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Good Friday Stations – Fasting & Prayer – Resurrection Sunday

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The events celebrated during Holy Week are epic. Jesus’ passion, crucifixion, burial and resurrection are not only central to the Christian calendar, they are the central events of all of history. However, most of us skip over the discomfort and pain of Good Friday preferring to jump straight to Easter Sunday – joyfully imbibing all the excitement and energy of the resurrection. We are right to be excited and energized by Jesus’ resurrection (and our eventual resurrection too, by the way!). However, in our excitement for Sunday, we miss the gifts offered in Good Friday and Holy Saturday. If we resist the urge to short-circuit, and if we linger in the way of the cross on Good Friday, and the nothingness of Holy Saturday, our celebration on Sunday will take on a whole other quality. Light is most brilliant when juxtaposed with darkness.

Here’s what’s up this Easter at the Vineyard:

Palm Sunday (April 14, 10am):

Andy will be teaching about Fasting in order to prepare us for our community fast from Good Friday to Resurrection Sunday.

Good Friday (April 19, 7pm)

Stations of the Cross Service & Exhibit

This year we will be worshipping together, and considering the Stations of the Cross through the eyes of one particular artist along with meditations from Scripture. Here’s what he writes about the images like the one above:

“The Stations of the Cross began as a practice of pilgrims going to Jerusalem who would retrace the final journey of Jesus to the hill where He was crucified. For the many who wanted to pass along the same route, but couldn’t make the trip to Jerusalem, a practice developed that eventually took the form of the Stations of the Cross that you can find in many churches today.

This journey to the cross is not only a meditation of Jesus accomplishing what He came to do – the redemption of humanity through His own willful sacrifice – but its also a contemplation of Jesus silently participating in some of the worst aspects of being human. Being tempted. Being betrayed by a friend. Being convicted in an unjust system. Physical pain. Mockery. Broken family relationships. Public humiliation. And a lot of our greatest fears… having to die. These are all aspects of human life that he was not insulated from. In fact on the cross he quotes King David saying “My God My God, Why have you forsaken me?”… as if to say ”Why is it like this?” He was one who was not separate from our own pain.

I don’t think our deepest question is “Is there a God?”
I think our deepest question is “Is there a God that’s with us in all this?”

These stations are a cross-section of elements, ideas, and objects from Jesus’ journey of being with us. As you work through these stations, may you see the that we are not troubled guests in this world… that we are not forgotten… and that the good news of this season was expressed best by Jesus when he said “in this world you’ll experience many trials. But take heart…. I have overcome the world.”

~ Scott Erickson“

Fasting & Prayer: Friday – Sunday

Our Fasting will begin on Friday continue through Holy Saturday, a day of apparent nothingness, and be broken on Sunday.  The seed placed in the ground. Waiting. Our fasting echoes this “giving up” that Jesus did. This discipline isn’t to earn favour, nor is it an attempt to twist God’s arm into getting something you want. Rather, it’s a physical act of solidarity with Jesus. It’s a discipline and it’s a pain. Every time your stomach reminds you that you’re hungry you can recall what Jesus did and is doing, and you can offer a prayer – you can be reminded that ultimately we rely on Jesus for sustenance. When we break the fast on Sunday morning, we are rising with him – emerging from darkness to the glorious light of his resurrection – feasting on the new life He has for us and the whole world!

 

Resurrection Sunday (April 21, 10am)

Of course, this brings us to Easter Sunday. We will party, worship and celebrate God’s accomplishment all morning. Emerging from the shadows of the weekend, and blinking from the dazzling, blinding light of the resurrection, we will celebrate the first stunning glimmers of the new creation – and we’ll invite more (and He’ll show up)!

You are encouraged to contribute to the festive atmosphere in any number of the following ways:

>>Bring an acoustic instrument (drums, rattles, guitars, etc) or any other tool of worship.

>>Bring plants or flowers to decorate the space with signs of life.

>>Bring your Dancing Shoes (literally and figuratively).

 

Community Survey

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One of the follow-up actions from our recent AGM Community Meeting was to initiate a survey as one more avenue for discussion and providing input. This survey will provide the leadership team with insight into how the church is doing and help us as we plan for the next season. We want to lead with integrity and humility, following Jesus and listening honestly to each other. This doesn’t mean that everything that is shared will become action. However, it will mean that everything that is shared will be heard and deeply considered.

