A Lent Course

of the Diocese of Pretoria

Anglican Church of Southern Africa

Equipping and Strengthening Families

Turning Houses into Homes

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, "Woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. – John 19:26 TNIV

Prepared by the Rev'd Canon Mark R D Long

February 2010

based on the Bishop's Charge, Synod 2008, Diocese of Pretoria

and on ideas presented at a workshop on Family Life in the

Archdeaconries of Hennop's River and Tshwane-Bokone

Week One – Introduction

Opening Prayer:

Introductions:

Read:    "Life is no longer about family values but money and material gains. All what we do is more about self. We have adopted the "Western" attitude and culture of individualism and materialism. It is my wish that we change this mind set and think broadly about family – its importance and value. … In the context of African tradition and culture, family is the whole community where each person is not only responsible for his/her family but [for] any other member of the community [as well]. Adults are parents of every child whose upbringing is everyone's responsibility." – Bishop Jo Seoka: The Bishop's Charge, Synod 2008, Diocese of Pretoria.


Discussion:

1. In "Buzz Groups" of two's or three's share your response to the above statement.
   
2. In the large group share one thought out of each "Buzz Group".
   
3. Try and sum up the group discussion in one sentence.
   

Scripture:

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind' (Deut 6:5). This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself' (Lev 19:18). All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." – Matthew 22:36-40 TNIV


This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. – 1 John 4:10-12 TNIV

Discussion:

1. 1 John 4:16 says: God is love. What is "Love" in the context of the above two Scripture quotes? Try and provide a working definition.
   
2. Compare your working definition to what the media, especially movies and "TV Soapies", represents love as. Do you see a difference?
   
3. The reading from 1 John, above, refers to sacrifice. What does "sacrifice" mean to you?
   
4. The reading from Matthew defines relationship as focused love, on God and others. How does love impact your relationship with God, with family, with others? Share specific examples.
   
5. Where do you experience love? And where do you share love?
   

Closing Prayer:

Week Two – The Blessing of Family

Opening Prayer:

Sharing:

Read:    "Family time of prayer is today a rare commodity. In fact there is hardly time and space for family togetherness. Very few of us spend quality time with each other as family, eat together, share memories and plan for the future. We have become such busy bees that family values have gone out of the window leaving our children confused and spiritually empty" – Bishop Jo Seoka: The Bishop's Charge, Synod 2008, Diocese of Pretoria.

Discussion:

1. What "Blessings" have you experienced personally by being a part of your family?
2. Do you agree/disagree with the above quote? Why?
3. Transformation is never instantaneous: what one "Blessing" is missing from your experience that you can make a priority to build in? Share this with the group.
4. Bishop Jo speaks above of our children being left "confused and spiritually empty" – this is one of the "Woes" of family life today. How can the Church family help us in this regard?

Scripture:

"Look," said Naomi, "your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her." But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me." When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. – Ruth 1:15-18 TNIV

Discussion:

1. Remembering that Naomi's husband and two sons have died (Ruth is Naomi's daughter-in-law), what "Family" does Ruth commit herself to?
2. Why is Ruth so determined to stay with Naomi? What "Blessings" do you think Ruth was expecting?
3. Naomi tries hard to send Ruth back to her own family of origin. Reflect on the emotions Naomi must have experienced at Ruth's refusal.
4. Do you think Naomi felt affirmed by Ruth's response? Why, or why not?
5. Who in your family circle needs to be affirmed? Plan to write them a note this week to thank them for being a 'Blessing" to you.

Closing Prayer:

Week Three – Belonging to Family

Opening Prayer:

Sharing:

Read:    "Individuals are held within the life of a family from birth to death. Anglicans affirm the place and goal of family life for all, in terms of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Families are part of the family of God as well as part of a larger community" – Lambeth Conference 2008.

"The gospel is all about inclusion, otherwise Jesus would not have asked his followers, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Here we learn about a new kind of family … Jesus turned the family structure into the wider community – connecting the family unit into a network of relations. … It is such relationships that will build the Church instituted by Christ to which all of God's people belong. Families are a given and are not something one chooses, … Each person belongs and is connected to the family … we are part of family at all times and in all places of our lives" – Bishop Jo Seoka: The Bishop's Charge, Synod 2008, Diocese of Pretoria.

Discussion:

1. What does it mean to belong? What does it mean to be family?
   
2. What is it that draws you to the Anglican Church? What is it about this community that helps you feel you belong? Do you feel excluded in any way? Why?
   
3. In today's world how can our families be more meaningfully part of the "larger community"? Who/what is our "wider community"?
   

Scripture:

So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. – Genesis 1:27 TNIV


Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family, and do not go to your relative's house when disaster strikes you—better a neighbour nearby than a relative far away. – Proverbs 27:10 TNIV

Discussion:

1. What does it mean to be "created in God's image"?
   
2. How do you respond to the fact that you are made in God's image? And that so are others?
   
3. How do you celebrate this "image of God" in your family life?
   
4. Are you able to ask others (family, friends, and colleagues) for help? Share a situation where you did, and why the other person or group's response was helpful/unhelpful?
   
5. Which relationships in your life need to be strengthened to help you feel more included?
   

Closing Prayer:

Week Four – Believing in Family

Opening Prayer:

Sharing:

Read:     "I am … putting a challenge before you to seek God's guidance … as to how we can be involved in 'Equipping and Strengthening Families: Turning Houses into Homes'. … we can make a profound contribution as a faith community in rebuilding and transforming family life and responsible citizenship. … Our homes must be turned to worship spaces, meals into Eucharistic experiences and conversation to means of bonding and renewal of family love and nurturing" – Bishop Jo Seoka: The Bishop's Charge, Synod 2008, Diocese of Pretoria.

Discussion:

1. Describe your picture of a "Home". What makes it different from a "House"?
   
2. Belief has to do with principles, those things we believe to be true. What principles are important for family life?
   
3. A house is a place without principle or relationship. How can we implement these principles to help our own houses become homes?
   
4. Choose a principle that you believe is missing from your family life: share how you plan to implement it? Who will you need to negotiate with? What will you need to change?
   

