iTalker » Lent Videos

Remember as well as crying Jesus laughed!

italker — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 23:36:04 +0000

We had an excellent service this evening at church. the theme of the service was centred around the women who followed Jesus. We found ourselves thinking about the kind of man Jesus would have been. Russell McLarty got us all thinking about the “Laughing Jesus” He suggested that too often we have allowed images that depict a solemn and somber Jesus to influence the way we think about Jesus and also about our Christianity.

I was reminded of a quote I once read written by Lord Hailsham who was the Lord Chancellor in the 1980s. He wrote:

“The first thing we [should] learn about [Jesus] is that we should have been absolutely entranced by His company. Jesus was irresistibly attractive as a man… What they crucified was a young man, vital, full of life and the joy of it, the Lord of life itself, and even more the Lord of laughter. Someone so utterly attractive that people followed Him for the sheer fun of it…

Well for a few moments Russell introduced us to the laughing Jesus. At the beginning everyone was a bit self conscious, as he invited us all to do a bit of on the spot laughing, but you know what by the end of the service we were all laughing. We were being reminded that Jesus would have been an engaging lively person to be around. He was not afraid to have women around him and to include women among his friends. No doubt it was that lively outgoing personality that allowed mothers to bring their children to him for a blessing. I can see Jesus lifting children in the air and I can hear peels of laughter.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Too often we allow ourselves as Christians to be the butt of jokes. People often only see the Mr Bean type of Christian. Often they miss the point. Here’s a humorous clip we put together a few years ago. iI used it to try and help people see that what looks like blind faith can be very deceptive. What you think you see,isn’t always what your seeing. When it comes to Jesus I think we all need to look a lot closer and begin to debunk the stereotypes.

Sharing Communion on the street on Good Friday?

italker — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 01:24:24 +0000

Today I started to put together a number of articles for the Parish Network. Its the new name we’re giving to our church broadsheet that we distribute around the parish. It go me thinking about some of the things we might plan for Holy Week. Before long I was reflecting on the amazing experience I had a few years ago when I took the bread and the wine out into the streets on Good Friday. It was a a profound experience. Taking Christ to the busy street on Good Friday. Literally standing with Christ and watching people pass by. It brought to my mind the verse in Lamentations 1.12 “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around and see. Is any suffering like my suffering that was inflicted on me, that the LORD brought on me in the day of his fierce anger?” Take a moment and click on the video to the right of the website. Its entitled “God so loved the World” you will see for yourself the responses of people as they walk past.

On another occasion on Good Friday i took to the streets and offered the public the opportunity to take the bread and the wine. I was taking the idea a step further, what does it mean to be a church without walls. A church that offers men and women on the street the healing symbols of forgiveness.

The question hanging over my actions was is this cheap grace? Am I by my actions demeaning the body and blood of Christ or could I by this very action be highlighting the communion service as a service of conversion and redemption? Am I encouraging in the words of Paul, men and women to be eating and drinking the bread and wine unworthily? The truth is I can’t look into the heart of a man or a woman even if they take communion in church. How do I know the state of a soul before Almighty God?

One thing I do remember a good number of people came forward and accepted the bread and wine. I have no doubt in my mind thatthey were were sincere and reverent as they approached to take the cup. Each in turn spoke of their faith in Christ. Many had tears running down their checks. This was not cheap grace. I wonder if non believers screen themselves. Perhaps many have more respect for the bread and wine than some might think.

In my experience, being involved in this action was everything that I believed about Jesus. God had come into our neighbourhood and the cross with all its power was once again being released on to the streets. The words of Jesus came to mind ” If I am lifted up I will draw all people unto me.” In a world where the visual language speaks louder than words Christ on the street in bread and wine spoke with great authority.

I don’t know what it is but there is something incarnational about sharing Communion on the street. It brings tears to my eyes. Perhaps we have locked up the most powerful symbols of the gospel for too long in our churches. Perhaps on the right occasions during the Christian festivals there is a place for the sacraments to be not only displayed but shared as a witness to the power of God come among us in Christ.

I’m looking to see what response will come from this post. I wonder if other ministers around the world might be willing to take Christ into the streets this year on Good Friday. If you are interested or want to discuss its merits feel free to add to the post. I’d love to see the story of Good Friday enacted on the streets of the world this year and what better way than communion. If your going to do it drop me an email or comment at the end of this post.

