Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 22,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 8 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

This tradition is celebrated nowadays with figures of Mary and Joseph being hosted in different places each night of Advent. When they stay in a place it offers a chance for a party for friends and family of the host. The form this takes varies but may include worship and carols and a telling of the message of Christmas and perhaps food and drink. It’s more important that it’s a time of gathering together than that it is something elaborate.

In the last two years we have had the opportunity to meet new people, to visit different churches and locations, and to enjoy the build up to Christmas. It would be wonderful to do the same this year. Can you offer Mary and Joseph a place to stay for a night?  On Advent Sunday (27th November) in the noon service, the figures of Mary and Joseph will be handed to the first host. Each evening, at a time convenient to you and the next host, Mary and Joseph will move on. On Christmas Eve they will return to Epiphany Island and take up residence in our stable scene in the Peace Garden.

If you would like to help, please let Helene Milena or Cady Enoch know as soon as possible. The full list of hosts does not have to be in place by Advent Sunday, but the first few are needed as soon as possible. Last year we had people volunteering while the Posada was already underway.

If you host Mary and Joseph we can advertise any event you may be having via group notices and you will be able to use the group IM to remind members of the community of the event if you wish. It would be wonderful if you could take a photo of Mary and Joseph in your home, church or other venue and send it to Cady plus a brief diary entry of what happened that day. For the last two years we have created a lovely memory book in world of the journey Mary and Joseph took over Advent.

Helene Milena – Lay Pastor

We will look at the biblical view of the person, what a caring relationship is like, and look at some of the skills needed to listen effectively. If you think this would help you, do come along to the Parish House and join us. This first session will be by way of introduction and give us time to get to know one another a little and to consider just what pastoral care of this sort actually means in practice.

The course will be conducted in voice so you should have the means to use voice in SL, preferably using a headset or mic and earphone, to avoid feedback.

Helene Milena – Lay Pastor

Imagine arriving at church only to find someone there turning you away with the message that God refuses to listen to you! What a shock! Yet this is what was happening to the people of Israel in Amos’ day. He was telling them that God would not accept their sacrifices or their music which was offered in worship of him. The problem was not the sacrifices but the hypocrisy of the people. They were observing the requirements of their faith outwardly but it was having no impact on the way they behaved. What God wanted was justice and righteousness because when they are in abundance, the people flourish.

The message applies to us also as I said in my reflection which is given below. The readings of the day were Psalm 70, Amos 5:18-24, Matthew 25:1-13.

Yesterday, as you will probably have noticed, we erected a new cathedral onEpiphanyIsland. Obviously it took Cady some time to get things into place with it being such a huge project. One thing those of us present noticed was that it wasn’t possible to walk through the doorway – there was a barrier. Cady reassured us that she would sort the issue out (meanwhile we walked through the sides of the doorway, which was quite fun!).

Imagine if you had come here today and the barrier had still been in place. Even worse, imagine that there was someone there standing in the way and he was denouncing you for turning up. What if, on arriving to pray and worship, this griefer told you that your prayers were a waste of time and that God wanted absolutely nothing to do with your worship, that he detested it and refused to listen to it? I suspect you would hope that one of the Leadership Team would quickly eject that avatar, as has happened occasionally in the past, and allow us to get on with our service.

If you listen to the words of Amos I have just read, he was doing much the same as my fictitious griefer. He was telling the people that their turning up for worship, making their offerings, singing their songs, was not something which God wanted. That is quite staggering.

In the book of Leviticus a system of sacrifices and offerings is described in great detail. Burnt offerings picture dedication or total submission to God’s will, shown by the fact that the offering was totally consumed. It was to be a bull, goat or pigeon. This offering was made every morning and evening, a continual offering, and was to burn all night. Double quantities were offered on the Sabbath.

The grain offering comprised fine flour, oil, salt and frankincense. It represented the works of the worshipper’s hands, an offering of all that the person possessed to God’s service. It was in recognition of the divine source of everything.

Another offering was the peace, well-being or fellowship offering. It could be a bull, sheep or goat. It was offered as thanksgiving, on making a vow to God, or simply as a freewill offering given out of love for God. It was eaten with the priest rather than being consumed completely in the fire, although the fat and some of the inner organs were burnt. In this way it spoke of communion with God through his priest.

Amos didn’t mention the other offerings, the sin and trespass offerings, which concerned times when the people had done something which was outside the will of God, the first for confession and the second for cleansing.

So what was wrong with the worship that Amos observed? If those offerings were being made regularly by the people, as it seems they were, they cost a lot. Offerings were always of the best, the unblemished animals, the pick of the crop. Why was Amos giving such a harsh message from God?