Scripture:

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, "Woman, [The Greek for Woman does not denote any disrespect] here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. – John 19:25-27 TNIV

Discussion:

1. Share your response to the above reading from the Gospel of John.
   
2. What does Jesus believe about family? Why?
   
3. Share what you value about your own family and experience of family life.
   
4. How do we share this with others? Our own family? Fellow Church members? Society?
   

Closing Prayer:

Week Five – Family Behaviour

Opening Prayer:

Sharing:

Read:     "The need today is much more than ever 'for families to have a rule of life that focuses the family on the centrality of Jesus Christ, with respect for each other as children, the brothers and sisters of Jesus' (Bishop's Charge 2005, pg 5)" – Bishop Jo Seoka: The Bishop's Charge, Synod 2008, Diocese of Pretoria.

Discussion:

1. A "Rule of Life" is a covenant that guides the behaviour of a community, and helps individuals know how to behave in relationship to others in the community. It is more than a set of rules; it is a way of living. What two principles (above) are key to a rule for Family Life?
   
2. Are these two principles evident in your family? If so, how do they impact on the behaviour of family members?
   
3. "What would Jesus do?" Is this a question your family asks? If not, how do you think it would change family and individual behaviour if you begin asking it?
   
4. We are all created in God's image: how does this (or could this) impact on family behaviour?

Scripture:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. – Ephesians 3:14-21 TNIV

Discussion:

1. Paul (above) shares the principles he believes should be core to family and community relationships in this wonderful prayer for the Ephesians. Share your response.
   
2. Often we wait for others before we are willing to transform our own behaviour. Commit yourself to a specific positive behaviour change in your family life that you will implement and continue to live out even if no-one else in the family responds. If you have the courage, share this with the group.
   
3. Share what has been valuable to you over the last five weeks in this course.

Closing Prayer:     Pray Paul's prayer for the Ephesians (above) together for your own family, for your local Church family, and for your community.

six characteristics of christ

I came across the following in a web blog by Jeff Elkins, and thought it may be a useful personal or group statement of purpose for those seeking to take Christ to the world, as we seek ways to move away from expecting the world to come to Christ (a default response most institutionalised Christians have).

“We will share Jesus with others by loving God and loving people through lives defined by…

Humility – understanding our need for God, we will be defined by our transparent, sincere brokenness.

Forgiveness – with an attitude of brokenness, considering others to be better than ourselves, we will seek to offer forgiveness, restoring others to right relationship with God and one another.

Service – longing to see people restored, we will love them with reckless and messy abandon.

Worship – as we encounter God through loving others, we will proclaim Jesus as Lord with uninhibited authenticity.

Wonder – in reverent stillness we will appreciate God’s glory without fear.

Surrender – knowing that Jesus is God and we are not, we will daily humble ourselves, deny our selfish ambition, and seek the Spirit’s guidance.”

…and then we ask each other where we have succeeded and where we have failed.

a call to anglican priesthood

an exploration of "The Charge to Priests"

An Anglican Prayer Book 1989, page 587-588

by Canon Mark R D Long, Diocese of Pretoria, Anglican Church of Southern Africa

Introduction

Invited to preach by my friend and colleague at the 20^th Anniversary Eucharist of his ordination to the Priesthood I returned to the Scripture readings and "The Charge to Priests" (The Charge) found in An Anglican Prayer Book 1989's Ordination Service. Ordained to the Priesthood myself 20 years ago on 12 November 1989 alongside my friend, the sermon became a reflection on my own ministry and journey. The following reflects the direction of my sermon but is also a journey in itself.

In re-reading "The Charge to Priests" I was amazed on what a wonderful discourse it is on ministry, not only for clergy but for laity as well, and how focused it is on Jesus.

I found the themes of The Charge highlighted in the readings: Micah 2:5-7, Psalm 145:1-7, 2 Corinthians 5:14-19, and John 20:19-23. It may be worth referring to these and "The Charge to Priests" before you journey further.

Called through Baptism

The Charge begins by reminding all listening that the Priest will always remain a part of the Body of Christ, of the community of all believers; and that all believers – members of God's Church – have a wonderful call. This call, like the Trinity, is three-fold:

1. to witness to Jesus Christ as Lord of life;
   
2. to proclaim Jesus to the world; and
   
3. to walk in the footsteps of Christ.
   

If we link these three statements above to the Trinity then we discover, excitingly, that "to witness to Jesus as Lord of life" is to be involved as God's people in the creative work of God; "to proclaim Jesus to the world" is to be involved in the redeeming work of God; "to walk in the footsteps of Christ" is to be involved in the sustaining work of God. The call to witness and proclaim is in the broadest terms: to life and to the world. And we are called to do this primarily through example and action.

Both life and the world are our play-ground: we are called as God's people to a holistic embrace of all aspects and areas of life; there is no area we should not be. And we are not called to talk, we are called to act: "Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News, and if necessary use words" (attributed to St Francis of Assisi).

Made Deacon

The call to be made Deacon is one to which the Priest has already responded, and the Diaconate will always define the foundation on which the call to Priesthood is received. This is a call to service. The Charge reminds us that there are two aspects to this call:

1. to be a servant of God; and
   
2. to be a servant to God's people.
   

"The Charge to Deacons" (An Anglican Prayer Book 1989, page 583) gives greater clarity to these two statements: it is a special ministry of "humble service" and a call to serve "all people". The Diaconate finds its focus in seeking out the poor, the weak, the sick and the lonely, and thereby demonstrates that in serving those in need we serve Christ himself. The ministry of the Diaconate is for the Deacon to be immersed in the world to such an extent that the Deacon is able to interpret to the Church the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world.

While acknowledging the above, "The Charge to Priests" subtly redefines the role of service for the Priest: it is no longer to "all people" but to "God's people". It may be argued that in terms of all humanity carrying the "image of God" these two phrases are synonymous. However, "The Charge to Priests" is attempting here to give some definition to the two roles, that of Deacon and that of Priest. The Deacon now to be ordained Priest will have other priorities, primarily that of making disciples. Service for the Priest will find its purpose in nurturing God's people as disciples, equipping them to witness to Jesus Christ as Lord of life, to proclaim Jesus to the world, and to walk in the footsteps of Christ.

Ordained Priest

"The Charge to Priests" focuses, for obvious reasons, on what it is to be called to ordination to the Priesthood. The calling to the Priesthood has many aspects, but is directed by the threefold description of the Anglican Priest as

1. priest,
   
2. pastor, and
   
3. teacher.
   

