Dude, that is scary. A real a-mammonation! If we took a real good step back, how mammonated do you think we really are, here and now, eh?
Here’s the deal- In Jesus’ day, and the early Church, there were some folks a little better off than others, and they sold their investments to help them. Nowadays we have massively richer Church folks fully aware of all kinds of needs in the Body, but they just gotta hang on to “their blessings” like it’s all for our own very conspicuous consumption as if God just likes us better!
In his life, John Wesley budgeted down what he needed to live, (L 29 / year?) and the thousands more that came in went straight back out to feed the poor, fund schools and outreaches, etc. He had one of the biggest incomes in England, and died next to broke, using only what he needed, and sending the rest where it was needed. Not a real bad example!
If they go back to Jerusalem maybe, after three days searching, they’ll find him being Good News to the poor, bringing sight to the blind etc… (Oops. sorry that’s 12 years off)
This reminds me of an experience earlier this year. I joined my church on pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome. We had just an afternoon in Rome. My priest, who was leading the pilgrimage trained for 7 years in Rome and knows the place like the back of his hand. He took some of us on a whistle stop tour of a selction of churches. So there was a Fra Angelico here, a Caravaggio there and lots of wonderful art in these churches. The trouble was, they were so laden with great art, I had trouble encountering God. In Assisi we had been into a medieval church – I think it was, like, 10th Century, which was very spartan – just one small fresco. I found my visit there to be a deeply profound and moving experience. All of which goes to show how easy it is to be blinded to the presence of God. I did find God in Rome, though, in the meal that we shared in a restaurant and in the laughter and fellowship at the rooftop terrace of the hotel into the wee small hours.
luckily I’ve got some great mates, who freely give me glimpse of Jesus, it can still be a bit unsettling though, when you read the gospels and realise how bluntly Jesus stated what was important to him.
carole, i easily see god in relationship, in creation and often in simplicity. it’s the sheer number of priceless works of art all in one place that i can find distracting. almost like it makes me want to worship man for his cleverness… i do love great art though, and the catholic church has commissioned some of the most stunning over the years.
I felt like that on my way around St.Peters and the sistine chapel in Rome. It was like an amazing museum that we were ushered around and then afterwards it struck me what we had just seen. It felt very surreal.
robert easter… i like your example of wesley. i wonder how good gods people were at keeping the law. the bible says more about disobedience than obedience, but i imagine some at least were following the principles of jubilee etc… mammonation is a great word! what about ‘mammonification’?
carole and will… i really like our local little orthodox chapel. it’s just one storey of a bath townhouse. it is covered in icons, but somehow i’ve always felt they helped me keep my eye on the ball. there is something beautiful yet homemade about the way it feels. if they move somewhere else, which at some point is likely, i hope it doesn’t become more grandiose. many of the icons you really can almost read… they all tell something of gods interaction with his people and are there to remind us that we worship with all the saints. i like that.
I have never found icons to be helpful until Saturday. I had a bit of an epiphany moment ith God where I could clearly see (examine) myself and my path. As I was walking from there to a meeting I saw the famous icon of the trinity (Rublev) and finally understood what it means to be drawn towards the God head.
I wonder if I could describe it as having my heart “strangely warmed”
i guess it wasn’t the icons but the art (if you see my distinction) it was like walking around a fantastic art gallery. then to suddenly realise that it was a church was a bit odd.
robb, that sounds like a really cool experience. clare and i have a few icons and when we decorate our dining area i think we will include an icon corner. i have come to find that icons can remind me of gods goodness and sacrifice to us and for us. it is nice to have pictures of people who make you aspire to christlikeness. there are one or two family photo’s i have that inspire much the same thing. i think maybe i’ve always found pictures helpful.
yeh… i think it could be a focal point for prayer and a daily reminder. and the dining room, which is often a very communal space seems like a good place to bring a representation of a few saints.
hi jonathan… your meditation is absolutely beautiful. thank you for this. i urge everyone reading this to go take a look. http://www.tooktheredpill.blogspot.com/
Unfortunately this is just too true. Stop comercialism for Christmas is what I say. Yes a bit of Christmas cheer is needed but we are in danger of loosing Jesus in amongst all the twinkling lights, busy Christmas shoppers and too much Turkey. Its His birthday, He should be the centre of it all!!