Perhaps there’s a clue which is hidden due to translation. ‘I take no delight’ actually means ‘I do not inhale with delight’. The idea of the sacrifices was to make a pleasant aroma for God. As the meat burnt in the burnt offering or fellowship offering, or as the frankincense drifted on the air from the grain offering, a pleasant smell was made. It seems that what God smelled was not a pleasant aroma but the stench of hypocrisy. Perhaps the very fact that Amos didn’t mention the sin offerings suggests they were no longer made. That might indicate that the people thought they were doing nothing wrong, but God knew better.

God was rejecting the practice of religion inIsraelnot because the institutions were wrong. He had after all set everything up himself, giving very detailed instructions on how worship was to be conducted. The problem was with the worshippers. They were coming to God under false pretences; their outward observance was not impacting their behaviour. They were disobeying God’s laws. As Isaiah also pointed out: These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

Amos then showed the people what God actually required of them instead of their sacrifices and music. To be accepted, by God the people must give justice and righteousness priority in their lives. Justice and righteousness without the sacrifices would be enough; sacrifices without justice and righteousness resulted in rejection by God. In a dry country, an ever-flowing stream is something to be earnestly desired for the flourishing of plant and animal life. Likewise, justice and righteousness which never fail are essential for the flourishing of human life.

There may not have been a griefer standing outside the Cathedral today and preventing our entry but the message of Amos is for us as much as it was for the people ofIsrael. We may meet often to worship and pray but outward observance is not enough. God wants our hearts to be right; he wants us to be fully dedicated to his will inwardly. He asks that we see our possessions, talents, money as gifts he has given us. As we often say at the offertory in the Eucharist: All things come from you and of your own have we given you. Only by asking God to bless our efforts will good come of them. God wants us to be in fellowship with him, working in the way that he plans and giving to him out of love, not obligation.

In the book of Revelation we are told that the angel uses the prayers of the saints as incense in heaven. Only if we are offering genuine prayers from a heart fully dedicated to God will that incense make a sweet smell before God, something he can inhale with delight.

It is obviously our hope that this ministry will grow and develop but growth in numbers without growth in depth of commitment, both as individuals and as a ministry, is not worth having. Today we have the opportunity to dedicate this new building to the glory of God. We can also rededicate ourselves, we who together build a living temple, to God’s service.

I pray that God will respond to the sincere prayers and worship of this community, today and always.

Helene Milena – Lay Pastor

Our Treasurer, Tithe Sixpence

First off, many apologies for the lack of updates in the past few months.  RL and all that…  Anyway, I thought this would be a good time to give an overview of the AoSL financial situation, as well as a picture of where things are at present.

I have updated the Financial Support page on this blog.  In it, I have outlined our need for donations, what our current budget is and how it was arrived at, and ways you can lend your support.  I have also simplified the Paypal donation option, so you can now make a one time payment to help support our ministry, in any amount that works for you!

As of the end of October 2011 we have raised 24% of our yearly goal amount.  Since our next tier payment will be due in May 2012, we are halfway through the current donation cycle.  Simply put, we are at the 50% time point, but only at the 24% donation point.

I am confident that we can meet our budget goals by the time our next tier payment is due, but we can’t do it without your help!  We deeply appreciate any donation you are able to make, no matter how small.  We know from your many words of support that our ministry is a meaningful part of many of your lives, and our goal is to do everything in our power to help ensure our ability to continue our SL ministry to you.

Thank you for all of the support you have shown us in many ways.  If you are in a position to help us financially, that is great!  But if you are not, please know that you are no less welcome, and that you contribute to our ministry simply by being part of it!  And, if you have any ideas about how we might boost our fundraising efforts, we would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading this, and I hope to see you in-world soon!

The readings at the Sunday noon service in the Cathedral on Epiphany Island were Psalm 119:9-16, Nehemiah 8:1-12, Matthew 24:30-35. My reflection follows:

This year has also been a celebration of the 400^th birthday of the Authorised, or King James, version of the Bible. Much has been said about the impact that translation has had on people over the years. It’s been used to teach people to read; it has brought sayings into the English language which are used without people necessarily being aware of their source; it has been hailed as great literature. It is certainly a translation which taught me many of the verses of scripture which I know by heart.

I do think, however, there is a risk in the adulation of one particular translation. It was a phenomenal achievement, no one can deny that. Its forerunner, the Tyndale Bible, cost its translator his life though many of his words live on in the AV. But, to say that it is the definitive Bible in English is probably going too far. I’ve had conversations with people who are convinced that the AV is the only true Bible, as though God dictated his words in Elizabethan English and in no other language. That being the case, no one should use any other translation, of course! I would say it’s the content, not the precise translation, that matters.

