{"id":479,"date":"2010-03-09T08:20:26","date_gmt":"2010-03-09T12:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedockchurch.org\/blog\/?p=479"},"modified":"2010-03-09T12:43:47","modified_gmt":"2010-03-09T16:43:47","slug":"breakfast-in-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.the-dock.org\/blog\/2010\/breakfast-in-church\/","title":{"rendered":"Breakfast in church…"},"content":{"rendered":"

For a few months now I’ve been a minister without a ‘church’ in the conventional sense down here in the TQ – no lovely stone building, no staff meetings, no cycle of services and meetings and events to run. \u00a0But I’m increasingly realising how little I miss those things. As the months go by, ‘church’ – whatever that means – is becoming more real and more exciting even as it becomes more undefined.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Take this morning. \u00a0I’m sitting in The Streat; the background ‘music’ is the hiss of coffee machines and an old Kylie song on the stereo, rather than the holy hush of a sacred space. \u00a0I’ve just finished a Big Breakfast (yum) and checked in to the WordLive reading for the day on my laptop (http:\/\/www.scriptureunion.org.uk\/2981.id<\/a>). \u00a0It’s powerful<\/em>. \u00a0Talking about the passage where Jesus clears the money-lenders, stall-holders and hagglers from the temple courts in Jerusalem, the writer says:<\/p>\n

The whole sacrificial system that God had initiated to enable people to renew their relationship with him had become a blockage. God\u2019s access route had been turned into a barrier.<\/p>\n

<\/em>Is our worship accessible to all?
\n<\/em><\/strong>Jesus, in ending the blockage, was symbolising what his death and resurrection would achieve permanently. This requires us to examine every aspect of our worship.<\/p>\n

Have rituals and procedures that were intended to help people find God now become a barrier?<\/p>\n

\u25cf The parish system was meant to ensure that everyone had ministerial support \u2013 but can it mean that no one else can minister or set up a church?<\/p>\n

\u25cf Preaching should open God\u2019s Word to everyone \u2013 but can it mean that people cannot find God for themselves through Scripture?<\/p>\n

The clothes we wear, the times of worship, the language, the seats we sit on and everything we do is subject to the same scrutiny of Jesus.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>What a brilliant response to the passage – I just can’t recommend these WordLive readings enough. \u00a0Sure, not every day hits home, but far more often than not there’s a nugget or an application or a different way of looking at the Bible that brings it alive. \u00a0In today’s reading, for instance, there’s time to respond with a thoughtful video meditation and a worship song. \u00a0Just bung the headphones on (even in the middle of The Streat) and let God speak.<\/p>\n

So I guess the point I’m making is – isn’t this church? \u00a0Whether I’m on my own with just the laptop for company (and probably looking very unfriendly and antisocial with the headphones on – sorry everybody!), or meeting up here with friends, new contacts, people who are excited about the work of God and the work of the Titanic Quarter (and sometimes both at the same time!), I love this!<\/em><\/p>\n

It’s church – but not as I know it. \u00a0But it feels like there’s something to it – ‘guerilla church’ – finding God in cafes and fry-ups and offices…<\/p>\n

What do you think?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For a few months now I’ve been a minister without a ‘church’ in the conventional sense down here in the TQ – no lovely stone building, no staff meetings, no cycle of services and meetings and events to run. \u00a0But I’m increasingly realising how little I miss those things.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chris-blog"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBreakfast in church... - 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