e-zine for December 6, 2006
What is Your Reason for the Season?
“The hero journey is inside of you; tear off the veils and open the mystery of your self.” ~Joseph Campbell
The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of
By Ian Lawton
I went to bed with wood splinters in my hand. In a deep sleep I dreamt that I was squeezing orange pips (seeds) out of my skin. Our real life community nurse, Marji, was in the dream, egging me on, about how much better I would feel to get them out. Luckily in her waking life, Marji is less prone to stating the bleeding obvious.
In the dream, Marji was the hero with a thousand faces and I suspect the pips were my inner demons. The dream stayed with me, shadowing my thoughts like an inner eclipse.
My fascination with the dream took me to Arthur Conan Doyle, and his mystery, “The Five Orange Pips”. In the story, a man died under mysterious circumstances after receiving five orange pips in the mail. Sherlock Holmes was on the case, but too slow to prevent the Ku Klux Klan from killing John Openshaw. He had to deal with the demons of injustice and mortality. Holmes, the hero, came face to face with a beastly shadow that was his rational limitation.
Then, my mind turned to another famous dream- The Book of Revelation. The words of Joseph Campbell appeared to me as if in a bubble above my head- “Myths are the world's dreams. They come from the same place.” It struck me that the Book of Revelation captures realizations about the outer world in crisis and the inner world in turmoil and expresses them in symbolic form.
Words alone can’t do justice to the profound doubt caused by these crises. So literature such as Revelation give accounts of vivid dreams that put flesh on experiences and their interpretation. Revelation speaks to both inner and outer crises. It challenges the oppression of the Roman Empire that was the outer world in crisis, suggesting that if the Empire continued unfettered things would get worse before they got better. Its end would be grisly as the Empire would sow the seeds of its own destruction.
That’s part of the point of the Book of Revelation. Campbell also reminds us that when we get overly distracted by the beast “out there”, we miss the opportunity to become aware of inner revelations; those moments of awareness and humanity.
Our fear of apocalypse is really a fear of heartbreak, of things falling apart around us. Dreams, myths and revelations ask us how willing we are to let our hearts break and to simply allow the shape of our humanity to emerge; flawed, limited and tender. Our acceptance of heartbreak and humanity clear the way for us to wake up from the dream and live lives of courage and passion in the face of despair.
The beautiful thing about the orange pip dream is that Marji is a real life hero of humanity as well. She has inspired so many of us with her courage and humanity in the face of outer and inner demons. She was the hero in my dream and her message was simple; wake up and embrace it all, the beauty and the pain of life.
Through the Advent season at C3/CCC, we are exploring The Book of Revelation and Christmas as symbols for greater humanity. On December 3, we explored the inner revelations. We spoke about the reality of random and indiscriminate suffering, but also our power to choose how we respond to suffering by immersing ourselves in the reality of the present moment rather than seeking some future escape. Bishop Spong has helped so many of us to read the Bible without the nonsense literalism of raptures and marks of the beast. On December 10, he brings us the magic beneath the Christmas myth. On December 17, we will tackle the social or outer demons of empires, ancient and modern.
Through it all, we will call each other to a deeper humanity and a wider embrace of life as it unravels. After all, seas have storms, clouds have lightning and roses have thorns- forever.
Exploring Revelation With New Eyes
Some of us had our doubts, but he pulled it off... Ian was able to inspire us to live deeply connected lives through a progressive reading of the book of Revelation.
We have all experienced the traditional sermons focusing on the interpretation of Revelation as the literal foreshadowing of the end of the world, but if you have been looking for a fresh approach you are in luck.
As we are exploring the magic in myths this advent season, Ian leads us to a new understanding of the magic of Revelation. As you will see Revelation addresses the very personal and human issue of existence, finding meaning in suffering, and discerning the signs of transition, the signs of death and rebirth that are surrounding us at all times.
Happy Revelations to you all!
Read Ian's sermon from December 3 here
Don't Miss Bishop Spong's trip to Western Michigan
Best-selling, provocative, Christian author and world-renowned speaker Bishop John Shelby Spong will be coming to Western Michigan for a weekend workshop at Christ Community Church, December 9 & 10.
If you are looking for a new way to experience Christmas you will not want to miss Saturday morning's lectures as Bishop Spong uncovers the magic beneath the myths of the traditional Christmas story.
As our concepts and ways of relating to God evolve, so do our spiritual practices. If you are looking for a new experience of prayer you will not want to miss Saturday's afternoon session as Ian Lawton leads in us "Big Mind" an active, participatory, meditation technique.
