CHURCH RETREAT: ONE MODEL

11 AM INTRODUCTIONS

PERSONAL REFLECTION ON JOHN 4: 1-42:

1. What’s unique about Jesus in this story? Can you imagine Jesus having
a need about which he asks your help?

2. Imagine you’re talking with Jesus – just the two of you – what would
you say to him? What would you expect him to say to you about you?

3. If he offered you ‘the water of life’ how would you understand that?
What are your greatest ‘needs’ at the moment (you can jot items under
headings like self-esteem, fear, guilt, grief, anxiety, anger, finance,
relationships etc. - for your eyes only)

4. If you could ask Jesus’ help in some aspect of your life, what would
your request/s look like?

5. And going back to your ‘village’/home/school/work/friends: what’s the
good news you’d be telling them? How do people/communities become
transformed?

12.30 PM LUNCH

1.20 PM: OUR STORIES OF FAITH/HOPE/LOVE – where we briefly share with
the group anything we feel is helpful/honest/relevant from our morning’s
reflection on the story in John 4. As others pray for you, what would
you like them to pray about?

3 PM: BREAK

3.20 PM: THE CHURCH: ‘LOVED BY CHRIST EVEN THOUGH WE’RE NOT YET FULLY
REDEEMED’. A brief case-study of the Church in Antioch (Acts 11: 19-30;
13:1-3). Discussion: What features of this ancient church might
encourage our life together? What does your church ‘mean’ for you? What
does a healthy church look like?

4.45 PM - BACK INTO THE WORLD

FACILITATOR: (Rev. Dr.) Rowland Croucher , John Mark Ministries

WHAT DOES A HEALTHY CHURCH LOOK LIKE? (4: DIVERSITY)

A blind man, feeling the leg of an elephant said, "It's like a strong tree." The second, holding the trunk, reckoned that "It's like a thick vine." The third blind man, running his hands across the large body of the elephant, exclaimed, "No, it is like a wide mountain."

The NT Christians were like that. Paul was strong on faith; James on works. Luke-Acts has a lot about prophets; John hardly mentions them. The church, says Paul, is like a single body, but has many parts.

Our Lord bluntly targeted the narrow nationalism of his own people, particularly in stories like the Good Samaritan. Here the 'foreigner' is a hero. 'Ethnocentrism' is the glorification of my group, leading to a kind of spiritual apartheid: I'll do my thing and you do yours - over there. Territoriality ('my place - keep out!') replaces hospitality ('my place - you're welcome!').

In our global village we cannot avoid relating to 'different others'. Indeed, marriage is all about two different people forming a unity in spite of their differences. Those differences can of course be irritating - for example when a 'lark' marries an 'owl' (but the Creator made both to adorn his creation).

No one branch of the church has a monopoly on the truth. Differences between denominations or congregations - or even within them - reflect the rich diversity and variety of the social, cultural and temperamental backgrounds from which those people come. But they also reflect the character of God whose grace is 'multi-coloured'. If you belong to Christ and I belong to Christ, we belong to each other and we need each other. Nothing should divide us. So we should accept one another, as we are each accepted by God (Romans 15:7).

Snoopy was typing a manuscript, up on his kennel. Charlie Brown: 'What are you doing, Snoopy?' Snoopy: 'Writing a book about theology.' Charlie Brown: 'Good grief. What's its title?' Snoopy (thoughtfully): 'Have You Ever Considered You Might Be Wrong?' God's truth is very much bigger than our little systems.

Rowland Croucher

WHAT DOES A HEALTHY CHURCH LOOK LIKE? (3: MISSION)

MISSION: JUSTICE, MERCY, FAITH.

Pedro, Isabella and their five malnourished children lived in a favela (slum) near Fortaleza, Brazil. Pedro, a day-labourer, worked about every third day. To stop their kids crying from hunger Isabella would feed them little balls of moistened newspaper, sprinkled with sugar. These had almost no nutritional value, but Pedro might get some sleep. The police, bribed by a wealthy landowner, had driven them off their little black-bean farm.

'What do you need?' Isabella replied, 'I would like a blanket for each child.' Pedro: 'I need a job every day to feed my family.' What else? Pedro: 'I want my farm back.' Anything else? 'Yes, where is God when are we treated like "the scum of the earth"'?

Every relationship in the universe - between God and creation, between humans, and between humans and creation - is driven by three dynamics: justice, mercy and faith (see e.g. Micah 6:8, Matthew 23:23).

Justice is about 'fairness', the right use of power. Social justice is the strong helping the weak, not exploiting them. Mercy addresses our immediate needs. 'What do you want me to do for you?' asked Jesus. They might include survival needs - food, clothing, shelter, well-being; or emotional needs - respite from depression, a sense of belonging, greater self-worth etc. Faith is the ultimate dimension of any relationship. Can I trust God to care for me? Can I trust you to accept me (Romans 15:7)? Do you have my interests at heart, or do I exist mainly for yours?

A preoccupation with justice can lead to violence and terrorism; a preoccupation with mercy can issue in paternalism ('do-goodism'); a preoccupation with evangelism - inviting people to exercise faith in God - can lead to our treating them merely as 'souls to be saved'.

Pedro and Isabella want their farm back - justice; they need food, clothing, adequate shelter, a job - 'mercy'; and they need to know they're loved by God, and others - 'faith'. These are the three essential dimensions of a biblical understanding and practice of 'mission'.

Every healthy church practises all three, all the time, though it may be called to major on one of these dimensions of mission.

For more on the church and mission visit these articles.

Rowland Croucher