e-zine for June 22, 2006
The Practice of Progressive Prayer

"So much prayer comes down to this: Almighty God, grant that two times two not equal four." ~Ivan Turgenev

We Believe What We Practice
By Ian Lawton

Summer camps begin around America this week. Hopefully young people are learning values such as self respect, care for others and respecting nature. In particular, I hope the camps with a Christian label attached will be speaking of values such as fighting poverty, loving enemies and resisting materialism.

A new documentary, "Jesus Camp", tells the story of a North Dakota summer camp where kids as young as 6 are taught to become dedicated Christian soldiers in "God's army."

At the camp, the children are asked: "How many of you want to be those who will give up your life for Jesus?" Grimy little hands then shoot up from every direction. They are told: "We have to break the power of the enemy over the government." At one point, a camp leader yells: "This means war! Are you a part of it or not?" More little hands reach for the heavens.

Kids plays video games at the camp that debunk evolution, and are told that science can't prove anything. Oh, and a little political indoctrination is thrown in for good measure, ensuring that very young kids are equating Christian and Republican.

Young people learn what they live. They believe what adults encourage them to practice.

At Jesus Camp, kids are taught to pray to a 'fatherly' God. It seems natural, according to child development, for young children to believe in a magical God who solves their problems. What may become more confusing to kids is the idea that prayer has an outcome already in mind.

Children need to learn that life offers surprise more than certainty. They need to learn that we more often receive what we need, than get what we want. They need to begin learning that sometimes difficult times are necessary and can't be wished away.

The point is made nicely in this story about a butterfly.

A little boy sat and watched the small opening in a cocoon for several hours as a butterfly struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no further. So the little boy decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily, but it had a swollen body and small shriveled wings. The little boy continued to watch the butterfly. He expected that, at any moment, the butterfly would take off in freedom.

It didn't happen! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly.

What the little boy did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening was nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. Without challenges, we would not be as strong as we could have been. We may never fly as human beings if we aren't given the space to evolve through difficulty.

We would do well to suggest to children that prayer is more like this:
We ask for strength and instead we receive challenges that make us strong.
We ask for wisdom and instead we receive problems to solve that make us wise.
We ask for prosperity and instead we receive brain and brawn that help us get ahead.
We ask for courage and instead we receive dangers to overcome that make us courageous.
We ask for love and instead we receive people who teach us what love is.
We ask for favors and instead we receive opportunities.

In the words of the Australian cartoonist, Michael Leunig:

"God give us rain when we expect sun.
Give us music when we expect trouble.
Give us tears when we expect breakfast.
Give us dreams when we expect a storm.
Give us a stray dog when we expect congratulations.
God play with us, turn us sideways and around.
Amen."

Needless to say, my kids won't be at Jesus Camp this summer. My hope for them is that this summer they will soak up the myriad opportunities that summer will bring; opportunities to grow and stretch as human beings, to observe life and nature, and to continue learning the truths of love shared and strength gained. That sounds a lot like the message of Jesus, a message that could never be contained in any one political ideology and could certainly never be paralleled to an army.

Ian's Bio

The Practice of Progressive Prayer Workshop

What does prayer look like when the belief of a God in the clouds is no longer relevant?

Traditionally a narrow and specific form of prayer has served as the cornerstone of Christian Spiritual Practice. Many find the act of praying to an external God, as Bishop Spong conveyed it, "As adult letters to Santa Claus" is no longer a sufficient spiritual practice. As our views of God and humanity expand, our more narrow practices seem to only be a small piece in the puzzle.

As our concept of God and the Divine expands two common questions that usually develop in liberal and progressive religious circles are:

1) What purpose does prayer serve in my life?

2) How do I pray?

We are nearing the end of a three-week experiential workshop in which we have been exploring those two questions. Jesus said to love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. We understand this teaching to offer some clear principles for a Progressive Christian Spiritual Practice.

1) Practices that help us wake up to the Spirit that is already present within, between, and beyond.

2) Practices that integrate heart, body, mind, and soul, as applied in self, culture, and nature.

Last week we explored practices that help us awaken to the seed of God between. We would like to share with you one of the practices that you may find helpful.

Compassion Exercise
Created by Harry Palmer

Choose one person for this exercise who you would like to unite with through compassion.

