From: Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation, Thursday 22nd January 2022 Professor Heidi Russell describes a way of speaking about the Trinity as Love that might allow modern Christians to connect more intimately to God. In the twenty-first century a new understanding of Trinity must be found that allows Christians to reconcile their image of God with a contemporary, scientific worldview. Theology needs to move away from concrete images of God in which God is pictured as an old man in the sky. The use of concepts such as being and person in our trinitarian theology have too often led to an understanding of God as a being or a person, or worse as three beings or three persons. Shifting from language of being and person to a concept of God as Love can help counteract this tendency to make God in our own image. The primary analogy for God as Trinity offered [here] is Source of Love, Word of Love, and Spirit of Love. God the Father is the Unoriginate Source of Love, simply meaning the ultimate source, the source that has no origin itself because it is the origin of all love that exists. That Source of all love has been revealed in the Word of Love. The world was created in and through that Word of Love, and that Word of Love has been spoken into the world in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. The Source of Love is also continually enacted in the Spirit of Love, which is present in the world and active in the heart of all believers forming the Christian community into the body of Christ. As the body of Christ, this community is then called to be the ongoing presence of God as Love in the world. . . . To affirm God as Trinitarian Love means that our relationships with each other have the potential to mirror such divine, three-fold love. Russell quotes Pope Francis: The human person grows more, matures more and is sanctified more to the extent that he or she enters into relationships, going out from themselves to live in communion with God, with others and with all creatures. In this way, they make their own that trinitarian dynamism which God imprinted in them when they were created. Everything is interconnected, and this invites us to develop a spirituality of that global solidarity which flows from the mystery of the Trinity. [1] She continues: We can choose to exercise the unfolding of love in our lives. I can meditate on a God who is Love, who has enfolded Godself as Love at the core of who I am and empowered me to participate in the unfolding of that Love in the world. Through that meditative prayer, we will come to better enact Love in the world. Our hearts can literally change our brains. Our altered brains will change our actions. That unfolding of love means I am empowered to live out my life in relationships that are loving, that engender mutuality and equality in the world.

 

[1] Pope Francis, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, 240. Heidi Russell, The Source of All Love: Catholicity and the Trinity (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2017), xvii, 171, 174.

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One of the great challenges for the UCFORUM has been how to respond effectively to the many people who request information about progressive congregations and individuals in their area. Some would like to join a church where diversity, inclusivity and exploration are practiced. Others are looking for intellectual challenge in the teaching and activities of a congregation. Many are just looking for other individuals like themselves who think outside the box, or cannot abide literal, non-critical interpretations of scripture. Often people in the latter group don’t want to associate with a church because of their experiences. They just want to join a small group of people that can encourage each other in their life journey. There is obviously a significant number of people looking for progressive friends. They get a lot out of the UCFORUM but personal contact with like-minded people would be wonderful.

We find it difficult to give a satisfactory response to all the inquiries from all over Australia because we just don’t have sufficient information about our many subscribers and our need to abide by privacy protocols. We are constantly on the look out for congregations where progressives would feel comfortable and make that information available.

We have links to the major progressive groups in each State and Explorers groups that we know about so sometimes we can pass the inquiry onto to them.

The most recent request came from someone in Toowoomba. If you come from that area and are willing to be a ‘friend’ to another progressive there please send me an email – psinglis@westnet.com.au.

If you have any suggestions about how we could improve our response to inquirers please also email me with your suggestions.

Thanks,

Paul

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Following the positive feedback directly to us, Greg Jenks has kindly given us access to his message for Good Friday at Grafton Cathedral. We would prefer to see comments posted at ‘Leave a reply’ on the post page rather than by return email. That way everyone can share your thoughts.

Good Friday Sermon 2021- The Heart of the Good News

Greg’s sermon for Good Friday in 2018 created some controversy, especially in Sydney Anglican circles:

Good Friday Sermon 2018 – Rethinking the Cross of Jesus

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from The Very Rev’d Dr Greg Jenks, Dean of Grafton Cathedral, NSW and a Senior Lecturer at Charles Sturt University, NSW.

[Greg has kindly provided us with last Sunday’s sermon in video and written form. It is a challenge for our times and for each of us to reflect on.]

The Video

The Text:

As we celebrate Palm Sunday today, our Jewish friends are observing Passover.

To our Jewish neighbours here in Grafton, to our Jewish citizens around the nation, and to all Jews everywhere—whether in Palestine or in the Diaspora—we say Chag Pesach sameach (happy Passover festival) and we wish them ziessen Pesach, a sweet Passover.

Passover and Holy Week are for ever entwined, even if some years our different calendars mean that we observe them a few weeks apart.