InEnglandandWalesit’s Bible Sunday today. The work of Bible Society, which promotes Bible Sunday, is the translation and distribution of the Bible and the encouraging of engagement with the Bible by ordinary people. The passage of scripture focused on today is Nehemiah 8:1-12 and it concerns translation and the engagement of ordinary people with the Bible, showing the impact it can have.

The book of Nehemiah is one of the history books in the Old Testament. The people ofJudahhad been in exile inBabylonfor 70 years. They were then given permission to return home in the time of King Cyrus and some went back led by Zerubbabel. Over a twenty year period they rebuilt theTempleinJerusalemand built or repaired houses for themselves. TheTemplewas completed in 520 B.C. The book of Nehemiah is set in the period from 444 B.C. onwards.

Despite the progress the people had made, Nehemiah heard that the walls ofJerusalemhad not been rebuilt, meaning that the people lived vulnerable lives. Walls gave a city safety if enemies attempted to attack it. They were a symbol of strength and peace. Nehemiah was distressed thatJerusalem, God’s chosen city, was not secure. He gained permission from King Artaxerxes to leave his very responsible job as the cupbearer of the king and return toJerusalem. He took letters of authority with him from the king allowing him to be governor, and began his work of moving the Jews into a situation of better organisation and leadership.

The early part of the book gives extensive lists of the groups of people who built each section of wall and repaired each gate. Levites, mayors, goldsmiths,Templeattendants, those who lived insideJerusalemand those who lived outside, all helped to build sections of wall. Despite being mocked and threatened by Sanballat, governor ofSamaria, they carried on with their work. In order to protect the workers from attack, half the people worked and half patrolled with swords.

Nehemiah also had to deal with corruption in society where children were being sold into slavery and there were those who were charging interest on loans. He arranged for the priesthood to be re-established and appointed temple officials. He encouraged the people to settle the rest of the land, in the towns and villages of the area. The walls were completed in just 52 days, faster than expected.

It might be thought that Nehemiah had given the people everything they needed and they would be content. However, at the beginning of the reading for today we’re told that the people wanted Ezra, a priest and scribe (so an expert on the Law) to read the Law to them. Nehemiah had used the Law to guide him in leading the people forward.  It seems they realized that they needed more than material security; they needed to be reconnected with God and his ways. It was their allegiance to God and the distinctive lifestyle he commanded which had held the tribes ofIsraeltogether and given them an identity long before they had a capital city, a king or aTemple. The Law was not just a set of rules, but instruction to help life to be lived to the full.

There in the square everyone gathered, men and women and children together. It’s likely that people would normally have been segregated for worship but on this occasion they were all together, all listening to the same word as read by Ezra. Far from being bored at the thought of listening to a very long reading (we’re told it lasted from early morning to midday), the crowd was enthused by this occasion. As Ezra opened the scroll everyone stood up, as a sign of respect – something some of us have learnt to do in our own traditions when the gospel is read. Ezra made certain the attention of the people was on the Lord, the giver of the Law, and not on himself. He praised God and the people roared their approval: Amen! Amen! They lifted their hands towards heaven in praise of God. You can almost sense what it would have been like to be in that crowd. That wasn’t all; they recognised that they were in the presence of God and bowed to the ground to worship him. What a fantastic response to the word of God! Perhaps we take the Bible too much for granted and fail to be awed by what we have access to when we open the Bible and read.

During the time inBabylonthe people had adopted the Aramaic language and abandoned Hebrew. They may still have understood Hebrew but perhaps not well enough. It might have been rather like listening to the Authorised Version of the Bible is for us. We recognise the words, we may enjoy the rhythm of them, but the old fashioned nature of the language can act as a barrier to understanding. It seems there were still those Levites who knew the language well. They mingled with the people, giving them understanding as Ezra read.

Finally we are shown the impact the reading and interpretation of the Law had on the people. They cried. What were they crying for? Probably because they realized that they were not living as the Law said they should. They were feeling remorseful about how far they had drifted from God’s ways. It still happens now, of course. People realize, suddenly or gradually, that they have spent a portion of their life not living as they should have done. They can be overwhelmed with regret at the time and opportunities that have been lost.

It’s true that we can’t capture lost time but Ezra, Nehemiah and the Levites had good advice for the people. They were told to rejoice, to go and have a party because the day was so special. Had they wallowed in their regrets, they would have wasted more time. Ezra urged them to draw strength from the joy of the Lord, strength to live differently. And they were to start right away by giving food to those who had nothing prepared, thus immediately showing God’s concern for the poor and marginalised which runs throughout the Law.

