Bill Maher on "Secret millionaire"

America’s rich aren’t giving you money, they’re taking your money. Between the years 1980 and 2005 80% of all new income generated in this country went to the richest 1%. Let me put that in terms that even you fat-ass teabaggers, I’m sorry, can understand.

"Say 100 Americans get together and order a 100 slice pizza. The pizza arrives and the first guy takes 80 slices. And if someone suggests, why don’t you just take 79 slices, that’s socialism! I know, I know. I know, I know, it’s just a TV show. But it does reinforce the stupid idea people have that rich people would love us and share with us if only they got to walk a mile in our cheap plastic shoes.

But they’re the reason the shoe factory moved to China. We have this fantasy that our interests and the interests of the super rich are the same. Like somehow the rich will eventually get so full that they’ll explode. And the candy will rain down on the rest of us.

Like there’s some kind of pinata of benevolence. But here’s the thing about a pinata. It doesn’t open on its own. You have to beat it with a stick."

Bill Maher

Principles for preaching- words don't (primarily) mean things

Words don't (primarily) mean things.
They do things.
Even when they mean things they are doing things, whether it is making (notice the 'ing') sense of experience or performing some interpersonal role.

When you prepare to preach, the most important question is not "What am I trying to mean?", but "What am trying to do ?". If you get the second question clear, the first question will fall into place.

When I write the words above, I'm not (primarily) trying to put together ideas. No, I'm trying to remind myself of the purpose involved in any speaking, and I'm letting you in on this reminder.








Now, I've been reading Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations. I'm not through it yet, but I think he is perhaps a bit harsh on Augustine. (somehow missing Augustines focus on desire???)
Anyway, he was big on the idea of the function of words. Words 'mean' only within certain language games. He maybe goes to far and cuts off any connection with the outside world (it is all game), but it is interesting none the less.
Can any of you smart people let me know how linguists feel about the philosophical 'turn to linguistics'? In some ways the functional approach of Wittgenstein seems similar to the Systemic Functional Linguistics of MAK Halliday (only Wittgenstein is heaps easier to read!)

Television, death and loneliness

"One thing tv does is help us deny that we’re lonely. With televised images, we can have the facsimile of a relationship without the work of a real relationship. It’s an anesthesia of “form.” The interesting thing is why we’re so desperate for this anesthetic against loneliness. You don’t have to think very hard to realize that our dread of both relationships and loneliness, both of which are like sub-dreads of our dread of being trapped inside a self (a psychic self, not just a physical self), has to do with angst about death, the recognition that I’m going to die, and die very much alone, and the rest of the world is going to go merrily on without me. I’m not sure I could give you a steeple-fingered theoretical justification, but I strongly suspect a big part of real art fiction’s job is to aggravate this sense of entrapment and loneliness and death in people, to move people to countenance it, since any possible human redemption requires us first to face what’s dreadful, what we want to deny."
David Foster Wallace





How do you think we can give people the freedom to be themselves in our churches? Not in a 'be yourself', sweet, overly positive way, but a courageous, 'coming face to face with oneself' way.

Wallace's own fiction is an attempt to break with the passivity of television. You have to work your brain to 'get it' (though there is a great payoff in the end). How much of the message we give in church affirms passivity? In our desire to 'get the message across', how much are we encouraging passive receptivity? How could we say,in our preaching, approach Wallace's definition of real art fiction? How can we create an expectation that listening to a sermon will be joyful work? That it will not all be apparent at the surface, but will linger with an aftertaste? A sermon that haunts the world of the listener, turning up at surprising moments. Wouldn't that formally fit the work of the Spirit better?


Given Wallace's analysis about the fear of death, do you think our preaching of the resurrection helps, or functions in a similar way to television? How could we do it differently, since resurrection should also include the idea that you will die?

Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Come and make safe

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Christ is Born

A Child is born in Bethlehem

1. A Babe is born in Bethlehem,
Bethlehem,
Therefore rejoice, Jerusalem.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

2. Within a manger He doth lie,
He doth lie,
Whose throne is set above the sky.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

3. Stillness was all the manger round;
Manger round,
The creatures its Creator found.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

4. The wise men came, led by the star,
By the star,
Gold, myrrh, and incense brought from far.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

5. His mother is the Virgin mild,
Virgin mild,
And He is the Father’s only child.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

6. The serpent’s wound He beareth not,
Beareth not,
Yet takes our blood, and shares our lot.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

7. Out human flock He enters in,
Enters in,
But bears no single taint of sin.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

8. To fallen man Himself He bowed,
He bowed,
That he might life us up to God.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

9. On this most blessed Jubilee,
Jubilee,
Al glory be, O God, to Thee.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

10. O Holy Three, we Thee adore,
Thee Adore,
This day, henceforth, for ever more.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

God is no tourist

To a world living in darkness, the light has come,

To a thirsty world, God has sent Jesus, the living water

To a hungry world God has sent the bread of life, the one who gives life in abundance, full life, the shoots of eternal life in a world parched by death.