If we apply the image of the Trinity, then the "priest" is the creative role, the "pastor" the redemptive role, and "teacher" the sustaining role. Thus Priesthood in the Anglican context is not just about being "priest" – it is far more inclusive, holistic and abundant. Core to Anglican Christianity is balance, finding the via media, the middle way. The challenge for the Anglican Priest is to find the balance in being priest, pastor and teacher. It is a broad and challenging ministry to which we are called. Trinitarian imagery also gives focus to the different roles: to be priest is to build, to be pastor is to heal, to be teacher is to nourish.

The ministry of the Priest as "priest, pastor and teacher" is described as a lifetime of ministry in the following of Christ, sustained through an ever deepening practise of prayer, and enriched by daily reading and study of Scripture. The Priesthood requires a living relationship with Christ, and this relationship is nurtured in prayer and in immersion in Scripture. Prayer and study impel us into action: our relationship with Christ is the driving force of ministry.

The primary focus of the Priesthood, while directed by the roles of priest, pastor and teacher, is on making disciples. The Charge addresses the "How?" of making disciples with thirteen action words: bring, lead, proclaim, preside, intercede, help, share, rebuke, pronounce, care, bring back, guide, prepare. The detail describing these actions can be found by reading The Charge, but suffice it to say, the making of disciples begins with bringing people into relationship with Christ and ends with preparing them to embrace death and the fullness of eternal life. In addressing the "Why?" of making disciples The Charge states that the purpose is "that they may be saved through Christ for ever. " Anglican Priesthood is focused in the present, but embraces the eternal.

Conclusion

The Charge ends with the observation to the Priest that "This ministry will be your great joy and privilege", that it is a "weighty responsibility" that should not be undertaken lightly nor without a clear call from God; and that those whom God calls God will also strengthen. The weight of responsibility can be overwhelming, self-doubt can be destabilising, the expectation of others disheartening. But we have chosen obedience to the call of God, we are volunteers, there is no contract, just a license from the Diocesan Bishop empowering us to serve. We acknowledge this privilege, and we take joy from the fact that we minister not out of compulsion, but voluntarily in obedient response to God's call and in relationship with Anglican Church structures.

And on occasion we are paid.

9 December 2009

Mark R D Long

and when i stamped my feet

And when I stamped my feet on the grave

The thumping soon became a dance

And I felt both the sadness and the joy

Well up in my heart

And I knew then

That life and death

Are so close

And in that space

Sacredness arises

And the tears that ran down my face

Released me to the great mystery of it all.

Anonymous

transformation

Transformation: one definition is "qualitative change" – I like this. This definition moves us on from numbers to value. Our consumerist orientated society discounts value, and is in conflict with our faith which discounts a quantitative approach to life.

wisdom

I came across this wonderful list of words describing Wisdom (The Wisdom of Solomon 7:22-23 NRSV):


The Nature of Wisdom

There is in her a spirit that is intelligent, holy,

unique, manifold, subtle,

mobile, clear, unpolluted,

distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen,

irresistible, beneficent, humane,

steadfast, sure, free from anxiety,

all-powerful, overseeing all,

and penetrating through all spirits

that are intelligent, pure, and altogether subtle.

remembrance sunday - lest we forget

I found this wonderful poem which I used as the focus for our Remembrance at Church this morning:

Lest We Forget

What do we forget when we remember
What are the stories left untold
What do we think each November
As we march down that glory road
As we march down that gory road

One hundred million
Don’t come home from war
Another eight hundred million
Who lived to bear its scar
Who lived to bear its scar

Lest we forget
What they were dying for
Lest we forget
What they were killing for
Lest we forget
What the hell it was for

What do we forget when we remember…

Owen Griffiths

neglect

Realised I have been rather ignoring my blog page. Somehow life gets full, and with recording my sermons these days, I reflect in writing less. I have new energy having come across http://ow.ly/15ZKzM where Chris Brogan says:

The secret to blogging every day is a blend of three things: discipline, practice, and ideas.

racism, classism & tribalism

The following is a letter I wrote to the Pretoria News (published 5 June 2009) in response to an article titled "It is the church's duty to preach racial harmony" by Rich Mkhondo (published on 1 June 2009) in the Comment section. The Pretoria News titled my response "Roots of racism lie in SA's colonial history":

I read with interest Rich Mkhondo's opinion (Comment 1 June 2009) on the church's duty to preach racial harmony. There can be no doubt that racism remains a key issue in our society: its roots lie in our colonial history, and can be traced back to attitudes in Europe well before van Reebeck ever set foot in the Cape. It is also true that the church is often, sadly, no more than a microcosm of wider society. However, as Mkhondo points out, the church has both the responsibility and the resources to engender new attitudes and more whole relationships.

I am aware that I write as a so-called "White" South African, and so struggle to fully comprehend the level of pain inflicted on so many fellow South Africans during the apartheid era. As part of my training as an Anglican Priest I was immersed in the township life of GaRankuwa in the mid 1980's, and was substantially conscientised to the realities of southern Africa and the devastating impact of racial discrimination as experienced by those who suffered under it. I realised, too, how I - as an oppressor by default of my heritage - was damaged as a person.

In our new democratic dispensation the word "racism" tends to be used to cover a broad perspective of negative and hurtful attitudes. For many so-called "Whites" racism is very specifically aligned to apartheid, and when the declaration is made "I am not a racist" it is often perceived by fellow South Africans to be a somewhat hypocritical statement, when in reality it is a heartfelt cry that rejects apartheid and embraces the new South Africa. What many of us so-called "Whites" struggle with is often classist attitudes - that during apartheid strongly underlay racial ones - and it is often (agreed, not always!) this classism that fellow South Africans experience as racism in today's society.

As the Anglican Church in Pretoria we have raised the issue of racism, together with classism and tribalism, as ones that must be addressed in all our communities. Key to the process is building relationships, creating awareness of different cultural perspectives, and creating a broader and more inclusive ownership of church life and worship.

