Men And Boys Camp

The desert expanse of Koora Retreat Centre in Boorabbin National Park worked its magic on 18 male souls who attended the 2010 Men and Boys Camp 24th -27th September. As always, settling in at Koora brought an immediate sense of  easy friendliness and cooperation as we helped each other to set up tents and organise our gear.  The camaraderie between men, boys and teenagers was humourous, inspiring, touching and deeply satisfying.  I am struck with a sense of sadness that so few men ever get the opportunity to spend a weekend in the company of such a great group of guys, walking, working, cooking, swimming, nurturing, fire-building, chilling-out, star-gazing, nature-studying, spud-gun-firing, laughing, playing, praying, sharing, reflecting and discussing together - not to mention mercilessly ribbing each other.
Our hosts, Peter Harrison and Anna Killigrew again welcomed us with warm hospitality, practical advice, mountains of food, plenty of humour and lots of activity to help us access the natural and spiritual treasures of the surrounding desert.  It is a wonderful ministry they offer. Why not check out their website http://kooraretreat.yolasite.com/
During our discussions we examined our primal nature as hunter/gatherers and how culture and spirituality overlay our primal energy to direct it in positive ways leading ultimately to contentment, compassion, and wisdom. We spent time in the wilderness in groups and alone, discovering our own inner strength and realising the contemplative side of our nature. In our final discussion on the Monday morning many comments were made that directly or indirectly highlighted the power of the desert to act as a teacher, guide, leveller, or spiritual director.
I am grateful to all the men and boys who made time to attend the camp and make it such a profound experience.

Sustainable September 3

For this third and final sermon in the Sustainable September series we have the theme "What is the Challenge to The Christian Community?"

• I heard a quote during the week from Albert Einstein: "No problem can be solved by the same consciousness that caused it in the first place." This seems particularly apt in relation to global warming - the consciousness that caused the problem cannot solve it.
• The consciousness, or state of mind, that has brought about this environmental crisis seeks to solve it by such things as pumping CO2 into space, or developing nuclear energy, or fusion energy.  This state of mind wants to keep doing more and more of the same thing and finding expensive, complicated  technological solutions to solve the resulting problems.
• We know that what is needed is a transformation of consciousness.
• Even if global warming was not happening our economic system is still unsustainable because it relies on the increased consumption of finite resources - resources that are running out. This consciousness must change.
• A visual image of the problem - I heard of a method of catching monkeys which involves cutting a hole in a coconut just big enough for a monkey to squeeze its hand through.  Salt, which monkeys really like, is then put into the coconut.  A monkey comes along, squeezes its hand through the hole, grabs a fistful of salt but cannot extract its fist while it is clenched.  No matter what happens the monkey will not let go of the salt in its fist and is easily captured.  
• This is where western society is at.  Our dedication to egoism, and material acquisition is a fistful of salt that we will not release. Even the impending crisis of global warming will not allow us to release our grip.
• The only way I can think to get the monkey to release its grip on the salt is to present it with something even more attractive..  Something that it will reach out for with both hands, thus releasing the salt.
• Surely as the witnesses of Christ in the world the Christian community is charged with the responsibility of presenting the gospel in a way that will allow "the World" to release the salt.
• Lets not forget, that Christians, on the whole, have been as materialistic and egoistic as anyone else. We need a new gospel too!
• We need an understanding of our life in God as something that goes way beyond the projections of our egos.  A life that leaves us fulfilled and content, non-desiring. A life that sees service to God, the community, the poor, as more important than material acqusition.  A life that liberates us from the need to prove ourselves worthy, successful, or anything else. A life that leaves us with a humble compassion for all living things and the creation that sustains them.

Sustainable September 2

Last week we looked at the theme "What is the Challenge to Creation".  This week we consider the theme "What is the Challenge to you and me."