Though two and a half thousand years separate us from the people of Nehemiah’s day, we can still learn from their experience. Let us never take for granted the privilege we have of being able to read God’s word whenever we want, in a language we understand, without fear of persecution. Let’s not be paralysed by regrets about things that might have been, but move forward into a new future. If we allow it, the Bible will inspire celebration and worship and transform our lives. It’s a very powerful book indeed!

Helene Milena – Lay Pastor

This reflection refers to the readings of Psalm 23, Isaiah 25:1-9, Matthew 22:1-14 and was preached at the noon service on 9 October.

What is God like? Your view probably depends on numerous factors: your upbringing, your church, your familiarity with the Bible, your natural disposition to optimism or pessimism, your experiences in life and so on.

The God of the Old Testament is often portrayed as stern, a king, a lord, a judge, one out to punish his people, angry, jealous, in need of being pacified by sacrifices. The God of the New Testament is seen as gentler, full of grace and mercy, compassionate like Jesus, a loving parent. In truth you can see examples of all those characteristics in both Old and New Testament. God is the same yesterday, today and forever so it would be very strange to see him change between one Testament and another.

One characteristic I haven’t mentioned is that God is creative. God creates with lavish abundance. When we look at the world, despite the mess we seem to be intent on making, it’s still possible to be amazed, overwhelmed by the sheer beauty and diversity of creation. I’m sure the universe would have worked just as well if we had not had as many kinds of butterfly, or fish, or bugs (did we really need over 1000 species of earwig?). It seems that God created just because he could. I suppose, experiencing a world like SL, we have some insight into that. Places, artefacts, avatars in abundance are created by the residents just because it’s possible.

Another characteristic, linked with God’s lavish generosity, is that he’s a ‘party animal’. It seems God loves to throw a party. In the three pieces of scripture for today it’s possible to see the theme of feasting and parties. In that most famous of Psalms, Psalm 23, the psalmist pictures God spreading a table for him. No matter that there are enemies around; God is preparing a feast for his servant, a celebration which is not going to be prevented by those who are intent on doing harm. Isaiah sings the praises of God who defends the poor and needy, sheltering them from ruthless aliens. He pictures God laying out a feast with choicest food and wine for all people to share. The people will be saved from all that threatens to harm them, leaving them rejoicing.

Jesus picks up the same theme of a party, this time a wedding banquet laid on by a king in honour of his son’s marriage. The invitations would have been sent out some time before and acceptances sent in. When the big day came, everything was prepared and the guests were called to come and celebrate. It should have been something they were looking forward to, giving priority to, but it seems that other matters occupied their attention so they couldn’t be bothered to turn up. Not prepared to let the feast go to waste, the king has many other people, the good and the bad, invited to attend instead of the original guests.

Usually, in order to be invited to a party, we need to be one of the family or friends of the host. We have to assume that is whom the king had initially invited when he sent out his invitations. However, those he invited later were not friends or family of the king, just anyone the servants could find to invite to fill up the banqueting hall. God is just like that king, he invites everyone, anyone, ‘both good and bad’ as Jesus said, to come to his feast. It’s in accepting the invitation that we become the new members of the family of God. The fact that you are here listening to this, or reading it on the blog, means you’ve been invited and you have either accepted or are thinking about it.

If a king or queen really invited you to a meal, I wonder if you would spend much time thinking about whether to accept or not. I suspect most people would jump at the chance of being at such an event. Obviously it’s wonderful to be invited by God to be at his party, to celebrate with him, but if you notice in the story, there’s a little detail that should cause us to think for a moment. The king spotted someone at the wedding banquet who was not properly dressed and had him thrown out. I have to admit that that seems very harsh.

If we go even further on through the Bible I think there’s a clue to what’s going on here. In the book of Revelation the party is actually happening. It’s the marriage feast of the Lamb of God, a name given to Jesus, and his bride, the Church. We’re told that the Bride, the Church, has made herself ready, dressing in fine linen which is the righteous deeds of the saints – meaning the members of the Church. The clothing suitable to wear for the great banquet God is preparing is made of righteous deeds.

I remember that the thing which concerned me most as I anticipated the weddings of our two eldest children was what to wear. What would be suitable? I wanted to look my best on those special occasions. I found the search for just the right outfit to be quite stressful but I was very pleased to have made the effort when the day came for each wedding.

For we who have accepted the invitation to the wedding feast of Jesus, now is the time to choose the outfit we will wear, something that will be suitable attire. Whether we are good at sewing or not, we will be making that outfit ourselves from the righteous deeds which God has prepared for us to do between now and the time of the party.