MARK R D LONG, Garsfontein

an advent/Christmas journey

Advent this last year came alive for me in my sermon preparation: a sense of expectation, a call to prepare, an opportunity to seek God's direction and then to accept God's call and purpose for our lives. Christmas is a culmination of this Advent journey requiring us to become accountable as human beings made in God's image, to take up God's purpose for us - as expressed in Genesis 1 - to work alongside him in creating order out of darkness and chaos, and to continually embrace our role in helping constrain chaos in our lives and communities.

rennie D

3 January 2009

redefining church/Church

Phyllis Tickle, on the Emergent Village Weblog has opened a discussion on the nature of church/Church, which may be worth a visit. Joan Chittister, in her wonderful book In Search of Belief says: "... we have to forget one kind of church and recommit ourselves to the creation of the other one, the one created by the Holy Spirit, rather than the one created by centuries of political accretions and clerical control." My personal sense is that we need to acknowledge that there will always be church in terms of the Christian human collective expressing faith in word and action. The key, I suspect, is for the Christian human collective to maintain our relationship with God in such a vital and abundant manner that Church, the creation of the Spirit, continually informs and transforms church.

rennie D
3 January 2009

being church

For some brief comments on this topic - quoting Archbishop Rowan Williams - please see my article at http://therectorsdesk.blogspot.com/2008/07/august-2008.html . I think it is instructive!

Rennie D
1 August 2008

a god of possibility

My sermon for the 17th Sunday of "Year A" is availalbe on OVI. I focus on God's name (Exodus 3) being a name of possibility and mystery, an invitation to a journey of continuing discovery and action.

Rennie D
28 July 2008

a benedictine approach to sunday

Joan Chittister, in her daily commentary on the rule of Benedict, shares the following thoughts on the importance of Sunday and Sunday Worship in the life of the Christian community:

It is a day full of tradition and rhythm and rememberings of the simple but important concepts of existence. It is a return to basic truths that are never to be sacrificed for variety and always reinforced through repetition [The Rule of Benedict - insight for the ages; pg 80].

Joan makes these comments in the light of Western culture where "The idea of sabbaths that are fixed and solemn is for most part gone ..." replaced by "... Sundays ... spent in hectic activity designed to make us relax by drowning out the pressures of the rest of the week with the inane uselessness of the weekends" [ibid.]. She compares this with the Benedictine spirituality, where:

... the sabbath is the moment for returning to the surety and solemnity of life, for setting our sights above the daily, for restating the basics, for giving meaning to the rest of the week so that the mundane and the immediate do not become the level of our existence [ibid.].

Rennie D
25 June 2008

identity

My sermon for Corpus Christi is now available online at OVI. This sermon begins an exploration on identity, taking into account our Modern heritage and the impact of Postmodernism on our lives and faith, specifically the "Us/Them" dichotomy of Modernism and the implications of a Postmodern approach to faith.

Rennie D
31 May 2008

transformation, identity & xenophobia

You will find my thoughts on the relationship between transformation, identity & xenophobia at The Rector's Desk. Have a look!

Rennie D
27 May 2008

fullness of life

Unconditional love, fullness of life: what impossible concepts! According to the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures only Jesus gets this right ... it's a characteristic of the Divine. But it is something that humanity is called to live out, to express in our relationships, to transform our lives. I reflect on this in today's sermon.

Rennie D
13 April 2008

encounter with Christ

My sermon for today is available. I have focused on the nature of encounter in the post-Resurrection experience of early Christians, and the means it becomes for transforming our daily lives and our very selves into activists for the Gospel.

Rennie D
6 April 2008

palm sunday

My sermon for Palm Sunday is available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10096. Other recent sermons are available at http://www.twango.com/channel/markrdlong.sermons. Today's sermon focuses on Jesus response to his accusers (in Matthew): "They are your words". I focus on the role Scripture plays in Matthew in terms of this response, and the call that it is to us as Anglicans to immerse ourselves in Scripture beyond our times of formal worship.

Rennie D
16 March 2008

the creed for a new age

For some time I have searched for a revised version of the Creed that makes sense in the 21st centuary world in which I live. Joan Chittister, in her book In Search of Belief published by Liguori/Triumph (1999; pg 205-209), provides such a Creedal statement. In her book she explores the Apostles' Creed, and expands it in such a way that, in her words, "life speaks to the heart with new timbre for a new age" (pg 205):

I believe in one God
who made us all
and whose divinity infuses all of life
with the sacred.

I believe in the multiple revelations
of that God
alive in every human heart,
expressed in every human culture,
and found in all the wisdoms
of the world.

I believe
that Jesus Christ,
the unique son of God,
is the face of God
on earth
in whom we see best
the divine justice,
divine mercy,
and divine compassion
to which we are all called.

I believe in the Christ
who is One in being with the Creator
and who shows us the presence of God
in everything that is
and calls out the sacred in ourselves.

I believe in Jesus, the Christ
who leads us to the fullness
of human stature,
to what we were meant to become
before all time
and for all other things that were made.

Through Christ
we become new people,
called beyond the consequences
of our brokenness
and lifted to the fullness of life.

By the power of the Holy Spirit
he was born of the woman Mary,
pure in soul
and single-hearted –
a sign to the ages
of the exalted place
of womankind
in the divine plan
of human salvation.

He grew as we grow
through all the stages of life.
He lived as we live
prey to the pressures of evil
and intent on the good.
He broke no bonds with the world
to which he was bound,
He sinned not.
He never strayed from the mind of God.
He showed us the Way,
lived it for us
suffered from it,
and died because of it
so that we might live
with new heart,
new mind,
and new strength
despite all death
to which we are daily subjected.

For our sake
and for the sake of eternal Truth
he was hounded
harassed
and executed
by those
who were their own gods
and who valued the sacred
in no other.

He suffered so that we might realise
that the spirit in us
can never be killed
whatever price we have to pay
for staying true to the mind of God.

He died
but did not die
because he lives in us
still.

“On the third day” in the tomb
he rose again
in those he left behind
and in each of us as well
to live in hearts
that will not succumb
to the enemies of life.

He changed all life
for all of us thereafter.
he ascended into the life of God
and waits there
for our own ascension
to the life beyond.

He waits there,
judging what has gone before
and what is yet to come
against unending values
and, in behalf of eternal virtue,
for the time when all of life
will be gathered into God,
full of life and light,
steeped in truth.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the breath of God
on earth,
who keeps the Christ vision present
to souls yet in darkness,
gives life
even to hearts now blind.
Infuses energy
into spirits yet weary, isolated,
searching and confused.

