The Ministry of the Eighteenth Camel

•April 15, 2014 • 4 Comments

I was recently sent a copy of Emma Percy’s book, What Clergy Do.  I did not get along with her premise of “Motherhood as a metaphor for ministry”.  But, it made me think a lot.  If that is not a model of ministry I can get along with, then what is?

This is the only way I can articulate what I believe ordained ministry and leadership to be about – the  ministry of the Eighteenth Camel.

There is the ancient story of a man who left his 17 camels to his 3 sons.

 The instructions were to divide them according to age.  The eldest son was to have half of the camels, the middle son a third of them, and the youngest son a ninth.  This is an impossible sum.

Until another man came along.  He asked them what their trouble was, and they explained.  Wait there, he said, and soon returned with his own camel.  Now there were 18 camels and the maths worked out.

Half of 18 = 9. So he gave the eldest son 9 camels 1/3rd of 18 = 6. So he gave the middle son 6 camels 1/9th of 18 = 2. So he gave the youngest son 2 camels.

And the man’s camel was still left at the end.

He lent them his camel, which enabled them to do what they still needed to do, yet when that task was done, the loaned camel was free to go.  It was a part of the work, an important part, but not left tied up in it.  It didn’t become one of the son’s camels, but without it, the sum was impossible.

What seemed impossible was possible with the addition of one extra camel – and at the end that camel was still left over to be used by its own owner.

Ministers are there to be a part of, to facilitate, to help the work of the church.  But the work itself has to be that of the church, the community that will be there long after the minister has moved on.  No other way is sustainable.  They are valuable, but not indispensable; useful but not the person on which everything hangs; a part of but only for a time, the work of God goes on without and beyond them.

Well, it makes sense to me anyway!

Posted in calling, church, community, faith, Religion, theology
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Life Poured Out iii

•April 15, 2014 • Leave a Comment

Wheat grains By User:Thamizhpparithi Maari (Own work)

John 12:20-36 (CEV)

Some Greeks Want To Meet Jesus

20 Some Greeks had gone to Jerusalem to worship during Passover. 21 Philip from Bethsaida in Galilee was there too. So they went to him and said, “Sir, we would like to meet Jesus.”22 Philip told Andrew. Then the two of them went to Jesus and told him.

The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up

23 Jesus said:

The time has come for the Son of Man to be given his glory. 24 I tell you for certain that a grain of wheat that falls on the ground will never be more than one grain unless it dies. But if it dies, it will produce lots of wheat. 25 If you love your life, you will lose it. If you give it up in this world, you will be given eternal life. 26 If you serve me, you must go with me. My servants will be with me wherever I am. If you serve me, my Father will honor you.

27 Now I am deeply troubled, and I don’t know what to say. But I must not ask my Father to keep me from this time of suffering. In fact, I came into the world to suffer. 28 So Father, bring glory to yourself.

A voice from heaven then said, “I have already brought glory to myself, and I will do it again!” 29 When the crowd heard the voice, some of them thought it was thunder. Others thought an angel had spoken to Jesus.

30 Then Jesus told the crowd, “That voice spoke to help you, not me. 31 This world’s people are now being judged, and the ruler of this world[c] is already being thrown out! 32 If I am lifted up above the earth, I will make everyone want to come to me.” 33 Jesus was talking about the way he would be put to death.

34 The crowd said to Jesus, “The Scriptures teach that the Messiah will live forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”

35 Jesus answered, “The light will be with you for only a little longer. Walk in the light while you can. Then you won’t be caught walking blindly in the dark. 36 Have faith in the light while it is with you, and you will be children of the light.”

I want to meet Jesus.

But which Jesus is that?
The sweet,
apparently blissful
child in the manger?
The man who told good stories?
The one who was
the life and soul of parties?
He who made people’s lives better?

The one who challenged the status quo?
Who asked people to think again,
especially in terms
of what they thought religion is about?
Who challenges us about what love is
– really?

Or the one
who is going to give up
everything he has?
The one who will die
so that many can have life?
The one willing to suffer,
that no one else ever has to?
The one for whom
being lifted up,
is not about prestige
and super-stardom,
but offering
and sacrifice?
The one
whose life is poured out
to give me life
in all its fullness?

Is that the Jesus I want to meet?
To worship?
To follow?

Can I do it?

Will I
not just meet him,
but follow,
and live in his light
and life?

What a Name

 

Posted in bible, faith, follow, Jesus, Lectionary, lent, love, Religion, theology
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Book Cull :(

•April 14, 2014 • 1 Comment

I am getting rid of books.

Not lightly, and in most circumstances not because they are no good – though I confess some have never been opened.  I have to move on, Circuit Ministry is not happening for me at the moment.  We do not have the room and all these books have been unlooked at for nearly eight years, so I would rather someone else had them if they are any use.

They are just as they have come out of their storage box.  Some are yellowed, some do have my scribbling in.  They all have address labels stuck in the front page.  Just because I own them, doesn’t mean I agree with them – I cannot be held responsible for the views inside them!  Some are simply outdated, but may be interesting if you’re writing essays and trying to put a subject into context. If you would like one, please let me know.

If you want more details, I will do what I can.  I am not asking anything for them, but postage costs would be appreciated.  Drop off points may be possible.  Please also bear in mind that as someone with a chronic illness, I am slow – but doing my best 🙂 (and the same reason they’re not listed in alphabetical order!)

