nxt7

sunday march 22
"celebrate the feast!" last week we thought about Jesus' remark to his followers that they were both "the salt of the earth" as well as "the light of the world", and talked long about what that might mean. we continue focussing on his teaching to his disciples on the mountainside that Matthew records. Tanya has some songs, there will be soup (mystery soup maker), bread, tea, coffee, etc. and we will celebrate Jesus' victory over sin and death by a simple sharing of the Lord's Supper. it would be great to see you! 5.00 pm the Undercroft.

sunday march 29
"humantrafficking" better known perhaps as "slavery", is sadly all too alive and well in the 21st century. Sally Richmond of 10,000 Villages, NDG. will bring us up to speed on the growing problem which largely involves women and children, as well as outlining some initiatives that are being taken to counter this disturbing trend. accompanied by the usual live music, food, conversation, etc. a good evening to come with a friend!

defibrulator

The Maker - Daniel Lanois

Last Sunday a couple of people were wondering about the song The Maker which Didier, Nick and I have played at emerge gatherings from time to time. This made me realize it might be interesting if one of us occaisonnaly posted something about a tune we've brought to the Sunday gatherings and why. So, here goes: Daniel Lanois' The Maker from Acadie (1989)

Oh, oh deep water
Black and cold like the night
I stand with arms wide open
I've run a twisted line
I'm a stranger in the eyes of the Maker

I could not see for the fog in my eyes
I could not feel for the fear in my life
From across the great divide
In the distance I saw a light
Of Jean Baptiste he's walking to me with the Maker

My body my body is bent and broken
By long and dangerous sleep
I can't work the fields of Abraham
And turn my head away
I'm not a stranger in the hands of the Maker

Brother John, have you seen the homeless daughters
Standing there with broken wings
I have seen the flaming swords
There over east of eden
Burning in the eyes of the Maker
Burning in the eyes of the Maker
Burning in the eyes of the Maker

Oh, river rise from your sleep
















For me it's important that an artist not have the answers, and that a song be more about the ups and downs of the journey than a list of declarations or certainties.

So in The Maker, Lanois seems to be doing all the things that I love in a spiritual song: wondering, contradicting himself, asking. I love how he feels like a stranger when he's trying to make dangerous leaps across the dark water, and then is no longer a stranger when he puts himself in the hands of the Maker and working His fields.

I also find profound the first question that comes out of his mouth when he sees John, which is that he wonders about suffering. And John points to the Fall and the swords over Eden.

For me a questing, questioning song like this can mean a lot to a large amount of people, whereas songs which seem to have all the answers are limited in scope to those who happen to have also found those exact same answers.

nxt7

sunday march 8
"sitting at Jesus' feet"





after last sunday's outdoor exertions, we are back inside the Undercroft at 5.00pm to eat, drink, talk, think, pray, worship, & listen together. to face up together to Jesus' challenging teaching on the mountain.

monday march 9
east of St. Laurent "Jesus Way" reading group meets at 7.00pm chez Julie-Maud

tuesday march 10
NDG "Jesus Way" reading group meets at 7.00pm, Shaika ,Sherbrooke & Old Orchard.

nxt7

well, here we are in Lent again. it's still winter. the Impact are 2-0 up in their Champions League quarter final matches. the tax receipts are in the post. life is interesting!

something to think about...
"So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet. Don't bad-mouth each other, friends. It's God's Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You're supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?" Jesus' little brother James 4.7-12 The Message

sunday march 1
"emerge goes to the country"
no gathering at the Undercroft this week. instead you are invited up to Morin Heights, to Nick & Sue's cabin in the Laurentians for a day of just being together and hopefully enjoying the outdoors. we have some people who have or can get hold of cars, so we just need to coordinate rides. please contact Sue if you haven't already done so, if you can give or need a ride, or want info about buses etc. remember it's a pot luck so please bring some food!

monday march 2
the east of St. Laurent "Jesus Way" reading group happens, Taika is the contact person. another group is getting started in NDG, really, contact Didier to find out more!

nxt7

sunday february 22
"north and south" or "yum, is that raw seal i see? "
you know how emergers get them selves into some pretty interesting places. Julia & Charlie in Cambodia, Steve & Alisha in Kenya. well, Catou got herself up to Ivujivik northern Quebec for a total of ten months a couple of years ago. she is going to tell us about the experience this sunday. as usual there will be bread, soup, coffee etc. as well as live music, prayer and lots of conversation. 5.00 pm the Undercroft, come yourself, bring a friend, forget the Oscars!

monday february 23
the east of St. Laurent "Jesus Way" reading group happens, Taika is the contact person for that. another one is getting started in NDG, contact nick_brotherwood@hotmail.com to find out more!


you've missed Julie Maud's Vernissage (see details in previous post) but not the exhibition, which finishes saturday february 28. a word of warning, make sure anyone you go with is able to prove they are over 18! under 18's, (along with dogs and marijuana,) are definitely not welcome. the paintings look great, I must make another longer visit before the end of the month!

sunday march 1
"emerge goes to the country"
no gathering at the Undercroft today, instead you are invited up to Morin Heights, to Nick & Sue's cabin in the Laurentians for a day of just being together and hopefully enjoying the outdoors. we have some people who have or can get hold of cars, so we just need to coordinate rides. please contact Nick if you haven't already done so, if you can give or need a ride, or want info about buses etc. it'll be a pot-luck so bring some food! more details next week.

