Rivers in Manchester
24 09 2007
This weekend, I was invited to Ivy Cottage Church in South Manchester to preach on Sunday morning. It was great to be with some old friends (Lynn Swart is now based there and I have know Frank and Debra Green for probably nearly 10 years now), and to be in a thriving and growing church.
They were starting a new series on “renewal” and I had been asked to introduce the series. I have become increasingly bothered by our often very self centred focus on faith: God meets my needs, makes me feel good, heals me etc. Faith in God seems to revolve around “me” rather than the other way round. Funnily enough, the last time I spoke in Ivy a couple of years ago, I spoke on that very thought, and the process in which we learn that God is the centre and not us.
Anyway, back to renewal: often renewal has been very individual, personal, and self-focussed. I think the work of the spirit is essential and much needed in restoring us to the people that God made us to be, but it can never be an end in itself.
So I spoke from Ezek 47, where the river flows from the temple. Often we have focussed on how deep the river was, rather than where the river flows … to the Dead Sea to bring life. The Dead Sea is about 30-35% salt (whereas the Mediterranean is only about 3.5%) and nothing lives there, no fish, no plants, nothing…
But the river flows to the dead places to bring life. Renewal of individuals and the church must flow out to the dead places of our communities to bring life and restoration. Interestingly, in the passage (vs 11) there are marshes and swamps where the salty water doesn’t turn fresh. Where the water doesn’t flow, but stagnates, then the river dries up and doesn’t bring the life it was intended to.
People sometime ask why the Spirit (in their opinion) isn’t moving as much as He used to. I think God is changing church around, so that the river flows to the deadest places of our society, so that when the river rises it doesn’t stagnate, but flows to bring about transformation of culture, communities and people that currently are dead.
I talked once more about the thought that God is going to renew the heavens and earth (not destroy and mentioned the paper by Michael Goheen) … you can read a longer post and comments here.
If you were there at Ivy, have you any comments on what I said? And if not, what is your experience of renewal? Did it flow from you to others to bring life?
Tags: Ivy Cottage, Manchester, Michael Goheen, Ezekiel, River, Life, Missional Church
thanks rupert, i was at manchester for 3 yrs a student so visited ivy cottage a couple of times (mostly though i went to the anglican church down the road from me).
I like your talk, especially the emphasis of the flow of the river - i think it reminds me of how we as a community need to gather and declare who God is and then flow out from there.
Off subject comment:
Hi Rupert
…just thought I’d pop over to your blog from Duncan McF’s, and say “hi”.
I don’t have direct contact with Ivy Cottage, but have really enjoyed Debra Green’s teaching on the occasions when she’s spoken at The Salvation Army’s Roots conferences. (http://www.rootsonline.org)
She’s also very good friends with my dear friends Chick & Margaret Yuill, who are actively involved in the Church across Manchester.
…Blog looks good, Rupert.
I’ll pass by once in a while.
Peace & blessings
J
Always good to read what you write Rupert, always a bit of a challenge in there too. The comment that some people don’t think the spirit is moving as much amazes me, I am always astounded at how the spirit moves now and has moved all through history and challenges us to move into those dead places, which there seems more and more of today.
Rupert, I completely agree. The river flows in the deserts. God loves to bring life where there was no life. Why pour water on wet ground? The invitation is to join God in what he loves to do. The Spirit is moving as much as he ever was. If it seems less obvious its because we aren’t looking where the action is - in the highways and biways.