It might seem a little daunting but we’re not on our own. When looking forward to big events, often guests will talk to one another about what’s going to happen, how good it will be and so on. As we gather here each week, we do the same. We join together to encourage one another, to praise God for his wonderful deeds and to anticipate, as Isaiah does, the day when we will celebrate our salvation at the very best party every thrown.

I look forward to meeting you at that party and admiring your outfit!

Helene Milena – Lay Pastor

The building methods used required many prims and with more prims we find there is more lag, making walking around on the sim tricky at times. Cady, our church warden, has been exploring how to reduce the number of prims on the sim, especially those used for the Cathedral as that is the biggest single item. She has used the newer building techniques such as sculpties and larger prims (but not yet mesh which is very new indeed). The new look Cathedral has been constructed on a building platform above the island and several of our community have responded to invitations to visit it after services. They have been able to give Cady many suggestions on how to improve what was being created which has led to many changes and hours of work.

Most of the work seems to be finished now, though there is no doubt a little fine tuning to do yet. Until the end of October you are invited to visit the new build and see for yourself what has been achieved. Either use the landmark  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Epiphany/130/124/650 and take a wander round by yourself or contact any member of the Leadership Team who will be happy to show you around and listen to your comments. Your ideas and suggestions are always welcome.

On 16 and 23 October the noon SLT services will be held in the new Cathedral on the building platform so that we can experience it as a worship space together.

Helene Milena – Lay Pastor

We have decided that we will offer a Christian pastoral care/listening course beginning in November as part of our response. So many of those whom we meet need someone to listen to them. It’s good to feel confident that we are doing the right thing when we listen and respond. We hope this course will equip more people to minister to others in this way.

We are also going to continue the conversation and want as many of our community as possible to join in. We will announce times when we plan to meet to chat together. We hope there may also be impromptu conversations on the same subject, perhaps when we meet after services. There could also be conversation here on the blog or on our Facebook page.

The content of ZoeRose’s paper is given here for you to read and consider. Our hope is that we will together hear clearly what God is saying to us and have the courage to do as he asks.

Helene Milena – Lay Pastor

 Presentation to the Leadership Team

Of the Anglican Cathedral in Second Life

Evangelism in Second Life

By Mary Ailes/ZoeRose Eiren

July 16, 2011

^1-5 “Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he’s up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.”

^6-10Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.

–        John 10:1-10 (The Message)

Introduction

What is the Purpose of Second Life?

The purpose of Second Life is revealed in its very name.

The purpose of Second Life is to have a “second life,” a place where dreams (and sometimes nightmares) come true.

Historic origins of a “second life”: The Pleasure Gardens

An argument could be made that Second Life is a direct descendant from the Pleasure Gardens of the 18^th-19^th century England.  Though they find their roots in Ancient Rome, they were in vogue in the 18^th & 19^th century England as places to gather, places like Cremorne Gardens, Cuper’s Gardens, Marylebone Gardens, Ranelagh Gardens, Royal Surrey Gardens and Vauxhall Gardens.  By the end of the 19^th century, there were reportedly 200 outdoor pleasure gardens and tea gardens.  Many contained large concert halls, or hosted promenade concerts, or were places to stroll and have tea.  They also evolved into other locations for encounters of another kind.

Long before the invention of Disneyland, Georgian Londoners enjoyed their own type of amusement park: the pleasure garden. For a modest entry fee, people from all walks of life could escape the noise and squalor of London’s streets for a diverting evening of al fresco entertainment, socializing, romance – or even scandal.

Pleasure gardens featured every sort of attraction, from the sedate to the salacious. There were manicured walks and impressive fountain displays, light refreshments, classical concerts, exotic street entertainers and even fireworks. Away from the prying eyes of polite society, they were ideal places for romantic trysts. Their darker corners were also rife with prostitution…

The magical – and somewhat edgy – air of the gardens was largely down to lighting. In the days before electricity, the sight of hundreds of oil lamps illuminating the trees and bushes must have been sensational.

The most famous pleasure garden was on the south bank of the Thames. It began its life in 1661 as New Spring Gardens, a few acres of attractively planted walks, hedged with fruit and vegetables. But it was transformed under the ownership of a young entrepreneur called Jonathan Tyers, who remodelled and re-launched it under the new name of Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in 1732. Four hundred people, including Frederick, Prince of Wales, paid a hefty one guinea to attend the masked gala, which went on until 4am. Vauxhall’s future was assured.

http://www.history.co.uk/explore-history/history-of-london/pleasure-gardens.html

Pleasure Gardens became home to “haberdasheries and harems” and places for illicit sexual encounters, as well as wild adult entertainment, like the Moulin Rouge in Paris.

Though once a place to see and been seen socially in the 18^th century before falling into disrepute in the 19^th century, they faded away as cities and towns were connected by the railroads.

