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Tag: rhythm of life

Dreaming of Home – Inspirational homelessness

Whenever I walk by a homeless person, my heart aches. Their misery makes me angry and sad. They remind me of my own selfishness but also of my own fragility: I know all too well how I could have ended up on the streets several times in the past 27 years – but somehow I didn’t. I am thankful to and for those who were around me during tough times. Others have not been so lucky to have had friends and family to help them.

In a city where egoism, consumption and narcissism are all too often the very fabric of social relations, there is little room left for the weakest and lowest. Income is certainly a prime factor in predicting people’s suffering in this city. Yet economic poverty is not the most terrifying aspect of London’s ruthlessness and injustice. The ongoing weakening and perverting of the city’s social fabric as well recent cuts in state assistance to the poorest have been met with some resistance. But it has also provoked another kind response by the silent majority: a stiffening of an already acute condition where people fight even harder for their survival often harming their neighbour. Why should they now be more generous to others when they are themselves starting to feel the pain?

As Christians though, can we respond in a similar fashion or are we called to show love and generosity in the face of increasing ingratitude? As we consider our contribution and our response to economic and social (in)justice as part of our Rhythm Of Life and as we ponder the meaning of justice and generosity in the context of Greenbelt’s 2011 theme “Dreaming of Home”, can we be inspired by the homeless and what God is telling us through them?

POSTED 27.06.11 BY: Nicolas | Comments Off

Moot’s Rhythm of Life Service 2011

Well at last, the Moot Community was able to recommit to its Rhythm of Life, this time before the Ven. David Meara, the Archdeacon of London and the Priest in Charge of St Mary Aldermary.  It was also another first – as we committed to the spiritual practices which the Community drew together over a year ago along with the Aspirations we have committed to three times before.  As a new monastic community, it was also another first doing this on Trinity Sunday.

Since the last time time we held a recommitment service two years ago, the Moot Community has doubled in size, which is a great encouragement as we continue to discern our distinctive vocation as a community.

This year, Martin Saunders, Caroline Puntis and Jen Richardson shared their thoughts on what the Rhythm of Life as a form of seasonal vow meant to them.  I managed only to get a copy of what Caz said, and list it below.  All three were an encouragement of how many in our community find the Rhythm of Life a helpful discipline to take us deeper into growing up as individuals and in our faith.   Caz said:

I joined the Moot community 9 months ago. I think it would be fair to say that I didn’t really know what I was letting myself in for – yes, I’d been on the website and read all about it, met some people and asked questions, and even attended a Moot worship service – but I hadn’t experienced Moot, yet. I had a lot of questions to begin with. Thank you to all those who helped me find my way in those early few months. Your answers were usually greeted with, Yes, but how do I do that…? I discovered that Moot isn’t a solution with a formula. It’s not a place to stand on the sidelines and observe how it works, maybe thinking Oh, I like the way they do this, but I don’t like the way they do that. For me, it’s more like a swimming pool. And to appreciate it, you just have to jump in.

I guess there are two things that I’d like to mention today. Firstly, from the moment I dipped a toe tentatively into the Moot waters, I felt welcomed and accepted. I think on the whole I would say that I’ve always felt welcomed into churches I’ve attended. But welcoming someone in can be just a passive gesture. It fades quickly if it’s not followed up with the altogether more active practice of acceptance. In the past, I’ve sometimes felt that I would become more acceptable if I could just change a bit in this or that direction. And people were always happy to supply a to do list to help me get there. Here, there is a genuine freedom to come as you are. For me this has been liberating and transformative. Being accepted has changed me – how I look at myself, and how I look at others. Secondly, as I’ve been swimming around in the Moot pool, I’ve noticed that there are no lifeguards on duty. There is no one standing up there, looking down on me, making sure I’m not breaking any of the rules. Initially I experienced a kind of panic – who’s going to tell me if I’m doing this right? (I’m Enneagram personality type 6, tending to a number 3 in times of stress!) And then a kind of misguided euphoria – so I can do anything and it doesn’t matter? Eventually I realised that it simply means I have to take responsibility for myself and my spiritual journey. There are people all around me doing the same thing. And when there’s no life guard on the side, you have to look out for one another too. There is a collective responsibility. There is community.

9 months – the time it takes for a new life to form. For me, today is something like a birth day then, following a period of formation growth. And so I’m excited – about the possibilities, the mysteries, the unfolding story.