The weekend will conclude on Sunday as Bishop Spong leads our morning Advent gathering, followed by our Alternative Gifts Market, and wrapping up with a dialogue between Bishop Spong and Ian Lawton, on the future of Progressive Christianity.
Biography info on Bishop John Shelby Spong
John Shelby Spong, whose books have sold more than a million copies, was the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark for 24 years before his retirement in 2001. His admirers acclaim his legacy as a teaching bishop who makes contemporary theology accessible to the ordinary lay person— he’s considered a champion of an inclusive faith by many both inside and outside the Christian church. In his latest book, The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible’s Texts of Hate to Discover the God of Love (Harper San Francisco, April 2005), the visionary thinker seeks to introduce people to a proper way to engage the holy book of the Judeo-Christian tradition.
A committed Christian who has spent a lifetime studying the Bible and whose life has been deeply shaped by it, Bishop Spong says he was not interested in Bible-bashing. “I come to this interpretive task not as an enemy of Christianity,” he says. “I am not even a disillusioned former Christian, as some of my scholar friends identify themselves. I am a believer who knows and loves the Bible deeply. But I also recognize that parts of it have been used to undergird prejudices and to mask violence.”
A visiting lecturer at Harvard and at universities and churches worldwide, Bishop Spong delivers more than 200 public lectures each year to standing-room only crowds. His bestselling books include Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, A New Christianity for a New World, Why Christianity Must Change or Die, and Here I Stand. His next book, Jesus for the Nonreligious, is due out in April 2007.
His extensive media experience includes a profile segment on “60 Minutes” and other appearances on “Good Morning America,” “Fox News Live,” “Politically Incorrect,” “Larry King Live,” “The O’Reilly Factor,” William F. Buckley’s “Firing Line,” and “Extra.”
Bishop Spong and his wife, Christine Mary Spong, have five children and six grandchildren. They live in New Jersey.
Bishop Spong's official website
What Is Big Mind?
Big Mind is an interactive exercise that offers an insight into the heart of all spiritual traditions, including Christianity.
Dennis Genpo Merzel Roshi, one of the preeminent Zen Masters in the Western world, developed this unique and revolutionary exercise that combines Voice Dialogue and shifts in self awareness. It’s a simple and fun process that is well suited to our western, inquisitive minds. Anyone can do it.
Big Mind is a unique opportunity to get to know different aspects of who we are, as well as offering a glimpse of the divine seed within. This is a great opportunity to enter a dialogue with yourself and others, and deepen your divine awareness at the same time.
Ian Lawton is a student of Genpo Roshi's and has trained in the facilitation of Big Mind. Grounded in the Christian tradition, Ian brings a unique perspective to the Big Mind process.
The Big Mind session has sold out. If you purchased your ticket by November 22 you are assured a reservation and will receive your ticket in the mail soon. If you would be interested in future Big Mind workshops please email Allison for more information.
click here for the official Big Mind website
Don't Miss the Alternative Christmas Market on December 10!
The Alternative Gifts Market at C3/CCC is an annual event run in conjunction with Alternative Gifts International (AGI). AGI is a nonprofit, interfaith agency. AGI provides education for people of all ages about global needs and raises funds each year in its Alternative Gift Markets and from individual donors to respond to those needs. Designated grants then are sent to the established international projects of several reputable nonprofit agencies for relief and development.
Alternative Gifts Markets provide an appropriate non-profit response to consumerism, which can become very excessive at Christmas time. Gifts such as providing therapeutic feeding for Indonesian children or purchasing a solar-powered computer for a rural school in Honduras, can be made in honor of family and friends at this festive and celebratory market setting.
The market is designed for people of all ages and can be a perfect opportunity for parents to bring a global consciousness to their family's traditions. Feel good this Christmas as your spending goes to making the world and better place while getting your Christmas shopping done early without having to fight the crowds at the malls!
Alternative Gifts International website
Sarah Jenan This Sunday at C3/CCC
Sarah's own spirituality has been inspired by the writings of Bishop Spong, and is thrilled to be a part of our gathering on Sunday.
Sarah expressed her appreciation for C3/CCC, "It is such an honor to share my heart and soul with the community at Christ Community Church. They have welcomed me and even encouraged me to perform some of my music that challenges some of the more traditional Christian philosophy."
We are thrilled to have Sarah perform songs from her new album for us, even before her CD release party next week. Sarah will have her album available for purchase following the morning's gathering, and will be donating a portion of the album sales from the morning to C3/CCC.
Visit Sarah's website
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