Israël - Palestine : Gros coup de gueule de Daniel Cohn-Bendit

I was googling 'speechs'/discours and found this one from Daniel Cohn-Bendit - A German jewish politician with the European Ecologists. He defends the right of 2 states - Israel and Palestine - and speaks against European hypocrisy and Israeli thieving of Palestinian land and resources.

Here's the link - enjoy it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9jyHeVfmV4

Alpha Blondy - Wattrelos

I spent 2 years in West Africa, mainly in Burkina Faso but also a few months in Côte d'Ivoire - another french speaking country which neighbours Burkina. While in Africa I was infected by their blend of afro-cuban-caribbean rhythmic music. I remember taking a 5 hour (if my memory's correct) bus journey from Ferkéssédougou to Abidjan where I  was treated to non-stop african music - to be honest enough was enough!
At the time I was learning Dioula, a language spoken throughout West Africa, including Burkina, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Ghana. Much of the music which wafted through the warm african air was sung in this language. It was in Africa that I came to appreciate the talent of the spiritual, peace loving ivoirian Alpha Blondy.
More than 20 years later I saw a picture of the artist on the cover of a local newspaper. The paper announced that he would be playing in Wattrelos - a town only 25 kms from my home.

So to cut a long story short...
I saw Alpha (now 60) in concert. It was a spectacular show. He sung some old favorites and some new ones fresh off his 16th album - Mystic Power. I was amazed by his stage presence, his social and spiritual engagement - the tight band and terrific lighting.

A great moment!

Seclin canal

Taken on a spring Sunday walk near Seclin.

In Or Out ?

Reading Carl Medearis' 'Speaking of Jesus.
He's got lovely little chapter called In or Out in which he explores the notion of who's 'in' and who's 'out'. Personally I've been repelled by this type of thinking within the church. The insiders (those who adhere to a set of doctrines) and the 'outsiders' (those who don't).

Carl gives a couple of illustrations (they go a bit like this:

1. Draw a circle on the floor. You're in the circle and you're trying to persuade those outside to come in. Of course it's easy to step into the circle (really?) - well no, in fact it's quite complicated - you have to believe in the correct things and do the right things - otherwise you can't come in the circle.

2. Put a dot in the middle of a sheet of paper. Put other dots around it. The central dot represents Jesus. The dots around represent us. Then put arrows from the (us) dots towards Jesus. The arrow could be in a straight line or it may go off in tangents, some arrows may not even be pointing at Jesus.

The 1st illustration typically represents view of how christians see things.
The second illustration, I believe, is more of an accurate representation. Jesus asks us to simply follow Him. The arrows towards Jesus show a action of moving to Jesus - following Him.
It may be a messy picture, but it's better and more realistic.

So forget the concept of 'In or Out' - it just doesn't work, it can easily exclude people who are seeking to follow Jesus - maybe not the way we would consider - but they are endeavoring to follow Him and that's what we are simply called to do.

A Table of Fellowship

I was flipping through Alan Mann's Atonement for a 'sinless' society, when I came across this inclusive piece of communion liturgy.
I took the service at our local church last Sunday and rewrote a communion liturgy - which also majored on the inclusive nature of Jesus and the Table. I won't bother including my own as it's in French.

Here's Alan Mann's:

A Table of Fellowship

On the night that he was 'betrayed',
Jesus ate with his friends: 'betrayers' and self-betrayed, one and all.

Jesus broke bread and gave it to his friends
As a sign of his intent to die that they might have life.

He also shared wine with them
A symbol of his death
That opened to humankind the possibility of reconciliation to God,
To ourselves and to Others.

So we also come to the table of Jesus,
For that is what he desires.

We come to reflect on his story.
But we also come to reflect on our own story
And to the stories of those we love and those we struggle to love.

We acknowledge the absence of the Other in our own lives-
Both human and divine.
We have told our story for far too long
Isolated from the Other.

As we acknowledge the inadequacies of our own story,
We say that we are sorry.
For out of ignorance and weakness,
We have not found space in our stories for the presence of Others.

Though we are not against you
We have failed at being for you.
You have been absent from our lives.
As a result, we are against ourselves, for we are Your Creation.

Therefore, we lift our heads to gaze upon the cross and listen to these words of hope:
"Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

Like prodigal child, we bring our story to the table of Jesus
Assured by the story of the Lord's Supper that we will find fellowship there.

We come
Without fear of exposure
Without fear of judgement
For this is the Lord's Table.

Though we withdraw from you and from Others
You do not withdraw from us
And so we thank you.

Our presence at this table means that we are your friends.

So, as we approach this table of fellowship
We recall those absent from all lives
And acknowledge the presence of Others here with us.

We gather
That we may become one with ourselves
One with each Other
One with God

Though we fear it.
We also come to this table so that we,
Like You,
Can 'die' to ourselves.
This is our Golgotha
This is our cross.
For we know and understand that in dying
We open ourselves up to the presence
Of Others in our lives.

Therefore, we offer Others a sign of peace
A symbol of our desire for the Other to be part of our story
And for ourselves to be part of the Other.

We come in the hope of at-one-ment.
That we may be reconciled to Others
And to the Other: God.

At this table
In this moment,
We are given another chance.
To put aside our denial of the Other
And embrace the story of Jesus as our own story.

God, into your hands we place our lives.
We look to Your story to become part of our story
And so be at-one with You, with Others and with ourselves.

Amen

Sat Mix Café Concert

I've just received some photos that were taken at our last SatMix - café concert:

Pascal & me...

Jackie explaining ABEJ - the charity that works with the homeless in lille.

Nicola - the wee scot with the scottish lilt...

The Prodigal Father

Here's an interesting thought provoking spin on one of Jesus' most well-known parables, brought to us by Nadia Bolz Weber.

What does prodigal mean? Wastefully extravagant.
Nadia suggests we regard our Father God in this way.

Our relationship to God is not determined by being nice or good.
Our relationship to God is determined by the wastefully extravagant love of God.

"All that is mine is yours"

Now that's good news!

http://wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blogs/nadiabolzweber/files/2013/03/2013-03-10-NBW-Sermon.mp3