remember AND realize

sometimes we think that all the fighting we are called to remember on nov. 11th took place in the past.

that is not the case. we have sons and daughters fighting for lofty goals all over the globe right now.

there are the sons and daughters of other mothers and fathers being stolen from their families to be used in not-so-lofty wars right now.

please, please, please join us wednesday night, nov 11 at 7pm as we remember and realize the horror that is war. kids are still fighting. each generation seems doomed to learn these lessons over again.

invisible children will be hosting an evening with us as they screen their new film: together we are free

the screening will be free, the music will be reflective, the merchandise will advertise this cause and give money to people who really need it. come and partake

remember those who have given so much
realize that there are those who are still being forced to give.
let us remember the hope that comes to us from ancient days:

He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
~Isaiah 2:4~

peace.

this is just one video among many on youtube...we hope you can spend some time and watch a bunch. we hope you can join us wednesday and watch one more. think of the beauty as thousands of american teens volunteered to sleep in parks out of love to show solidarity to the african children that are forced to do the same out of fear.

dead sea scrolls lecture...words that changed the world

Dr. Stan Porter will be leading immersn this week and you do NOT want to miss this.

the ancient words present in the dead sea scrolls (on display at the ROM) helped form the world in which we live. however, our distance from the world in which they were written sometimes constricts our ability to understand these words and discern their impact.

therefore, we have invited world-renowned linguist Dr. Porter to come in and explore and explain these documents in a way that most people will never get to see. this will be a powerful night with information that only a small fraction of a percent of the world's population will ever have access to and we think that is pretty awesome.

it is a FREE evening so come on out and join us as we seek to better understand these words that changed the world.

eJesus, iJesus, oJesus...technology and worship

can Jesus be pixelated?
how should the church use the technology of computers, sound and video to further the kingdom of GOD?
this week several of us from the immersn community gathered in mississauga for a conference called: the intersection of worship and technology
it was filled with people who worship GOD with the tools of our day...but the point that united all the presentations was this: GOD is bigger than technology and all these programs, mics, videos, music, computers etc. are nothing without the deeper message.
THAT inspired us as we, the immersn-ites, led worship at the beginning and end of the day.
if GOD is bigger than technology how do we use our tech effectively?
we were warned several times that what we can do with technology can overpower what we should do with it. in other words, we get so caught up in showing off all the bells and whistles that we forget to include GOD in our services.
we have found that while immersn has always been tech-ish...some of our most profound services have been our 'lo-tech' nights.
in fact, the wednesday before the conference we gathered around a candle in the bronte cemetery and read from a service that dates back to the first century (from the didache) and then we talked while the candle flickered and the waves crashed against the shore behind us.
in that moment no computers were needed (nor were they wanted) because we had what was most important: GOD and community.
let us never forget that these advancements are nothing more than tools to help us worship GOD and understand ourselves and our faith better. as soon as they stop being able to do that they move from worshipful to anti-worship and should-must- be cast aside.
with that in mind, let us continue to find videos, songs, images...etc. that help us best communicate the gospel to a world that desperately needs the message of faith.
we are thankful to have been part of an important moment in the church's history as people gathered together to see how this church can impact the culture in ways that matter both to the people in our pews and the ones beyond.
amen...or should that be e-men?

who are you & who are you not?

we gathered
dave led
we wrote
GOD moved.

last wednesday night we gathered together as dave fath (dave@immersn.com) led us on a psiritual journey. we watched a video that talked about the labels that we give to ourselves and how those labels are not always flattering.

but this was more than a self-help night. it was a self-realization night.

dave had us take time and write stuff about ourselves on cardboard. below is a clip from a church that did something similar. however, ours differed in that we also took time with each other to speak about our dissapointments and pain and the growing sense that we are bigger than we give ourselves permission to be.

we are growing to understand that often (not always but often) our idea of GOD as pushing us 'out of our comfort zones' is less GOD pushing us forward and more of GOD stopping us from shrinking back. the 'push' we feel is the divine hand encouraging us and preventing us from falling away from not just from GOD, but from GOD's picture of us...that picture is so much more grand than anything we ever thought we could be so it looks alien to us...and so we shrink from it, we shrink from ourselves. but GOD keeps showing us the image of us, not the image from a mirror, but an image from HIS imagination.

forgive us, LORD, for thinking so little of ourselves
forgive us, LORD, for thinking so little of YOUR creation.

enjoy the clip...some of it is meh, some of it is brilliant, some of it will break your heart.




peace. you are loved

psalm 8

the pslamist asked the question of GOD: "Who are we that you spend time thinking about us?" and that is, indeed, a troubling and poignant question. one that deserves to be looked at and explored.

