a revolution
another addition to the required reading list: the irresistible revolution, by shane claiborne.
RIO was amazing, i dont even know where to begin. we grew so close as a mission team, and then closer still among our small group, that our relationships defy the ordinary label of "friendship". so, we have a new label: family. our charlotte small group was lucky enough to get to lead a mid-week worship service for the entire group, and our theme was the christian family. the idea of a global community of faith is one that has always amazed, and, to a certain extent, confused me. my first experience with christians other than those in my church on sunday mornings was in mountain top, summer of 2003. i remember being overwhelmed by the love that people could feel for nearly complete strangers. but in retrospect i see they weren't strangers. they were brothers and sisters in Christ. so in midweek worship daniel talked about how we were his little brothers and sisters, and it went for everyone, we view each other as family. this got brought up again in small group last night too. (i've just remembered something mark said to me on our last night in mexico, and at the time it made me cry, and im seeing how applicable it is here- "i don't know whether to think of you as a sister or a daughter.")
but it doesn't end within that group either- it extends to the people we meet, the ones we work with and eat with and play with. the people we meet in worship and sing with and pray with are all our family, even when the languages aren't the same. the love and acceptance that we all felt from complete strangers was perhaps even more overwhelming than the love we felt from each other.
im disjointedly spitting out all the personally significant thoughts that rio, last nights small group and this book have brought to mind, so here goes a subject change:
we are the body of GOD. not just instruments, but within each other we see the face of God. not like sometimes i see God working in someone. ALL THE TIME i can see God in everyone- God created us, we are God's body. "And if we are the body, why aren't his hands reaching?..." you know that song? WE ARE THE BODY, and we're just sitting here. i read the best anecdote in this book:
"Two guys are talking to each other, and one of them says he has a question for God. He wants to ask why God allows all of this poverty and war and suffering to exist in the world. And his friend says, 'Well, why don't you ask?' The fellow shakes his head and says he is scared. When his friend asks why, he mutters, 'I'm scared God will ask me the same question.'"
why do we allow suffering? why do we let our family, our brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers, hurt?
John 19: 25-27
Jesus' mother, his aunt and Mary Magdalene stood at the foot of the cross. Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her. He said to his mother, "woman, here is your son." Then to the disciple, "here is your mother". From that moment the disciple accepted her as his own mother.
RIO was amazing, i dont even know where to begin. we grew so close as a mission team, and then closer still among our small group, that our relationships defy the ordinary label of "friendship". so, we have a new label: family. our charlotte small group was lucky enough to get to lead a mid-week worship service for the entire group, and our theme was the christian family. the idea of a global community of faith is one that has always amazed, and, to a certain extent, confused me. my first experience with christians other than those in my church on sunday mornings was in mountain top, summer of 2003. i remember being overwhelmed by the love that people could feel for nearly complete strangers. but in retrospect i see they weren't strangers. they were brothers and sisters in Christ. so in midweek worship daniel talked about how we were his little brothers and sisters, and it went for everyone, we view each other as family. this got brought up again in small group last night too. (i've just remembered something mark said to me on our last night in mexico, and at the time it made me cry, and im seeing how applicable it is here- "i don't know whether to think of you as a sister or a daughter.")
but it doesn't end within that group either- it extends to the people we meet, the ones we work with and eat with and play with. the people we meet in worship and sing with and pray with are all our family, even when the languages aren't the same. the love and acceptance that we all felt from complete strangers was perhaps even more overwhelming than the love we felt from each other.
im disjointedly spitting out all the personally significant thoughts that rio, last nights small group and this book have brought to mind, so here goes a subject change:
we are the body of GOD. not just instruments, but within each other we see the face of God. not like sometimes i see God working in someone. ALL THE TIME i can see God in everyone- God created us, we are God's body. "And if we are the body, why aren't his hands reaching?..." you know that song? WE ARE THE BODY, and we're just sitting here. i read the best anecdote in this book:
"Two guys are talking to each other, and one of them says he has a question for God. He wants to ask why God allows all of this poverty and war and suffering to exist in the world. And his friend says, 'Well, why don't you ask?' The fellow shakes his head and says he is scared. When his friend asks why, he mutters, 'I'm scared God will ask me the same question.'"
why do we allow suffering? why do we let our family, our brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers, hurt?
John 19: 25-27
Jesus' mother, his aunt and Mary Magdalene stood at the foot of the cross. Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her. He said to his mother, "woman, here is your son." Then to the disciple, "here is your mother". From that moment the disciple accepted her as his own mother.