and love your neighbor as you love yourselves.”

Jesus said, “You are correct. Do these and you shall inherit eternal life.”

The lawyer then asked Jesus, “Who are my neighbors?”

Jesus then told him a parable, “Once, there was a Hebrew man from Jericho that travel down to Jerusalem.

On the way, the robbers attack the Hebrew man. They beat him and took away all his clothing leaving him naked in the street. He was very badly wounded.

A priest came down the street, and saw the badly wounded man too but he doesn’t care about him and took the other side of the street and continue his journey.

Then, a Levite happened to pass by the street. He saw the injured Hebrew man lying on the ground. He went to take a look but he did not want to help him. The Levite ignored him and went on his way.

Finally a Samaritan happened to pass by the street. The Samaritan saw the injured man lying there on the ground and he decided to help him. He poured oil on his wounds. Then he put the man on his donkey and takes him to an inn.

He said to the inn keeper,’ Here are two denarii. Please help me to care for this man. If you spend more than that, I will pay you back when I come back.’

So, which of these three men do you think is the neighbor of the man?”

The lawyer replied, “The Samaritan.”

And Jesus said, “Now, go and do the same thing.”"

Simple!

One tribe - liking - a lot (Black Eyed Peas)

One Tribe Lyrics

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Woah-oh-oh-oh-ooooh!
Oh-woah-oh!

One Tri...
One Tri...
One Tribe, one time, one planet, one race
Its all one blood, don't care about your face
The color of your eye or the tone of your skin
Don't care where ya are
Don't care where ya been
Cause where we gonna go
Is where we wanna be
The place where the little language is unity
And the continent is called Pangaea
And the main ideas are connected like a spear
No propaganda, They tried to upper hand us
Cause man I'm loving this peace
Man, man, I'm loving this peace
Man, man, I'm loving this peace
I don't need no leader
That's gonna force feed a
Concept that make me think I need to
Fear my brother and fear my sister
And shoot my neighbor or my big missile
If I had an enemy to [enemy]
If I had an enemy to [enemy]
If I had an enemy, then my enemy is gonna try to come and kill me
Cause I'm his enemy
There's one tribe ya'll

One tribe ya'll
One tribe ya'll
One tribe ya'll
We are one people
Let's cast amnesia, forget about all that evil
Forget about all that evil, that evil that they feed ya
Let's cast amnesia, forget about all that evil
That evil that they feed ya
Remember that we're one people
We are one people
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]

One tribe, one tribe
One tribe, one time, one planet, one [race]
Race, one love, one people, one [and]
Too many things that's causing one [to]
To forget about the main cause
Connecting, uniting
But the evil is seen and alive in us
So our hopes are colliding
And our peace is sinking like Poseidon
But, we know that the one [one]
The evil one is threatened by the sum [sum]
So he'll come and try and separate the sum
But he dumb, he didn't know we had a way to overcome
Rejuvenated by the beating of the drum
Come together by the cycle of the hum
Freedom when all become one [one]
Forever

One tribe ya'll
One tribe ya'll
One tribe ya'll
We are one people
Let's cast amnesia
Forget about all that evil [evil]
Forget about all that evil [evil]
That evil that they feed ya
Let's cast amnesia
Forget about all that evil [evil]
That evil, that they feed ya [feed ya]
Remember that we're one people
We are one people
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]

One love, one blood, one people
One heart, one beat, we equal
Connected like the internet
United that's how we do
Lets break walls, so we see through
Let love and peace lead you
We could overcome the complication cause we need to
Help each other, make these changes
Brother, sister, rearrange this
The way I'm thinking that we can change this bad condition
Wait, use you mind and not your greed
Let's connect and then proceed
This is something I believe
We are one, we're all just people

One tribe ya'll
One tribe ya'll
One tribe ya'll
We are one people
Let's cast amnesia
Forget about all that evil
Forget about all that evil, that evil that they feed ya
Let's cast amnesia
Let's cast amnesia, forget about all that evil
That evil, that they feed ya
We're one tribe ya'll
We people, we people
One tribe ya'll
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]

Lets, lets cast amnesia
Lord help me out
Trying to figure out what its all about [what its all about]
Cause we're one in the same [one in the same]
Same joy, same pain
And I hope that you're there when I need ya
Cause maybe we need amnesia
And I don't wanna sound like a preacher
But we need to be one

One world, one love, one passion
One tribe, one understanding
Cause you and me can become one.

Simple really...

A common question is what should the church be doing, the following for me, is a good reminder, a KIS (keep it simple) moment:

 The Mission of the Church

"There are more people on this planet outside the Church than inside it. Millions have been baptised, millions have not. Millions participate in the celebration of the Lord's Supper, but millions do not.

The Church as the body of Christ, as Christ living in the world, has a larger task than to support, nurture, and guide its own members. It is also called to be a witness for the love of God made visible in Jesus. Before his death Jesus prayed for his followers, "As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world" (John 17:18). Part of the essence of being the Church is being a living witness for Christ in the world."                                          Henri Nouwen

 

Your will be done

Your Kingdom come and Your will be done:

 in my office as it is in heaven,

in my classroom as it is in heaven,

in my surgery as it is in heaven,

in my home as it is in heaven

in my factory as it is in heaven

in my church as it is in heaven

in my gym as it is in heaven

..... as it is in heaven.