For many centuries, Jews have ended the Passover seder with these words: 

L’Shana Haba’ah B’Yerushalayim 

Next year in Jerusalem

Jerusalem draws people of faith—not just Jews, but also Christians and Muslims.

We want to be there.

For sure I do, just as soon we are allowed to fly once more!

That was also true in ancient times.

At Passover time the population of the city would swell from 20,000 (some say up to 100,000) to 2,000,000 people.

Any Jew who could be there would be there.

And so would the Roman army!

The stage was also set for conflict.

The Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate, came to Jerusalem for the Passover, but not for religious reasons. He was there to keep an eye on the crowd and ensure direct control of his bolstered garrison during the week-long festival of liberation from enslavement.

This week, together with our Jewish friends, we celebrate the crazy idea that the compassionate power at the very heart of the universe is on the side of the powerless, and opposed to every form of empire.

This week drips with intense religious meaning, but also with powerful politics.

Every empire, no matter its religion, is held to account by the sacred truths we affirm this week.

We have a choice in the way we understand our religion, whatever our faith happens to be. 

We can choose to see God as endorsing the emperor, or the ways our society arranges power, wealth and opportunity. That has always worked well for religion as we get a cut of the action: tax-free lands, freedom from military service, governments funds for church buildings and programs. Sometimes even a seat in the House of Lords.

That kind of god rides into Jerusalem on a white horse surrounded by the banners of imperial privilege and with the power to arrest, imprison and kill their opponents.

There is a different kind of god who rides into Jerusalem on a donkey.

Such a god enjoys no imperial privileges and commands no army. His kingdom is not of this world. Or more correctly, his kingdom in this world reflects the way that the divine will is enacted in heaven. Far from getting access to government funds or a place at the table when big decisions are being made, this donkey-riding-god is murdered by the people who enjoy imperial privileges.

The god who rides a white horse thinks he has defeated the god who rides a donkey.

But it is not so.

The slaves are set free, the crucified one is raised to life and exalted to glory.

That disruptive truth is central to the Passover story as well as to Holy Week.

Today I invite you to pause and think about which kind of god you imagine yourself to be serving.

Does your god ride a horse or a donkey?

About Greg

• Dean, Christ Church Cathedral, Grafton
• Adjunct Senior Lecturer, School of Theology, Charles Sturt University
• Executive Director, Centre for Coins, Culture & Religious History
• Coin Curator, Bethsaida Excavations Project, Israel.
• Fellow, Westar Institute, Willamette University, Salem, OR.

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via Tim O’Dwyer.

A retired senior citizen was asked what sort of changes he was feeling in himself? This was his sage response:

1 After loving my parents, my siblings, my spouse, my children and my friends, I have now started loving myself.

2 I have realized that I am not “Atlas”. The world does not rest on my shoulders.

3 I have stopped bargaining with vegetable & fruit vendors. A few pennies more is not going to break me, but it might help the poor fellow save for his daughter’s school fees.

4 I leave my waiter a big tip. The extra money might bring a smile to her face. She is toiling much harder for a living than I am.

5 I stopped telling the elderly that they’ve already narrated that story many times. The story makes them walk down memory lane & relive their past.

6 I have learned not to correct people even when I know they are wrong. The onus of making everyone perfect is not on me. Peace is more precious than perfection.

7 I give compliments freely & generously. Compliments are a mood enhancer not only for the recipient, but also for me. And a small tip for the recipient of a compliment, never, NEVER turn it down, just say “Thank You.”