the following video was used for our kick-off night on wed. sept. 16th and the beginning of our series "who are you?" which is exploring a kind of "theological anthropology" seeing ourselves less like other humans see us [including ourselves] and more like the way GOD sees us.

our second week featured steph sharing some profound and moving stories about her time in zambia to a packed house of people. then the lights went off and we found ourselves experiencing a more 'natural' evening service where we could see very little other than the sounds of the noises on the street and see little beyond the flickering glow of candlelights.

both these nights [and the next two to come] have been about sharing our faith and community with each other as we attempt to examine, really examine, what it means to be, well, us. who are we? who am i? who are you? the answers to such questions will influence the course of our lives.

hope to see you this week...keep the conversations coming!

here is the video titled 'psalm 8'

paint your faith

immersn likes to support the arts, worship & good ideas

so, when all three happen at the same time we get positively giggly!

without any further adieu:

What is paint your faith?
Four acclaimed aerosol artists have been brought together to collectively express their interpretation of faith. This will take place on a 30' x 60' exterior wall donated by Metropolitan United Church, located in one of downtown Toronto's most culturally diverse neighbourhoods. The mural will be unveiled to the public and the media on September 19th after two weeks of work by the team of artists. During the event, explore and express what faith means to you on one of the many canvases that will be available. Whether it be a circle, a doodle or a complex drawing, seize the opportunity to share your spirituality and creativity with others. And if that isn't enough, you'll also be able to enjoy some BBQ and music throughout the afternoon.

for more info...just move your wee finger to the mouse and click here.


worship honestly
create
expand the kingdom

GOD is not a white man

for those of you who don't know immersn has its own movie house.

well, technically we don't have it as much as one of our members runs a theater and we like to go there and watch movies...a lot!

so, that member (his name is jason) sent this video clip which will most likely make its immersn debut at the very first service this year (sept 16) because it ties in beautifully with our opening series 'who are you?' which asks the question and then seeks to answer it by showing us that who we are is directly dependent on who GOD thinks we are...we just tend to forget that.

so, many thanks to jason for this amazing clip and jason's theater (check it out here) for all the amazing indie films and films with a conscience that they choose to show (sometimes to their own financial detriment) you are both super-cool!

anyhoo, here is the immersn e-debut of 'white man' by the michael gungor band

the age of stupid

we want to thank paul (paul@immersn.com) for many cool things he has brought to immersn.
1) melissa (she is the coolest)
2) tech savvy
3) love of beer & chats
4) cannibal the musical
5) creativity coupled with the ability to make such creative things happen
6) this movie...

The Age of Stupid Trailer Feb 2009 - SD from Age of Stupid on Vimeo.

edenism is such a major part of our little community and our desire to love the planet that god has given to us drives us to use less energy, walk/ride/carpool more, live more responsibly but the fact of the matter is that we are living in dangerous times.

we encourage you to check out this movie...it looks fascinating and while we are sure it will join the pantheon of immersn films that we have called films that matter to be seen some time over the next year we invite you to check out the site (found here) and see if there isn't some way you could host a viewing in your home/church/bus stop...wherever.

we have lots of choices but only one planet.

hallelujah and forgive us LORD.

immersn during the summer

well...we have officially down-shifted for the summer months.

'so, what does immersn in the summer look like?' you might ask.

well, there are still times to gather as a community...they are just not at our usual spot or at our usual times.

we still gather to talk about life, faith, GOD, and stuff but in the summer it is even more casual than during the rest of the year.

so, keep an eye on the calendar for upcoming community nights and events and keep firing off suggestions for services in the fall.

so far the 2009-2010 agenda includes:

• lectures on the dead sea scrolls followed by a roadtrip to the ROM to see them live
• welcoming back two of our global missionaries and hearing about their experiences in africa
• some guest speakers talking about supporting burgeoning entrepeneurs in developing nations
• more guest speakers from the national post talking about religion, politics, faith..etc.
• even more guest speakers from various faith groups who will be sharing their worldviews and thoughts on GOD
• and, of course, plenty of topics [all chosen by the community] to discuss, deepen and enrich our faith-lives.

remember GOD is with us and calling to us to become immersed in a life devoted to Him...even in the summer!