As we continue to deal with the fall-out of the past season, and as we look to the future, we know God is with us. We also know that we want to move forward together in a good way. This venue, among others, is meant to facilitate that.

Thanks so much for taking the time to prayerfully consider these questions!

We will leave this survey open until April 9.

Please Note: due to technical difficulties the Survey was closed on April 11. If you didn’t get a chance to fill it out yet, please pick up a paper version at the church on Sunday and bring it to the office by Sunday April 14. Thanks!

 

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Talking Circles

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Sundays, in the Comfy Couch Room, 12 -1:30pm. Bring a bag lunch (check in about childcare).

>>What is a Talking Circle and what are we going to do?

In the first Talking Circle this past Sunday, we identified the topics those present felt are of greatest importance for healing and moving forward together as a church. These will be categorized and used as topics at subsequent circles. These Talking Circles are not decision making times. Rather their purpose is towards healing and moving forward together.

We will form separate talking circles for each topic – one per Sunday. We will assign different topics to different dates so that people are free to participate in the discussions that are of importance to them. For example, if there is a group who is concerned about the type of coffee we are brewing, they will meet on a different Sunday than the group who feels we should sing more hymns (silly examples but you get the idea!). In short, anyone is welcome to participate in the group/s that interest them. Our desire is that people will participate not just to be heard and validated, but to hear and validate others, even those whose questions and concerns may look and feel different from our own.

Each Talking Circle will have its own group facilitator whose interests will be in maintaining safety and a respectful discussion. We plan to continually rotate topics and allow each group to determine its own timeline, so there is no rush. We believe that listening to each other will be an antidote for the isolation and shame some people are experiencing not knowing who else (if anyone) feels the same. We believe that even if our wounds have different shapes and sizes, there will be a collective “me too”, which will be an opportunity to experience compassion and grow in empathy towards each other. This process is a way of getting unstuck, pursuing healing, and continuing to move forward together as a group. We know that there are people who are feeling fragmented and disconnected from each other. Our hope is that this experience will naturally rebuild a sense of community.

Brent and Stephanie Woelke
Jeff and Amanda Leighton

Follow-up to our AGM / Community Meeting

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Dear WCV,

Thank you to everyone who came and participated in our AGM / community meeting on Monday evening. It was our most well attended and passionate AGM in years. This is wonderful, primarily because it indicates that you care – deeply. Thank you as well, for everyone who shared their thoughtful questions, insights, emotion, confessions and suggestions. It was very helpful for the leadership team as we continue to navigate this season… and we believe God was honoured by the whole evening.

We ran out of time, but thankfully, there will be more opportunities to be together, ask questions, ratify the budget, and share together. We want to outline those opportunities here as well as let you know of a few actions that are a direct result of hearing from you on Monday.

Drop-in:

We so appreciated hearing the heart and dismay behind the loss of Suhail’s position and the suspension of Drop-in. This sentiment was very clear. We’ve resolved to not just pause Drop-in until we can re-envision it, but rather to work at getting it going again as soon as possible, and then engage a re-visioning process with all the stake-holders. Like was stated on Monday, none of these decisions were easy to make. The BOD and Lay Elders agonized over the salary decisions (Andy, Jodi & Suhail weren’t involved in these specific discussions). We knew that these reductions would have a direct impact on various ministries as the staff worked out the implications on reduced time. At this point we can see that we should have kept Drop-in going. We will work to make it right. If you’re interested in volunteering in any capacity, please contact the office.

Input and Care:

Like we mentioned at the meeting, we have a number of initiatives planned. None of these will be perfect nor will any one initiative work for everybody. For example, not everyone will have the time or the personality to speak up at a community meeting. We hope, however, that cumulatively we will reach as many of you as possible. While these initiatives are not necessarily decision making times we do want to listen deeply, and lead carefully, all towards healing and moving forward together. To that end:

1) Survey

Watch for a simple survey that will be an opportunity to input into the life of the church. We need to know where you’re at, what you’re feeling, what you view as the greatest challenges, as well as our unique opportunities right now.

2) Talking Circles

We’ve had one, we’re going to have more. This Sunday (March 17), 12pm. Bring a bag lunch – childcare will be provided onwards from April 7th till May 12th (excluding Easter). These are opportunities to share where you’re at, unto healing. There will be a number of them planned around curated topics.

3) Next Community Meeting

At this point our next window for a meeting is the end of April. Spring break, the Imaginarium, the Men’s Retreat, and Easter are all factors in this timing. Watch for the date.

