Sunday before Lent: seeking the spiritual in the ordinary

At the Alt Eucharist Service of the Moot Community on the 14th February 2010, Clare Catford explores the whole issue of seeking God in the details of life. This importantly includes the difficulties of living, in our journeys of human becoming. We do not need to feel ashamed or hidden.  We are all broken, and it is helpful to live out the struggles of our lives in community, where others can encourage us to be whole both emotionally and physically. Hiding your struggles and shame can become toxic, that prevent wellbeing and a healthy spirituality.  God loves us, even in our brokenness.
Apologies for the slight interference in this recording.  We have worked out why, and it won't happen in future recordings.

Dave Tomlinson and re-enchanting Christianity

In the second of two events, Dave Tomlinson leads a Moot Wednesday evening gathering to discuss his new book Re-enchanting Christianity. Dave explored the idea of a 'second innocence' developed by a number theologians, to explore the reconstruction of a faith that can engage with the reality of the twenty first century. For more information on Dave's book, click here. Dave has been a major support to the Moot Community. We hope to develop greater links between St Lukes Church Holloway and the Moot Community.
People are no less spiritual today than they were in the past, but they are a lot less religious - at least, in a formal sense.  A disconnect has ocurred between religion and spirituality: people no longer see religion or Church as the natural setting in which to explore or express their spiritual aspirations.  So they are drifting away from churches in droves.  However, they are not doing so because they no longer believe in God, or because they have no hunger or interest in the spiritual aspect of life, but because, in their experience of Church, they are neither finding a faith they can believe in, not an existential spirituality that can sustain their souls in an age of anxiety and estrangement.

Wisdom from Jean Vanier

In a previous podcast, Jonny Spoor of the Moot Community talked to Ian Mobsby about his experience of participating and living in the L'arche community in France. He went there for his summer holiday from studying.  Here he lived in a house with Jean Vanier and loved and served in L'arche, possibly one of the most important new monastic inspired communities in the world.  Jonny recently went back to interview Jean Vanier about his experiences, theology and thinking to write an article for the Student Christian Movement magazine, and whilst he was there, he recorded some of the wisdom of the conversation.  So this podcast is more unusual than the ones we usually do, in that it pulls together Jean Vanier's thinking where you can't hear the questions Jonny has asked.  It however, allows the listener to engage with the remarkable wisdom of this important visionary and activist.  For those in the emerging church, fresh expressions and new monasticism, there is much here to aid us in our quest to build ecclesial communities out of contextual mission.