yes, but is it worship?
As we all must know it can play hideous tricks on the brain, but then I, as much as you, would rather be famous than righteous or holy, any day any day any day.
We received a magazine the other day in the post containing an article about BBLC (sic). It was a good article, I remember the bloke who came to see us that day and who wrote it. I should be really pleased and I am except for 2 things…. one, he spelt BCLC wrong and two, the magazine is called ‘Fresh Expressions’.
Bummer.
…it’s all fired up
all fired up.
Those of you with good musical taste a la moi will recognise the title as being the chorus to one of Interpol’s latest ditties. One of the most brilliant things about Interpol is the way they take some music and some words and they put them together (I know, I know but stay with me) in a way that no one else does. Take the track in hand, the bit where he sings “I’ve got this soul, it’s all fired up, this soul, it’s all fired up, it’s all fired up” the music is doing nothing like the rhythm of the words and the sound is brilliant. I could go on, I usually do….
Today though I am involved in something of a debate over the use and financing of property within the URC. Sounds dreary and it is but there is an important issue in there.
Churches all over the country are working their socks off to maintain either a) a dilapidated building they worship and/or do other activities in, or b) they are funding and maintaining a house for the someone who is grown up and perfectly capable of housing themselves.
Now I know that a few ministers or ex-ministers or prospective ministers read this and I don’t want to upset any of my very small band of regulars but really, wouldn’t all of you prefer a wage that enabled you to buy your own house and get on that property ladder so that you have somewhere to live in your dotage? How much easier would it be for churches if they didn’t have to have tedious meetings about whether the manse needs a new carpet or a bit of kitchen – is that a good use of our time?
I am not even going to start on church buildings themselves as that is such a no brainer.
This weekend I will be mostly wearing the same clothes and drinking beer, a lot of beer. It is Hook Norton’s Festival of Fine Ales.
Enough said.
I have been busy lately. I still am and I have had to resort to blogging this on a Sunday. One of the things I have been doing is listening to Rufus Wainwright. I have been a fan of Martha for some time but have avoided Rufus because I didn’t think I would like all that Judy Garland inspired gay angst. No offence to angst-ridden gay people, I would like to say that some of my best friends are but alas that is not the case. I saw Rufus on Johnathon Ross recently and thought what a thoroughly decent chap he seemed. Tom then bought me Want One for Father’s Day and I have listened to very little else since. Check out Go or Go Ahead – brilliant.
On the subject of Music another thing I have been doing is watching the very excellent 7 Ages of Rock. Last night’s was a masterpiece, not lease because it contained a lot of Smiths references and interviews. The programme placed the Smiths as the champions of the UK indie music scene, inspiring The Stone Roses, Suede, Oasis and The Libertines. Interestingly from a musical perspective all these bands had very strong guitarists (with the possible exception of Oasis) and somewhat charismatic singers (with the possible exception of Oasis).
As with most things I was able to parallel this to the ‘emerging church’. Watching the series as a whole we find that the record industry, far from leading music in each of the 7 directions covered by the programmes, is was constantly reacting to what was happening, trying to package every innovation so that it could be replicated and exploited. All invention and imagination came from the people making the music.
Take a look at Fresh Expressions and try to tell me that that isn’t what the established church is doing with new ideas and initiatives in its midst. Some might try to claim it is sharing ideas around enabling organisations to try things in their locality that have worked elsewhere. I would say they are desperately trying to justify their role in a movement in which they have no place.
I have my guitar, I just need some Johnny Marr cool and my own little Morrisey.
For those of you that don’t know that is the title of the magazine for the United Reformed Church (it is for those of you that do know as well, but, well you knew that already). It’s a decent enough publication but pretty much aimed exclusively at members of the church. There was a letter in it from someone, presumably an elderly gentleman, asking for someone young to ‘treasure’ his extensive collection of back issues of the magazine.
If that isn’t a damn good metaphor for what has gone on in churches for the past 3o years then I don’t know what is.
