"...flesh and blood..."

Nativity, by He Qi, China, www.heqiarts.com
Copyright © 2001, He Qi

"The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish."

from John 1.14 The Message

one size fits all documentary

one size fits all is a new doc by some Canadian people, about the varied ways in which Canadian communities like emerge are trying to engage with the cultures around them, while searching back to the roots of the early church. Nick is featured in some of the interviewing as well as our friends Dave from Curieux and Kim from the Open Door. Have a gander!

I don't know about you but I've seen a few films of this type but they always seem to come out of the UK and the US, so interesting to get a Canadian perspective.

Nick has a copy of the DVD to circulate and here is a link to their website.
http://www.onesizefitsall.ca/about

nxt7

sunday december 21st

we'd thought we'd try and do something for others this sunday, seeing as much of last sunday's gathering was basically for ourselves (see photos below).

the idea came from talking with Duane & Miriam last week. they are both involved with young people living rough, and we talked about doing something appropriate for them. they suggested that making and packaging homemade cookies, then delivering them personally to people living rough around the city, would be appreciated. so, the plan is to meet at 3.30 pm at the Undercroft, to decorate and pack the pre-cooked homemade cookies, then at 5 pm we will head out with Duane and spend time delivering the cookies, and talking with the people we meet.

you could always cook the cookies at the Undercroft if you don't have access to an oven. failing that, you can even buy 'homemade' type cookies. (it's just that they won't have been made in your home!)

are you up for it?

Duane asks you to let me know if you are going to be there, so that he can plan his route! please email me at nick_brotherwood@hotmail.com

Waiting

the emerge/curieux advent collab
click image to see full-size

Advent Conspiracy

Here's something to think about...

nxt7

sunday december 14

5pm the Undercroft
an emerge & curieux advent/christmas collabo.

potluck supper plus hands-on stuff & stations
live music, candles, carols,
bring food, bring friends!

see video of our last christmas collabo, nativity, on the emerge youtube channel.

defibulator

pete rollins

nick knows how much I really liked pete rollins' book "how (not) to speak of god". that's why he forwarded me the great video below, of pete expounding on the idea of the ironic in the way we keep a distance between our idea of god and actually living him. If you can't understand nor'n ayrsh particularly with a tinny mpeg compression then my apologies, also beware of flying hand gestures :)

btw i highly recommend "how (not) to speak of god", an exploration of pete's post-modern takes on traditional items of orthodoxy, which I found very helpful. pete's all about the idea that while we need theology (our speech about god), it isn't god and will ultimately fail to be Truth since it is a human construct. You have to weather a hailstorm of pomo and decon jargon but if you like that sort of thing (i do :p) it's very rich.

nxt7

Sunday, December 7th - "diving into scripture"

I know that I often take many things and more unfortunately many people for granted, loosing sight of the importance and significance of these things and people. I frequently need to be reminded of these things.

God seems to do this in many ways. one of the prime ways is through his word written. the letter to the Philippians contains lots of reminders which are 'a propos' not only for the original readers but also for us.

so, along with , soup, (thanks Taika) bread, coffee, music, friends, we get to grips with some of the issues Paul brings up in his letter.
5pm the Undercroft

"take time"

The Archbishop of Canterbury's thoughts on Advent...(10 mins)

we're gonna need a bigger boat!

Hello to all our friends, brothers and sisters in Christ!

December is here and we have tried to move the EDG from Tuesdays to Wednesday's and once on Thursdays. The outcome of our experience has been good but could be better. It started as Movie Nights where we used a lot of time talking about matters of interest and sharing personal issues that needed a friendly ear.

The Emerge Discussion Group's mission is to bring the opportunity to be yourself with friends and discuss matters that really are important to all of us. I would like to offer the opportunity to any of you to host an evening of EDG if you want to. We can talk next Sunday about it to make it official!

Since Tanya and I are traveling to Chile in 2 weeks, all indicates that we may need a holiday recess to prepare our trip, but that doesn't mean you can take it too HA!! :P In January we could think about some winter activities we may like to explore. A big hug to all of you. If you have ideas please bring them upfront, because at Emerge we really try to be engaging, participative and a vibrant community in Christ, so don't be shy!

Joan

nxt7

sunday november 30

celebrate the feast! we gather back at the Undercroft to celebrate God's goodness to us, with food, coffee, tea, music, talk, friendship, worship and of course through sharing the Lord's Supper together. 5 pm

emerge's Red Hippo Arts Project

friday november 28

Namuwongo, Kampala, Uganda
a month in Namuwongo

we would like to invite YOU to see, taste, feel of some of what it was like to spend four weeks in Uganda.
Friday November 28th, 5-7pm
The Undercroft
625 Ste. Catherine West
(under Christ Church Cathedral)
slideshow, refreshments, children's art & photography

nxt7

sunday november 23

there is no gathering this sunday november 23 at the undercroft
instead we will gather at the old brewery mission to serve supper to a lot of hungry people. it is a really easy way to respond to Jesus' command to feed the hungry. afterwards we get to eat with the employees and other volunteers.
meet at metro Place d'Armes, St. Urbain Street exit at 4.15 pm sharp!

the OBM is at 915 Clark.
must be 12 years or older!

see you there!

thoughts from the nickosphere

"Special Offer!"

“Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10.38-39

“The wealthy would-be disciple was not the only person whose attachment to possessions proved a challenge to his commitment to Christ. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer, martyred by the Nazis, pointed out, the difference between us and the rich man in the story is that Jesus stood before him and did not allow him to reinterpret the Master's words in a more convenient manner. Bonhoeffer claims that the man's honesty in rejecting Jesus' command was better than disobedience that pretends to be obedience today (1963:88). He compares a boy told by his father to go to bed; the boy has studied theology, however, so he is now intelligent enough to reason, "Father tells me to go to bed, but he really means that I am tired, and he does not want me to be tired. I can overcome my tiredness just as well if I go out and play." But a child offering such arguments to his father would likely meet with language or an experience he would have to interpret more literally, as would a citizen with her government-or a disciple who reasons away God's demands. (Bonhoeffer 1963:90).”

Craig S. Keener

Leave your comments below...

tossed around at the planning meeting:

one of the things we talked about at a recent planning team meeting, was that people enjoyed using a worship stations approach, and someone suggested the theme of "discipleship" as a theme for an evening using worship stations.

most of us enjoy worship stations when someone else creates them, but feel as though "I couldn't do anything like that!" about it. so to give us some ideas of how we might approach this I have attached a file which I culled from a recent Mission Shaped Intro evening. please read it, and then think about how you could develop a station on discipleship. maybe you would want to work with a friend or two on this.

we will be using the stations on sunday november 16, so you have a week to work on it!

God bless,

Nick

nxt7

sunday november 9
"Hi we are going to do the bulk cooking next Sunday(9th Nov.) Thought Veggie Chilli. How many out there would be interested? Kick off would be 3pm at the Undercroft. We had a great time last time and made loads of soup and turned out very cheap."



"diving into scripture" or at least parts of it, is what we'll doing later that same afternoon! plus bread, soup, live music, coffee, friends, & prayer. starts 5 pm the Undercroft.


tuesday november 11
mission shaped intro : week 5
re-imagining church - leadership & discipleship

this sell out six-week course continues this tuesday at 7.15-9.30 pm.


wednesday november 12
emerge discussion group continues to ask itself brain-bending questions. watch out for Joan's email for time & location.


musicians & singers get together to play & sing (funnily enough!) 7.30 pm 3498 Harvard, NDG.

sunday november 16
worship stations (nothing to do with trains!)

defibulator

bigger is scarier

you can read Jorge Luis Borges' 1975 short story "The Book of Sand" online at this address: http://artificeeternity.com/bookofsand/complete.htm

no worries, it's really short. ;)

a bible salesman gives the protagonist a mysterious book he traded for a bible from an "illiterate hindu". the book has no begginning nor end and you can't find the same page twice. he tries to keep a list of llustrations but finds the page numbers are never in order and never repeat. he tries to flip back to the beginning but there's always a new page and you can never get back.

the book in the story is intended (we can surmise) as a foil for the nice, predictable scripture we like to think we have. full of comfort and answers, it never wrinkles our brow. right?

or is god's truth often a little more like the shifting book of sand? challenging, unexpected? disturbingly larger than our full understanding? and when so, isn't it easy to do with it what the protagonist does at the end of the story?

nxt7

sunday november 2

"telling my story" or at least parts of it is Emilie White, the story of her relationship with God that is. plus bread, soup, coffee, friends, scripture & prayer. starts 5 pm the Undercroft.


tuesday november 4

mission shaped intro:re-imagining church - worship
this sell out six-week course continues this tuesday at 7.15-9.30 pm.


wednesday november 4

emerge discussion group continues to ask itself brain-bending questions. watch out for Joan's email for time & location.

musicians & singers get together to play & sing (funnily enough!) 7.30 pm 3498 Harvard, NDG.

sunday november 9

"Hi we are going to do the bulk cooking next Sunday(9th Nov.)Thought Veggie Chilli. How many out there would be interested? Kick off would be about 3pm at Emerge. We had a great time last time and made loads of soup and turned out very cheap."

thoughts from the nickosphere

the leaves are still tenaciously hanging on to the branches outside;
winter has threatened but then backed off for a while it seems; the lull before the storm/the beginnings of a new realisation that of veneer of affluence is not as thick as maybe we thought it was. the dawning new financial realities giving us a fresh perspectives on ourselves, our lives and of course our relationships with others.

maybe there is an opportunity for God to get through to us in the current climate, in a way we have been insulated from before. of course it depends on our willingness to listen for God's voice, in our willingness to pay attention to God's voice among the welter of all the other voices calling out to us.

so who are you going to listen to? who am I going to spend time with?