POSTED 21.06.11 BY: ianmobsby | Comments Off

Being Human being a wave

Now that I am 43 years old, my parents are in the third age of their life, and life has become somewhat consolidated. I sense that I am in a place a bit like when you have swam out from the shore to reach an island which is further away that you thought and you are now halfway.  In many ways I think 43 is half way.  It means that I have become quite reflective on my life – thinking from where I have come and where I am going.  The themes of waves, life and death are very much on my mind at the moment.  In many ways Moot’s focus on the contemplative life has become a life saver.  I can see that much of my Christian life, I have surfed quite literally on the surface of myself disrupted by passions and disquieting emotions rising deep from my inner self.

Meditation, prayer and the whole contemplative approach to Christianity has helped me to be aware and grow to like that fuller deeper me – Ian as Adult and child – and I do feel much healthier (but much busier) than I have felt for a long time. The contemplative approach helps us get beyond the insecurities and pain inflicted by a life centered on the ego.

It was in the light of this that I was really moved by a programme on BBC 4 on the secret life of waves, which towards the end reflected on life and actually we are  not just metaphorically like waves, but we are also scientifically like them too.  This is an interesting and reflective documentary which I highly recommend.  See here for the link, which is still available on iPlayer.  Tim Dendy gave me the heads up about this programme a while back, it is very good.

POSTED 13.05.11 BY: ianmobsby | Comments Off

Consultation: amendments to the rhythm of life document

Click here for more info about the proposal and related events.

If you’re signed into the site click here, to download the document, then add your comments.

Thanks.

POSTED 09.04.11 BY: Aaron Kennedy | Comments Off

Things are changing at Moot … get involved and have your say.

At the second last community meeting (28 Feb 2010) Ian and I were tasked to research a possible set of virtues, spiritual practices and postures that could, after a period of consultation, be owned by the community as the practical application of the rhythm of life – not as a prescriptive, homogenising set of directives, but a flexible, personally applied set of guidelines. Well, the proposal is now in its second draft, and copies of it will be given out at the annual Community Council meeting on 25 April.

It has been fascinating and deeply resourcing to have spent time exploring and writing this with Ian. I’m very excited about the conversations that it will provoke over the next few months, and, of course, the potential benefits this proposal could bring us, personally and communally – if it we decide to adopt it. I say ‘if’ not because I don’t believe in it, or because I’m not entirely behind it – because I am; I say it because the whole idea of adopting a community-wide application of the rhythm of life should make us stop and think. The implications are, quite simply and without the slightest hyperbole, life changing.

However, according to those in the know, change like this doesn’t come cheaply. In fact, it is said by many that you have to need it so badly that you’re willing to consider nothing less than a changed consciousness – an entirely different way of being. This is encouraging, however, when you consider that Jesus seems to have had something to offer to those hungry for change in their lives – the weary and heavy burdened. I’m beginning to suspect again that he might have something to say to me.

There are a variety of discussions and events coming up when you will be able to familiarise yourself with the whole area spiritual practices, the need for something like this in Moot, and, also, add your voice. Such is the nature of our governance system that, as long as we have a quorum, decisions will be made at Community Council meetings, regardless of how many people turn up. However, when it comes time to actually make decisions about this, it will make all the difference if we’ve been engaging at depth with each other and know how we feel about the subject.

Look out for the spiffy new signpost image at the top of this post – it signifies a consultation event for the virtues, practices and postures proposal.

Events

Finding Happiness service (2 May)

Exploration (Wednesday nights)

POSTED 15.04.10 BY: Aaron Kennedy | Comments (4)

Moot Rhythm of Life Service, St Pauls Cathedral April 2009

On Easter Saturday 2009, Moot held its third Rhythm of Life Service before the Bishop of London in the Crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral. This service was a combination of an alternative worship service and Holy Communion. The above film was used in the service to explore the theme of ‘Living with Hope in a culture of uncertainty’. Copies of the new Moot Pocket Liturgy book were given out with Chrome maps of the underground symbolising a commitment to the City. We were grateful for the support of a number of Moot friends who were involved in the intercessions. Ian Adams representing the mayBE community in Oxford, Jonny Baker representing the Grace Community and Vanessa Elston representing a number of alt worship networks and friends. Photos of the event in Moot’s flickr group, along with a copy of the liturgy (to go up soon).

To see other Moot Community youTube videos click here

POSTED 17.04.09 BY: admin | Comments Off

ROL service and other things

I just wanted to say although we (I) have a few things to sort with the service, I want to thank the community for the willing that people have shown with regard to getting involved and getting their names down. I think that we can use our priest missioner’s abscence as an indicator that the community works pretty damn well when he is away and that although this abscence has caused some higher levels stress on our relationships, they can only come out stronger. I am very optimistic about moot’s future taking into account some of the comments made by Jonny Spoor at the community meeting. This is going to end with a plug though, because the ‘guru’ gets back on the April 4th and I would like to have at least 30 mooters signed up for the ROL service by then because we are slightly under-par on mooters.