8 I have learned not to bother about a crease or a spot on my shirt. Personality speaks louder than appearances.

9 I walk away from people who don’t value me. They might not know my worth, but I do.

10 I remain cool when someone plays dirty to outrun me in the rat race. I am not a rat & neither am I in any race.

11 I am learning not to be embarrassed by my emotions. It’s my emotions that make me human.

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The Politics of Prayer Monday, December 28, 2020   I’ve often said that we founded the Center for Action and Contemplation to be a place of integration between action and contemplation. I envisioned a place where we could teach activists in social movements to pray—and encourage people who pray to live lives of solidarity and justice. As we explained in our Center’s Radical Grace publication in 1999: We believed that action and contemplation, once thought of as mutually exclusive, must be brought together or neither one would make sense. We wanted to be radical in both senses of the word, simultaneously rooted in Tradition and boldly experimental. We believed . . . that the power to be truly radical comes from trusting entirely in God’s grace and that such trust is the most radical action possible. [1] To pray is to practice that posture of radical trust in God’s grace—and to participate in perhaps the most radical movement of all, which is the movement of God’s Love. Contemplative prayer allows us to build our own house. To pray is to discover that Someone else is within our house and to recognize that it is not our house at all. To keeping praying is to have no house to protect because there is only One House. And that One House is Everybody’s Home. In other words, those who pray from the heart actually live in a very different world. I like to say it’s a Christ-soaked world, a world where matter is inspirited and spirit is embodied. In this world, everything is sacred; and the word “Real” takes on a new meaning. The world is wary of such house builders, for our loyalties will lie in very different directions. We will be very different kinds of citizens, and the state will not so easily depend on our salute. That is the politics of prayer. And that is probably why truly spiritual people are always a threat to politicians of any sort. They want our allegiance, and we can no longer give it. Our house is too big. If religion and religious people are to have any moral credibility in the face of the massive death-dealing and denial of this era, we need to move with great haste toward lives of political holiness. This is my theology and my politics: It appears that God loves life—the creating never stops. We will love and create and maintain life. It appears that God is love—an enduring, patient kind. We will seek and trust love in all its humanizing (and therefore divinizing forms. It appears that God loves the variety of multiple features, faces, and forms. We will not be afraid of the other, the not-me, the stranger at the gate. It appears that God loves—is—beauty: Look at this world! Those who pray already know this. Their passion will be for beauty.

[1] Richard Rohr, from Radical Grace, anniversary edition (December 1999).

Adapted from Richard Rohr, “Prayer as Political Activity,” Radical Grace, vol. 2, no. 2 (March–April 1989).

Franciscan Richard Rohr founded the Center for Action and Contemplation in 1987 because he saw a deep need for the integration of both action and contemplation. If we pray but don’t act justly, our faith won’t bear fruit. And without contemplation, activists burn out and even well-intended actions can cause more harm than good. In today’s religious, environmental, and political climate our compassionate engagement is urgent and vital.

370,000 people now subscribe to Richard Rohr’s daily meditations.

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The Faith of a Radical Christian – theologian, Reverend Don Cupitt is interviewed by Neville Glasgow.

Reverend Don Cupitt speaks about the concept of salvation, the comparison of his view of Christianity to Buddhism, how people view God as perceived through cultural values, and the concept of sin. He then speaks about Jesus as a revolutionary, and “Christian Platonism” – Christianity intertwined with Greek philosophy.

He then discusses the role of the Church in society, and his own personal role within it as a priest. He speaks about the idea of evil, and addresses the question of why God allows suffering – he says human beings are responsible for the world, and that is where change needs to come from. He also talks about miracles, belief, and the need for Christianity to transform from tradition to a ‘new’ Christianity.

The interview concludes with further discussion about his radical views on Christianity which compromised his position in the Church, with some labelling him as a heretic.

Go to:

https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/collections/catalogue/catalogue-item?record_id=174712

[Thank you Tim O’Dwyer for this link]

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The Transforming Power of Love – Richard Rohr

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. —1 John 4:7–8 This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. . . . This I command you: love one another. —John 15:12–14, 17 Love is perhaps the last thing anyone wants to be reminded of in these days following the election in the United States. Yet our resistance to love is precisely why we need to talk about it! We have strayed so far from love; and yet, love is the essence of who we are, and how we are called to treat one another. “Whoever loves is born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7). Unfortunately, many Christians think, “If I read the Bible, I’m born of God; or if I go to church, I know God; or if I obey the commandments, I know God.” Yet the writer of 1 John says it’s simply about loving. Note that the converse is true also: “Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8). In the Gospel of John, Jesus takes this to its logical conclusion. He does not say, “There is no greater love than to love God.” Instead he says, “There is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends” (John 15:13). As biblical scholar Allen Dwight Callahan writes of this passage, “Jesus has loved his followers so that they may love each other. Love calls for love in turn. Love makes love imperative.” [1] The beginning and end of everything is love. Only inside of this mystery of the exchange of love can we know God. If we stay outside of that mystery, we cannot know God. When most of us hear the word “commandment,” we likely think of the Ten Commandments; that is not what Jesus is referring to here. He speaks of a “new” commandment surpassing and summing up the “ten” of the Hebrew Bible (Exodus 20:1–17; Deuteronomy 5:6–21): “This is my commandment: Love one another” (John 15:17). He also says that the entire law and the prophets are summed up in the two great commandments: to love God and to love one another (see Matthew 22:36–40). Perhaps we don’t want to hear these commandments because we can never live up to them through our own efforts. We’d like to whittle this down to a little commandment, like “Come to church on Sunday,” so that we could feel we have obeyed the commandment and accomplished love. But who of us can say that we have fully loved yet? We are all beginners. We are all starting anew every day, in utter reliance on the mercy, grace, and compassion of God. This is a good example of “the tragic gap” that faith always allows and fills.   [1] Allen, Dwight Callahan Love Supreme: a history of the Johannine Tradition (Augsburg, Fortress, 2005, 78-79.