Great picture. Love the site.
thank you, rachel.
it’s great to celebrate with a feast. one concern i have is that many are just celebrating the celebration… also i think it can become a celebration of consumption and a time of rising personal debt for people as they are pressured to keep up.
I dunno, Jon. I think mammonated is being poisoned to the point of being drunk on mammon, mammonified would be saturated, like completely toxic..?
Tells me something- that the most mammonated folks in Jesus’ seven letters (Rev.2&3) were also the ones with the stalest lives! He said they were so lukewarm He was ready to puke them right out of his body! He was saying, Church, if ya can’t bother praising Me, at least be hassling Me- Stay in touch!
i wonder whether we’ve all experienced this in a small way robert. you know that feeling you get when you are really enthusiastic about something and you meet with half heartedness from others?… it really is a pain. at least those who oppose you or give you grief can inspire you to keep going. but there is nothing positive at all about luke warmness.
Unwrap the paper and you’ll find the most exquisite gift – the beautiful baby Jesus.
Night night Jon.
Sas x
Comment by Sarah — December 10, 2007 @ 11:41 pm
sleep well.
Comment by jonbirch — December 10, 2007 @ 11:44 pm
Dude, that is scary. A real a-mammonation! If we took a real good step back, how mammonated do you think we really are, here and now, eh?
Here’s the deal- In Jesus’ day, and the early Church, there were some folks a little better off than others, and they sold their investments to help them. Nowadays we have massively richer Church folks fully aware of all kinds of needs in the Body, but they just gotta hang on to “their blessings” like it’s all for our own very conspicuous consumption as if God just likes us better!
In his life, John Wesley budgeted down what he needed to live, (L 29 / year?) and the thousands more that came in went straight back out to feed the poor, fund schools and outreaches, etc. He had one of the biggest incomes in England, and died next to broke, using only what he needed, and sending the rest where it was needed. Not a real bad example!
Comment by Robert Easter — December 11, 2007 @ 4:43 am
LOL. Thought provoking as ever.
If they go back to Jerusalem maybe, after three days searching, they’ll find him being Good News to the poor, bringing sight to the blind etc… (Oops. sorry that’s 12 years off)
Comment by Catriona — December 11, 2007 @ 8:44 am
(or thirty odd)
Comment by Catriona — December 11, 2007 @ 8:45 am
This reminds me of an experience earlier this year. I joined my church on pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome. We had just an afternoon in Rome. My priest, who was leading the pilgrimage trained for 7 years in Rome and knows the place like the back of his hand. He took some of us on a whistle stop tour of a selction of churches. So there was a Fra Angelico here, a Caravaggio there and lots of wonderful art in these churches. The trouble was, they were so laden with great art, I had trouble encountering God. In Assisi we had been into a medieval church – I think it was, like, 10th Century, which was very spartan – just one small fresco. I found my visit there to be a deeply profound and moving experience. All of which goes to show how easy it is to be blinded to the presence of God. I did find God in Rome, though, in the meal that we shared in a restaurant and in the laughter and fellowship at the rooftop terrace of the hotel into the wee small hours.
Comment by Carole — December 11, 2007 @ 8:54 am
luckily I’ve got some great mates, who freely give me glimpse of Jesus, it can still be a bit unsettling though, when you read the gospels and realise how bluntly Jesus stated what was important to him.
Comment by subo — December 11, 2007 @ 9:00 am
I saw him sitting in a chocolate egg a few cartoons back.
Comment by Laura — December 11, 2007 @ 9:08 am
Ha! Ha! Nice one Laura!
Comment by Carole — December 11, 2007 @ 9:19 am
hahaha! you found him laura!
jesus was scarily blunt, wasn’t he subo.
robert, you make a good point.
carole, i easily see god in relationship, in creation and often in simplicity. it’s the sheer number of priceless works of art all in one place that i can find distracting. almost like it makes me want to worship man for his cleverness… i do love great art though, and the catholic church has commissioned some of the most stunning over the years.
Comment by jonbirch — December 11, 2007 @ 10:32 am
That’s is exactly what I felt, Jon.
Comment by Carole — December 11, 2007 @ 10:39 am
I felt like that on my way around St.Peters and the sistine chapel in Rome. It was like an amazing museum that we were ushered around and then afterwards it struck me what we had just seen. It felt very surreal.
