mootuk

Nurturing Baptism, Belonging & Nature

On the event of the first adult baptism in the Moot Community, Dorethe Rosenow gave a homily in our alt. eucharist service exploring the issue of baptism, being community drawing on the Trinity, faith, original blessing and nurting nature.  Dorethe draws on the experience of her family to explore these important issues.
In baptism it is God who names us in the name of the Creator, Redeemer and Companion.  It is God who initiates the relationship as a sign of original blessing, but where we as adults can make a choice whether to live in this gift.

The becoming of G-d, interview with Ian Mobsby on his new book

In a new form of podcasting at Moot, Aaron Kennedy leads a new programme of interviews with a number of interesting and influential people involved at the interface between spirituality, politics, religion and contemporary culture. The first of these interviews kicks off with Ian Mobsby author, pastor and ordained priest, to explore why the Trinity is becoming an important basis for new forms of church seeking new/ancient forms of worship, mission and community in the 21st century.
For more information on the book, or to order a copy internationally please do click here. This interview explores how God modelled in Trinitarian persons inspires us to be an authentic Christian Spiritual community of persons, seeking to dig deep in culture that usually lives at the surface of things. All proceeds from book sales are ploughed back into the work of the Moot Community. Watch for Aaron's next interview.

Ordinary Radicals, recovering being Ekklesia

Ian Mobsby, at Grace Cathedral San Francisco addresses the Contemplative Eucharist congregration on his US & Canadian Tour promoting the book the becoming of G-d. Ian explores Matthew 10:24-39, to re-explore the radicalness of the Christian faith and why it was such a threat to the Roman Empire in the early church period. Ian then explores the implications of this for being contemporary ordinary Christian radicals and the vision of the emerging/fresh expressions of church.  This homily was part of an alternative congregation at Grace Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of California (Bay Area).
As God expresses identity in the Trinity, the Becoming of G-d, so we are called to follow God and find identity in being Christian Community, where we become Human Becomings as the visible body of Christ.  If we live there, then we can catch up with what God is doing to bring hope, justice and belonging to the world.

Risk, God the Spirit & Us

Ian Mobsby, one of the founding members of Moot, explores the issue of risk, 'the body of Christ', God the Holy Spirit, or more metaphorically God the Sustainer & Challenger. This God unsettles things, stirred things up, encouraged people to move on, to attempt to catch up with what God the Trinity was doing.  In this homily Ian quotes the words of Metropolitan Anthony of the Russian Orthodox Church in his book "The Living Body of Christ"
The Church is not just the Eucharistic community, but is an extension of the incarnation; it encompasses all matter, all creation, all of humanity where the Holy Spirit is at work... There is a difference between tradition and traditionalism, as the outworking of the Holy Spirit through risk since Pentecost.  Tradition is life-giving where traditionalism fossilises and kills.  Many churches steeped in traditionalism have become liturgical ghettos.  The true nature of the Church since Pentecost, is to be outward-looking, open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and willing to take risks: it should be a missionary community.  A Community of Servants full of love".

God and our work

Gareth Powell gave this homily at the Moot Communities alternative Eucharist on Pentecost Sunday on 11th May 2008.  Gareth was formally part of the leading group of the Moot Community, and now completing a PhD as part of training to be an Ordained Pioneer Priest in the Church of England, through Westcott House, Cambridge.  In this homily, Gareth explores a biblical perspective concerning work, and then reflects on the more unhealthier sides of attitudes to work in contemporary culture.  Making reference to Moot's Rhythm of Life, Gareth explores the concept of work when answering the question "How should we live?".  Gareth & his wife Phillipa continue to follow the Moot Rhythm in their new home of Cambridge.

Absence & Hope in the valley of the shadow of this life

Ian Mobsby, one of the founders of the moot community explores the need for hope as the foundation of faith to live in the complex world of today. In this way, with a basis in the love of God, we can be a community of hope reflecting the vision of the Church gathered in a City in Revelation 22:
In the City of God there will be no more night. Just the glory of the risen One. He will write his name on our foreheads, and we will worship him forever. And it won't be much longer now.

Being Christian in a multicultural world

Ian Mobsby of the Moot Community, explores the farewell discourse of Christ to the Disciples as recorded in John 14:1-14. In particular Ian explores the tension of the most inclusive statement in the New Testament "In the Father's House there are many mansions or rooms" with the end statement from Jesus "No one comes to the Father except through me". The truth of Christ, lies somewhere between these two statements, and was a gift not only to the early Church, but to all Christians in all time.

Emergent Faith as a process of faith & doubt

Ian Mobsby, one of the co-founders of the Moot Community, explores the example of Thomas in the way of discipleship. In a world of increasing fanaticism, the place of faith and doubt as a mechanism that drives mature faith formation of the grey and not the 'black and white' is crucial to our journey of faith. Thomas enables us all to have hope that as we go through cycles of construction, deconstruction and reconstruction, that we are growing into out 'human becomingness'
In fact Jesus even models this process in his own life of incarnation (birth, blessing, construction), testing & crucifixion (deconstruction) and resurrection (reconstruction). It is not an easy journey for us to follow. But it is not a journey where will not be tested and doubt.
Being a 'back-slider' is an authentic part of the journey. Those who don't, are stuck in fundamentalism. The Emerging church, is inspiring us to live with an emerging faith.

Easter: Lament & Hope

Sam Rowland of the Moot Community draws on his own personal spiritual journey, to explore the themes of wilderness to hope. In Easter, it is important to remember that we arrive at hope and centredness after a hard journey that can take us through brokenness and pain. It is our challenge to keep going as Christians in such times to then go on to find re-orientation of the self and community.
This homily was recorded in Easter after Sam led a Moot Community Small Service in Lent 2008.

How is Good Friday ever Good?

Ian Mobsby gives an address on the place of Good Friday in the passion of Holy Week. He explores how Good Friday can ever be considered good in salvation history. This was part of a traditional Anglican Good Friday Service, which begins with the ministers prostrating themselves on the floor before the altar as a dramatic sign of the cost of the Cross for Christ.
Good Friday. How is it possible, that on this day, when we remember Jesus the man and his painful walk from Jerusalem, carrying his cross to the hill of Golgotha. When we humanity killed the incarnation of God in human flesh. How can this Friday possibly be called Good? Good Friday?