Those Pleasure Gardens later were reinvented for children and families, becoming zoos and amusement parks, like Regent Park or Disneyland, Hershey Park in Pennsylvania or Busch Gardens in Virginia.

The Pleasure Garden became an obvious place for sexual encounters in a culture that was strict about what social norms should be observed in real life.  Disneyland, while abandoning the more seedy aspects of the Pleasure Garden, still offered its patrons the opportunity to step into “lands” that engaged their “fantasies,” even though the fantasies encouraged were Rated G.

The idea – whether it’s those old Pleasure Gardens or Disneyland – was that a “world” would be created where dreams come true:

http://youtu.be/c6RoRRdyTxw

The Virtual Pleasure Garden

In Second Life, though, one no longer needed abided by the rules of the Real World, for better or for worse – well, except if they violated the Linden Lab Terms of Service.  You could fly, you could build, you could marry, you could be an ostrich – or a hippo – Second Life could be said to be a direct descendent of these gardens and parks, only now they are virtual – and they are global.

In recent months, Linden Lab attempted to change the original vision and link Real Life into Second Life.  They built a Viewer and outlined plans to link Second Life with Facebook.  This is why new accounts may have any name the user wishes to use.  The idea of creating a “Second Life community” by limiting the last names is over.  The idea was that Second Life residents could link the two “communities together” under one name.

This endeavor appears to be a failure.

The idea that Linden Lab could change the culture of Second Life in such a dramatic form is somewhat astonishing.  Second Life is marketed to be an escape, a dream, a platform where people from all over the world may connect with one another – but as an escape from real life, which is the antithesis of Facebook.  It demonstrated that there were many in the upper ranks of Linden Lab that still didn’t seem to “get” what they have actually created.  The same could be said with the inclusion of children onto the main grid.

Why would they think they could make their users go public?  They knew they had to deal with a crisis back in March when they began to shut down companies that sold in-world gadgets that could reveal alt identities to land owners.  The idea of revealing a user’s alt without authorization was considered to be grave act of transgression and would result in revoking of accounts.  And yet at the same time, the Lab was also pushing its users to connect their Second Life accounts with the very–public Facebook.

Facebook exists using people’s real names, real identities.  If you are caught creating a factious profile in Facebook, your account is terminated.  Here comes a community of people who have gathered together precisely because they don’t want their real life known.  It was impossible and it failed.

This is the environment in which the Anglican Cathedral in Second Life exists – an environment where the culture exists as a mask, where fantasies are encouraged, and deception is a rule of the game.

We have had our own challenges.  When we elevate someone to leadership, we require that their real life identity be made public.  This cold dose of reality has caused some to back away from leadership – or try to advocate a change where their real life identity remains anonymous.   The decision of the leadership of the Anglican Cathedral in Second Life was that this was a form of a deception that inhibited a leader’s authority and trust.  Sadly, some have felt the need to relinquish leadership rather than make their Second Life profile public.

Linden Lab apparently now recognizes that its plan to more closely align with Facebook has not gone as expected, the “dream” remains.

Our mission field

How does a church, a community of Christian believers operate in a culture that actually encourages deception and the wearing masks to hide one’s true identity?

Is it not virtually impossible?

What does that say to us at Epiphany, the Anglican Cathedral in Second Life?

Well, I shall tell you an open secret.

The truth is – Real Life is based on deception and the wearing of masks. Second Life actually reveals the reality of real life – where the wearing masks and the life of deception is as prominent in our every day life as it portends to be in Second Life.  The truth is, as people begin to share the dreams and hopes with one another in Second Life – they begin to forge relationships based that can go deep, very deep.

The nature of a virtual world in Second Life is not that people want to hide from being known, but rather that they do want to be known.   They express themselves in ways they may be not be able to do in Real Life, but at the end of the day we do know there is only Life, Real or Second.  As soon as relationships begin to be established, the notion that Second Life is the place of masks and Real Life is the place of transparence is turned up side down.

It is no accident that our contacts in Second Life are not called contacts, but friends.

First Things 

What is the Purpose of the Anglican Cathedral in Second Life?

Last year at dinner I was asked a question by Dr. Graham Tomlin.

Graham Tomlin is an Anglican theologian and author and dean of St Mellitus College,a seminary set up by the Bishops of London and Chelmsford to provide theological education in the Church of England. He is also Principal of St Paul’s Theological Centre, which is based at Holy Trinity Brompton, and part of the wider St Mellitus College.

I was telling him about the Anglican Cathedral in Second Life and he was quite intrigued, but he had a question.  “Do people come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior?”

That was what he wanted to know – did people come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior?