Understanding Church Has to be Relevant to be Sticky

italker — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 01:08:28 +0000

Relevance is surely another word that makes the church sticky. For too long the impression that many people get is that the church is no longer relevant to their everyday lives. For a start most of our buildings are only open during limited periods in the week. The thing is that many of them are situated in really prominent positions. People walk past them every day. However the building and its facade is often screaming. Keep out! I sometimes wonder if those of us who attend church regularly ever think how difficult we make it for people to attend church. Take for instance the times. We say we would like young people in their teens and twenties to attend, however we have times of worship that often make it difficult to attend. 10.30 am or 11.00am on a Sunday may not be the best time to engage young people. Then there is the content of what we do. Too often that in itself is far from relevant to their lives? I don’t have the answers but I know the present way we do church needs to be revised.

Could it be that we don’t challenge people the way that Jesus did. Are we preaching a Christianity that speaks of convenience rather than sacrifice. A Christianity that asks very little of those who attend. A faith that is consumer led. this week as many of you will know is the beginning of Lent. Jesus called his followers to the place of self denial and struggle. Too often we make excuses for those and for ourselves when it comes to living out faith. We try to make it easy for people to believe. the thing is the easier we make it the more w weaken the power of the gospel in the life of the believer. have a look at this little video clip. Someone sent me a series of these pictures over the internet a few years ago. I worked with Rae at Sanctus Media and this is what we produced from the series of pictures.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In saying all I’ve said, this week has been such an encouragement for me to see how a Parish Church like St Andrew’s can be relevant to so many age groups, simply because we have an open door policy. Every week hundreds of people come through the door. Many more touch base with us during week than those who come around on a Sunday. Wednesday night was quite a special night. the India team were reporting back about their visit. the tables in the hall were filled with a group of very different people from children to teenagers to young adults to older adults. All were being inspired by the stories of India. The young woman’s group some of them in their late teens or early twenties had been down from the late afternoon preparing food for all who would come later. This was what church is all about. fellowship friendship, food and faith- sharing. The relevance was that it was obvious to see that their was something sticky about the church. It might have been the food, it could have been the sincerity of the teenagers as they told their story. One thing for certain was that when i got up to speak about St Andrew’s being a touching place, a kind of colony of heaven, in the middle of a busy week, i could see all kinds of people nodding. The sticky factor is that the church has become a space that is owned a home from home. An open door where all can come and find acceptance and through the acceptance a relevance for their everyday life.

The Naked Truth

italker — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:33:05 +0000

Just read about a twenty five year old naked man in Los Angelos trying to commit suicide from an old rusty cross on top of a church building. He was eventually brought down and led away. The story of Christ’s humiliation always challenges me to reflect on the areas of my life where I need to strip back. Here is a meditation I lead the other night at St Mary’s.

I find it hard to understand.
Why would God
The Father
God the Son
And God the Spirit
Three all one,
Agree as one
Feel as one
Live as one
Allow as one
The Son
to be stripped
Laid bare
Before
Such
Hate

Then
I think again
He stands stripped
Always stripped
Nothing to hide
The naked Truth
Alone
Pure
Undisputed
Integrity
The same on the inside
The same on the outside
Stripped
He is transparent
His clothes hide no shame
No mark
No blemish
Adam stands again
Innocent
God the Son

It is we who hide
Behind clothes
Labels
Brands
Crouched
Behind
Closed door
Closed hearts
Closed minds
Living out our secret thoughts and sins
Covering up
Covering over
Pretending
Preserving
Our own
Kingdom

Yet
You
Became
Sin
For me
For us
Stripped again
Of righteousness
Wearing our shame
Wearing our guilt
Wearing our shabby sin

So why would
God
Endure
The shame
Be stripped and stripped again
The question
Is asked
In heaven’s name

And from the throne a voice replies
God loves sinners
God loves sinners
God Loves sinners

Here in my nakedness
Stripped of self
My righteous rags
Fall to the ground
Clothe me Lord
From head to foot
Let your grace flow over me
By Grace I have been clothed
By faith alone

This Is Holy Week 2010!

italker — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 23:47:18 +0000

Holy Week 2010 starts today. I’ve had quite a busy time over the past week pulling ideas together for the Easter Services. This year we’ve extended our idea of using creative stones to share a message to a wider group of people.

Check out my video podcast on the church website. I think it would be pretty cool to find painted stones all about our town with inspirational verses relating to hope and expectation painted on them.

Last Saturday was a really busy day with activities ranging from a Prayer Breakfast to an amazing Gospel Music Concert in the evening. Jimmy and Ian from Vangel were sharing some of their new material. It sounded really good. The Hollerans were also performing. They’re a Gospel singing trio. It took me back years as i found myself listening to tunes i have forgotten all about. It was a great night. I had my iPhone out doing a bit of recording. Well I thought I had but when I started sorting through it tonight I find there’s nothing saved.