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We hope the members of our growing network of progressive thinkers and explorers are all safe and well. Rex Hunt has taken the initiative of inquiring of several of the scholars and practitioners we follow just how they are managing in the Covid crisis.

Here are their responses:

Brandon Scott (USA)

Hi to everyone in Aussie Land, Margaret and I are here in Taos NM in the wonderful house we stayed in last fall. We are halfway through our 5 week stay. We travelled in our quarantine bubble. Things are pretty shut down here, but we get out for walks and short car trips; always something new to explore. 

From the news, some parts of Australia, esp Melbourne have had a hard time. Hope everyone is doing well. 

If Tyche favors us, it looks like our four year nightmare may be coming to an end. Take care and be safe.

Joe Bessler (USA)

Thanks so much for thinking of us! We’re doing pretty well even as cases in Oklahoma are at their highest levels yet and continue to, pressuring hospital staffs. At school we’re doing all online. I’m transitioning from the Dean’s office where I’ve been for the last two years. 

How’s the economy there? Are you all on edge as you move into summer—concerns of fires? Has drought eased? 

We’re all on edge with the election coming up—that Trump is not being utterly rejected, 

And with still a fair chance of winning (and anything can happen in the next couple of weeks), is beyond my comprehension. 

Jack Spong (USA)

How nice to hear from you.  The stroke slowed me down considerably so I live in the past today. I am not depressed. I had a wonderful life and I look forward to what comes next.  Australia was very kind to me and formed many of my happiest memories.  I remember meeting you for the first time in Canberra and being very pleased with your leadership.  That was never diminished by a long association.  Thank you for that. 

Please give my best regards to my friends. I recall them well and with gratitude.

Keep the fight up.  We have much to be proud of.

Jeff Proctor-Murphy (USA)

Thanks Rex! Appreciate the warm thoughts. We’re hunkered down and so far have avoided the virus. Church has been virtual since mid-March and likely ’til Christmas Eve. 

We’re all getting along fine. Love to you and yours!

John Churcher (Britain)

Thanks for the email and for your concern. It is good to hear from you in these challenging times. 

I cannot remember whether or not I told you that although the prostate cancer treatment appears to have been successful there was a very unpleasant side effect in that the radiation damaged the blood vessels in the bowel and I have been bleeding daily for the past year. Things came to a head 3 weeks ago when the GP wanted me to have a blood transfusion but the hospital decided otherwise. Then, almost immediately, having waited 5 months for the second argon beam coagulation treatment [having been told that I would be waiting only 2 -5 weeks….] The consultant who carried out the treatment thinks that he has done the trick… Fortunately I am feeling much better…

Obviously regular preaching ended abruptly in March and so far shows no sign of restarting but lockdown has given me precious time to catch up on all those books waiting to be opened…

I have just finished re-reading Geering’s “Christianity Without God”, brilliant book!

Best wishes to you and hope that you continue to enjoy retirement and stay well away from those Covid bugs – we need you fit and well for a long time yet!

Gretta Vosper (Canada)

Has it not been almost the worst year E.V.E.R? I hope you and Dylis have been staying well. 

Scott continues to work in the long term care facility he’s been at for the past many years. It is a publicly funded one which receives from the local government an additional 2/3 of what the province provides. So they have been able to keep COVID out of the home excepting one staff person whose partner brought it home from a private home that had a staggering number of deaths. Money truly is the root of all evil. The company that owned several of the private homes in which dozens died paid out huge profits to its shareholders in the same quarter. Time to dismantle some of the more egregious corporate laws, like limited liability, for instance.

Imagine me heading off on a rant straight out of the box!!

West Hill, too, has been spared any COVID losses. We did not return to regular meetings when we were permitted to simply because we felt our members were too vulnerable. 

The result has been that we have extended our community reach to the UK, Africa, the US and all across Canada. 

It has been a good thing in that, but we have many seniors who are not able to connect at all. It is like solitary confinement for them. So so so difficult. 

Thank you so much for reaching out… As it begins to warm up there, I hope you are able to avoid the kind of destructive fires that were so devastating last year. 

Wesley Wildman (Aussie in USA)

I’m running along just fine here. Weird times in the USA with weirder to come given the strange election. 

My routines haven’t changed much aside from not traveling. Not sure how much I need to travel anymore, in fact. 

But I miss not connecting with people in person. 

Jerome Stone (USA)

So nice of you to be concerned, Sue and I are both OK.  But I do have trouble getting a wi-fi connection. (Long story.)

We have both voted.  We mailed our ballots.  We think they will get through.  Our daughter’s mailed-in ballot was received.

Been reading Spinoza to stay calm.  He’s half right.

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