do only christians go to heaven?

this is the topic of this week's immersion

this is a disturbing question because it deals with a person's ultimate and eternal destiny.

this notion that some people are in and some are out does not sit well with many people and it will be interesting to see where people are at with this question.

so, tomorrow night there will be some music and a video but the lion's share of the evening will be dedicated to discussion.

after all, if we can't answer this then where do we sit?

just because something is uncomfortable does not mean that it is untrue so what do we do with this idea that there are some who are forever cursed or, at the very least, destined to miss out on the love god has for the human race? let's chat.

immersion...not for spiritual tourists

at the foot of the cross

there is little to report about last night because the images stand for themselves.

i am kicking myself that we didn't have a camera there to capture the service because there were a lot of powerful things that happened last night.

we stationed various tables around walt's house with words like 'lust' 'rage' 'indulgence' 'waste' 'pride' and 'gossip' and people were invited to read over our definitions and then look at the art or display pieces present at each station. if something resonated with them they were invited to pick up a stone and carry it with them.

at the end of the stations (there were 13 total) people returned to the main room and we all sat in a half circle and talked. then we played the song fix you by coldplay and people reflected on what the stones symbolized. during the song, as people felt led, we placed the stones at the foot of a cross we had placed in the middle of the room, surrounded by candlelight.

the theology is simple: when we honestly journey with god we begin to become aware of the things in us that are not holy, that can be downright destructive and evil. we become aware of our deplorable condition.

and if the faith ended there it would be a terrible thing. but the point of the journey was one of self-awareness as we all had to pick up stones and admit that we were the bearers of these 'weights of transgression'

but the journey was not about self-awareness or shame. the journey was about the cross. the journey was about taking that step of self-awareness and seeing that, even though we may think we are doing okay, we are in desperate need of salvation.

last night's service was about an image. and the image was the weights that we carried (both literally and metaphorically) being laid down at the foot of the cross.

we entered into that service light...we became aware of our own heaviness...then we were invited to lay down those burdens at the foot of One who loves us so much that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes will not perish but have everlasting life.

salvation begins with awareness of sin but, thank god, it ends with that sin losing all power over us.

next week we wrap up our discussion on conversion...join us.

conversion...what's the point?

knock, knock

who's there?

annoying religious types interrupting your sleep to tell you about jesus.

annoying religious types interrupting your sleep to tell you about jesus, who?

annoying religious types interrupting your sleep to tell you about jesus, because that is how conversion is viewed by a lot of people!

a terrible joke...a disturbing truth.

at last night's immersion service we discussed what it means to be converted. some people had some positive things to say about it...others compared it to certain people who knock on the door and bother you with literature and pamphlets about their religion.

we talked about the biblical character of zacchaeus and his encounter with jesus. we talked about the great lengths this little, despised, and criminally wealthy man went in order just to see jesus pass by. he risked physical harm at the hands of the crowd, he risked humiliation as he climbed a tree to see the One he came to see.

we talked about how, after his encounter with the One who called him by name to come down from the tree and dine with him, he gave away half of what he owned and paid back 4 times what he took.

then we talked about the fact that jesus declared salvation to zacchaeus and his entire home.

why?

something happened in the little tax collector (latin: publicanus) that made him into a new person. he was converted from the crooked money-grubber into a generous and honest person. then jesus ends the story by saying that the son of man has come to find and restore the lost.

it is in the term "lost" that many people get ruffled.

when saying that some are lost and some are found we get the idea that some are in and some are out. some are messed and some are free and clear. that makes people angry.

so let's change what lost means. let's say that lost is not about being condemned but about being in the wrong place, on the wrong path, just some place that we don't need to be. everyone (i think) can relate to that. now, when zacchaeus was stealing from people and taxing them too much he showed that he had lost his way. after his encounter with jesus he had been found...adn salvation had come!

i think conversion is something we don't talk about too much in the ol' ucc but it is essential in order to understand the faith

after all, what is the point of learning all this stuff and going to church if not to become better people?