4) Reach out

We are open to hearing perspectives, concerns, prophetic nudges, etc. Please reach out to the Elders, who represent you in leadership. Both the pastoral and lay elders are available.

We encourage you to read the AGM booklet – physical copies are available at the info table, or you can email the office to ask for a digital copy. Unfortunately, there is no audio recording available of the meeting. There were some technical difficulties.

Lastly, a huge thank you for hanging in there during a difficult season. Thank you, too, for your prayers, support and encouragement. We are in this together, and God is with us. This, of course, is our great hope! Good things are in store for us as a community as we press in. Let’s keep it real, keep it focused on Jesus, and keep leaning into God as we do the work of loving God and each other. Let the Kingdom come!

Retreat… Retreat…

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Sometimes life can feel a little overwhelming, busy, lonely – like life is waging a war against your sanity by hurling all kinds of… um… manure at you. Sometimes it’s good to go into retreat mode – to get away from the regular in order to relax and recharge. That’s exactly what we’re going to be doing on our Men’s Retreat, April 12-14 (starting Friday evening, ending Sunday afternoon) at Camp Arnes.

You are invited. Whether you’re young or old, a newcomer or a long-time Vineyardite – whether you can afford it or not, or if you feel like you need it or not – you’re all invited.

It will be a relaxed time to be together, hang out, be refreshed, renew old friendships and make new ones. Also, during a few sessions we will explore the theme “Tending our Hearts” with special guest, Richard Jones (from Fatherheart Ministries). Amenities include archery, swimming pool and hot-tub, the great outdoors, etc!

When: April 12-14

Where: Camp Arnes, MB (100 km North of Winnipeg on the shores of Lake Winnipeg)

Cost: $90 (accommodation and food included). If you need subsidy, or cannot afford this, please contact the office. We don’t want the cost to limit anyone!

Who: Every guy

Reserve your spot with a payment.

 

>>>Thank you to everyone who registered for the retreat! Registration is now closed.

 

 

Street Art credit: Banksy

Lent – an invitation to Life

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Ash Wednesday (March 6) marks the beginning of the Lenten season in the Western Christian calendar. These 40 days (excluding Sundays) culminate in the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Lent is about preparation, self examination and meditation on Jesus’ life and suffering. It’s about journeying with him to become like him. It’s about taking up our cross prior to being raised with him.  Before being raised to life on Sunday, Jesus was lifted up on Friday.

Lent is about finding life – the true source of life

Our culture shuns anything that remotely hints of denial. “Why should I have to give up anything?” we ask, if not with words then through how we conduct our lives.  Examining the deep inner contours of our hearts is not something we do naturally – yet it is what followers of Jesus have done for centuries during this season and have found deep life in the process. This, of course, is the point.  Lent is about finding life – finding the true source of life – the very author of life.  In Lent we give up other embraces to make room to be more fully be embraced by Jesus.

This season, you may want to embark on a journey asking the question, “what in my life is crowding out the very source of life?” This is the essence of fasting – another practical marker of Lent.  Jesus wants to bring us to a place of being more fully alive and yet he won’t do it without our partnership.  As we posture ourselves toward him, the Holy Spirit will transform our self-centred lives into new lives of community and justice. Lent prepares us to live worshipful lives of compassion, generosity and all embracing love.  This sounds like a good definition of being fully alive to me – how about you?

 

Here are a few resources that may help on your Lenten journey:

Pray As You Go

A daily contemplative podcast that leads the listener through a series of meditative prayers and scripture readings.  Each episode is about 10 – 13 minutes long.  You can listen right from their website or subscribe to it via iTunes podcasts.

Lent for Everyone

This is an online devotional created by N.T. Wright.  It includes daily scripture and a well-crafted and thoughtful devotion by one of the foremost New Testament scholars of our time.  (You have to sign up to view it).

Living Lent Daily

Features prayers, thoughts and more each day to inspire you throughout your Lenten journey. A new article will become available daily throughout Lent.  These are quite short.

And a few WCV inspirations:

Lenten Devotional

There is a guided Lenten devotional centred around the book “Sacred & Desecrated: 40 days with Wendel Berry“. It includes daily readings and various challenges designed to deepen our connection with God while preparing us for Good Friday and Easter. The group meets Wednesday evenings beginning March 6th, 7:30-8:30. Contact Amanda for more info.