The spirit has spoken
to the human heart
through the prophets
and gives new meaning
to the Word
throughout time.

I believe in one
holy and universal church.
Bound together by the holiness of creation
and the holiness of hearts forever true.

I acknowledge the need
to be freed from the compulsions
of my disordered life
and my need for forgiveness
in face of frailty.

I look for life eternal
in ways I cannot dream
and trust
that creation goes on creating
in this world
and in us
forever.

Amen.

Rennie D
6 March 2008

annual report

I haven't blogged for sometime - Christmas Holidays and all! My Annual Report to our Parish Vestry, presented this morning in the sermon slot at both services is available: the script at http://therectorsdesk.blogspot.com/2008/01/rectors-report-to-annual-vestry-2008.html
and an audio file at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10090. It created some emotionally charged discussion at the meeting around the issue of the eurocentric focus of our worship. "Inclusive" and "Flexible" are clearly in the area of VERY UNCOMFORTABLE when used in this context of a growingly diverse cultural congregation!!

Rennie D
27 January 2008

recent rantings

My sermon for Christ the King is available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10087. A sermon preached at a Memorial for a young man of 19, Olly Tucker, who died of HCM (hypertrophic cardio myopathy) is availalble at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.other/markrdlong.10088.

Rennie D
29 November 2007

a new language for a new era

In my latest article for our parish magazine I have commented on the need for a new language, a new way of communicating the Gospel, that makes sense in our 21st century world. This can be found at http://therectorsdesk.blogspot.com/2007/11/december-2007.html.

Rennie D
29 November 2007

towards defining a postmodern faith

I continue my theme from All Saints in today's sermon, which you can find at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10086. In it I reflect on the need to redefine the Christian Faith from a 21st Century worldview if Christianity is going to survive. Quite how one does this will probably be the debate of the century, and cannot be defined overnight or even "overdecade". But it needs to happen.

Rennie D
11 November 2007

towards a postmodern faith

We celebrated All Saints this last Sunday. I used the reading from Jeremiah 31:31-34 as my central theme, that we are called by God to an adult faith and relationship. This is increasingly critical in a postmodern environment where God viewed through the primitive cultural lens of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures often leaves us doubtful of a deeper spiritual reality in an environment where scientific, medical, sociological and psychological perspectives give seemingly more reasonable explanations. This sermon is available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10085

Rennie D
6 November 2007

leadership and justice

I focused in today's sermon on leadership, issues of justice, gifting, perseverance and ministry. I do this within the context of our parish election of leadership for 2008, and focus on the nature of leadership being primarily a communal responsibility. An audio copy is available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10084.

Rennie D
21 October 2007

recent sermons

Due to a malfunctioning PDA I have recorded few sermons during September and early October. I didn't preach today as my wife, Dawn, returned from an international adventure. Two recent sermons are available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10082 (audio) and http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10083 (Mind Map). Double click on the image for an enlarged version.

Rennie D
14 October 2007

mountain of god

My sermon for this last Sunday is available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10081

Rennie D
27 August 2007

faith

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1). My sermon for today is based around this theme.

Rennie D
12 August 2007

what do you require of god?

I haven't uploaded sermons for sometime - largely because I have been on leave and so haven't preached many! My sermon for last week and today are now available. Last week I focused on the question, "What do we require of God?" and this week on "How do we respond to God's response?" Essentially, we are largely aware of what God requires of us, at least in general terms - the Scriptures paint God's requirements in broad strokes. However, what are our expectations of God, and can we dare to think in such terms? When God responds to our expectations, our requirements, do we recognise his response, and how do we react? Click on the highlighted words above and they will direct you to the related sermon.

Rennie D
29 July 2007

port & poetry

It's time once again for Port and Poetry @ Rivermeade. Last year's theme was "Rugby", this year's is "Cricket"... but this is South Africa (Southern Hemisphere) and time for everything other than Cricket. Cricket in July? Perhaps in the cold reaches of the Great North? I have reflected on this theme:

Poetry and Port

an engagement of friends
sharing words head-scratched
borrowed and acknowledged
funny serious rude and prude
laughter Port-enhanced and real
a theme both comical and surreal

Cricket – in July!? when Tennis, Rugby
even Cycling does entrance
with Venus on the rise
and Hunter on the stage
Super XIV won and Tri-Nations lost
a World engagement immanent
our theme: Cricket – in July!?

Yes, Cricket! that game
of gentlemen and rogues
one team in and one team out
eleven men in until they’re out
a ball a bat an umpire or two
bowling batting fielding catching
Yes, Cricket! that mark of Empire!
our theme – in July!

In "researching" this poem I came across the following explanation of the game, one I saw years ago:

The Clear & Understandable Rules of Cricket

You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out. When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have been given out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game!

Rennie D
21 July 2007

faith? reason?

A comment on Faith by Terry Goodkind in his novel Chainfire (pg 540); Zedd, the First Wizard, addressing his grandson Richard, the first War Wizard born in three-thousand years, also the Seeker:

“Faith is a device of self-delusion, a sleight of hand done with words and emotions founded on any irrational notion that can be dreamed up. Faith is the attempt to coerce truth to surrender to whim. In simple terms, it is trying to breathe life into a lie by trying to outshine reality with the beauty of wishes. Faith is the refuge of fools, the ignorant, and the deluded, not of thinking, rational men.”

It is a statement that undermines Richard's belief that his wife, Kahlan, the Mother Confessor, is alive despite the fact that no one remembers her, underlined by the reality that at this precise moment in the story they are looking at her decomposed corpse freshly dug up from the below her gravestone in the Confessors Palace graveyard.

The story goes on to prove that Richard's belief is not based in "the beauty of wishes" but in the reality of relationship and memory (and thus also experience), and that reality is not what we see, but what we know to be true. What we see can be manipulated, what we experience cannot? Essentially a negation of the age of reason, and a judgement on those who seek to place reason and faith in opposition. An interesting perspective.

Rennie D
8 July 2007

trinity and corpus christi: community & relationship

have been a bit forgetful of late, but my sermons for the last two weeks are now availalble: Trinity (with a focus on the nature of God and the nature of "us" as humanity); Corpus Christi (relationship, integrity and accomodation). Please have a listen - click on the highlighted words!