• I want to name this challenge the "Grand Challenge", that's grand as in grand parent. Each one of us has to make ourselves accountable to our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren when it comes to our actions or inactions to combat global warming. Someday they are going to want to know what we did about the problem.
• Try writing a letter to them explaining your position on global warming.
• I'm not giving an exhaustive list of practical changes we can each take in out lives - there is plenty of information about this, including the regular sustainability tips we print in the Passion and Purpose newsletter.  We should all be taking these things seriously.
• Again, the problem is our level of wealth and consumption, we must take constant reality checks on our lifestyle.  Remember, only 25% of human beings live in the developed world. That means, basically, 75% of humanity live at subsistence level or below.  Owning a car or flying in an aeroplane are experiences they would never hope for.
• Most of us could easily halve  our wealth and still lead very comfortable privileged lives. We could halve the number of car trips we make (and double the time we hang on to our 'old' car). Halve the size of our house and still have a beautiful comfortable home, halve the number of overseas trips, halve the amount of meat and imported food we eat and substitute it for fresh locally grown produce, halve what we spend on entertainment.  Think about it - we could do all of these things and still have very interesting, comfortable lives! And save a lot of carbon emissions!
• There is a moral/spiritual question we must all ask ourselves; "If the wealth we enjoy (e.g. owning a motor car) cannot be enjoyed by every person on earth (and it certainly cannot be) what right do I have to it?"
• The main spiritual issue behind our over-consumption is our own ego. This means our dissatisfaction with ourselves and our lives.  We live in a constant state of striving for something better.
• Today's gospel is helpful in addressing this. Luke 15:1-10. The story of the shepherd searching for one lost sheep and the woman seeking the lost coin.
• This passage is usually understood as emphasising God's forgiveness - no one is unforgivable or "too" lost for God to want back.
• This is clearly a valid interpretation of the story but when put in the context of the rest of the New Testament it has a deeper meaning as well.
• It tells us that each of us already belongs to God and is already forgiven.  The "sheep" and the "coin" in the story do nothing - they neither convert nor repent - The story is about the action of God. God goes searching for them to bring them back. 
• Jesus was not very interested in salvation in the future. He put far more emphasis on healing now.  Even this gospel story is told as a justification for the fact that he is seeking out the lost now, in the present. He was being challenged for eating with sinners.
• An image of God which may be useful here is God as the sun.  The sun just shines constantly, it doesn't change in anyway, however we choose to stand in the shade, or to put up an umbrella, a barrier between ourselves and the sun. This "umbrella" is our own ego, our projection of who we think we are.
• If we let go of this projection we stand once more in the sunlight which warms and purifies us and we reflect the light to others.
• This is a radical understanding of God's love and yet entirely consistent with Christian theology - God never changes.  We are already loved, already forgiven, already in communion with God. The only change necessary is that we realise it.
• All our religious systems, rituals, disciplines and practices are designed to help us to this realisation. They are not  designed to win favour from God - there is simply no need!
• When we achieve this realisation we come to a place where compassion is the natural response. To care for others, and the planet, is the natural way of being, not to win God's favour, but because its now the only thing that makes sense.
• If we truly realised that we were already loved, forgiven, redeemed by God we would be truly content and be free of the craving and dissatisfaction that drives us to constantly want, and consume, more.
• Finally, we cannot allow ourselves to be disillusioned by negative thoughts about the ability of people to work together to achieve the changes necessary to halt climate change. All Christians must hold fast to a firm belief in the goodness of human nature. God believes in human nature - who are we not too! 
• The creation and redemption of the human race is God's masterwork.  It is blasphemy to suggest human beings are not capable of working together for the common good.  We must assert a belief in the limitless potential of human beings to do good.  Because the spirit of God is within us.  

Sustainable September 1

Sunday 5th September.  
This month the Diocese of Perth is asking us to reflect during our Sunday worship on the environmental crisis facing our planet.  I am going to address some of the theological and practical issues during the "September Sermons" and thought I'd try writing a few notes on each one on this blog.

This week's theme is the question "What is the challenge for Creation?"

• The Challenge is Global warming!
• This does not mean a mild inconvenience with the weather getting a little hotter and drier in some places and a little wetter in others over a long period of time.
• It means catastrophic changes including: the inundation of vast areas of habitable land creating hundreds of millions of 'climate refugees'; decreasing crop productivity with millions starving, increased frequency and severity of storms and extreme weather events; extinctions and migrations of animal species, the breakdown of food chains. Some of these changes could happen quite suddenly.
• The two principle causes of global warming are the burning of fossil fuels and land clearing.
• These two factors greatly accelerated as a result of industrialisation beginning in the 18th century.  The rise in global temperatures matches the increase in idustrialisation throughout the western world.  Check out www.ipcc.ch/  for more information - this is the website for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
• Even without the problem of global warming our industrial/economic system is fundamentally flawed because it is based on a principle of "economic growth". This means that our prosperity depends on an economy that is constantly increasing its consumption of natural resources.  These resources are finite and will eventually run out.  This economic system is, and always was, unsustainable. Global warming is just emphasising the point!
• THE PROBLEM IS FUNDAMENTALLY SPIRITUAL
• I say this because as industrialisation has increased religion has decreased.  The church has declined in all the industrial nations of the world. The nations where the church is booming are all under-developed countries. Our desire for material wealth rather than to serve God is causing massive, unsustainable, over-consumption.
• THE SOLUTION IS ALSO SPIRITUAL
• In order to halt global warming the richest nations of the world need to voluntarily reduce their consumption and adopt economic practices that are environmentally sustainable - this mean we must choose to be poorer.
• History suggests this is unlikely to happen unless courageous individuals are prepared to lead the way and change their own lifestyle.  The people most likely, and best equipped, to do this are those with a strong spiritual life and commitment to God.
• Believe it or not none of this is bad news, it is GOOD NEWS! Because the root of the problem is our own spiritual malaise and impoverishment, the challenges presented by global warming will be our very salvation.
• God's people are called at this moment to stand up and become leaders.  We are called to make our lives count for something, to be a light to the world, to show the way of Jesus.
• In today's gospel, (Luke 14:25-35) Jesus tells us to give up our possessions, take up our cross, and follow him. 
• Jesus' whole message is that individual sacrificial action, done selflessly for the good of all, is salvation.
• This is the message we are called to demonstrate  to the world.
• The prospect of facing this challenge should fill us with determination, resolve, clarity, and joy.