Communion and kids

The Uniting Church has an 'Open table' policy with communion. I'm not exactly sure what that means other than they don't seem to mind my two children coming along eating the bread and wine (grape juice).

I can remember what I had to go through, a lot at St Pauls in Bendigo 'confirmation class' where you learnt how to cup your hands properly and to say 'Amen' after the sacraments had been delivered. I just went along with it really.

Its interesting watching my two, Johanna calls it the 'Cup and Bread'. Today when Jemima got delivered the bread and the wine she said very meekly 'thank you', it was ver reverent. Her sister did the same. Strangely I had the urge to correct her to tell her to say 'Amen'.

But then I thought, 'thank you' said reverently, honestly with understanding is probably more honouring to God than a word that is parroted without really understanding.

So yes, I let it go the 'amen'.

No Fixed Address faith as a journey, John Bodycomb

I've just finnished my review of 'No Fixed Address, Faith as a Journey', by John Bodycomb. You can read the review here

A big God part 2

This post is an expansion of the first post 'A big God' and is a request from Rebecca to 'Explain more'.

One of the things that really started to get my heart racing about the Vineyard Church was when those in leadership explained the centre set model. From memory it is a term from sociology which John Wimber adapted for the Church. It is basically the idea that all organisations/groups have barriers or rings which define whether somebody is 'in' or 'out'. For Jesus (and this is the bit I liked) there were no barrier, no conditions everyone is accepted. Wimber basically said there was a need to define less what the barriers are and that so long as people are face the direction of wanting to know Jesus more he was happy with them belonging.

Sounds great but in practice its not easy. The Vineyard (and I'm only talking Australia), accepted people how they looked, dressed, spoke, burped. This could be tolerated just about forever. Yet for beliefs its different. There could be an initial weirdness but there needed to be evidence of change at least in the first year and constant change. Or your out, usually by the cold shoulder, ignored and described as loopy or demonic.

Now when it comes to beliefs the Uniting Church's God appears to me to be a bit more tolerance.  The orthodoxy of what you believe isn't a prerequisite of belonging. Yet in other areas, such as dress, if you don't wash or burb then from the gut feeling at the Church I go to, most of the congregation woud stuggle a bit with this.

I'm still looking for a 'Big God' one that fits that center set model. Hope that answers your question Bec.

Related articles

• Do they really care what Jesus would do? (4simpsons.wordpress.com)

A big God

I've had a few questions on why we are going to the Uniting Church. My off the cuff answer is that 'they have a bigger God'. If I was to explain it more fully I'd say that they express and practice expresses a God who is more generous, forgiving, loving in a way which does not have the conditions applied.
When I write 'practice' it is in the terms of declaring it from the pulpit, as well treating everyone with true equality no matter what they are present or past.

Related articles

• SA church says religion is reviving (news.theage.com.au)

Sunday nights

Interesting interview on Sunday Nights with John Cleary and John Bodycome on the ABC.



Cleary described Bodycome as the 'Australian' equivalent of Jack Spong. Which I think after listening to the interview I thought was a fair description.

Some thoughts

::After listening to this stuff I don't really know what to believe.
::I'm thankful that for the Uniting Church that people can have the freedom to think differently about Christian faith.
:: Liked Bodycome's answer of how he thought that Jesus was the way for him, yet didn't discount other faiths
:: Disagreed with his answer on why the Uniting Church was in decline. I think you can have a 'progressive' theology with a contemporary service. It seems to me that the Uniting Churches I've been in have a 'progressive' theology with a service which is very old and caters for its aging congregation.
:: Will try to get hold of his book...


You can listen to the interview here