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vitality on the horizon (part 1):
message & welcome
Consider that we live in at least three worlds.
Pre-modern world
Non-modern world
Modern world
Emerging worldNow
The Table
The Sword
The Book
The Gun
The Screen
The Bomb
Old
Paradigm/
Model
Early
Transition
Late
Transition ?New
Paradigm/
Model
Old
Paradigm/
Model
Early
Transition
Late
Transition
New Paradigm/
Model
As Episcopalians, you have unique
disadvantages and
advantages
in this moment
Advantages
1. A Via Media Mindset:
Many Anglicans never fully surrendered to modern rationalism: openness to mysticism, experience
2. A Celtic Mindset:
Vestiges of non-Roman Christianity
3. A Diverse Mindset:
Space to differ
4. A Liturgical Mindset:
Space to experience God, bonding to meaning, beauty of worship, participatory
Disadvantages
1. An Upper-Class Mindset:
Elitist, “civilized,” uniform, one-size fits all, propriety
2. An Institutional Mindset:
Centralized, controlled, change-resistant, risk averse, bureaucratic - averse to charismatic leadership
3. A Christendom Mindset:
Parish/geography, people ought to come to us
4. A Bi-polar Mindset:
Cold-war: Liberal-conservative
Disadvantages
1. An Upper-Class Mindset:
2. An Institutional Mindset:
3. A Christendom Mindset:
4. A Bi-polar Mindset:
Advantages
1. A Via Media Mindset:
2. A Celtic Mindset:
3. A Diverse Mindset:
4. A Liturgical Mindset:
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.
Starting Point:
Music?
Structure?
Space?
Liturgy?
Politics?
New Coat of Paint?
Parking?
message?
Needed:
A radically new/old understanding of the gospel
… our core message as Christians.
Our contemporary understanding of Christianity is …
MEMBERSHIP IN A TROUBLED, CONFLICTED,
CHANGE-AVERSE, AND EXPENSIVE INSTITUTION
with a large taboo against holding certain political and social convictions.
with a bias toward being good citizens
with a concern for religious education
with a seldom-spoken of dream of joining God in the healing of the world.
Or …
INFORMATION ON HOW TO GO TO HEAVEN
AFTER YOU DIEwith a large footnote about increasing your personal
happiness and success through God.
with a small footnote about character development
with a smaller footnote about spiritual experience
with a smaller footnote about social/global transformation.
self
church
worldSelf-enhancement in this life and the next
heaven
self
church
world
heaven
world
self
church
God’s love, joy, peace, justice
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news
of God.
The time has come, he said. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent
and believe the good news!Mark 1:15
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
It does NOT teach us to pray …
May we come to your kingdom when we die.
May we all go to heaven where, unlike earth, your will is done.
Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom* calls us to make (or form) disciples who become agents of change (or mission) in our world …
It is not simply a call to preserve institutions, create “Christians” or
“Episcopalians” or whatever.
What would you be willing to give, risk, sacrifice, and try
in order to build a community dedicated to this vision of
forming disciples as agents of the kingdom (or dream, or dance, or
regenerative economy …) of God?
Our world faces either a great turning, or a catastrophic collapse
and recovery ...
In light of our three primary global crises -
Planet
Poverty
Peace -
Either way, our world would be better off if it was filled with more people who are
learning to live and share the good news of Jesus Christ.
23
A joyful rediscovery of our beautiful message is on the horizon ...
24
How clear are Episcopalians on our message? How are we doing at
communicating to the world at large that this is what we stand for?
Message.
Welcome.
We have a choice:
1. A single, more welcoming public space
2. Multiple more welcoming public, social, personal, and intimate spaces
public
social
personal
intimate
public - some churches, public institutions, outdoors, media, virtual spaces
social - most churches, front porches, coffee shops, restaurants, groups,
clubs, etc.
personal - homes, living rooms, tables
intimate - private rooms, offices, tables, cars, etc.
public
social
personal
intimate
(Joe Myers: The Search to Belong)
16:11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.
16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved."
18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.
19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice."
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.
May 2010
Baltimore, MD
4.5 on richter scale
(viewer discretion advsied)
At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.
35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: "Release those men." 36 The jailer told Paul, "The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace."
37 But Paul said to the officers: "They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out."
38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. 39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the believers and encouraged them. Then they left.
The spaces of Acts 16
City - public
Riverside (place of prayer) - social
Lydia’s home - personal
Street - public
City Center - public
Jail - social
Outside jail - intimate
Jailer’s home - personal
public
social
personal
intimate
What makes public spaces more welcoming?
What makes social spaces more welcoming?
What makes personal spaces more welcoming?
What makes intimate spaces more welcoming?
51
vitality on the horizon (part 1):
message & welcome
52
vitality on the horizon (part 2):
liturgy & mission
Episcopalians:congratulations!
Letting Go Letting Come
Letting Be
Death(Friday)
Resurrection(Sunday)
Burial(Saturday)
57
59
60
62
63
Starting Point:
Music?
Structure?
Space?
Liturgy?
Politics?
New Coat of Paint?
Parking?
message
welcome
liturgy
Liturgy: A planned succession of group practices and rituals.
“The workout of the people”
Public Worship:
a fitness center for the soul
Trainers/Mentors
Soul Friends Soul Friends
You
Soul Friends Soul Friends
Mentorees/Apprentices
70
What could be done to make Episcopal liturgy more accessible
and meaningful for present and potential Episcopalians?
Getting healthy
in shape
strong
... for what?
Mission: God’s will/justice/peace being done on earth as in
heaven.
Starting Point:
Music?
Structure?
Space?
Liturgy?
Politics?
New Coat of Paint?
Parking?
message
welcome
liturgy
mission
Desired Outcome: Christ-like disciples who continue the movement
of Christ today, challenging all
institutions to new gains, for the common
good of all communities.
The problem of organized religion ...
The problem of organized religion ...
badly organized?
disorganized?
organized for the wrong purposes?
The promise of organized religion ...
organizing for
the right purposes!
The promise of organized religion ...
organizing for
the right purposes!
In Maryland and beyond...
think of this as a promotion
beginning with the neighborhood
to lay people
to local clergy
to national leadership
to global leadership
If you wanted to create a global movement
to organize people to save the world
what better place to start than
the church organized for mission
trained through liturgy
welcoming new participants
with the good news of God’s love?
89
vitality on the horizon
message, welcome,
liturgy & mission
There are many reasons to compare our churches to an old male tortoise …
There are many reasons to compare our churches to an old male tortoise …
Slow-moving … isolated …
Ancient-looking
withdrawn in its shell … won’t stick its neck out
There are many reasons to compare the crises in our world to a tsunami …
There are many reasons to compare the emerging global culture to an orphaned hippo
…
Orphaned by religion …
science … government …
the economy … technology … consumerism… “progress”…
-formation?
What could happen in our world if we turned back
outward toward our neighbors - with good news, welcome,
liturgy, and mission?
104
Do not merely try to bring others to where you are, as beautiful as that place might be.
But do not leave others where they are either.
Instead, go with them to a place neither you nor they have never been before.
Fr. Vincent Donovan (adapted)