1 Timothy 1:14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

blessings on you...stay in touch.

worship matters 2009

this video was made for the worship matters conference in ottawa this past week.

heather drove to ottawa to speak on behalf of our community and share what it is we are doing on wed nights.

she brought back a report to the group and we are thrilled with the chance to explore greater contacts with our brother and sister churches around the nation.

anyhoo, for now here is the video from the conference (please do not download without permission):

community poems

these will be posted in the forums for people to read and comment on. also, linda fletcher has expressed an interest in putting these to music so we might be singing these songs on some future worship service...cool.

anyhow, here are the two poems that we composed as a community:

The Cross at Sunset
How did the sky look to You, the night You hung on the cross carrying my sin?
The cross' shadow reaches farthest as the light draws to a close.
See the glow of the setting sun radiate around the cross:
"Lord, I'm moving toward Your cross and I often take too many side trips."

I see you at a distance, yet you take my breath away.
I enter the comfort of
the dark.
Suddenly, a calmness swept through my body.

Like the sun, we are continually falling and continually rising
Oh, beautious cross, my strength and my salvation
you are with us when we fall. We'll see you again the next time that we rise.

with a promise to rise again...



GOD
God-must have a good sense of humour, after all, He created man.
How to begin to capture God in a single sentence? Whole books & entire religions have not pinned down the mystery.
The big shabang-the whole deal-The G force-the king maker-the deal breaker-and the limits to space, time, matter, and all that we don't even understand!
In life there is no finer word than God, our all in all.

O God of all the People-of all the lands & Space & Stars and of all the creations within nature, Please walk with me-small and humble, though, I be.
You are too deep and wide, yet You live with me.

You see me when no one else does, You know everything about me and yet You still call me "Beloved".
God-my comfort and my strength when ever I call You I feel You there.
longing to be home with You...
water filling every cup, the wind in every sail, The soil at every root.

Images of clouds and light appear, but I know that's not it. I think deeper...deep to the colour of the yellow warmth You put in my heart, the red of the blood You shed for me, the rainbow of creation. And then black and white. three words: 'You', 'Me', and 'Everyone'.

psalms & souls: an evening of community poetry

one of the most profound sections in scripture is the book of psalms.

within the 150 poems the human experience is poured out and laid bare before god and other humans.

triumph, betrayal, rage, sorrow, joy, despair, hope, anguish, and other emotions and situations are presented for all to see, judge, relate to and admonish.

at immersn

we believe we follow a GOD who hears our pain,

we believe we follow a GOD who laughs with us,

we believe we follow a GOD who dances alongside us

we believe we follow a GOD who cries within us

we believe we follow a GOD who honours our life.

with that in mind we will gather, as a community, and create, as a community, poems to the LORD.

poems of celebration, poems of anger, poems of frustration, poems of joy.

whatever the poems will look like we will only allow three restrictions:

they must be honest

they must be to GOD

they must be created by each of us together

we will pray, listen to music, look at some images for inspiration.

then we will create together as children of the CREATOR.

let us mark each others' souls with words from our hearts.

psalms and souls: an evening of community poetry.

7pm....come.

art and soul (part 1)

peanut butter and chocolate.

two things that sound like they do not belong together until some genius decided they did.

we are going to do something similar (though nowhere near as financially lucrative!)

we are combining prayer and painting

immersn artist victoria pearce will be leading the community through an art-worship service for the next two weeks

we will gather, pray, and then...paint.

no talent is required. just grubby clothes, a love of God, and opposable thumbs (y'know, to hold the brushes)

this is going to be one fun night with a very talented local artist who knows a thing or two about the Spirit as well.

happy painting!!

here is a video of someone with talent...but let this inspire and not prevent you from coming!!

heart stories

2 Corinthians 1: 3-7
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

it is in sharing with each other that we set free ourselves. however, jesus also warns us not to cast our pearls before swine so we must be vigilant not to share our pearls with those who will not appreciate or understand what a rare gift we are giving to them.

with that in mind...we are trying something new-ish.

a night dedicated to heart stories

we have always been an open community sharing opinions and points of view with each other.

however, these sharing times have always been built around a certain topic

tomorrow is going to be different because we ARE the topic.

an evening dedicating to sharing, offering testimonies, of where we have seen God at work in our own lives. an evening dedicating to sharing our own experiences in order to bless others. a spiritual open mic night so to speak.