POSTED 31.03.09 BY: admin | Comments Off

New Monasticism as a Missional Model of Church

Now that we are now in the count down to the Moot recommitment service to its Rhythm of Life Service, I just want re-explore the difference between Moot as a Missional New Monastic Community in comparison to traditional forms of church. Matt Stone has defined the difference very clearly with the image on the left (click on the image to see it in more detail). Attractional church puts an enormous focus on worship services and the need to ‘get people in’ whilst missional churches put an equal emphasis on community and mission as well as worship, where community and mission are much more about cultural engagement and loving service. I think Matt’s illustration is nearly where we desire to be as a community, but not quite, so I offer my little adaptation below.

This model puts the emphasis on orthopraxis, on right living/action rather than orthodoxy, right thinking.  The former is an understanding of the Christian faith as a way of informing what it means to live in a post-christendom context, whilst the latter is a focus on rationality and thinking of a more modernist christendom context.  This missional model is therefore much more about inspiration, invitation and a desire to go deep, and releases the Christian faith to offer profound resources concerning spirituality and what it means to be a human becoming and a call to community.  So this is why Moot has a Rhythm of Life at its heart, and why cultural loving engagement lies at the heart of what it means to be part of Moot in its interpretation of what it means to be Christian. If you want to see more of my reflections on this, see here

POSTED 24.03.09 BY: admin | Comments (3)

Religion & Spirituality – The Great Reversal

Not sure how many Mooters out there have been following the great BBC TV Programme, ‘Around the World in 80 Faiths’ with Peter Owen Jones, An Anglican Priest from England.  It has been great, and has got me really thinking.  In the last couple of programmes, he has been exploring the differences between spirituality and religion.  When going to India, he reflected on the difference of a culture determined by a tradition of spirituality.  In this form of culture, there is a given pluralism and where these spirituality’s constantly borrow from each other. He then contrasted this with cultures that come from a tradition of religion in the middle East and West, where there was a greater sense of the need of conformity to a way of religion.  Well, in the last programme he went to South America, where this battle between the resilient indigenous spiritualities are again competing with the dominant religion of imported Roman Catholicism.  In many cultures in South America, the more ancient spiritualities were adapting to the new pluralism, which meant that many were coming out of hiding back into main stream society.

I have been reflecting how this effect is now increasingly global.  That contemporary pluralism in an age of postmodernity, alter modernism of what ever you want to say we are currently in, resonates strongly with our premodern context, so that many forms of spirituality are competing for space alongside, and in some places, above contemporary forms of religion.  This is most definitely happening here in the UK.  That the globalising principle has created a context of pluralism, where spirituality often resonates more strongly that religion.  So in effect, contemporary culture generally seems to me to be more spiritual than religious.  Barry Taylor talks about this as the ‘Great Reversal’.  That the West exported global capitalism to the East, and the East, in the context of this new global village, exported spirituality to the West.

So it is not surprising, that all over the world, all sorts of old and new forms of spirituality have arisen in a time of cultural plurality, and that with out power and control, religion is finding it hard to compete in the market place when it doesn’t have the privilege to dominate.

So we return to why I believe that New Monasticism, Christian contemplation, and a rhythm of life are so important for new forms of church in this new context, because it is how we live that matters.  The greatest sadness for me, in all the programmes, is how ‘aggressive’ the forms of Christianity are, or where they are deliberately targeting desperate people.  We really do have power issues in many expressions of the Christian Church, many of which I could never participate in, let alone if I were de-or-un-churched.  We really need to get back into the inspiration game, and choosing powerlessness as modelled by Francis, Benedict and other Monastics

POSTED 15.02.09 BY: admin | Comments (5)

Moot Rhythm of Life Service, 11th April, St Paul’s Cathedral

It is that time of year again, Moot’s third rhythm of life service at St Paul’s cathedral.  This year’s theme is called ‘Living with hope in a time of uncertainty’. So this year we invite all those who see Moot as their spiritual home, to come and join us at this key moment of the community life, where we give thanks for what has been, and look to the future.  We recommit to the Rhythm of Life as a way of living to be true to God, true to ourselves, and true to others.

We hope this year to be using commissioned film and music for us then to use throughout the year.  If you are a mooter, and would like to join this service, please do click on the link and sign up.  Attendance is free.  We also invite all those who are friends to the community, to come and be part of the service.  Click here to register attendance for free.

For more information please contact Catherine or Sam

POSTED 12.02.09 BY: admin | Comments Off