To Resurrect Daily

Yesterday being the first Sunday of Advent, Fortwilliam & Macrory marked the occasion by coming to the Lord's Table for communion. I love communion Sundays and I think the practice itself is one of the most humbling and grace-filled traditions in the church. I remember taking communion as a child and trying to hurriedly confess all my sins so I would be worthy to receive the small cracker and shot glass of grape juice. Truthfully, I never felt worthy and rightfully so. For me then, communion did little more than make me feel guilty and, of course, prolong church and delay Sunday lunch. Only in the last several years have I been able to appreciate the experience and only in the last few years have I been opened to the beauty of the sacrament. I now understand it to be a beautiful act of faith for precisely the same reason I once dreaded the occasion. Communion is beautiful because it's a commemoration of a gift that I indeed do not deserve. The gift is the sacrificial death of Christ. It is a gift, free and blind to the perceived worth of the recipient. Here is the body and blood of Christ given for anyone who will receive it, without regard for position, class, education, race, sex, profession, background, or any other category that serves to divide, segregate, oppress, or denounce people. When we come to the table we come as equals. This is the body of Christ, broken for the rich man and the homeless man. This is the blood of Christ, shed for the prostitute and the pastor. This is the body and blood of Christ, given for YOU and everytime you eat the bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death and resurrection of Christ.

It's been amazing to witness the many different ways the church in Belfast proclaims the death and resurrection of Christ. As I just mentioned, we do it in the sacrament of communion but there is another way the church can testify to resurrection that in some ways is unique to Northern Ireland. The church here testifies to the resurrection through the work of reconciliation. Having now been here only three months I've still been able to catch a glimpse at the work the church is doing to reunite divided communities and to mend broken relationships. In a sense, reconciliation is resurrection. To reconcile pride must be crucified and from that crucifixion comes the rebirth of a relationship or community. I believe the substitutionary atonement of the cross and the physical resurrection of Christ but the scene of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus also serves as an object lesson in reconciliation. We must sacrifice our pride and hate and bury them to be able to witness the glory resurrection of a once dead society. Believe me, it is glorious.

I have had the privilege to meet some very strong and wise women through my work with WAVE Trauma Centre and one of the ladies, Tillie, lost her husband in an indiscriminate attack by the IRA on a Protestant pub. A few masked gunmen came in and shot into the crowd of patrons simply because of the demographic of the patronage (protestant, loyalist). She shared with me that she had struggled with hate and it would be hard to blame her. She said that in the early days after the shooting she just wanted to die. She eventually began to forgive the men who had killed her innocent husband and now she prays for them. This woman comes before the God of the universe on behalf of men who murdered her husband out of pure hatred for his perceived religions and politics. Hate brought death but forgiveness has resurrected her. We can actively participate in the resurrection when we yield to forgiveness and reconciliation. We don't just proclaim it, though that is glorious in itself, we actually take part. Afterall, Jesus didn't just resurrect, he was and is resurrection himself(John 11:25). Through his triumph over death we now have the privilege to resurrect daily.

This is the body of Christ, broken for the murderer and the victim alike. This is the blood of Christ, shed for Tillie and terrorists alike. Whenever you eat the bread and drink the cup you proclaim the death and resurrection of Christ.

Belfast, So Far

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have now been in Belfast for almost 3 months. It's hard to believe because time has flown since I've arrived. Since I've been rather delinquent in updating this blog I'll begin by giving you an idea of what exactly it is I'm doing here in "Norn Iron."

To start with, I've been placed with the congregation of Fortwilliam and Macrory Presbyterian Church. FMPC is a vibrant worshipping community and the last Presbyterian church left on the Antrim Road between City Centre and Glengormley(a northern suburb). I've really enjoyed working with this congregation so far. Our pastor, Lesley Carroll, has a heart for reconciliation and I've already learned a lot from working with her. Through FMPC, I've been given some amazing opportunities to see God at work. I lead a bible study on Monday nights that has been enlightening. Though I'm in charge of the study I think I've probably learned more from the people attending than they have from me. The people who attend always add a unique perspective to the lesson. We've been wading through the Parables of Christ and, though I don't use this work lightly or often, it's been a blessing to get a different set of eyes through which to see the message of the Gospel displayed in these parables.

Also through FMPC, I assist our Youth Worker, Chris Pollock, in the Saturday night Youth Club in Tiger's Bay (a neighborhood in North Belfast near the church). Youth Club has been a challenge, to say the least. The kids don't often come from the best of situations and there is a tendency to act out but it's obvious that they're just thirsty for love and attention and Chris and the rest of the leadership team are eager to satiate. I'm reminded of Henri Nouwen's reflections after visiting various AIDs ministries in San Francisco. Nouwen writes: "They want love so bad it's literally killing them." The same can be said for many of the kids ministered to by the Youth Club. Much like the Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well, they're thirsty for something that only God can give. That something is grace and love and it's been humbling to spend time with them and share in that thirst.

My Sundays at FMPC are spent with a Bible Class in the mornings, where I try to break the days scripture lessons down for a group of high schoolers, and The Point Youth Fellowship in the evenings. The Point has been a wonderful time of fellowship. The guys have been very welcoming and I feel like I've known them for longer than the almost 3 months I've been here. We spend our time reflecting on our weeks and the week to come and have even had some fun outings. We saw Neil Hannon back in September and took a trip to see the new Harry Potter film this last week. The Point is a core group at FMPC and all the guys who attend do a lot of other things in the church as well.

Mondays are set aside for our YAV meetings where we(all the other YAVs) meet with Doug Baker and get on the same page for the weeks to come as well as reflect on the week passed. It's been a really great and energizing time of worship and sharing with each other. The rest of my Mondays are put aside for planning.

Tuesday is my day off and that's when I get to wander around Belfast. Wednesday is back to work. I start my Wednesdays at Newington Day Centre which is just across the peace line from Tiger's Bay (home of the FMPC Youth Club) in the New Lodge. I mostly just pour tea for older folks but I've been fortunate to meet many amazing people there and I always get free lunch (who says there's no such thing). After Newington I head to WAVE Trauma Centre. I definitely suggest clicking that link and checking them out. I'm fortunate enough to spend Wednesday afternoons and all day Thursday with these amazing people. On Wednesdays I work with a Men's group and on Thursdays I facilitate a Women's group. I plan a meal and afternoon activity for them. In the past we've done things like drum circles, origami lessons, and genealogy lessons.

Thursday evenings are spent with the 41st Boys Brigade of the Belfast Battalion. If you're not familiar with the Boy's Brigade, think military meets boy scouts meets Christian youth club. The 41st is really doing great things with some of the kids in Tiger's Bay.

Fridays I spend preparing the slideshow for Sunday morning worship as well as various other things like printing the church magazine. We also have a staff meeting followed by a prayer group. Friday night it's time for the Football Club in Tiger's Bay. We play indoor soccer (though I'm not allowed to call it that, it's football here) with some of the kids from Youth Club. We're currently preparing for a forthcoming match against another Youth Club.

That's basically my weekly schedule. I do other things like Bowls Club on Tuesday evening and Badminton Club on Wednesday evening but just go to those clubs because I like them.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and thanks also for being interested in what I'm doing here in Northern Ireland. I'm only able to be here because of the support of the PC(USA) and local congregations who support the YAV program. If you have the time, check out some of the blogs on the right hand side of this page. There are YAVs all over the US and the world and they all have amazing stories to tell.