Continuing on the” busy week theme” I’m looking forwatd to finishing an interesting mediatation that Rae Manger and myself are preparing for the next Sanctuary First Service this coming Saturday in Bo’ness at 7.00pm. Its a reflection from the cross using the seven phrases spoken by Jesus as recorded across the four Gospels. I think its going to be a really interesting Easter Weekend. After the Good Friday Services, which will include a service for the children centred around a creative story telling session ending up with juice and hot cross buns which non of the kids will like but their parents will eat. It will be over until the evening. We’re going to have a showing of Norman Stone’s film ” Man Dancin’ directly after the joint Churches Together Service at around 8.00pm I’m hoping that some of the older teenagers who normally attend the youth club wll drop in for the film. We hope to have a discussion about it later.

I’m looking for people to turn up on Saturday afternoon and help us put together the meditation areas for the service. I’m hoping we might have time to put up the Easter Labrynth before Friday . The only thing is that it takes up a great deal of time. it is spectactuar but often we only get a handful of people moving through it.

I’ve more to write about Holy Week so I’ll leave some material for use over the next few days. The picture you see on the left was a reworking of a photograph we found on the internet. It hung in the church a couple of yesrs ago during the Lent period. We were reflecting on the compassion we are called to show towards each other.

Bogle Band – Friday Night Sunday’s Comin’

italker — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:58:19 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

A few years ago I co-wrote this song with Iain Jamieson it was a reflection on a story I had heard about street children in Peru being sold for sex. It was at the same time we in the Vine Trust had sent our first medical ship to work on the Amazon. The Ship was sailing the Atlantic during 9/11 henece the pictures to link boat and 9/11 together. As for the title well I heard Tony Compalo tell a wonderful story about an old black preacher who could use the simple phrase “Friday Night but Sunday’;s Comin’ ” to capture the gospel. It was all in the way he said it. I guess for us its all in the way we live it.

40 day challenge text challenge

italker — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:20:45 +0000

Last year we put together a challenge for people to sign up to on their mobile phones. It was part of our Chocolate Sunday theme it was really quite successful so we’ve got it running again. check it out on the Sanctuary First web site.

Chocolate Sunday is all about debunking the idea that we should give our little pleasures up during Lent. I really think Lent is about a greater challenge. It is an inviatation to pick up the cross and follow Jesus. It is a challenge not to deny yourself chocolate but to deny yourself.

I was reading an article in the Guardian newspaper today which was focusing on the ethical dimension that needs to enter into politics. Nick Clegg the leader of the Lib Dems outlined his philosophy of human nature. He said he started from the premise that human beings are by nature good. The drive of his arguement was that if we can get the right economic policies in place and promote a society of “fairness” then things will get better. I thought to myself, Nick your following the old Liberal deception. All men and woman are by nature good. the truth is that all men and women left to their own devices will seek to do what suits them best not what suits the wider community best. We are all by nature sinners. There is hardly an action we carry out that doesn’t have the potential to be twisted for our own advantage. Take for instance the things we do or do not do at Lent.

The fact is that t many of us give up chocolate or give up this and that during Lent and we feel smug when we’ve finished. Its almost as though we pat ourselves on the back and tell people how proud we are of our self control. Its so strange we say we’ve given these things up for lent and all the time we’ve givn up following Jesus. The chocolate thing is more about our image and the Lent idea is more about an opportunity to engage in a slimmimg programme. You know deep down that you really need to lose some weight. Lent then becomes an excuse to allow you to do something that you’ve wanted to do because you want to improve your self image.

The real meaning of lent goes beyond the chocolate. it invites you to journey with Jesus to the place of obdedience to the place where you say ” Father not my will but your will be done.” So i guess the 40 Day Challenge is a call to pick up the cross and in doing so change your world.

Burning with Pride in the Garden

italker — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:40:02 +0000

You know something my spirits were raise this afternoon, the gardener has turned up and cut my grass. Is this a sign of old age? Or perhaps a sigh of relief that Mrs iTalker will be very very happy. I’m told that in the modern world of home decoration the garden has become an extension of your home. Indeed it is looked upon as another room. It is not enough to have an attractive house inside, your garden has to reflect your personality. Hence the increase in all the gardening centres that have sprung up all over the place since the 1990s. So I thought you might like to see my wonderful garden. The heather has been a particular success it covers up the borders and means there is no need to do weeding. This is the brain child of Mrs iTalker.