Empty the Pantry – a Flatlanders Lenten Tradition

The folks in Flatlanders Inn have been doing this for 9 years or so – you may want to try it in your living situation.

“Each year during this season, we dig out the accumulated boxes, tins, and bags from our cupboards and make a deliberate choice to use up the food that we wouldn’t usually choose to use.

Doing this helps us to remember that not everyone has the luxury of choosing what they want to eat. Many people simply have to find ways to use up what they have. Doing this also reminds us to be grateful – on a regular basis, we actually get to choose what we want to eat. We have enough food to have all of these extras.

At the end of Lent, we calculate how much money we have saved on groceries, and then use that money to bless others.”

 

Feature Image credit: Jenson Stidham

 

 

The Vineyard Creative Imaginarium

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Mark your calendars! On April 4, 5, 6, 2019 Vineyard Creative is hosting an Imaginarium gathering in Winnipeg, MB. What in the world is an imaginarium you ask?

Here’s how Wikipedia defines it:

“An imaginarium refers to a place devoted to the imagination. There are various types of imaginaria, centers largely devoted to stimulating and cultivating the imagination, towards scientific, artistic, commercial, recreational, or spiritual ends.”

What that looks like for us is a Christ-centered gathering of Imaginators that is a creative, safe, sacred space. A space to share our work and our dreams, to be inspired, challenged and listened to. It means engaging with and exploring the imagination of God, the great Imaginator of it all. It means feasting together, worshipping together and creating together. It means coming to the table and breaking bread and the wine together.

We will be specifically exploring creativity as a healer and as a story(truth)-teller.

This gathering is being facilitated by Vineyard Creative Catalyst Leaders Kris MacQueen and Krista Heide. Rik Berry, acclaimed painter and Valley Gate Vineyard pastor will be joining us as well.

We will start with a Dinner Meet & Greet on Thursday, go all day Friday and Saturday, ending with a celebration / party Saturday evening.

There is a registration fee of $70 (early bird pricing of $50 until March 15)

 

Registration includes dinner together Thursday night and fun party food/appetizers on Saturday night. Attendees responsible for all other meals.

>>>Register here.

One Step at a Time – AGM & other meetings

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The past season has been quite a season – an understatement perhaps, but good to acknowledge nonetheless. It has been complicated and difficult in many ways.

Throughout this time I’ve often been reminded of the passage in Hebrews that says of Jesus, “for the joy set before him, he endured the cross.” There was a grit to Jesus’ path to the cross – a dogged “just keep putting one foot in front of the other” kind of determination that I see in him. But there was also something beyond the cross that seemed to impel him forward – something that held his vision. He both worked with what was right in front of him – “one step at a time” as Alcoholics Anonymous wisdom recommends, and he kept his “eye on the prize”, so to speak. I believe the same is to be true of us in this complex time. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus, and be obedient to the small steps along the way – one step at a time – a “long obedience in the same direction” as Eugene Peterson famously put it.

We do have a few steps laid out for us in the coming months. These plans will simply help us be together as a community in a way that we haven’t been able to be for the past little while. This means, getting together, talking about where we’re at and where we’re going as well as hearing what is stirring amongst each other. It means praying together and asking questions of each other. We know there are many conversations happening amongst the community – working through the continued implications of Nathan’s arrest, trial, conviction and recent sentencing, questions about leadership in WCV, the 2019 budget, opinions about where we are heading, where we should be heading and what God is calling us to – these and others are all relevant topics for discussion and prayer. We need to hear each other, and in the midst of it, we need to hear God. This kind of conversation and dialogue together will be healing in many ways, and will also help us discern where we’re at, and where we need to be heading. But it begins, like Jesus, with one step at a time.

Here are a few of the next steps:

Our Annual General Meeting will be Monday, March 11, 7pm. At this meeting we will review our finances (as is required by the Charities Act) as well as provide lots of space for questions and dialogue. Additionally, we’ll have some clarity about leadership roles and responsibilities in WCV.

Secondly, we’re going to be having Community Meetings at which we can further our discussions as well as get some helpful input from you. These will be times to hear each other, hear God, and provide the leadership with a venue for community discernment. We are working on getting some input and inspiration from David and Anita Ruis who will help us unpack what leadership looks like in a Kingdom of God context. Watch for the exact dates of these Community Meetings but the first one will be during the last week in April, and we will likely have another in May.

…we fasten our gaze onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God!

