The Trip Part 3 (a)

"Oh ye of little feet…"

(That has no relevance to the blog - I just loved it!)

Well, that was Denver, CO. and it was BRILLIANT!!!!

 



If the rest of the trip and the people are half as nice, and I learn half as much it will be great. Everywhere else has a lot to live up to.

Denver isn't mentioned in many ‘must do’ lists. It doesn't have a big Statue (that was made in France) or a Mouse themed fun park (that now owns Star Wars) or even a house that was painted white to hide the smoke stains from when the Brits torched it.

But it does have AMAZING people!! (I think I’ve mentioned that before.)

And these people hanged out with me ( or is that hung out??? I’m still not 100% clear on what hanging out is, yet alone what tense to use). I have spent a considerable time trying to get a definition of what hanging out is. It is definitely being together in the same space and doing stuff - eating, talking, looking at things but there seems to be unwritten rules that I haven't quite worked out yet. For instance - you can’t hang out AND be on your phone; that’s just not done - but you can hang out and not speak to the person you’re with for 10 minutes. As close as I can get to a Melbourne equivalent is - “You want to grab a coffee” but not necessarily with the coffee. It’s all very confusing - but back to the people.

 



Meet Angie - a graphic designing, military serving, deeply Christian woman, who (and she’ll hate me for saying this, but I must for its doesn't happen very often) is shorter than me. We met at a breakfast meeting for the House for All Sinners and Saints. Kind of a drop in, share time together, meet the pastors, get to know you, social experience, kind of churchy but not really thing. I’m sure you get the picture.

She’s been going to the church for a while but it was her first time at the morning coffee thing and we just happened to sit at the same table and talked. We seemed to share common interests and a hold a very similar theology - we share the same view that God’s love is for EVERYONE and that’s always a good place to start. As the breakfast meeting thing drew to an end she asked if I wanted to “hang out”. Hoping it wasn't some bizarre American ritual which involved stringing unweary tourists up by the neck I agreed. BEST decision of the week so far.

Angie knew all the cool places, the off the track stuff that tourist like I would never get to see on my own. The highlight (or lowlight depending on how you look at it) was a visit to a Christian book store in the suburbs. Now when we think of a Christian book store we think of WORD or that other one that no one remembers the name of. Quite, small places crammed with stuff - well no this one was not like that! This place was warehouse sized and packed with all manner of terrible stuff - the pictures are just a sample of the merchandise and the mind set. (Click on them to see them properly)



There was a wall about as long as a football field of just Bibles - my favourite being the American Patriot Bible complete with Star Spangled Banner, a white Jesus with perfect teeth and the tag line - God’s word for HIS people! Nice to know I was among God’s people, I needed the reminder  because it sure didn’t feel like it just then. Im pretty sure if I’d opened that Bible the verse about judge not lest ye be not judged would be missing.

As an example I must tell you this - there were posters and pictures and prints everywhere with Jesus on them. As a hunter, as a lawyer, as a dentist, as a truck driver etc, etc, etc. and in every single one of them, without exception, he was white. Not slightly tanned or even mildly Middle Eastern - he was white! I commented on this and my guide suggested I ask at the counter and the conversation went something like this…..

 

Lady behind the register, “Hello, God bless you. My name is Barbara, how can I help you today”

Me, “Hello, I’m a minister from Australia and I’d like to take a souvenir back home with me, do you have a picture of a black Jesus? I’ve got white Jesus posters, I’d like something more ethnically real”

Barbara, “Will you excuse me, my register doesn’t seem to be working?”

 

And she walked off:

Cue howls of laughter from behind me!!!! I learned that not everyone was welcome at that book store and I guess they didn’t have that Jesus poster either.

 

I also got to hang out with Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber - an amazing woman of faith. Now I get a lot of people telling me that I don’t look like a minister but I’m pretty sure she would hear that far more often than I do. Tattoos and attitude, both in abundance and both backed by a very real and vivid faith that shines out in everything she does.

Nadia is a Lutheran minister, the founder and one of the pastors at the House for All Sinners and Saints (www.houseforall.org). House is a wonderful place, a church that is truly for all sinners and saints. All are welcome and its obvious that those aren't just words on the bulletin. Everyone is really and truly welcome. Much has been written about House, and I really can’t do it justice, go and google it and you’ll see what I mean.

All I’m going to do is to outline my thoughts; the things I observed in just a few days and two services. Firstly and fore-mostly the House for All Sinners and Saints (HFASS) is a living, growing church with the most amazing sense of community. All the Sunday stuff is important but, to an outsider, it seems that there is a lot that goes on during the week, some of which the pastors only here about later; the members make the place a vibrant community of God. It is a place to belong, a family of all manner of people, a fantastic place of welcome.

The way I read my New Testament makes me think that Jesus would go to House. I can’t give it higher praise than that. I think he would agree with what they do and how they do it. I’m sure House is not perfect, they only had two flavours of Paddle Pops (which you can eat during worship!!) but all the people I met do try and live the Gospel in all they do. They seem to understand those bits at the end of the parable of the Good Samaritan that say - "love your neighbour" and "go and do likewise".

One of the things that I love about HFASS is that it doesn't have its own building. It is a church in the original sense of the word - a meeting of the people of God. It doesn’t matter that they meet in a borrowed church hall; God’s people just meet and worship.



 

(picture from @Sarcasticluther)

The worship is awesome and nothing like I expected it to be. It was traditional in liturgy - singing the hymns that we know (in choral guild (choir practise) we sang Cwm Rhondda!); none of us at the Melbourne Welsh Church would feel out of place listening to the prayers and partaking in the Eucharist. The BIG difference is that HFASS has taken the meaning of liturgy literally (try saying that fast three times). From the original Greek scholars tell us that Liturgy means "People Worship" - at House this is true - The people lead the service. As you walk in you are handed a booklet and asked if you want to take part. From the opening prayers to the closing dismissal the people lead worship. The pastor (Nadia on the Sunday I was there) delivers the sermon and leads the Eucharist but the people help with everything else including the sharing of the elements. It is also made VERY clear that the Communion Table is an open table and anyone and everyone is welcome to partake of the elements or just receive a blessing.

It was real, gritty, down to earth, wonderfully beautiful worship and it was a privilege to take part.