nxt7

if you get a chance to see the Canadian documentary film "one size fits all?" I don't think that you will be disappointed! an Undercroft full of les curieux & emergers had a good time watching & then discussing the movie which features leaders of different expressions of church across the country.(see previous post for more.)

sunday february 8
"diving into scripture" sees us taking a look at God's take on the diversity of cultures and contexts we are faced with in Montreal today. along with soup & bread, coffee & tea, there'll be some live music, conversation prayer and of course scripture! starts at 5.00 pm at the Undercroft. it would be great to see you, feel free to bring a friend.

monday february 9
Julie-Maud's vernissage


le Boudoir, 850, avenue du Mont-Royal Est, Montréal







wednesday february 11


a "Jesus Way" group starts east of St. Laurent, contact Nick for details

same day, different location, musicians & singers get together at Nick's place 7.30-9.00pm

nxt7

sunday february 1st

we will be joined by curieux for a pot luck, followed by a showing of the Canadian documentary "one size fits all?" which is described on its website as, "Flying under the radar of pop-Christianity, experimental churches are quietly establishing genuine Kingdom outposts in settings both feared and forgotten. 'One Size Fits All?' uncovers the obscure story of these Canadian missional communities and its leaders." the film features Montrealers Davids Brazzeal & Manafo, as well as the lovely and talented moi-meme! so, the Undercroft at 5 pm and bring food to share please!

nxt7

sunday january 25th: "celebrate the feast!"

"Jesus be the centre" has been one of my favourite songs for a while now. one of the things Jesus told us to do was what has become known as the lord's Supper, Holy Communion, or the Eucharist. it's one important way of making sure that Jesus really is the centre of our lives and not just a nice thought. so we are going to enthusiastically celebrate the life, death and resurrection of jesus and all of its amazing implications, with bread & soup, words & song, coffee & tea, as well as with bread & wine! think about bringing a friend to the Undercroft at 5 pm this sunday!

tuesday january 27th
Eugene Peterson has written a neat book, "The Jesus Way," hit this link and scroll down to "Introduction:the purification of means" and you can read all 18 pages for free. a group meets at 7 pm to discuss it, email Nick for details.

nxt7

last sunday we had a really good time eating Taika's delicious soup, and considering what, if any, parallels exist between some of us and the magi Matthew tells us of in his gospel. I think some of us were surprised along the way, which somehow seemed appropriate. we took the title 'journies', as a frame for our approach, and do you know what, it seemed to work!

sunday january 18
"diving into scripture!" apart from sampling Catou's soup along with some crusty bread, we'll be 'chowing down' on Philippians, the apostle Paul most positive letter. this'll be the last in our series on this particular letter. in preparation you might want to read the one-page intro from The Message, and re-read the letter itself, it'll only take you fifteen minutes or so. think about what strikes you as you read, and bring it with you! of course there'll be fair trade coffee, tea, tisane, some music, time to pray, and of course friends! so 5 pm the undercroft, and why not bring a friend or two?

thoughts from the nickosphere

A new year lays invitingly before us like a newly fallen field of snow, daring us to make our tracks, full of a multitude of possibilities.

besides plunging recklessly and sometimes thoughtlessly into the future, merely repeating old patterns, we can give ourselves the chance to consider the tracks we want to lay down in this new year, and maybe determine some of the tracks we definitely do not want to lay down! those tracks usually comprise a mix of exciting possibilities towards which we look, but also ominous consequences we would dearly love to avoid. Traditionally this is a time to review priorities for the coming year, commitments we have made, allegiances to confirm or deny. I guess the most common form of this activity is the making of New Year’s Resolutions. The making of them is always comparatively easy; it’s the keeping that is the problem.

The commitments we make as followers of Jesus can sometimes share some of the same characteristics of these resolutions, easy to make, difficult to deliver on. We all need help and encouragement if we are going to make the changes that we see as being necessary in our lives. We all need people who will support us in our commitments, rather that persuading us to renege on them. For followers of Jesus the church should be that primary supportive community. Not church as institution or club, but church as reasonably functional family. A family who will be there for us with unconditional love, and for whom I will be there to play my part. Not a consumer-producer relationship, but an interdependent one where we are intimately and personally involved. Many of us are having to deal with experiences of church which was far different from the ideal I describe, and the reaction is often to disconnect or to maintain only a vague sentimental connection, this response is seldom satisfactory either to the individual or the community. One of the things all of us will have to take seriously as part of the emerge community this year is what are we individually willing to contribute if we value our participation in it. Emerge will be six years old this year. what shape will it take? what will it look like? These questions call each of us to serious thought and conversation, as together we develop answers.

I have recently started reading a book by one of my favourite authors, Eugene H. Peterson, (he’s the one who translated the old & New Testament into The Message paraphrase). The book is “The Jesus Way” and is subtitled, “a conversation on the ways that Jesus is the way.” You can read the introduction and the first chapter here. I am finding it to be a really stimulating book which addresses some of the real obstacles we have to overcome if we are to not capitulate to the dominant consumer culture, and live out a totally consumerised version of following Jesus which may not end up being a true following. I think that it is a book that many of us could do with reading and discussing the issues it raises. So have a read of the intro and decide if you would like to be part of a reading group to read and discuss this book together. Whether or not we read the actual book, I believe the issues it raises are pertinent for all of us, and are worth considering together as a community. so in the coming weeks and months we will be using the shape that Peterson gives us to guide our Sunday evening gatherings.