Oh and in case of more than one request, it will be first come – rubbish I know, but this has to be stress free – sorry!

So, here is a list, hopefully in some kind of order:

Devotional

Max Lucado                                                                 And the Angels Were Silent
Paul T Harris                                                               The Heart of Silence
Karen Moore                                                               Wellspring
Walter Wangering Jr                                               Reliving the Passion
Joyce Huggett                                                            Listening to Others
Margaret Cundiff                                                     Living by the Book
Bruce Larson                                                             What God Wants to Know
All Year Round 1998 (Meditations for the seasons, designed for worship – in a loose leaf folder)
Janet Morely                                                             Companions of God – Praying for peace in the Holy Land (1994)
Dawn to Dusk – The 1996 Methodist Companion
Margaret Pawley                                                    Praying for People
Frank Topping                                                        Lord of the Evening
Frank Topping                                                        Lord of Time
Frank Topping                                                        Lord of the Morning
Frank Colquhoun                                                 Prayers for Today
Eddie Askew                                                            Many Voices, One Voice
The SPCK Book of Christian Prayer
The Lion Christian Poetry Collection
The Lion Prayer Collection
Joyce Huggett                                                        Joy to the World
Agatha Christine Mallowan                            Star Over Bethlehem
David Winter                                                           Hope in the Wilderness
David Winter                                                           What’s in a Word?
Philip Newell                                                           Promptings From Paradise
Kevin Scully                                                              Sensing the Passion
Adrian Plass                                                             And Jesus Will be Born

Christian Life

Rita Bennett                      Making Peace with Your Inner Child
Eric Liddell                         The Disciplines of the Christian Life
John Allan                          Shopping for a God
Elizabeth Goldsmith     Going Places
Ruth Graham                   In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart
Nicky Gumbel                  Questions of Life
Michael Mitton               The Rainbow of Renewal
Philip Newell                    One Foot in Eden
John Ortberg                   Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them
Pete Ward                          Liquid Church
Hannah Hurnard           Hinds’ feet on High Places
Meg Scott                           The Tug of Two Loves
Bill Hybels                          Too Busy Not to Pray

Schools/Children – practical and theory

Flatpack – Ready-to-go assemblies for 11-14s
Janet King                           52 Easy to Use Assemblies for Middle and Secondary Schools
Sue Relf                                 100 Instant Children’s Talks
John M Hull                        Utopian Whispers – Moral, Religious and Spiritual Values in Schools Ishmael                                 Reclaiming a Generation
Michael Botting (ed)       Drama For All the Family
Michael Botting (ed)      For All the Family
John M Hull                         The Holy Trinity and Christian Education in a Pluralist World Patricia St John                 Would You Believe It?
Eleanor D Gatliffe             Death in the Classroom
William L Coleman          My Magnificent Machine
Lynda Neilands                 50 Stories for Special Occasions Chris Chesterton
77 Talks for 21st Century Kids Penguins Family Adventures (from the creators of Veggie Tales)
Margaret Cooling            Wisdom for Worship – 70 Reflective Assemblies for Primary Schools
Learning with the Sunday Gospels – Trinity Sunday to Christ the King
Steve Chalke                      The Parenttalk Guide to the Childhood Years

Bible
Josephine Laffin                     The Duffer’s Guide to the Old Testament
Bible Handbook and A-Z Bible |Encyclopedia
John Rogerson    Atlas of the Bible
David Kossoff                 Bible Stories
Christina Buchmann and Celina Spiegel (ed)     Out of the Garden
Mike Coles                            God’s Reality Show
Tom Houston                       Characters Around the Cross
H L Ellison                                The Message of the Old Testament
Gerd Theisson                     The Social Setting of Pauline Christianity
Graham N Stanton             The Gospels and Jesus
William Neil’s One Volume Bible Commentary
Wendy Virgo                          The Prophetess
F F Bruce                                  The Pauline Circle
John Ziesler                           Pauline Christianity
Richard Coggins                  Introducing the Old Testament
Adrian Plass                           Never Mind the Reversing Ducks

Family

Rob Parsons                         The Sixty Minute Father
Rob Parsons                         Loving Against the Odds
Rob Parsons                         The Sixty Minute Marriage
Something to Celebrate – Valuing Families in Church and Society
Margaret Withers             Where are the Children?

Health/Healing/Suffering

Geoff Walters                                    Why Do Christians Find it Hard to Grieve?
Althea Pearson                                Growing Through Loss and Grief
Parker, Fraser and Rivers         In Search of Wholeness
Philip Yancey                                   Where is God When it Hurts?
Donald Eadie                                   Grain in Winter

Ministry

5000 Quotations for Teachers and Preachers
W J Limmer SHeppard           Great Hymns and their Stories
Howard Belben (ed)                 Ministry in the Local Church
Robert L Randall                         What People Expect from Church
Eddie Gibbs and Ian Coffey   Church Next
The Lion Christian Quotation Collection

General

Gordon Thomas             Magdalene
Colin Blakely                     It’s The Gospel Truth
Riah Abu El-Assal           Caught In Between
John Wesley: Contemporary Perspectives (1988)
David Lyon                         Postmodernity
Jane Craske & Clive Marsh (ed)   Methodism and the Future
Eddie Stobart                     Only the Best Will Do
Helena Wilkinson             Puppet on a String
Malcolm Folley                   A Time to Jump – Jonathan Edwards
Adrian Plass                        Ghosts

Posted in bible, church, community, faith, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Religion, theology
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