This is a great question – and it’s a hard one for Anglican Churches and Episcopal Churches to answer affirmatively.  We can measure baptisms and confirmations in real life, but that is not same as knowing if someone has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  In Second Life we don’t have baptisms and confirmations – a key component to church life, so how can we measure such a thing?  We can measure visitors and those that attend our services, but how do measure if people become followers of Jesus?

This is the question for “evangelism.”  Today, evangelism has become a buzzword for what extensively turns out to be forms of church marketing.  Again, we can measure the success and failure of marketing strategies, but can we measure whether those who fill our pews have come to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior?

Most Anglican Churches are neither designed nor expected to be able to answer that question.  In Second Life, we do not have the benefit of checking the baptisms and confirmations  – at least, not yet – of those who attend.  We can quote statistics from our marketing events and plans, but are we able to answer Graham’s question?

I thought of one person I witnessed become a follower of Jesus Christ in my years now in Second Life.  I told him about her.  I thought about how she became a Christian in Second Life and I may submit to you that her journey may be a clue more to the model what we may need to pursue then the one we have inherited as Anglicans and Episcopalians.

We Anglicans and Episcopalians have inherited a model that has satisfied generations of Christians through the centuries.  We have done the same thing in Second Life.  We build a building, we staff it, we hold services and occasional events and then wait for people to come.  This model has worked for generations of believers.  This model worked when the church was a central gathering place for people to share information and build relationships.  Even as young people began to turn away from the faith in our generation, they still would come to church because church was still a place to exchange information and build relationships.

Those days have come to a close.

In fact, as I think many of us have experienced this personally – church is often the last place where we can find authentic and transparent relationships.  It is not a gathering place to exchange information.  All of that now is done elsewhere, if it is done at all.

How does it work now?

Taking off the masks

When J.K. Rowling wrote her series of books about a young boy wizard who goes to school and learns he must fight evil and sacrifice himself so that others might live, it could easily have been a sweet series aimed at children and be done with it.  But as we all know, that’s not what happened.  In this case, marketing had to completely reinvent itself because something unexpected happened.

The greatest “marketers” for Harry Potter were the readers.  In the past, readers might gather at church or at the local café to read and discuss works of literature.  But today, something else happened – and fans from all over the world connected with each other consistently and using all the methods of technology to help them achieve the depth of conversation they craved after reading books.

This was conducted for years online.  But something else happened in the process – even as these readers globally connected and used every avenue of connection possible – boards, blogs, YouTube videos, Skype, Twitter, UStream, ITunes podcasts – it did not smother the desire of all these readers to connect in person.  The desire to meet in person – revealing the truth about their online personas for the chance to meet one another – was extraordinarily strong.  It was and is so strong, that over 3,000 readers are gathering right now in Florida.  The size there is limited by the size of the meeting place.  It could easily have been 10,000.

These are not people who do not know each other – these are 3,000 people who have developed a community over the past 10 to 12 years and what they really wanted to do was to meet in person.

If we do not shy away from all the resources we have to engage with our community, we will find that people will still want to take off their masks and connect.

We are a gateway to Real Life.

People don’t come to Second Life to hide, they come to be found.

How do we find them?

Go into all the world, even Second Life

We go and seek – we go and find – and like the fisherman Andrew, we bring them back to Jesus.

How is evangelism done in Second Life?  I submit it’s done the same way as in Real Life.  We open the doors but we don’t wait for people to come in, we go and get them.

That’s what happened to the one person I could think of when Graham asked me that question at dinner.  She was found, individuals from the cathedral went to her and reach out to her and brought her back.  But what happened next was significant – she went and found a Real Life church community.  Today she is in ministry and walking through sobriety.

Today her Second Life is her now Real Life.

I believe that evangelism is done in Second Life the way it is done in Real Life, by establishing relationships, by connecting and engaging with one another so that we know not the second life but all of life.  That takes time to develop – and it can be quite costly.  It can be very painful.  Second Life does not always follow the polite ways we have in real life to hide.  Because Second Life is not about hiding, we often can be hurt in ways that in real life we can escape.  It can be a hazardous journey – it is a hazardous journey – but that is the way of evangelism.

I believe the Cathedral can offer support to those engaged in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Second Life.  It can be an oasis, it is an oasis, a place to hear and be heard.  The staff at Epiphany is extraordinary.  I have personally benefited from the pastoral ministry here and that has had an enormous affect on my life – all my life.  I have been able to pass that benefit on to others and I have to say that I have made some of the best friends I have ever had here.