Comment by will — December 11, 2007 @ 12:39 pm
robert easter… i like your example of wesley. i wonder how good gods people were at keeping the law. the bible says more about disobedience than obedience, but i imagine some at least were following the principles of jubilee etc… mammonation is a great word!
what about ‘mammonification’?
carole and will… i really like our local little orthodox chapel. it’s just one storey of a bath townhouse. it is covered in icons, but somehow i’ve always felt they helped me keep my eye on the ball. there is something beautiful yet homemade about the way it feels. if they move somewhere else, which at some point is likely, i hope it doesn’t become more grandiose. many of the icons you really can almost read… they all tell something of gods interaction with his people and are there to remind us that we worship with all the saints. i like that.
Comment by jonbirch — December 11, 2007 @ 2:31 pm
I have never found icons to be helpful until Saturday. I had a bit of an epiphany moment ith God where I could clearly see (examine) myself and my path. As I was walking from there to a meeting I saw the famous icon of the trinity (Rublev) and finally understood what it means to be drawn towards the God head.
I wonder if I could describe it as having my heart “strangely warmed”
Comment by Robb — December 11, 2007 @ 2:41 pm
i guess it wasn’t the icons but the art (if you see my distinction) it was like walking around a fantastic art gallery. then to suddenly realise that it was a church was a bit odd.
Comment by will — December 11, 2007 @ 3:39 pm
also there was so much gold leaf everywhere it kind of made everything a bit tacky in a classy kind of way
Comment by will — December 11, 2007 @ 3:40 pm
i know what you mean will.
robb, that sounds like a really cool experience. clare and i have a few icons and when we decorate our dining area i think we will include an icon corner. i have come to find that icons can remind me of gods goodness and sacrifice to us and for us. it is nice to have pictures of people who make you aspire to christlikeness. there are one or two family photo’s i have that inspire much the same thing. i think maybe i’ve always found pictures helpful.
Comment by jonbirch — December 11, 2007 @ 5:00 pm
Jon
I think that’s a great idea.
Sarah x
Comment by Sarah — December 11, 2007 @ 9:48 pm
yeh… i think it could be a focal point for prayer and a daily reminder. and the dining room, which is often a very communal space seems like a good place to bring a representation of a few saints.
Comment by jonbirch — December 11, 2007 @ 11:07 pm
Loving this Jon, inspired me to write a few lines on my blog, a short meditation called “Unwrapped”.
Thanks
Comment by Jonathan — December 11, 2007 @ 11:29 pm
hi jonathan… your meditation is absolutely beautiful. thank you for this. i urge everyone reading this to go take a look. http://www.tooktheredpill.blogspot.com/
Comment by jonbirch — December 12, 2007 @ 12:07 am
Unfortunately this is just too true. Stop comercialism for Christmas is what I say. Yes a bit of Christmas cheer is needed but we are in danger of loosing Jesus in amongst all the twinkling lights, busy Christmas shoppers and too much Turkey. Its His birthday, He should be the centre of it all!!
Great picture. Love the site.
Comment by Rachel — December 12, 2007 @ 9:12 am
thank you, rachel.
it’s great to celebrate with a feast. one concern i have is that many are just celebrating the celebration… also i think it can become a celebration of consumption and a time of rising personal debt for people as they are pressured to keep up.
Comment by jonbirch — December 12, 2007 @ 9:51 am
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I dunno, Jon. I think mammonated is being poisoned to the point of being drunk on mammon, mammonified would be saturated, like completely toxic..?
Tells me something- that the most mammonated folks in Jesus’ seven letters (Rev.2&3) were also the ones with the stalest lives! He said they were so lukewarm He was ready to puke them right out of his body! He was saying, Church, if ya can’t bother praising Me, at least be hassling Me- Stay in touch!
Comment by Robert Easter — December 21, 2007 @ 7:37 am
i wonder whether we’ve all experienced this in a small way robert. you know that feeling you get when you are really enthusiastic about something and you meet with half heartedness from others?… it really is a pain. at least those who oppose you or give you grief can inspire you to keep going. but there is nothing positive at all about luke warmness.
Comment by jonbirch — December 21, 2007 @ 10:08 am
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