Rennie D
12 June 2007

further reflections on pentecost

Interpretation of Tongues

I have some background in Pentecostalism (Assembly of God late 70's & early 80's) which sometimes manifests in an Evangelical bent (although my immersion in Anglicanism since birth tends, I like to believe, to keep me grounded in reality). Thus, any thought or conversation around the gift of tongues links me into the early church experience and what is often referred to as "glossolalia". This Pentecost season has drawn me to the Genesis account of Babel, where God confuses language because a common language became a force for human communal self-interest. In the light of this the Acts reading takes on new meaning: it is the gift (lost at Babel) of being able to communicate with all people, restored in order to make God and his activities known, to glorify God and not human community - and thereby gifting us to fulfil the Great Commission.

"Language" Interpretation

Further, my insight this season, is that this gift is not primarily about "foreign" or "angelic" languages, but about interpersonal communication and helping people to understand each other. We often speak the same language but mean very different things, or even more confusingly, only slightly different things. Body language, tone, attitude, worldview, theological outlook - all confuse our communication with each other. This is specifically true in our African context where many of us use the English language to communicate, but because it is often our second, third or even fourth language, our communication is often torpedoed before we even begin. In today's increasingly global, multi and differently cultured environment we need the "Interpretation of Tongues" just to interpret what someone else is saying in the same language! Our backgrounds, experience, insight are all used by God in this particular manifestation of the gifting of God's people by God.

Sermons (click on the highlighted words below)

I have uploaded two sermons, one a more lengthy exposition on my first point above, and the other a briefer reflection shared at the evening Chapel Service at St Alban's College in Pretoria. that reflects more fully on my second point above, with specific reference to parent / teenager miscommunication!

Rennie D
1 June 2007

church unity

Ascension to Pentecost marks a "week" of prayer of Church Unity. I was invited to briefly address the local Roman Catholic Seminary students on this topic this evening, to pray with them for Church Unity. A real privilege, and most interesting that it is the Catholics reaching out to us. My reflection on this issue is available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10066

Rennie D
23 May 2007

the vision is dead?

My Ascention Day sermon can be found at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10065

Rennie D
19 May 2007

the vision is dead! long live the vision!

Today's sermon is available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10064

Rennie D
13 May 2007

mystery and certainty

I am in the process of reading John W de Gruchy's book Being Human. de Gruchy reflects on the impact Scripture Union had on his spiritual formation and conversion and compares this experience to "the rather tepid Christianity that many found in their home congregations where the preaching and worship seldom made any connection with our experience" (pg 67). He goes on to say, "This remains true today as many young people - and also not so young - look beyond mainline denominations for a more authentic, lively and meaningful Christian experience. Others again are attracted to more Catholic forms of Christianity, with their apparent certainty of faith and morality, and the mystery and tangibility of their liturgy" (pg 67-68).

If de Gruchy's analysis is correct, then the challenge for the Church is to offer a Faith experience that maintains mystery and certainty in creative juxtaposition. It is this seemingly contradictory mix that develops an environment that is authentic, lively, and meaningful.

Rennie D
9 May 2007

love your neighbour

My sermon for the fourth Sunday after Easter is availalble at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10063, and focuses on "love your neighbour as yourself" (Leviticus) and "love one another as I have loved you" (John).

Rennie D
7 May 2007

transfiguration

An interesting poetic perspective on the transfiguration by Edwin Muir: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=178990

Rennie D
7 May 2007

identity

In my latest "... from the Rector's Desk" in the May edition of our Parish Magazine I reflect on the issue of identity: who I am as a human; who we are in God; who we are as a Parish that uses the word tradition to define a part of who we are. A copy of the article is availalble at http://therectorsdesk.blogspot.com/2007/05/may-2007.html.

Rennie D
4 May 2007

union

Brother James is busy archiving my grandmother's lifetime collection of "snaps". This is an interesting perspective on the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

Rennie D
3 May 2006

photos on flickr

Daisies
Originally uploaded by markrdlong.

I have recently added some photos to my Flickr "Creation" set on the theme of flowers, animals and scenery. You'll find them at http://www.flickr.com/gp/61024590@N00/t0ku2a

Rennie D
1 May 2007

the LORD says!

My apologies to those who like to follow my weekly sermons. Over Easter I somehow never quite got a ful sermon recorded for one reason or another. Herewith, though, my sermon for Easter 3 in which I explore how we can determine God's will in the context of a society that increasingly says "anything goes". Scripture is a good starting point, and those that declare "God says ... !" usually inhibit communities from truly discovering God's will as such a statement closes down communication and intra-community dialogue. This sermon can be found at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10043

Rennie D
29 April 2007

ancient miracles and modern science

An interesting article I came across via Books Inq. Well worth a gander if you are interested in whether or not ancient Biblical miracles have a basis in modern medical science - it appears some do! See http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v21/i4/trees.asp.

Rennie D
19 April 2007

the spiritual life

Joan Chittester comments, helpfully, that:

The spiritual life is not a set of exercises appended to our ordinary routine. Spirituality is not just a matter of joining the closest religious community or parish committee or faith-sharing group.

The spiritual life is ... a complete reordering of our values and our priorities and our lives. Spirituality is that depth of soul that changes our lives and focuses our efforts and leads us to see the world differently than we ever did before.

The Rule of Benedict - Insights for the Ages, pg 151 (edited)

Rennie D
12 April 2007

leadership

Yesterday I had fun spending gift vouchers - plus a lot extra - at Exclusive Books. My purchases included The Definitive Drucker by Elizabeth Haas Edersheim. I found the comments in the introduction (pg 12, 13-15) relating to leadership useful.

Edersheim quotes Peter Drucker as saying, "The most important thing anybody in a leadership position can do is ask what needs to be done. And make sure that what needs to be done is understood [emphasis mine]."

Drucker goes on to comment on why so many people in leadership fail, and makes two comments in this regard:

1) They go by what they want, rather than what needs to be done;

2) The enormous amount of time and effort to make oneself understood - to communicate.

