Just because you’re ‘hip’ doesn’t mean you can dish the parish

There has been a recent explosion in ‘church planting‘ that has been pretty obvious in Sydney.  Now, I know on one level, ‘church planting’ has been pushed for the last 10 years, but I think we all know the recent hype and I for one am excited by that.

However, ‘cursed’ is the man who turns his back on the old school idea of a parish for greener pastures. Sure the Anglican parish has its roots in old English traditions and that may seem dated, but it is built on great principles and gives us more than we realise here in Sydney.

3 reasons to value the parish system

1. Its responsibility to the community. Whether you know it or not, the idea of a ‘parish’ is that the church is held responsible for the area in which it is located. That means, it is responsible for the gospel proclamation, the care for the poor and the general love of everyone in that area (usually a suburb or two). In recent times there has been this rediscovery that we should really be ‘engaging’ with our communities. We’ve had people from England and people from America come and bring us this revelation. Truth is, we’re already 10 steps ahead because we have churches all around this city with the responsibility for the local community around them. The parish system demands a church engages with its community.

2. Resources. Each parish has a building and in most cases a place for the minister to live. This is such a blessing! Sure, some of our buildings were constructed in the 1970’s and look somewhat offensive to modern eyes – but we’re well beyond the seeker sensitive model of church that needs neon lights and flashy paint to communicate the gospel. If Mars Hill had the number of buildings we own they would be over the moon! Our parish system has been established and resourced and we should take advantage of that.

3. Completely inclusive. That is, because a church is responsible for an area anyone in that area is welcome. It’s not an independent church set up for Chinese, nor for the ‘late 20’s’, nor for Anglo’s. A parish church has open doors to anyone in that area regardless of age, sex or nationality. Our parish system is beautifully inclusive.

A way forward:

We need to embrace people wanting to plant churches. BUT we must also reclaim the true power of the parish and start taking more responsibility for the area’s we have been given. Much of the recent hype could be achieved through local churches going back to basics. Ofcourse, at its very heart the connect09 campaign is simply a way to remind churches that they have a parish to look after. 

Just because your hip, doesn’t mean you can dish the parish.

Oh, and of course that raises another question – why are you young hipsters who are so concerned with ‘community’ not turing up to your local church?

Infant Baptism

I’m thinking through infant baptism – especially in relation to article 27 of the 39 articles of Anglican faith. 

This arvo I have to write a 1000 word paper on it and some supporting views of old school preacher J.C Ryle.

For the most part, we claim baptism is an ‘outward sign of an inward reality’. I know that could be a simplified description of what’s going on (wherein probably lies the answer to my confusion), but if it is the case, how can we celebrate the regeneration/new birth of a 6 month old? 

Some say it’s more for the parents than the child, but then that doesn’t seem to hold for me, because it’s the child who is being baptised. Is it meer wishful thinking?

thoughts?

The Wrestler

Every now and then you get tricked by a movie.

You see its trailer, you view a few key scenes and your mind fills in the gaps so that you’ve pretty much worked the whole thing out before you buy your ticket and slide into your seat.

Last week, to be honest with you, I was a little down in the dumps – for all sorts of reasons. I had wanted to see this flick for a long time and figured in my current state a tale of redemption was exactly what I needed. So Rowan and I wandered down to the Dendy on King, picked up our tickets, purchased our beers (which you can take into the cinema) and sat down for a tale of hope. 

2 hours later we emerged with very little to say, to depressed to fake any small talk and definitely in a worse place emotionally then when we went in. What can I say? This movie is the physical embodiment of the CS Lewis quote I posted some weeks back. Go here to read it. 

And to actually see that reality, to sit and watch a life disconnected was so tragic. Humans outside of relationship aren’t really….human. I mean, I know that’s philosophical mumbo jumbo, but go watch this film and you’ll see why it’s true. You’ll see why it’s true that a ‘helper’ was a genuine blessing to Adam. You’ll see why it’s true that God calls a people and not just a few scattered individuals. You’ll see why it’s true that selfishness can only ever lead to tragic isolation and you’ll see why it’s true that real love and satisfying love is the giving up of self for the other. 

The giving up of self for the other, that sounds so restrictive and enslaving – but in a bizarre twist, it is in fact liberating and redeeming. Jesus’ challenge that ‘whoever wants to save his life must lose it, and whoever loses his life for me will save it’ is an invitation into true humanity. A true humanity that mirrors the trinitarian God who created it. A true humanity found ‘in loving relationship’ not out of it. I wanted to jump up during the movie, dive through the screen and plead with ‘the Ram’ (main character) to hear these words and act……

In John 11, I think one of the reasons Jesus wept outside the tomb of lazarus was because he saw face to face the end result of sin in our world and the destruction it has caused. I’d say in a similar way I came face to face with the end result of sin in a relational sense through this movie and if I was a more Jesus kinda guy I would have wept too. 

Dear Diary

(i stumbled across some class reflections from late last year, the cougar is a lecturer)

Today I was in class all day next to Matt and Petey. It was all kinda cool and the cougar commanded respect like only a wild animal can.

I like wild animals.

The greek text is really fun. In fact, one day I hope to be some smart person who rewrites the bible in a new and better translation.

I wish I was invisible.

….and had super strength.

Anyways, we were told that understanding text criticism is kinda like being a pirate…or reading a pirate map…..or something? I like pirates, especially Johnny Depp. I would have totally got into the text more if they had handed out eye patches.

But they didn’t.

Its funny how 15min can often seem like a million years. Or, potentially longer than a million years, more like eternal damnation.

If I could live for a million years, I’d totally take up surfing as a more regular past time.

But as far as eternal damnation goes, I think that sucks.