Manna Dobo Artist

However i wanted to follow up on my last post. Manna Dobo is a quite outstanding artist and respected in her field of visual arts. We are so fortunate to have someone of her experience and talent teaching at Bo’ness Academy. Anyway not many people could come down to the church at the drop of a hat and paint such an outstanding piece of work in less than an hour. Here in this work Manna was responding to the mood of the church and the worship of the moment as she put together this painting. The interesting thing is that she painted it with a feather in her hand and her eye and her heart ‘tuned-in’ to worship. I’ve entitled the painting “Too Close for Comfort” not sure what the artist will think of my presumption in naming the painting. However it speaks to me of the God who comes closer to us than we can imagine. Sometimes it is an uncomfortable feeling like lips being burned with the coal from the alter, or depending on your next meal to arrive with ravens. Yes God can be found in the ordinary but too often the ordinary is too difficult for us to trust or even understand.If you look closely can you see the face of the crucified Saviour kissing the face that is at prayer?

If you have time listen to the replay of the service before it is replaced by the current one on Monday morning. It it mann speaks about the place of the feather in her hand while she paints. Its worth listening to and also worth the visual impact of seeking it all come together.

I think you can also pick it up for a longer time if you go to Sanctuary first’s website www.sanctuaryfirst.org.uk The theme was finding God in the ordinary. What could be more ordinary than a feather, yet the artist in Manna saw that the feather speaks of flight and height, of prophets being fed and prophets being touched by winged seraphims with burning coals. It speaks of hope and for many people it is a reminder to lift themselves from where they are to where they might be.

The thing is he couldn’t have picked a better location for instant patter and the amusement of his film crew. last saturday I passed by a van full of Zombies. he driver was amusing the crowd as he interacted with the large dummies.

A few yards away I can hear the quick repartee in George Square as a workman puts up the American Traffic Lights outside the City Chambers. ” Aye the real reason that Brad Pitt came tae Glasgow wis because o the toon zombies . ” His pal turns to him and says, “is that wano they gangs in the Gallowgate ? “. ” Naw ! “, the man replies, “I talking aboot the toon coonsellors!”

The thing is there is quite a serious side to this particular movie. A number of reviewers see it as making social comment on the state of democracies in the 21st century. It has been seen as an opportunity to critic government ineptitude when it comes to financial matters, corporate corruption in the light of sub prime motgages and human greed and immorality . The book ” World War Z , written by Max Brooks makes reference to America’s inclination to follow a policy of isolationism . the book points out the dangers that lurk behind such a policy.

The film turns out to be a kind of parable explaining that it is too easy to allow the Zombies to take offer our world. We need to engage with the issues of our time and engage our brains and come up with compassionate and human answers to some of the greatest issues facing the world. It is not enough to follow theories wither they be political or theological. People matter more than any process.

Unthinking politics will lead us into the world of Zombies. As human beings we are people who are alive, we have a soul, we have a responsibility to each other in the words of Cain who murdered his brother, trying to cover up his actions he asks, ” Am I my brother’s keeper?” That question is still being posed as a smoke screen to hide guilt in our political and corporate world. The answer is still the same – yes you are!

Talking about tuning in if you can’t get down to St As tomorrow morning tune in on the internet www.standonline.org.uk It’s going to be a fantastic service. You’ll be amazed at some of the people you’ll see. I believe there are also a lot of free hugs being handed out. There is also young Tejay who is getting baptised and I believe there are a bunch of lions going to be hanging around the service.

The church is buzzing just now with the Valley FM Radio presenters in and out every hour and of course everyone is getting ready for the big day next Friday.

Everyone involved with the event should be congratulated. This event although sponsored by the CWW Department of Mission and Discipleship the concept owes a great deal I believe to the drive and enthusiasm of our new Principle Clerk and his Deputy. Both John and George should be rightly proud of their initiative. If i could proffer any advice it would be that the event concentrated too much on the Councils and the Para Church Organisations. I would have liked to have seen a lot more ordinary congregations sharing their ministries. I’m convinced that the renewal of the church will happen from the local. I’m not in any way 121 bashing, I’m simply reflecting that the real power and excitement and connection comes when local meets local. The role of the centre is to facilitate this to happen.

One thing did occur to me as I walked through the crowded park – where’s the stone?” I think I would have been great to have seen a big stone symbol or motive somewhere just to catch the attention of the public.

Anyway the lack of stone got me thinking, something must have happened to the stone that was rolled away from the tomb that first Easter morning in Jerusalem. I’m sure they must have had souvenir hunters in those day. I actually have a lump of the concrete that made up the Berlin Wall, its sitting in the botton drawer of my desk. It was given to me by a soldier who was at the wall when the pick axes were tearing the wall down.

Could it be that all over the Holy land there are stones that once were part of the stone that rolled away. I know our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters are still quite big on the veneration thing. Did you know that at the height of relic veneration and entrepreneurialism the Roman Catholic Church had sold so many pieces of the said cross of Christ the weight of which would have sunk a battleship never mind Simon as he carried the Jesus cross.

Look what I’m proposing is tongue in check. I began to think wouldn’t it be a bit of fun to claim that you had discovered the Resurrection Bolder and try and sell it on Ebay. How would you describe it. One slightly used stone not quite fit for purpose. Why not help me write the rest of the advert. Any suggestions?

