Comments on: Bridging the Gap: A Reflection on Discipleship

By: Andrea Hug, NA-22

Andrea Hug, NA-22 — Thu, 05 May 2022 14:24:39 +0000

Alastair,
The shared passion–Jesus–allows for all to come to the table, so Matthew and Simon are welcome. In deference and respect to Jesus, I suspect they reordered their thoughts (as we still do to align with Christ), and were challenged by Jesus’ teaching, as we are.
I wish/pray our world had a common passion uniting us and leading us to be One. Somehow, and amazingly, Covid and climate change do not circle the wagons and provide a worthy focus for our shared mission. There are so many possibilities that could bring us together yet we insist on focusing on ME, or MYSELF or MY needs.
My hope is that we could live as Jesus taught, love like he did, and perhaps die to ourselves as an offer to spread good seed.

By: Alastair H

Alastair H — Mon, 02 May 2022 18:46:58 +0000

In reply to Franceska Dante, UK-22. Thanks for your reply and feedback Franceska. I appreciate what you say about your group in "sharing what's in our hearts, without fear of judgement" and without the feedback/advice of others. There's so much here for the church (and myself) to learn from. In the community I recently moved from I used to attend regular healing circles at the local drop-in centre. They were led by elders in the community who helped to create a space of openness and non-judgement. It's helped to guide my own healing journey and shape my ministry.

By: Franceska Dante, UK-22

Franceska Dante, UK-22 — Mon, 02 May 2022 10:56:27 +0000

I think I’d go further with your point about unity here: as people of faith in any higher power, we have common ground that bridges our differences. Every week, I sit amongst a very mixed group: Co-Dependents Anonymous. We are massively diverse yet we are united by two things: faith in the 12 steps and faith in the Higher Power that is most meaningful to each of us. We are governed by conscience meetings, which reflect that diversity of belief, and not by any one principle and have each learned (or are learning) to speak our truth, our values and our beliefs without fear of our differences.

The Higher Powers in which each of us believes vary from a theistic belief in the framework of an established faith, to a theistic but undefined belief, to a non-theistic trust in the universe, in nature, in humanity or in progress, right through to those who can trust only in a Power that is slightly Higher than themselves – the love and innocence of a particular pet, for example. It is rare that conflict breaks out because we are truly multi-partisan and because we each try to seek the nurture and guidance of our particular Higher Power before reacting, remembering that each of us is inadequate and is learning.

Our ‘Communion’ is in sharing what is on our hearts without fear of judgment, without feedback or others trying to advise; our other Sacraments are the reading of the 12 steps and the 12 traditions that govern our time together.

In a Communion as broad as Anglicanism, perhaps there is something to be learned from a bunch of screwed-up people (by this, I mean myself and anyone else who identifies as such… we try not to take anyone else’s inventory): look first to God (as we understand God) for guidance before responding; recognise that we are not in a position of authority but of equality; recognise that we do not have the right to be right but the right to be wrong and to learn from it and learn from those with utterly different perspectives because they are no more wrong than we are.