In replying to a question by Edersheim as to how leaders can be certain they know what needs to be done, Drucker emphasised two things: asking and listening [emphasis mine]. And in this regard he is also quoted as saying, "... the right questions don't change as often as the answers do."

Further, and personally I think this is a key function of leadership, Drucker emphasises that we all must step up to the responsibility to manage our way to an optimal tomorrow as "... we are all charged with influencing and managing the changes that will define our future."

Rennie D
12 April 2007

lenten review

The following quote by Joan Chittister (from The Rule of Benedict - Insights for the Ages, pg 146), seems to sum up my Lenten journey this year:

Benedictine spirituality recognises that a thing may become valueless to us before it actually becomes valueless. In that case it is given to someone else in good condition. Benedictine spirituality does not understand a world that is full of gorgeous garbage while the poor lack the basics of life.

Rennie D
11 April 2007

anglican eucharistic theology

An interesting site - there is a comment on our Southern African Eucharistic Theology!

Rennie D
9 April 2007

disturb us, lord

This caught my attention:

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

(attributed - Sir Francis Drake -1577 )

Rennie D
8 April 2007

clergy school - a perspective

Diocesan Clergy School, hosted and directed by UNISA, has been an inspiring experience. We have had some outstanding input from various high-calibre academics, including our own Anglican sub-Dean, Prof. Barney Pityana (also vice-Chancellor of UNISA). We have investigated the church’s role in rebuilding our society’s value base, while exploring the diversity of our call in dealing with the various moral challenges all South Africans face, seeking to find ways to reclaim our prophetic voice.

The importance of good ecumenical relationships is critical in allowing the church to speak with “one voice”, rather than with a fragmented denominationalism. Significant to this discussion is the issue of authority, and the Clergy School was asked to recognise four different types: traditional, rational, negotiated, symbolic; that we as Anglicans have a specific perspective on how these aspects influence our praxis, and our understanding of Scripture. The Bible is a consequence and not a cause of Faith, and as Anglicans we question what Scripture means, rather than simply what it says. These perspectives on authority and Scripture impact on our ecumenical relationships. There is a call on us to re-explore the message of Jesus, to regain a radical commitment to the Kingdom of God as put forward by Jesus, and as experienced in the early church, and to be relational – an emphasis on being rather than doing – and not legalistic in our interpretation both of Scripture and Tradition, while also recognising the social and economic relevance of Scripture.

We have been reminded that poverty should remain one of the church’s main preoccupations, that an “option for the poor” is preferential and not exclusive (i.e. not an “option against the rich”), and that transforming the plight of the poor includes the transformation of the wealthy. Sadly, excessive accumulation of monetary and material wealth is mostly at the expense of the poor, and actively ferments poverty. We were asked, “Is inequality ordained by God?” because our lifestyles as Christian people often suggest that it is! Interestingly, while the USA Constitution enshrines “Freedom” as an inalienable human right, our South African Constitution enshrines “Equality”. The lack of genuine equality in South Africa is an active cause of socio-economic domination by a South African elite - increasingly being referred to as the “new apartheid”! Top business structures in this country are still largely in the hands of white people, and despite a growing black middle class this remains an area of grave concern, especially for us as Church. The crisis we face, both as Christians and as South Africans, is that our Constitutional Democracy is deliberately misinterpreted for personal and financial gain. Twelve years into our new democratic society there is no consensus or collective commitment to definitive values, even though key values are enshrined in Constitutional dispensation that include human dignity, human rights and social justice. In South Africa the centre is falling apart as we struggle to maintain the consensus gained in 1994, and this is visible in the corruption, crime and other indicators of moral collapse. As Church, we need to exercise authority in bringing people back to the values of the Gospel and values as defined in the Constitution.

In considering the value-crisis in our society within the context of our Constitution and our Constitutional Democracy, the Clergy School was asked to consider three important questions:

What is it that undermines our Christian values in the communities in which we live?

How do we “hold the centre” as a faith community, individually and collectively?

How do we become effective moral agents?

In answering these questions it was noted that mission happens when the Church is in engagement with the World, and that in order to be effectively engaged we need to develop a moral outlook that is not simplifying or dismissive in attitude, but rather one that builds confidence, assertiveness and freedom. In addition, there is a need to recognise the syncretistic nature of African Christianity – something that is also true of the Western approach to the Christian Faith – if we are to build a new moral base in our society.

Underlying the above is the question, “How do we formulate a Christian society, and how do we influence South African society with this vision?” There are no simple answers, but a partial answer is that we need to own responsibility, backed by an informed personal position refined through public debate. We need to gain a high level of identification and agreement on the issues, and those that are of priority. We need to abandon an “all or nothing” approach in our Biblical interpretation in order to develop a public Theology, including openness to the integration of other societal disciplines (economics, politics …) with our Theological development. We need to acknowledge issues of pronounced patriarchy – men’s oppression of women – and the related pandemic of HIV/AIDS where poor black women in particular suffer: in this regard Biblical interpretation from a patriarchal perspective becomes an obstacle by habitually negating the validity of women’s experience. Once consensus is reached through dialogue, we need to find ways to translate our vision in such a way that it is palatable to a pluralistic society, which often embraces an “anything goes!” approach. We should not allow a concern that such translation will compromise our Christian foundation, for this is unlikely if we seek to uphold the values enshrined in our Constitution in the process.

We were challenged to embrace a pastoral response in interacting with our society, to be bridge-builders, building links between: constitutional rights and religious identity; the judging voices of Christians and those rendered voiceless by religion; fundamentalist/dogmatic voices and those demonised through these judgmental attitudes; fixed forms of traditional morality and fluid internalisation of the best of pluralistic views; the sacred and the profane; hurts of the past and the healing of the future. Essentially a challenge to allow the Church to be the Church, as hard and costly as this will be!

Going forward, we must not underestimate the influence of religion on society – the majority of South Africans claim to be Christian, and many others religious. The task is to move ahead as Church, to regain a progressive voice, and to develop tools that will help individuals to live out their faith. Do we have the courage, as Christians and as Anglicans, to regain our prophetic voice?