One particular man stopped and said he was Jewish, then with a smile he added “we’ve been doing this long before you ever started” Its good to be reminded that Jesus wasn’t a Christian but in fact was a Jew. Others however did stop and share the bread and the wine on the street. For some it may well have just bread and wine, while for others it was an act of worship and thanksgiving. For some it was a transcendent moment on a busy Edinburgh street, buses passing by, others rushing to make deadlines, but for them , for those who stopped it was important.
I doubt if they will ever forget the two nameless ministers who shared bread and wine with them on the street, but more than that, they will not forget because they were remembering, with grateful hearts what it means to be thankful to the one who gave up his life to redeemed humanity. Did they understand it, you might ask? Do I understand it? Do you understand it?

The answer we all must give is no but somehow I get it. It rings true for me. It speaks at another level, it engages my mind, my emotions and my actions. It draws me to the place where I think about God in terms of the crucified. Perhaps the phrase that Luther used about God is startling and controversial, when he spoke of “the Crucified God” For Luther this phrase was the code that would open our understanding of the nature of God. He reminds us that the Christian can only speak of the glory,wisdom, righteousness and strength of God as they are revealed to us in the crucified Christ.

Luther saw the cross as a kind of riddle, in the same way as Samson saw the riddle of bees in the carcass of the dead lion. ” Out of the strong came forth sweetness” Luther wrote in these terms,” If God is present in the cross,then he is a God whose presence is hidden from us” Luther begins to unpack this idea when he quotes Isaiah, 45.15 ” Truly You are a hidden God!” Yet as Luther continues to gaze on the cross the hiddenness of God is revealed in the dereliction, and it is this dereliction that opens the way into God’s presence. He reflect that no one would dream of seeking God in the ‘disgrace,poverty,death and everything else that is shown to us in the suffering Christ” Yet somehow God is there hidden, yet revealed, for those who care to seek him.

I wonder if we have lost something of the shear anti-establishment attitude of the first Christians. We need to look and listen to the gospel stories through the eyes of Jesus. What he taught was often hidden, that is why he spoke in parables. Jesus would say they just can’t see it.

Perhaps we as followers of Jesus need to display more revolutionary characteristics. Do we need to be more active in living out the core values of the cross? Isn’t it such a challenging thing to turn the other cheek, to listen, to engage with those who would dearly love to see us wiped out.

Too often we Christians are content to speak of church membership but we are less inclined to speak about the person of Jesus. The thing is the most powerful of all the stories in human history is the story of Jesus and his amazing act of redeeming a lost and broken world. In other words his message speaks directly into the lives and hearts of each one of us 2000 years later. I think it was something of that power and significance that I began to understand a little bit better as we engaged with the symbols of the Gospel in the middle of a busy Edinburgh Street. The real church without walls was engaging effectively today on the streets of Edinburgh.

It was interesting to sit with some if his colleagues after the funeral and hear how their lives had been touched because of his passion for all things Bonessian. As always in these circumstances I find myself being given an opportunity to speak about the gospel. In the context if people losing their jobs and looking for security in the future. It was not the political conversation that offered hope but it was the message of the gospel. As I left the hotel I Became aware of the wonderful privilege we ministers have in being given opportunities to speak about practical Christianity.

Then it was back to writing material for Sanctuary First. Once again we’ve decided to stick with the theme we used last year at this time “The Cross Shaped Space” Its such an evocative theme not only does it speak of the crucifixion but it also points to the resurrection. Furthermore this theme allows us to explore the meaning of having a cross shaped space in our everyday lives. Isn’t it so important that we Christians understand how to interpret theology and work it out in our everyday practice. Talking about another kind of ‘practise’ I had lots of.fun on Friday when I met up with Iain Jamieson and we started to record a new version of ‘Preacher John’ the big surprise was discovering that Campbell Dye who played on the first track nearly 25 years ago had laid down keyboard parts in Winchester and then emailed them to Iain. Technology is just something else.

On Friday evening I had the privilege of speaking to over 120 men who are part of the “Larbert Christian Men’s Association” There is something about talking man to men. I think there is a great opportunity to engage men on topics that they feel deeply about. Engaging men with stories about adventure and risk and also challenging men to become more pro-active when it comes to faith sharing I guess was what my talk was about. The thing is the Vine Trust tag line “connecting people to change lives” is an excellent hook to tell inspirational stories. Above all introducing people to the true vine is the greatest connection of all. Whoever said being a parish minister is boring?

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.

This Sunday will be interesting the Five O’clock service will have a new band leading worship and I also hear that the Boys Brigade will be leading part of the service. They will be looking at the Pharisees and be exploring the role they played in opposing the Jesus Revolution. I think it may turn out to be a very creative service.

i believe the food for the evening will catch the imagination as it did last week. What an amazing spread appeared. Huge thank you to all who made the service work. I’ve been trying to encourage those who attend to change their mindset regarding what to expect. The key thing that we all should experience is fellowship. You may not get the traditional sermon but what you will get is an opportunity to meet new friends regardless of your age. So come along next Sunday at 5.00pm and meet the Pharisees. How’s that for a line to get you out to church. I just heard that the folks over in Alloa had a great time using Sanctuary First Material . check out their comments at www.sanctuaryfirst.org.uk

Click here to view the embedded video.

All over the world today people are struggling to be heard. Their voices are being silenced often by the rich and the powerful. The message of Christmas is that God is not silent when it comes to the poor. Indeed he is screaming to all of us in our noise laden world to remember the poor and to stand up for those who are unjustly treated. In case you think prisoners of conscience are only found in non democratic countries, think again. Too many people within families and even among friends in the UK are silenced. Many an abused person will suffer in silence this Christmas amid the Christmas festivities.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tonight he has 5 bands playing in the church hall. He’s been working this week with our youth worker whose a member of the church staff, Lilias Snedden on an anti bullying campaign at the local Academy. It was great to see so many youth people around the church waiting for the gig to start.