 

Hebrews 12:2 (TPT)

 

 

 

Vineyard Prayer and Worship Summit – Edmonton

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Every year, there is a national Vineyard event held in Edmonton called the Vineyard Prayer & Worship Summit. It is a time of gathering together to simply “seek the face of the Lord and worship him.” It is two days of worship and prayer and is always an impactful and encouraging time. Also, there is a pre-summit symposium that is designed to offer some training and teaching around particular topics. This year there are two symposium tracks: 1) How to develop a culture of prayer in your church community, and 2) Prophetic movement through dance.

>> Prayer and Worship Summit: March 1 & 2, 2019

>> Pre-Summit Symposium: February 28, 2019

>> Edmonton

>> Visit the website for more details and to register.

 

Let Me Ask You a Question

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Questions have a way of engaging the heart. Doctrinal statements, creeds, arguments and various proclamations don’t produce the kind and quality of engagement that a well placed question can. Jesus certainly knew this and often harnessed the power of the question – there are over 300 recorded in the bible.

This winter we’re exploring a few questions Jesus asked. Our intent is not so much come to Jesus with our own questions but rather to have him interrogate our hearts through his questions. This may sound harsh, but his questions do have a way of cutting through the clutter of our own lives and hearts, of helping us notice what is already there, but we may not be aware of it. His queries help us to be reflective in a way that our society does not typically encourage.

“Our deepest longing is not for answers but for Him. Ultimately we’re happier and more satisfied with mysteries than with any amount of explanation.”

Jesus’ questions also encourage relationship. He doesn’t just tell us what to believe – he invites us, through his questions, to enter into a dialogue with him – to engage relationally and not just simply seek him for the right answers. Mike Mason says, “Our deepest longing is not for answers but for Him. Ultimately we’re happier and more satisfied with mysteries than with any amount of explanation.” (Champagne for the Soul: Rediscovering God’s Gift of Joy, 171) This is what we’re after – meeting Jesus in his questions!

You can catch up here if you’ve missed any of the sermons so far.

Note: this series is based on the book “Let Me Ask You a Question: Conversations With Jesus” by Matthew Croasmun.

 

Carol Wimber @ SVS

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There are very few environments like the Society of Vineyard Scholars (SVS). Passionate, Spirit-filled, community minded followers of Jesus with distinctly Vineyard sensibilities gathering to discuss, dialogue, pray and worship with their whole hearts and their whole minds. I (Andy) have been going to the annual gathering for the past few years, and if I’m honest, have been stalking SVS since it began 10 year ago. 😉 Every interaction I’ve had, whether it has been downloading a paper from the SVS forum or going to an actual event, I always come away enriched and encouraged. What we think really does make a difference in how we live, and the SVS is a great place to think about God (do theology) in community.

My first year I was sitting next to a guy I had just met. We were chatting and then in mid conversation the tone shifted. I interrupted him and said, “wait a minute, are you giving me a word right now?!” In a distinctly Californian accent he said, “ya, that’s how we do it”, and continued to share with me three prophetic words that turned out to be very accurate and important in my life. At that same event I was further enriched by quality teaching, lively dialogue, creative expressions of worship and practical ideas to try out in WCV – I came away with a full heart and a full mind.

This coming year, the SVS gathering is within driving distance for us… it’s in Minneapolis. And, this year will be a special one because Carol Wimber will be interviewed in one of the plenary sessions. This is a rare opportunity to hear Carol as well as Bob and Penny Fulton, all pivotal people in the development of the Vineyard, reflect on the early history, identity and influences of our movement.

This conference is for academics, pastors and leaders… but it’s not just for people with lots of letters behind their name – it’s really for anyone who loves to think deeply – for anyone who loves to worship with their whole selves, including their minds! How about we go together?!

Here’s Caleb Maskell, one of the SVS founders:

Who should come?:

 

>>May 2 – 4, 2019

>>Minneapolis, MN.

>>Hosted at Mercy Vineyard

 

>>This year’s theme is  “The Coming of the Spirit and the Life of the Church.”

If you are interested in going, let Andy know and we’ll see if we can caravan together!

 

More info on SVS here.

Word of God – a new song

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Here’s a great new song that was shared at the Vineyard National Gathering in Montreal this past summer. This recording captures an early Tuesday morning session when many of us piled into the beautiful (and hot) St. Jax church for a time of worship and prayer “in the round”. This is a genuine “live” recording that somehow captures the living presence of Jesus amongst us.