To a world that seems beyond repair, to people that seem to be failures, to be a disease on the earth, to be a failed project on God’s part, God has joined himself forever.

He who created all things enters the creation
The Sovereign Lord over all becomes a servant
He who shares the divine name is named with us
The judge the earth shares our judgement
The one worthy of our worship is born as a baby

God didn’t stand far off, throwing commands and condemnations. God didn’t come half way, visiting only the good , or the strong, or those who have it all together. He didn’t come to humankind as a tourist, fawning over the good bits and gawking at the poverty only to return home with some happy snaps. No, in Jesus God came all the way to us. He became one of us. He entered our world of flesh and weakness and death. He entered our world of sin and temptation. He entered our world of joys and sorrows.
God become one of us,
for us

Where we failed to be truly human, he succeeded
Where we backed away, he prayed to his Father
Where we turned to selfishness from fear, he turned to selflessness from love.

Where we deserved condemnation, God hung upon the tree
Where his body ascended into heaven, we will also be.
and already are
Humanity lifted up forever in him.

God is With Us

God is with us!
Understand this, O nations, and submit yourselves for God is with us.

Hear this, even to the farthest bounds of the earth, for God is with us. Submit yourselves, O mighty ones, for God is with us. If you rise up again in your might, you will be overthrown, for God is with us. The Lord shall destroy all who take counsel together, and the word which you speak shall not abide with you, for God is with us. For we do not fear your terror, and we are not troubled, for God is with us. But we will ascribe holiness to the Lord our God, and Him will we hold in awesome fear, for God is with us. And if I put my trust in Him, He shall be my sanctification, for God is with us. I will set my hope on Him, and through Him I shall be saved -lo, I and the children whom God has given me, for God is with us. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness - on them a light has shined, for God is with us. For unto us a Child is born; to us a Son is given, for God is with us. And the government shall be upon His shoulder, and of His peace there will be no end, for God is with us. And His name shall be called the Messenger of Great Counsel, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, the Father of the World to Come, for God is with us.

O come and cheer

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Taking leave of humility- actually I was right all along

One of the running gags between staff members at our church is the idea of taking 'humility leave'.

After the teary and very sincere leave taking of Piper and Mahaney, we think we should be up for a break too!

So I was (not that) surprised to see that what CJ Mahaney learned from his leave is that he was right all along.
At the SGM pastors conference he said sorry for saying sorry because he really wasn't sorry at all.

“Finally, in relation to my confession, I wish I had defended myself. I think I briefly, at the outset, possibly at the conclusion, referenced my disagreements with Brent’s narratives and accusations. But I wrongly concluded that it wouldn’t be humble of me to defend myself. I am now convinced that this really reveals an ignorance of, a misunderstanding, a wrong application of humility. I had no category for an appropriate defense against criticisms and accusations, especially public ones. I think not having a category didn’t serve me.”

Ah humility. I was right, but I just didn't know how to be humble correctly.
Better take some more leave.
Poor sucker Brent, whoever he is. He has just been expertly flanked.
No reference to the material content of the case. Just a confession then a backflip.

Today is born of the Virgin Him Who holds all creation in the hollow of His hand.
He Whose essence is untouchable is wrapped in swaddling clothes as a babe.
The God Who from of old established the heavens lies in a manger.
He Who showered the people with manna in the wilderness feeds on milk from the breasts.
And the bridegroom of the Church calls the Magi, and the Son of the Virgin accepts gifts from them.
We worship your Nativity, O Christ.
Show us also your divine Theophany!

Taize Christmas

O Christ, Son of God, you were before the world began, and you came to earth to save us all: make us witnesses of this Good News.
—Lord, we bless your Name!

You became a little child and were laid in a manger: renew in us the simplicity of childhood.
—Lord, we bless your Name!

King of glory, you accepted such an inconceivable humbling: give us hearts which are poor.
—Lord, we bless your Name!

You became our living bread and gave us eternal life: gladden our hearts by your Eucharist.
—Lord, we bless your Name!

from Taize

In the town of Bethlehem Christ becomes an infant

In the town of Bethlehem Christ becomes an infant as One
Compassionate renewing our nature. We who were born on earth
come let us gladly sing in our hearts a tuneful song to the Master
For He is forever gloriously glorified.

When he had heard Thy report, O Christ the Prophet
(St. Simeon the God-Reciever) was frightened
in that Thou art from a Virgin to be born and he cried out
with trembling Glory to Thy Power, O Lord.

O Renewer of all the world and its Saviour, the whole creation with the
angels extols Thee, it leaps and dances and rejoices with trembling
and it says "Together with me , to the ages all ye works with longing


bless and also highly now exalt hte venerable birthday of my Redeemer."