7-8.15
coffee and snacks will be there, the introduction of our new devotional and some beautiful music. hope you can join us.

we offer this video to you. although it is part of another church's stewardship campaign we think it offers some powerful reminders of what this thing called faith is supposed to be all about.

edenism: take back the planet

what are we supposed to do?

is al gore our messiah?

after all, the environment is a hot topic right now [no pun intended] but how should a believer approach such an issue.

as with all things we need to look at something like this with both our hearts AND our minds.

is recycling enough? why has the church been so late to the party on this issue?

immersn purposefully avoids the use of paper as much as possible and uses very little electricity each week but does any of this really matter?

are we polishing brass on the titanic?

the great thing about the faith is that we are always called to believe that there is something that can be done. that the night is not everlasting. that evil does not need to win. that our destiny is a new creation and not destruction. with that in mind let us talk ever-so-briefly about edenism:

he-don-ism 

[heed-n-iz-uhm]–noun
1.
the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good.

ed-en-ism

[eed-n-iz-uh m]- noun
1. giving of our own time and energy to worship God by caring for creation

while films like an inconvenient truth are helpful in that the budgets and the science and the celebrity attached to them are incredibly useful to get the message out there is something else that a community of believers can add to the equation: love.

we need to take the idea that we could destroy this planet [which, at the risk of overstating the obvious is our home] we also need to see this planet as a profound work of art which sustains us and is a testament to how much we are loved.

therefore, edenism is not just an effort to combat pollution...it is an act of worship, penance if you will, and an apology to god for how we have treated this work of art granted to us by on high.

if we believe that what happens in our bodies impacts our souls then a night spent picking up garbage for god is a profoundly impacting evening given over to our lord. our souls take part in re-claiming god's work. as we scrape the crud and junk from the street [or the woods as in the case of this immersn] we also remove the crud and junk from ourselves. we see all the things that block us from the beautiful view of god that was [and is] ours by right. our souls are also polluted and from that pollution comes the lack of care for how we treat this world and the people in it.

tomorrow night let us, as jesus taught, "wash the feet of god" by cleaning up a small part of the creation so generously bestowed upon us.

Shakespeare was a smart guy. He could express the human condition better and more clearly than anyone.



Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them?



To fight or not to fight. To go to war, or to protest against war. Where, as Christians, do we stand?



For as long as there have been communities of mankind, there has been war. But then along comes Jesus, who states that the way forward is a way of peace. Of not fighting, but turning the other cheek. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God (Matthew 5:9).



How do we live with such a commandment in a world as war-torn as ours? Is there such a thing as Just War – a necessary evil to keep the peace? What is the difference between a soldier and a peacekeeper? Are we to stand back and die for peace, just as Jesus died for us and the martyrs died for him, or are we called to fight oppression and wrongdoing in God's name? Peter carried a sword in the garden of Gethsemane; Jesus whipped the extortionists who littered the temple's holy ground. How does that resonate with our own understandings of Christ and his teachings?



It is a topic that asks a lot of questions, none of which have easy answers. But they are necessary questions.

Holy Week Seder Meal

the seder is a jewish meal rich in tradition and symbolism and community
we gather and eat and remember the story of salvation
each part of the meal is an offering to God
the dinner IS the grace.
7pm
plus dessert and a powerful spiritual discipline that will hopefully stick with you for a long time.

This is the holiest time in the christian calendar and we want to mark the event by partaking [and transforming] an event that is thousands of years old.
please join us and celebrate and reflect on the significance of this holiest of weeks.
we walk together
we eat together
we live together
we are together

here is a brief video about the dayyenu from a christian perspective [not sure what a dayyenu is? watch the video]

roadtrip to africa

well.....not literally,

but we are going to move from our usual location to st. simon's anglican church for an evening to learn from carol holmes and her recent trip to africa with the stephen lewis foundation

this is an issue close to the heart of immersn because poverty anywhere should cause pain everywhere.

attached to this is a video from bono as he spoke at the white house prayer breakfast. take a moment to watch this video

it is true that god is consistently shown to be on the side of the poor and the exploited throughout the scriptures.

in fact, jesus' ministry began with an interpetation of isaiah that was focused on setting people free from spiritual, physical and material poverty.

luke 4: 18-21 reads:

18"The Lord's Spirit
has come to me,
because he has chosen me
to tell the good news
to the poor.
The Lord has sent me
to announce freedom
for prisoners,
to give sight to the blind,
to free everyone
who suffers,
19and to say, `This is the year
the Lord has chosen.' "
20Jesus closed the book, then handed it back to the man in charge and sat down. Everyone in the meeting place looked straight at Jesus.
21Then Jesus said to them, "What you have just heard me read has come true today."

it is central to the christian message that we plead the case of the poor, hear the voice of the oppressed & see that god is more concerned with us than we are with each other. as a friend of mine recently wrote on facebook: "[i am] pretty sure that God is a humanitarian first."

amen.

here are the details:

meet @ the usual place at 7...then we'll carpool over.

