Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Things will probably be a little quiet here for a few days/weeks for holidays although Summer Camp may be a reason to post!!

It's All in the Name

I often marvel at the 'make it up as you go along' spelling of US sport stars names... often phonetic or as if people had no idea... but tonight I heard third hand about a couple of kids from the local maternity ward....

DXJ and La_a ??? Any takers?

That's DJ [the X is silent] and La dash a!!

Two different families! Great stuff!

Congrats card

I've heard this skit on a vinyl LP but I did enjoy the message of the card I received from work!!

Free Shot of Publicity for Toyota

This dreadful advert will get Toyota all the publicity they could hope for in the next week... some of it will be 'bad' publicity though... at the risk of contributing, here's the advert causing all the hassles!!

Continued Ordination Visuals

Ordination Visuals

"Ordination" 12.12.09

Here's an outline of what we collaborated on today for my Ordination. It was a cooperative effort between the Presbytery and a range of people I was able to ask to be involved... a lot of permission was sought and given [unlike the restrictive and paranoid reworking that is the Ordination Service provided by the Assembly Worship Working Group 2009 version... more on that another day]

The space was set with [4] corners, a centre table focus and three visual screens around the space
Theme: Michael Leunig's "How to Get There"

HOW WILL YOU GET THERE...
"Go to the End of the Path Until You Get to the Gate"
Opening Audio-visual "Viva La Vida" Coldplay [new version] with a range of images themed to the song and around the notion of call, vocation and journey... during which the 'worship leaders' and members of Presbytery came in with sticks and cloth carry bags of the elements of worship for the centre table... each was unwrapped and the elements set out...

Welcome and Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners [the Awabakal people] [Nerida]

Presentation of the Ordinand [Felicity]
Narration of Steps to this point [Gwen]

Communal Song "Here I Am Lord" Dan Schutte
which I can never sing thru as it associates with a range of past experiences and deep emotions

CONFESSION
"Go through the gate and head towards the horizon"

Charge [Chris]

Prayer [Felicity]
After the opening lines we planned a few people to bring stones from the table and place them in the previously filled baptismal font... while my previously blogged about 'ballet' video played as background... while there was a minor glitch...

Forgiveness

SERVICE OF THE WORD
"Keep Going Towards the Horizon"

Micah 6: 6-8 [Maz]

PREACHING OF THE WORD
"Sit Down and Have a Rest Every Now and Then"

The STORYTELLER [Geoff]
Clip from 'Batman Begins'.... where are you? and story about the congregational prayer calling for God to speak as a sheep had entered the rural church and sounded 'baa baa baa' reflecting on how we hear God?

Rob reflects on 'Who Do You Say That I Am?'
Where I spoke about what a week it had been and who might be most surprised to be here today for THIS....
I talked about Jesus as the one who saw us for who we are and valued us...
That we are called to live out the values of God
AND that whatever step today was, which had begun in the mid 1980s with a surf convo about 'how do you get to be a Youth Worker?'.... it was a continuation, a new standpoint but the same journey... and that my delibartions had been kept honest by the bloke who wasn't there today... Dave Edwards... who would not have been taking this step, shared our humour about this being a 'turn to the darkside' and how Dave would have convinced someone to join our procession in Darth Vader costume...

Prayer and beginning of questions [Felicity]

THE SONGWRITER [Phil]
Who wrote a new version of a Mumford and Sons track, calling it... "Timshel" or 'I Shall/You Shall'
[lyrics and tune next post]

Second Question

THE PREACHER [Nicole]
Reflecting on Luke 9: 18-24
Nic spoke eleoquently about the 'who do YOU say that I am?' question seeking to convey the plural in the question and the notion that we answer by our actions not just what we'd say...

Third Question

PEOPLES RESPONSE
"But keep on going, just keep on going"

Creed
We believe in God
Who is never confined to our beliefs
and never held fast in our dwelling places.
Our God is the mystery of the divine and human bound together
Of power and vulnerability
of crucifixion and resurrection.
Our God is the wonder of truth and compassion
Of liberation and responsibility
Of eternal wisdom and costly grace.
We celebrate God.
[Dorothy McRae McMahon]

Question four

Ordination Prayer and Laying On of Hands

Communal Song "Holy Spirit Rain" Michael Earl/Phil Newton

Declaration of Ordination

Spoken Blessing [contemporary Aaronic blessing words]

A NEW BEGINNING
"Keep on Going As Far As You Can"

Prayers of the People [Rah]
Who has until now been painting in one corner with a canvass on the theme of having newspaper in one hand, Bible in the Other plus iPod and other contextual connections in action...

Presentation of Gifts
UCA Stole [Felicity]
Bible [Jenny]
My own designed Stole kindly made by Karen Mitchell Lambert [Graham]
Pottery Plate and Cup [Chris from Adamstown]

EUCHARIST

Offering

Contemporary sharing fo words between Felicity and Rob in inviting Communion participation
Included singing of 'The Communion Song' from NCYC '99 and performance of 'Aboriginal Lord's Prayer' and 'Kyrie eleison...'

Communal Song "Stories of Hope" [Rob H and Phil N]
Stories of Hope ©2007 R. Hanks P.Newton

A Dmaj7
Stories of faith calling us to explore
A Dmaj7
What matters now is who we might be
Bm Dmaj7
It has to be believed to be seen
Bm D A
God’s story of love who could ask for more

Bm D A
Stories of faith [calling us onwards]
Bm D F#m
Stories of love [our example to follow]
Bm G F E A Dmaj7 A Dmaj7
Stories of hope [showing there is a way]

We can all see what love has done
Jesus stands in solidarity
Actions louder than words making history
The values of God won’t be undone

(Chorus)

Dreams come and go around what might be
Hope against hope inspiring all things
We travel along despite our struggles
God’s call comes alive in you and in me

Story of faith [calling us onwards]
Story of love [our example to follow]
Story of hope [showing there is a way]

Blessing

Plus after the Blessing there was a viral video of "Best of Both Worlds" Midnight Oil and opening comments from Peter Garrett [Waveaid performance]

Videos to follow!!

Ordination Saturday

If I had any energy I'd blog about some of the creative plans we have for my Ordination on Saturday but there will be a full outline 'sometime' next week!! Essentially I suggested a seemingly unrelated set of elements for a variety of reasosn ans the great bunch of friends/colleagues/practitioners I'm coillaborating with were able to see the common thread of 'journey' that was the one thing I had gleaned...
We are using the Michael Leunig cartoon 'How to Get There' in it's progression, to map the worship journey through Micah 6: 6-8 and Luke's version of the 'who do you say that I am?' story!!
Well, the rest can wait... and then I'm going to write my feedback letter to the Assembly Working Group responsible for the dreadful worship outline provided as the rules and guide for such occasions... it's practically censorship and to my mind these guides are one of the great untouched areas when it's all mission, change, new forms, context and discipleship in other spheres... then we revert to wordy rubbish for our peak moments...

Vale Michael Joyce

I heard this morning that Michael was killed in a car accident while back here in Oz on holidays from the UK!! His friends started a tribute site linked to Facebook so it's the first time I've received such major news online!! Apparently while they were driving in Tassie a truck crossed to the wrong side of the road causing the collision.

Michael was someone who did just make you smile and laugh at the thought of him... a genuine, funny, caring yet restless soul who's journey was special to have been even just a little part of... he will most certainly be missed!! The 'joystick' no doubt has left a hole in the social, pub and 'drag' scene in the UK!!

Michael's mum is in hospital so I will try to find out what's happening!