Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!

New Minister

Can anyone tell us more about Gill ?

Church council

Interesting church council last night. I learnt one thing - diagrams are definitely helpful - Peter did a cross section of the roof showing different layers (the 'weetabix' layer and the wibbly layer etc) and Bob had a flow chart showing the different bits of morning worship. They both really helped me understand what was going on.

Theology of Worship

With all the talk about worship we've been doing recently, in homegroups and worship committee and other places too, I've been thinking, not only about the practical side of worship - the times, places and styles, but about why we worship and what we expect from our worship of God. With those thoughts in mind, I came across this in a blog article about the trinity:

If a relational understanding of the Trinity is the context of our coming to worship, there is no longer a need to please or impress God in order for him to bless us with his presence. We do not need to create, as it were, a good enough party to wake God up and make him think he might join us. It's quite the other way around. The Trinity are already having a party of their own. There they are, communicating, loving, worshipping, laughing, dancing, always and forever, without a break. Grace, love and adoration flows constantly between the Godhead. And, if you look again at Rublev's icon, you'll see that there is a fourth, empty place at the table - an implicit invitation. Come and join us?

The call to worship is therefore an invitation to join in with God's party. Worship is already underway - come and join in if you like. No need to DO anything - if you want to dance you can, but if you want to sit for a while and let it all wash over you and through you, you can do that too. Of course, at some point you will get drawn into the giving, communicating, adoring, loving activity - but there's no pressure, because God doesn't need your little mite of energy to drive the worship machine. But if you sit long enough in the presence of God, you'll stop being a wallflower and find that the dance is irresistible. This is a theology of worship that allows us to rest in God, that acknowledges that we are wanted, needed, invited in the right sense - but that the impetus, the initiative, is always God's.

I really recommend Maggi Dawn's blog. If you want an idea of just how good a blog can be, I think hers is the best.

Back to Church Sunday

The diocese of Manchester is trying to encourage people to go back to church on 26th september. It doesn't say so on the website (that I could find) but I heard they're offering goodie bags and chocolate bars to returnees!

What do you think? is it a good idea?

Priest Idol

Do you know anyone in the CofE clergy who want a job and more media exposure than is good for them?

It's going to be on channel 4 and they're calling it Priest Idol

(Link courtesy of the Wibsite)

Invitation to a blog

In the past day or so I've sent out a few invites to join this blog. This should really be an open invite to the church but the nature of how you include people means individual emails being sent out to people. Therefore, the people who have been invited so far are limited to those I think might be interested and whose email addresses I have.

If there's someone who should be invited then please let me know and I'll do my best to make sure everyone's included.

Lou