Acknowledgement must be given for the high level of academic input received, along with meaningful and stimulating engagement, that has informed the above reflection that contains the helpful insights of the following: Profs D Masoma, R Dolamo, M Masenya, C Landman; Drs J Aristide (President of Haiti), M Naidoo, P Lenka Bula; Canon Prof Martyn Percy and Rev’d Emma Percy. Our grateful thanks to each for their contribution to our week together, and to Bishop Dr J Seoka and Sub-Dean Prof B Pityana for their contribution and vision.

Canon Mark Long
1 April 2007

am i a sinner?

My sermon for Palm Sunday is available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10042. I have reflected on the nature of God's incarnation, that (according to Philippians) we are warned to not seek equality with God. However, God sought equality with us in and through Jesus' life on earth. Not only this, but God was willing to seek equality with the poorest-of-the-poor and those outcast by society. I ask the question, "Am I a sinner?" and reflect that on most Sundays as we have reminded ourselves of the 10 Commandments during this time of Lent, I have left the church property feeling good about myself - I have not committed murder! I have not been adulterous! I've even honoured my parents! I'm OK! ... but am I? I've accelerated, not braked, when the traffic light turned from green to amber. I've driven over the speed limit. I've spoken on my mobile un-hands-free while driving ... and that's just for starters! But I'm OK! What about more serious sin ... CRIME, for instance? My breaking of the law is inconsequential ... or is it? How do we as Christians and South Africans build a value-based centre that outlaws corruption, crime, rape, murder ... if we don't first acknowledge that we, too, are sinners - even if our sin is "rationalisable" and seemingly inconsequential? How do we set an example and speak out against the lawlessness of our society when we struggle to keep the easiest of rules? Why did Jesus die?

Rennie D
1 April 2007

an abundant reception

My sermon for Lent 4 is now available. The focus is on the amazing willingness of God to wait for us to recognise our need for him (as seen in the parable of the prodigal son), along with God's willingness to continue to provide for us even while we re-learn obedience (as seen in his interaction with the early Israelites as they move from Egypt through the desert and into the Promised Land).

Rennie D
23 March 2007

the challenge of moving beyond

My sermon for the third Sunday in lent is available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10040, and focus' on the challenge of moving beyond constancy towards the unknown, to enter into conversation from the perspective of God's will - and not from individual desire - as to the direction a community should journey together.

Rennie D
11 March 2007

lenten sermons

My sermons for the 1st and 2nd Sundays in Lent are available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons.

Rennie D
4 March 2007

an african nicky cruz

Out of the Black Shadows by Stephen Lungu with Anne Coomes is a fun read. It is full of evangelical challenge, and a reminder, once again, of the importance of evangelistic fervour. Stephen Lungu is an African Nicky Cruz, a life turned from the violence and despair of street living to serving God as an Evangelist with international appeal. Worth a read if you desire a bit of straight forward, uncomplicated Christian inspiration!

Rennie D
6 February 2007

gem squash tokoloshe

Gem Squash Tokoloshe by Rachel Zadok is an excellent, but disturbing, account of a young white girl growing up in rural and urban South Africa in the 1980's and '90's. It is in essence a book of spiritual exploration more than anything else, challenging a modern western perception of spirituality and psychological disease. Well worth a read.

Rennie D
6 February 2007

golf & faith

My sermon for today is available - in it I draw the parallels between the game of golf and the life of faith.

Rennie D
4 February 2007

reflections on the year past

My sermon, which is in essence my report to the Annual Vestry (the Anglican version of an Annual General Meeting) of the Parish I serve, is available. I lead in with a focus on the Old Testament reading for the day from Jeremiah (his call) and the "reminder ... that God is a creative God, and that “destruction” as much as “building” is part of the creative process." The full text is also available.

Rennie D
28 January 2007

god delights in us

My sermon for the 2nd Sunday of the Year is available. I have focused on the fact that God delights in us, resources us with only the best, and seeks to be part of the various "pictures" we carry (of God, of ourselves, of others). All this needs to deeply inform us as we respond in mission and ministry.

Rennie D
14 January 2007

epiphany

My sermon for Epiphany is now availalble. The focus is on belonging and identity.

Rennie D
7 January 2007

i am home

I have just completed Max du Preez' book, Pale Native: Memories of a Renegade Reporter, Zebra Press, 2003. As an Afrikaner Max touches on the complexity of being African and pale (page 5):

I am a native of this land, but unlike most other natives, I am pale.

This statement launches Max du Preez' narrative, one that touches regularly – and disturbingly – on events that have been as formative on my existence as on his. I, too, am a pale native (born in Johannesburg), though I lack the roots in Afrikaner identity that plays backdrop to Max’s story. I am a product of the British Empire, but no less connected to the African soil. Like many of my composite tribe, my heritage is a patchwork of belonging: my maternal line bequeaths me a third generation African heritage (and a second generation Scottish!). My adopted paternal line allows me second generation African status, and my biological paternal line a second generation English heritage. All this taken into account, I am more African than English; not Afrikaner, but African none-the-less.

My siblings, perhaps more African than I by birth, have abandoned the African soil, preferring the nourishment of England. They are not alone, a part of the “pale native” Diaspora of this generation who find nourishment on other continents, but whose souls never quite settle, never quite inhabit their adopted cultures. There is a thirst for home, for the African soil – sometimes acknowledged. Unlike them, I remain. What keeps me rooted?

There is much in the New South Africa that makes me feel uncomfortable in a pale skin, even unwelcome. A greater part of that discomfort lies in history, an awareness that we have contributed to the oppression and rape of Africa, the heritage of our Colonial past and the more recent evil: Apartheid. It is an ancestral guilt, not always personal but collective.

Pale Native addresses much of this discomfort, and in so doing creates a new space for belonging. Max du Preez, as he shares his own struggles as an Afrikaner who seeks to break with the traditions of his tribe, brings me to a new place of certainty, a renewed assuredness that I, too, belong. The African soil is my home. With Max I am able to proclaim – proudly – that,

My soul is not the soul of a bywoner … I call myself a native of Africa: pale, but no less native. (pages 5 and 274)

I feel the passion as I read,

The energy that I feel gushing from the soil, my African soil, through my foot soles and into my spirit tells me who I am. The ancient mountains and valleys around me whisper to me that I am where I belong. Forces much greater than loud-mouthed politicians and my own fears and insecurities have placed me exactly here at this time. I am who I should be and where I should be (page 5).

I am home.

Rennie D
2 January 2007