Virtual Methodist

Been thinking again about what it is to follow the example of an incarnate God who, as Peterson puts it, "became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood" (John 1:14 from the Message), and I thought again about the example of Henri Nouwen , the theologian, activist and writer, who gave up his high-flying, academic existence to become a carer for physically and mentally handicapped people. In his book “ Gracias ” he says: More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets. It ...

Once upon a time I was a minister to a congregation which had suffered much in the little local difficulties referred to more generally as "The Troubles." Their once thriving congregation had dwindled to a mere handful meeting behind locked doors on a Sunday; their youth organisations had long since stopped meeting for fear of what might happen on dark winter nights; their premises had been fire-bombed and vandalised in many ways, and had fallen further into disrepair as income shrank with the numbers attending worship; and the local area had changed from one which was inhabited by both Roman Catholic and Protestant, to one where some of both communities had been driven out of their houses and there now existed a large wall that ran straight through the church premises themselves. The only problem was that the front door to the church building was on the "Catholic" side of the wall, and most of the congregation now lived on the other side. But despite these adverse ...