Peace United

PRACTICE AND FORMATION

JESUS, POVERTY & EMPIRE

OCCUPY EVERYTHING!

What did Jesus have to say about economic inequality, economic justice and the coming of God's kingdom?   

Does his message ring true in our own divided economy?  What might we do about it?  What kinds of personal and political commitment translate into justice for all?

Join us for a weekend workshop exploring the urgent economic message of Jesus' teaching and life story.

LED BY: Led by Ched Myers and Elaine Enns of Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries

WHEN:     Friday, March 9, 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm & Saturday, March 10, 9:30 am to 4:00 pm

WHERE:   First Congregational Church (900 High Street, Santa Cruz)

WHO: Christians and other curious friends, activists for peace and justice, and students interested in the historical study of Jesus' ministry.

Since its founding in 1998, Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries has been committed to building capacity around connecting faith to political and personal issues of economic justice.  Led by Ched Myers and Elaine Enns, they've developed an approach they call "Sabbath Economics," a phrase they use as shorthand for the biblical vision of "enough for all."

How did Jesus translate spiritual vision into a concrete political commitment to ECONOMIC JUSTICE?  How did Jesus ENGAGE AND RESIST EMPIRE in his own time--and how did he encourage the faithful in its shadows?  What might ENOUGH FOR ALL look like in our own 21st century?

At the center of this approach is the practice of 'relectura': a re-reading of the Bible in light of concrete struggles against violence and oppression past and present.  Ched and Elaine believe that the Judeo-Christian tradition of sacred story is older and deeper and wiser than we are, and that it has the power to transform our lives and our history--but only if we can overcome its domestication under the dominant culture of empire.

Our churches--conservative and liberal alike--are often inhospitable to the gospel's invitation to the cross, to solidarity with the least, and to Sabbath Economics.  Our task is, then, to rebuild a literacy in which the Word and world are brought to bear on each other at every turn.

Ched and Elaine are gifted scholars, teachers and theological guides.  They have a special heart and gift with teens and young adults.  Bring your youth, make an effort to encourage young adults.  The topic is timely, the time for learning and acting is now!

REGISTER NOW BY CALLING FCC @ 426-2010...Registration for the whole event is $65 and includes lunch on Saturday...Special scholarships are available for students.

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WHY THIS EXTRAVAGANT WELCOME?

Our Core Four: Christian Practices

practices

 

On Mindfulness

The great mystics of all religions agree that in the very depths of the unconscious, in every one of us, there is a living presence that is not touched by time, place or circumstance. Life has only one purpose, they add, and that is to discover this presence. The men and women who have done this – Francis of Assisi, for example, Mahatma Gandhi, Teresa of Avila, the Compassionate Buddha – are living proof of the words of Jesus Christ, ‘The kingdom of heaven is within.’

But they are quick to tell us — everyone of them – that no one can enter that kingdom, and discover the Ruler who lives there, who has not brought the movement of the mind under control. And they do not pretend that our own efforts to tame the mind will suffice in themselves. Grace, they remind us, is all-important. ‘Increase in my my grace,’ Thomas a Kempis prays, ‘that I may be able to fulfill thy words, and to work out mine own salvation.’

The hallmark of the man or woman of God is gratitude – endless, passionate gratitude for the previous gift of spiritual awareness…. it surrounds us always. Like a wind that is always blowing, said Francis de Sales; like fire, said Catherine of Genoa, that never stops burning...

(Eknath Easwaran, Teacher and Author)

On Forgiveness

To forgive is clearly the mark of a humanity touched by God - free from anxiety about identity and  safety, free to reach out into what is other, as God does in Jesus Christ. But it may be that the willingness to be forgiven is no less the mark of a humanity touched by God. It is a matter of being prepared to acknowledge that I cannot grow or flourish without restored relationship, even when this means admitting the ways I have tried to avoid it. When I am forgiven by the one I have injured, I both accept that I have damaged a relationship, and and accept that change is possible.

(Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury)

On Discipleship

The followers of Christ have been called to peace...and they must not only have peace but also make it. And to that end they renounce all violence and tumult. In the cause of Christ, nothing is to be gained by such methods...His disciples keep the peace by choosing to endure suffering themselves rather than inflict it on others. They maintain fellowship where others would break it off. They renounce hatred and wrong. In so doing they overcome evil with good, and establish the peace of God in the midst of a world of war and hate.

(Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Pastor and Martyr)

On Communion

Communion is not merely in the words with bread and wine duly shared, but in these together with an open sharing of goods and income. Difficult though it undoubtedly is to recover this communal sharing in an individualized enterprise culture, such a perspective is at the heart of the Lord's Supper. Again, how we celebrate the Eucharist makes a difference. I suspect that the further we get from the real meal shared by a relatively small group, the the more difficult it becomes to regain the openness and commitment that make Eucharistic sharing of time, goods and money both gracious and glad...Our systems of production do not distribute food equally, but Christ takes food from us and ensures that all are fed.

(Brian Wren, Hymn Writer)