jonnybaker

future present

This year’s Pioneer Conversations day is about how we imagine a different future to inspire how we act now. The idea for the day was inspired by a book called Radical Imagination which is on social research among activists. They talk about prefigurative research by which they mean - getting people together to design the present on the basis of an imagined future that is not already here. I blogged about it here. So we will be having conversations about future present planet, future present city, future present society, future present church, future present God and future present whatever else people come up with. Looking forward to it!

More details are on the pioneer blog, and the booking page is here and we are looking for contributions.

monoscapes - photo exhibition in ealing

friend and fellow photo group member alex has an exhibition in for arts sake for two weeks - call in!

Infinitely more important is the looking

i have written about william eggleston's show and an evening in conversation with him on our photography group web site here - infinitely more important is the looking

rage despair hope

i am so pleased that finally rage despair hope has landed in proost as a downloadable resource. the artwork is a set of illustrations on the book of job by the amazing si smith.  i first saw the artwork and we used it a few years back at grace in 2011. it's been developed as a resource by the creative guys at youthscape - originally designed for schools it coud be used in loads of ways. we based an alternative worship service around it for example. anyway the resource includes the following

• a beautifully made 30 minute film about Job
• 22 high-res pieces of art work created by Si Smith and all of the audio files so each section can be used/presented independently if preferred. 
• Workshop resources to use with the material.
• A further 8 minute movie from the Lacey Theatre Company.

wonderful!

the same god

on tuesday we had a celebration at CMS for the pioneers who have trained on the CMS pioneer training and were graduating, finishing, getting ordained, or becoming lay pioneers. it was a wonderful occasion. one of the students, steve, had put together the celebration which included a boat filled with water as a centre piece. there was a brilliant moment late on when he switched on two fans with a plastic sheet attached which became a billowing sail. this was all exploring the idea of journeying  and relying on the wind of god's spriti to fill the sails for the next part of the adventure. steve had also written an opening piece of liturgy/prayer which he has kindly sent and i have put below - the same god, locating pioneers in a long line of ancestors who have gone before...

The same God who spoke in to darkness, ‘let there be light’,

The same God who was with Noah and his family in the flood,

The same God who called Abraham and Sarah and promised them the stars,

The same God who appeared to Moses in the burning bush, 

And was with him through the sea and into the desert,

The same God who was with David as he approached Goliath,

With Daniel in the lions’ den,

With Samson, with Gideon, and with Jonah in the belly of a fish,

The same God anticipated by Isaiah, by Anna and by Simeon,

Who came as a baby, born in a stable, and fled as a child refugee.

The same God who turned water to wine, 

walked on the seas and modelled self-sacrificing love;

healing the sick, touching the untouchable, even raising the dead.

The same God who wept.

The same God, which this world found guilty, and nailed to a cross.

This Jesus, this God, who could not be defeated but rose victorious,

This God who let his wounds be touched by doubters,

Who ascended to heaven, and descended as fire,

The same God, who appeared to Saul, and inspired a new way of living.

The same God, who has been seen in the lives of the saints past,

In Benedict, in Francis, in Julian,

in Mother Theresa, In Martin Luther King Junior and in myriad unsung heros of our faith,

This same God,

The pioneer and perfecter of our faith,

Is here with us, gathered today.

As we mark this occasion and celebrate with our pioneering friends,

May we know your presence and closeness, 

your comfort and disturbance, 

your grace, peace and love.

Amen.

the sail on the boat together with this reflection is worship trick 65 in series 4.