Monday, January 23, 2006
Rhythm of Life discussion tomorrow
Here are a couple of thoughts to help inform and frame our discussion tomorrow...
A rhythm of life (often called a rule of life in monastic thought) is basically a set of common principles/goals/vision held in common by a particular community.
Most monastic traditions revolve around a core set often referred to as 'chastity, poverty and obedience'.
The Northumbria community simply has two, 'vulnerability, and availability, both to God and each other'.
These core ideas, held and practised in common, form the basis of how that community lives, how the people spend their time and money, the jobs they have, what shape their services take, where they live... Ultimately they are a way for living, a guide, that orientates the community towards God and each other, helping them become more fully human.
These core ideas take time to work themselves out, through communal discussion, new peoples joining with new ideas, over the dinner table, common themes in services etc...
A moot rhythm of life will also take time to emerge and cannot be hastily put together. It needs to come from the community and therefore be for the community to enable people to envision a better way to live, a way that inspires, challenges and reassures people in their faith. A way of life should be a wellspring of life rather than a millstone around the neck.
These discussions about a moot rhythm of life come out of time spent last year as a community where we talked about the idea of a common way of life, and heard from the Northumbria community, an initial draft of a moot rhythm of life was put together by a few people in moot which forms the basis of our ongoing discussion. This document was very large in scope and needs to be refined, a process that these meetings will help us with as we let our visions and ideas about how we live as Christians in the city bubble to the surface.
For tomorrow it may help if you focus a few thoughts before hand on the following questions - don't worry we are not looking for deep theological reflection or profound thoughts - although of course they would be welcome :-)
• What attracts you to the idea of a rhythm of life'?
• How do you think it could help you/help the community?
• What worries you?
Hope to see you there.
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