All this has got me thinking maybe I have become mad. I bought a garden stove last week. I did so because I’m fed up with these electric paper shredders. I think I’m a jinx when it comes to using them. They always get jammed up and then I spend a good hour trying to free the blades. So I’ve come up with a cunning scheme – the wood burning garden stove. I’m going to use it to burn all my papers. No more shredding for me. It even has a wee grill on it so I might be able to cook a few burgers or sausages on it. Well as you can see the stove is a real burning success. But there is a downside I’m going to have to go for a shower I’m smelling of burning wood. I can see i still have a lot to learn about the use of these little wood burners but as I get more acquainted I’ll keep you up to date. Meanwhile I’m reasonably pleased with my acquisition. I know I’m doing something to environment but you must admit the wee stove looks good even a wee bit sinister?

SANCTUARY FIRST

italker — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 23:46:45 +0000

Well I’m back in in Scotland after a busy couple of weeks moving around Peru. I was glad that Willie insisted that we get seats at the front of the plane. We arrived late into Amsterdam and just reached the checking in gate for Edinburgh before it closed. I don’t think either of us could have stuck another six hours in an airport. Anyway big thanks to Willie, he was a great travelling companion, we got on well and I believe we managed to move our projects on a little further in Peru. In due course we’ll share some of our future plans. Meanwhile it full steam ahead to sort out our barge project. Talking about home. It was good to catch up with Gordon Reid yesterday. Gordon has just recently retired from his charge in Dunfermline. He did the preaching for me I knew the flight would get in late on Saturday afternoon. I didn’t want to be preparing a sermon when I got home.

Gordon is an engaging speaker and he picked up on our theme for the day which was walking the road of holiness. Its worth listening to as a download. Go to www.standonline.org.uk. While your there have a look at the Holy Week video. Its worth a look. Jonathan Winkley presents the video really well. Looking at this reminds me of footage we shot a few years ago. If I have time we might use some of it for the Tenebrae Service this coming Saturday Night

Anyway getting back to what I was saying. The biggest challenge was the Sanctuary First Service. I must say we have a brilliant team. Everyone worked so hard and in the end produced a first rate piece of work. if i have any criticism it is this, once again I think it went on a bit too long. However regardless of the time I think the over all concept worked. the palms we got were outstanding.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We commissioned Jamie Stuart, the author of the Glasgow Gospels to do a piece to camera about the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It was a great wee video. I’ll try and get a hold of it and put it up on the blog. The idea or the theme behind the service was this ” Some people just can’t see it” You know what I mean. there are things in life, that you can talk about till your blue in the face and still some people just won’t get it. Where we give up the Easter story tell us that Christ never gives up. However he weeps for those who just can’t see. He weeps over Jerusalem.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We also used a track from U2s new album, “White As Snow” to introduce a meditation written by Maggie Lane while she was in Jerusalem last week. This song reflects the same tune as the Christmas or Advent carol, O Come O Come Emmanuel. U2 have adapted it a bit and written a whole new set of lyrics.

After this we invited the congregation to move to four stations where they could encounter the four Cries for Salvation. The Cries of Creation, the Cries of Humanity, the Cries of the Heart, and the Cries of the Christ. I think we could have perhaps reduced the prayer zones, but i’d be interested to hear other people’s view point on the whole service. One other thing it would be good to hear from all of yiou who have signed up on the lenten Journey I’d love to hear how some of these texts have impacted on your lives. During this week I’ll make a post on the Lenten Journey so that I can hear from all of you. I’ll get Neil to text everyone.

Alpha and Forgivenesss

italker — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:10:50 +0000

We had our second ‘Alpha Night’ at the Inchyra last night. There was a good mix of people from different backgrounds and I’m sure its going to be once again an interesting life changing experience for a number of people.

Our theme last night asked the question” Why did Jesus die?” It is an opportunity to talk about the central theme of Christianity namely, “Forgiveness” it seems to me that this is one of the central issues that faces all of humanity. All over the world people are looking for ways and means where by they can forgive. Last night I tried to explain the classic Christian doctrine of Justification. I also tried to explain the fact that the cross of Christ is like a diamond it has many sides to it and each side has an explanation that seeks to illuminate our hearts and our minds to the nature and power of the love of God.

One thing is for certain the cross of Christ has much to say to people who feel they are carrying sacks of guilt about with them. The cross is where God in Christ took upon himself our sinful humanity and became sin for us so that we might feel free from the consequences of our actions.

Inmyplace.mov

A few years ago we filmed the above clip as part of our TGI Sunday Service in may ways it is another facet of the cross and it is a diamond worth reflecting upon. I think the idea that total forgiveness invites us to let go of the things or the feelings that have hurt and abused us and then asks that we might never speak about it again is all about forgiving and forgetting. Finally receiving the grace to remember to pray a blessing for those who have wronged you is the ultimate sign of forgiveness. These three steps hopefully will be purued our various Alpha Groups. So what do you think of the idea of forgiveness?