Mary wholly pure, O rejoice who recieved God ,spotless Maid rejoice foundation of the fallen. O marvel! For today in thee did the Master
appear and thus renew those corrupted and bring up to the light
that has no evening, O Damsel.

Advertisers have stolen

I'm starting to think that advertisments have stolen our culture in order to use it to sell stuff, so I'm putting together a list of things that ads have stolen.
If an advertisment is saying something true about a product, then it doesn't make it to the list. If the element in the ad has nothing to do with the product, it is an element of culture that is stolen

1. Personal witness and testimony. Obviously lost in early advertising
2. Colour- eg recent Telstra ad- lots of nice bright colours, nothing to do with product
3. Expressions of joy. Bombarded with the promise of individual and communal joy from products, which ultimately go unfullfilled, ads have stolen our ability to express joy
4. Sex- don't need to explain this one
5. Copious amounts of music. You know, I don't know many pieces of music that were written as responses to a commercial object or service. Most of them seem to be written as responses to other real things in life. Yet advertisments have stolen them, hollowed them of their original reference and instead used them to refer to a product. They thus steal our ability to use that music as a referent of and refelection on human experience.
6. Irony- the much loved response of baby-boomers to corporate pressure has itself been subsumed into the advertising scheme (Think esp Carltons 'Big Ad'). Ahaha we think, they are taking the piss out of themselves, I must go and buy that product.



This list will grow as I can be bothered

Karl Christmas prayer 2

Lord our God, you wanted to live not only in heaven, but also with us, here on earth; not only to be high and great, but also to be small and lowly, as we are; not only to rule, but also to serve us; not only to be God in eternit, but also to be born as a person, to live, and to die.
In your dear Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, you have given us none other than yourself, that we may wholly belong to you. This affects all of us, none of us has deserved this. What remains for us to do but wonder, to rejoice, to be thankful, and to hold fast to what you have done for us?
We ask you to let this be the case in this hour, among us and in all of us!Let us become a proper Christmas community in honest, open, and willing praying and singing, speaking and hearing, and let us in great hunger be a proper Communion community! Amen

Karl Barth, Fifty Prayers

O Come and free

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

We who were in darkness and shadow have found the truth

"Our Savior the dayspring of the East has visited us from on high; and we who were in darkness and shadow have found the truth, for the Lord is born of a Virgin."


The Exapostilarion of the Nativity of Christ

Jonathans favourite song

Always gets smiles and dancing

Taize Christmas

Jesus, Son of the living God, splendor of the Father, eternal light.
—Lord, we praise you!

Jesus, King of glory, Sun of justice, son of the Virgin Mary.
—Lord, we praise you!

Jesus, Wonderful Counselor, Everlasting Lord, Prince of Peace.
—Lord, we praise you!

Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, our help and our refuge.
—Lord, we praise you!

Jesus, God of peace, friend of all, source of life and of holiness.
—Lord, we praise you!

Jesus, brother of the poor, goodness without measure, inexhaustible wisdom.
—Lord, we praise you!

Jesus, good shepherd, true light, our way and our life.
—Lord, we praise you!

Karl Barth Christmas prayer

Dear heavenly Father, because we are here with one another in order to rejoice over the fact that your dear Son for us became a human and our brother, we earnestly beg of you to tell us your self what great grace, well being, and help you have prepared for all of us in him.
Open our ears and our understanding, in order that we may grasp that in him there is forgiveness for all our sins, the seed and strength of a new life, comfort and admonition in life and in death, and hope for the whole world! Create in us the good spirit of freedom humbly and bravely to come to your Son, who comes to us!
Do this today in all of Christendom and in the world, that there may be many who break through all of the vain externalities of these festive days and celebrate a good Christmas with us. Amen

Karl Barth, Fifty Prayers

O Come and ransom

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

On this day the virgin bears the transcendent

On this day the Virgin beareth the Transcedent in Essence, to the Unapproachable the earth doth offer a small cave. Angel join in choiring with shepherds in giving glory, with a star the Magi travel upon their journey, for our sakes is born a young Child, He that existed before the ages as God.

Taize Christmas

O Christ, the prophets foretold your coming, the poor longed to see you.
—Our heart finds joy in God.

The heavens celebrated your birth; the apostles, the martyrs and the faithful down through the ages repeated the song of the angels.
—Our heart finds joy in God.

Your Church praises you in every human language, for she has seen your salvation.
—Our heart finds joy in God.

Son of God, you humbled yourself and became a servant, raising us up to share in your glory.
—Our heart finds joy in God.

We were in darkness and you have given us light and strength, peace and joy.
—Our heart finds joy in God.

Lead us according to your loving will; make us a people who follow you in holiness.
—Our heart finds joy in God.

Give us generous hearts to hear your Word and produce in us abundant fruit.
—Our heart finds joy in God.

(From the Taize website)