 Many of us say the Lords prayer at least once a day, and often more, but what does that first request mean to us - the above was sparked off  by some words at Spring Harvest and really is quite powerful - try it!

After all, it is the prayer given to us by the one who announced the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth...

Spring Harvest

Spring Harvest moved into a different league this year tackling the big hitting issues that arise from looking at virtue ethics - our tacit or habitual practices that come from our core beliefs and faith - to hear discussion and open conversation on money, sexuality, power, abortion & euthanasia was much welcomed and also very challenging at times.

Great biblical exploration through the book of Esther and an array of amazing music, drama and artistic engagement.

The chance to spend a serious amount of time exploring faith and work through the eyes and experience of Mark Greene (LICC) was a very welcome surprise and a pertinent reminder not to dilute my underlying passions but to push on... the church really does need to get focused on equipping all for all of life.

A powerful phrase I heard was that "the church is well practised in warehousing people for heaven" rather than inspiring and empowering for passionate and inspired living. 

Thomas Aquinas & the emerging church

Today marks the Church of England remembering Thomas Aquinas and their are a few ironies here. Thomas Aquinas was less the popular in the reformation and his writings less than welcome.

Thank goodness we have come a long way since then. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot about his writing/theology and his approach that just doesn't work for me and I am not a huge fan of systematic theology (despite my accountancy/mathematics background). That said, there is also a lot to learn from the man too and his willingness to engage with philosophy and theology together is worth attention.

Here are a some words used to describe Aquinas that will ring true with many an "emerging church" theologian:

" He exhibits a calm determination to do justice to every facet of what he observes; it enables him to engage with the thoughts of various traditions in his own time, and makes him alive and readable today in our pluralist society." Timothy McDermott - Thomas Aquinas, Selected Philosophical Writings. 

And a little something to ponder on:

"God then causes everything's activity in as much as he gives the power to act, maintains it in existence, applies it to its activity, and inasmuch as it is by his power that every other power acts. And when we add to this that God is his own power and therefore exists within everything, not as part of its being but as holding it in existence, it follows that he is at work without intermediary in everything that is active, but without excluding the activity of nature or of free will." Thomas Aquinas , Is God at work in nature and in will? 

inspired, challenged, provoked, comforted and invited

Hooking up my blog posts to Facebook has caused a few interesting reactions not least the "do you really buy into all that stuff about God?".

Here's a great summary of what I "buy into":

"Jesus lived with the awareness that God is doing something, right here, right now and anybody can be part of it. He encouraged his listeners to search, to question, to wrestle with the implications of what he was saying and doing . He inspired, challenged, provoked, comforted, and invited people to be open to God's work in the world. Wherever he went, whatever he did, Jesus started discussions about what matters most, because for Jesus, God is always inviting us to open our eyes and join in."

Nooma Whirlwind, 024, Rob Bell

TheNooma series of shorts films is well worth exploring, whatever your background or views, try this trailer.

Do you join in with life or hide away?

In the shipping lane

Going out from Takapuna beach towards Rangitoto Island on a jet ski has one minor problem of needing to cross the shipping lane for the huge cargo freight liners. As we crossed there was a huge liner in the distance coming towards us but a long way off and as we safely arrived on the other side of the shipping lane the immense size of the liner became clear as it drew closer and eventually passed us. It was somewhat intimidating bobbing about on this glorified (all be it extremely powerful) floating motorbike as a huge cathedral of a ship powered on past.

All sorts of similes and metaphors spring to mind and it was not dissimilar to the following picture of J on the West Coast as he looked out at some extremely powerful surf :

He enjoyed racing with the waves but we had to keep him away from the surfers cove around the corner as this was far too fast and furious.

The adrenalin and excitement keeping him going - the risks weren't lost on him ("I didn't get swept away" was his comment on the way home) or mum and dad!

In the thoughts about who will you serve in 2010 it makes me wonder how far with the shipping lane I am prepared to travel and how much am I willing to run with the adrenalin and excitement... 
 
 

So near but so far

The Wright family are enjoying seeing in the New Year with family in Auckland, New Zealand. The weather is a stark contrast to the last post below - both are equally beautiful but it is an amazing privilege to be able to change from winter to summer in just over a day.

Yet New Zealand is far bigger than people imagine and a dear friend in Christ Church is on the move from Christ Church to Adelaide and we can't orchestrate to get to see them before they go. In addition I have just found out an old school friend is in Christ Church (I thought they were in Auckland) so I can't hook up there either!

It does get me thinking about how much of life is outside our control - but how much is predestined? So to my friends I can't get to see, all the very best and to all those we are currently getting to see, thank you so much for your wonderful Kiwi warmth and generosity.

 

a serious facelift

I need to give me blog a serious face-lift - came across this www.ambientwonder.org and remembered that I only turned my blog to plain when I realised that the people in NZ didn't really do broadband - that was in 2006!

Looks worth checking out too if ever you are in Norwich....

It looks not dissimilar to our Friday Service, "church-in-a-pub" - reassuring to know it works for others too!