what is the point of becoming a better person if not to become a good person?

why stop at being good if we are not going to try to attain perfection?

what is the point of trying to be perfect if that is not something we can ever achieve?

and i think it is in these questions which help us see the need for conversion...

we are all, at one point or another, on the wrong path. we are all lost (not damned or even condemned) and in need of guidance. and that is where jesus comes in.

for the kind of conversion that god has in mind does not come from within but from on high. god loves you so much that he refuses to allow us to stay in our lost state...god has come to find and restore the lost. conversion is not about who is in and who is out...conversion is about being set free. like a prisoner getting released from jail, like a sick person at the end of an illness.

conversion. it is not about being made into something you are not, but about being born into something you were always supposed to be...but just forgot along the way.

this is the vid that we used to start the service.

goin' up to the spirit in the sky

well, tonight is all about conversion and the deeper questions about who gets into heaven and why.
it should make for some interesting discussion and, no doubt, some differing views.
the question before all the faithful is: what does it mean to be a follower?

what does this faith journey entail?
what is it supposed to look like?
what is the point of being a follower?

hopefully we'll get some more answers tonight...or, at least, ask some good questions.

18 li'l monkeys came out to play....

well, i must confess that i am impressed. through the rain and cold our community of park-cleaners was MUCH larger than i expected. i honestly thought that maybe 3 or 4 people would come and hang out but i was quite surprised when 16 other people joined melissa and i to clean up donovan bailey park last night.

the night was great...and wet...and cold and then there was the whole "dead frog" incident (some of our group toiled over whether or not to throw out the body of someone's deceased pet frog found in the field or if we should give the poor thing a proper burial....then we turned it over and noticed that this creature was apparently made in china...so i guess that settles it, god is chinese! we threw it out after that). we filled 3 bags with garbage-which was good because that park is actually quiet clean-and spent about an hour doing so.

at the end we took some time to reflect on the fact that environmental issues, when viewed with the idea that god has given this planet to us as a gift, are really spiritual issues.

teija shared with us that she is joining david suzuki's plan to help households to become more environmentally friendly and we look forward to getting more information about that.

afterwards we chatted for a while at tim hortons and then ended the night.

on the car ride home i commented to melissa how much better last night went than i expected and i must share with the whole community that i really think god is taking care, and honouring, this little experiment. we are seeing new faces joining us each week and the discussions are good, the music has been amazing and the spirit is rich and full. truly we have been blessed and i look forward to next week's talk about conversion and whether or not christians are the only people to get into heaven. should be interesting. check out the videos for a cool short film about creation and we'll chat again soon.

ps: oh yeah, and we even had our first "immersion north" team that were out last night cleaning in northern ontario as their way to stay connected with the group even though they were far away...very cool.

tonight, oct 10

okay, so we are good to go for the 1st ever edenism park-clean-up challenge.
the weather is looking good tonight at about 12 degrees. there is a chance of rain so if it gets really bad we'll clean for a while and then head to the tim hortons for coffee and a chat.
hope to see you out there tonight.
7pm donovan bailey park...just look for the immersion sign

check out the video section for an interesting short film (about 8 minutes) called creation about, you guessed it, creation.

edenism

he-don-ism
1.
the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good.
2.
devotion to pleasure as a way of life: The later Roman emperors were notorious for their hedonism.

e-den-ism
1.
reversal of the hedonistic ways of our society which have greatly threatend the health of our planet.
2.
a play on words [see pun] in that it is also an attempt to respect creation and struggle towards a time when the earth was more in balance, i.e. the garden of eden.

edenism is a philosophy/ideology that concentrates specifically on contrasting the aspects of our culture that are seen as detrimental to the health of our planet. within edenism littering, not recycling, using too much energy/water/non-renewable resources and letting one's car engine idle become spiritual issues.
caring for the garden god made for us is part of the mandate of the faithful and we are trying to take that mandate seriously.
that is edenism because, after all, life began in a garden.