OR

meet @ st. simon's at 7.15

free coffee...free snax too.

hope you can make it...let us usher in the holy week by seeking to learn more about those closest to the divine heart.

an evening of guided prayer...let us walk where angels trod.

hey gang,

tomorrow night should prove to be very unique...very powerful...very moving.

we will gather, enojy some music, then Cathy Winn will lead us in an evening of guided prayer which is something we rarely get to do (and many of you may know nothing about it) but is a wonderful discipline in which to partake.

hope you can join us as we engage the spiritual world.

what is an angel? why do we care how many of them can dance on the head of a pin?

there is something fascinating about this topic isn't there?

after all, what could be more fun [or frustrating] than trying to understand the un-understandable?

we sit with each other and we talk about demons and we look at the bible and through it all we learn that god is in love with us...that darkness is real and that we are never alone...which is both comforting and scary.

although we live in a scientific and cynical world we are beginning to realize that there is more going on out there than we can detect with our five senses. reality is not dependent on us.

with that in mind we are attempting to lay the groundwork for underdstanding the role of the spiritual beings within our own lives.

the bible takes it for granted that the spiritual world exists...that may make the material irrelevant to some but for others the idea of a spiritual world that is just as real as ours is not so outlandish.

we need to ask these questions and look for answers...we need to approach topics like this in unfamiliar ways...we are not going to intellectually comprehend this topic, we need to rationally explore with our minds and our souls.

this has proven to be an interesting discussion starter and as we discuss the role of angels in the world we take one more step closer to a deeper understanding of the supernatural world...and one more step closer to understanding our own world as well.

join us wednesday, march 18 @ 7 in the hall for food, [fair trade] coffee, snax, community, films & great discussion.

the war in heaven...the battlefield on earth

are we so sure that what we cannot see, hear, smell, touch or taste does not exist?

is it true that what we don't see truly can't hurt us?

is it outlandish to think that a supernatural world exists?

if this world exists...are they benevolent towards us?

last week a group of us gathered to sing, eat, watch, read and share on the topic of demons.

this week we will gather with more music, more food, more things to read and we will dive into the netherworld to see if we can't catch a glimpse of the war which wages on in heaven.

at the heart of the christian message is the eschatological realization of the kingdom of god. not an earthly realm but the spiritual home of yahweh and the followers/disciples of christ (not the same thing as a christian).

but we live in a world torn apart with war, violence, greed, sexual perversion, selfishness and a list that is so massive it threatens to swallow us whole.

however, we are children of hope and our gospel is an attempt to radically subvert the current state of things (not by wearing crappy shirts with stupid logos on them that supposedly i.d. us as christians) and offer hope to a dark and (possibly) dying world.

we are creators and creations, hope-givers and hope-needers, we are the called and the calling, we are both angels and demons.

let's talk about it.

mar 11...7pm.
bring your soul, we'll supply the coffee.

angels & demons

we are children of another world.

we are in this world but not of this world.

there are children of darkness.

there are children of light.

celestial beings...and evil creatures of malice.

in north america ideas like these seem like fantasy & myth (or the fodder for teen vampire books)

however, one of the truths of the christian faith is that we are indeed engaged in a spiritual conflict with cosmic importance. the bible is full of supernatural encounters..even before the time of jesus.

what are we, 2000 years later, to make of this?

thus begins our newest series: angels & demons...a look at the supernatural.

this wednesday, march 4th we will begin by talking about lucifer. who is he? where did he come from? what do we think about him?

join us...no doubt an interesting & fascinating evening of discussion is in store.

7pm....in the hall.

we rise in ashes

lent is upon us...

you can tell because tim horton's has its roll up the rim to win on again

[they always have these contests around lent in order to balance out their books based on all the money they lose because people give up junk in lent...who says the church doesn't impact culture?!]

traditionally the christian church signals the beginning of the season of repentance by placing ashes on our foreheads to symbolize our regret over sin.

tonight we will worship together in a taize service which will include music, reflection, prayer, art, imagery & times of contemplation.

it is a powerful way for the community to come together and express corporate regret over our trespasses and to stand with each other...all of us dirtied by the ash...none of us without a mark...all dependent on grace.

look to the foreheads of your brothers and sisters & see the love of God.

we are forgiven

thanks be to God.

the shopocalypse

this week we will learn about a new theological development regarding eschatology.

no, it is not the end of the world

then again, maybe it is

it is......the shopocalypse

check out this trailer and then join us this wed night as we watch rev. billy's crusade against wal-mart, the demons in the cash registers and the impending shopocalypse.

join us

the lost generation

tear down the walls of those who say it cannot be done.

breatheeatsleeplive peace
breatheeatsleeplive love
breatheeatsleeplive hope
breatheeatsleeplive faith
breatheeastsleeplive the kingdom

bring the kingdom...go on bring it. we dare you.