Step 1: With attention on the person, repeat to yourself: 'Just like me, this person is seeking some happiness for his/her life.'
Step 2: With attention on the person, repeat to yourself: ’Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in his/her life.'
Step 3: With attention on the person, repeat to yourself: 'Just like me, this person has known sadness, loneliness and despair.'
Step 4: With attention on the person, repeat to yourself: 'Just like me, this person is seeking to fulfill his/her needs.'
Step 5: With attention on the person, repeat to yourself: 'Just like me, this person is learning about life.'

All You Ever Wanted to Know about Enlightenment and Ken Wilber!

In the latest issue of the popular spiritual magazine "What is Enlightenment" the next spiritual revolution is explored in this way:

Is traditional religion relevant to the postmodern world? WIE explores the groundbreaking work of Ken Wilber, a popular integral philosopher whose latest book sheds a revealing light on the past, present, and future of human spirituality.

This autumn, Ken Wilber will release Integral Spirituality, a book whose aim is to completely transform the way the world sees the spiritual dimension of life. WIE takes an exclusive look between the covers of this ambitious project and examines the extraordinary work of a man with a vision big enough to encompass the whole Kosmos.

If you have ever wanted a concise overview of the work of Ken Wilber this is one magazine you simply cannot miss. WIE is without a doubt our staff pick for best magazine. It is a quarterly magazine with so much information and fabulous articles that it will take you three months simply to take it all in.

Why Integral Matters in Exploring Your Own Spiritual Journey

Integral Matters is an emerging group that functions independently of Christ Community Church.

All are welcome to be a part of the next Integral Matters Salon on “Being and Becoming: Exploring Your Spiritual Journey.” Learn about a Zen map of spiritual growth, meditation as spiritual practice, and connect with like-minded people. Dr. Patrick Duiven will be leading this session. Patrick is a psychologist specializing in integral practice.

Wednesday, June 28
7:00-9:00 p.m.
Christ Community Church, Parlour

Come see how you can integrate your mind, body and spirit.
Suggested donation is $10.

A Progressive View of the Trinity at C3/CCC

This June we have focused our gatherings around a Progressive view of the Trinity, exploring the God within, between and beyond. Past gatherings can be explored through, the bulletin archive, the sermon archive, or by purchasing a DVD of the gathering.

June 11- The God Within: A Progressive Understanding of Trinity, Part 1
In this gathering we began our three-week series on the doctrine of the Trinity, and explored a first-person experience of God. We were inspired by the words of Marianne Williamson:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves 'who am I to be brilliant, to be gorgeous, to be talented and fabulous.'
Actually who am I not to be. I am a child of God.
My playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won’t feel insecure around me.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us – it is in everyone.
As we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we liberate our own fear our presence automatically liberates others."

Ian encouraged each of us to live with the humility and responsibility that the God within calls for.

June 18- The God Between: A Progressive Understanding of Trinity, Part 2
As we continued our Trinity series. Rev. Ned Edwards, a retired Presbyterian Minister and also one of the founding members of C3 North, our Frankfort satellite community, led our gathering. Ned is an experienced and articulate speaker who has been exploring Progressive Christian theology for many years. Ned brought to us the work of Martin Buber as inspiration, and explored a second-person relationship with God.

Don't Miss This Sunday!

June 25- The God Beyond: A Progressive Understanding of Trinity, Part 3
The third and final week in this series on Trinity takes us on a journey into mystery. An experience of the God beyond beckons us to dwell in possibility and to revel in the wonder and miracle of life and nature.

“God does not die on the day when we cease to believe in a personal deity, but we die on the day when our lives cease to be illumined by the steady radiance, renewed daily, of a wonder, the source of which is beyond all reason.” --Dag Hammarskjold

In this gathering we will be sharing in the One Taste of the Eucharist, we will be graced with music from British world-travelling artists Toni & Taylor, and Ian Lawton will be speaking.

Read Text of Recent Sermons Here

Check Out the Bulletin for this Sunday and the Bulletin Archive!

Take a look at this week's bulletin. The elements of this gathering have come together beautifully to inspire a moving, communal experience of the God beyond. This week as we participate in the Eucharist be mindful of this ritual and what it means to you and to your family.

May the words of John O'Donohue, from this week's blessing inspire you,

"May your body be blessed. May you realize that your body is a faithful and beautiful friend of your soul. And may you be peaceful and joyful and recognize that your senses are sacred thresholds. May you realize that holiness is mindful, gazing, feeling, hearing, and touching. May your senses gather you and bring you home. May your senses always enable you to celebrate the universe and the mystery and possibilities in your presence here. May the Eros of the Earth bless you."

bulletin download here

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