But I also think we are challenged to engage directly into the culture here – to know and live a life here, as we would if were missionaries abroad.  This is time consuming.  It takes time and commitment and evaluating priorities.  So often in the church we measure commitment by how much members are engaged in doing the work at the church – but in today’s culture, we may need to rethink that model.  The church should not be a ghetto for Christians to escape the Real World.  It should not be a Second Life.

The Church should not be a Second Life

The Church should not a “second life.” Instead, we should be encourage one another to get out and do the stuff, to share the love and life and words of Jesus Christ in our every day life, how ever that shows itself.  One of the things that comes up over and over is the hunger for spiritual meaning.  Perhaps it may be that the creative spirit that is encouraged to thrive in Second Life touches the Great Creative Spirit Himself and people feel the longing to connect with the Creator – it is not hard to pray for people in Second Life.

But the truth remains – and we recognize this at Epiphany – is that the bottom line is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is incarnational.  It is meant to be physically present.  Therefore it is my opinion that we should consider the cathedral a gateway to Real Life.  We should strive to connect those we meet and build relationships with a church home near where they live.  Epiphany should not be a substitute for incarnational church, but a St. Andrew – bringing people to Jesus and connecting them to their real life home church.

We are in a unique place

We are especially in a unique position to do this as Anglicans and Episcopalians.  We belong to a world-wide Anglican Communion.  We are engaged in communities all over the planet.  In every spot on the planet we have a bishop and around him parish communities.  We are in a unique position, unlike other Christian groups in Second Life, to connect people to home communities where they may grow and thrive.

This would also encourage engagement from parish communities around the world – that we partner with them to reach out to the world and bring people to Jesus.  We are not a substitute church, but a global arm for the local parish to reach out and pull in the nets.

Imagine if local parishes understood that a vision of Epiphany was to be a place that would connect individuals from around the world into their local parish.  We are in a unique position to do that.  And doing that, individuals – still linked online – build bridges within the communion itself.

That has been an enormous part of my own personal testimony.  Being part of the Epiphany community in Second Life has had a significant affect on how I now engage in our current crisis within the communion.  I have built relationships that I would not have had without Epiphany and it has affected my writing and vision in my leadership positions at home.

I am changed.

Conclusion

The Ministry of Reconciliation

Evangelism is not about marketing the church, though it can grow the church.  It is about experiencing the power of the Gospel and responding to the transformational power in real life.

It is a Ministry of Reconciliation.  In evangelism, we are reconciled to God and as we are reconciled to God through the cross of Jesus Christ, we are also reconciled with one another.

This is what I have known as a member of the Epiphany community and the proactive response is to then go out into all the world and live that life of reconciliation.   Our “world” is Second Life.

In the past it was enough for churches to build a building and open the doors and the people would come.  But now we open the doors and we go out – we go searching, for ourselves and for one another.  And when we return, we don’t return empty handed but hand in hand with friends we make a long the way.  Here we learn the Gospel of Jesus – and then I submit, we should encourage them to go and find a church community near them and join it.

We can help in that search because we are networked with a world wide Anglican Communion.  By connecting with parishes and dioceses around the world, the parishes and dioceses will also have the opportunity to connect with us.  This may open doors to opportunities to engage in the Ministry of Reconciliation.

Why is so hard for us to know reconciliation in Second Life?  I think the resistance is precisely because it is so powerful.  We are not without an enemy who will use all resources at his disposal to discourage this work.  But it is not our own marketing that we promote, but there is power in the name of Jesus as we share His gospel in clearly a broken Real Life.  People come to Second Life looking for hope, for fun, for meaning, for friends, for love – for life.

¹ “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. ² But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.

⁷ So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. ⁹ I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and ^[a]have it abundantly.  John 10:1-10 (NAS)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEhRucEVzH8

Questions:

How do you “experience” or live you Second Life?  What is your favorite thing to do in Second Life?

Do you have a home in Second Life?  What is it like?

What is the hardest thing about having a Second Life?

In what ways do you find your Second Life and Real Life connected outside of Epiphany?

What do you think about having a network of Anglican parishes we can refer people to when they come to Epiphany?

How does Epiphany engage in the “Ministry of Reconciliation?”  What have been our challenges and our successes?

How do we see Jesus alive in Second Life?  How do we see Him alive in our own life – in Second Life and in Real Life?

If our mission field is to those living in Second Life, how should our teachings change to reach those who have built lives and relationships in Second Life?

The readings at our noon SLT service on Sunday were Psalm 25:1-8, Philippians 2:1-13 and Matthew 21:23-32. My reflection follows:

As you can imagine, I often have conversations with people who come to Epiphany Island. Some are just passing through, taking a look at the architecture, enjoying the peace and beauty. Others have begun to get involved with our community, coming to services, posting prayer requests etc. They often want to get to know more about us. I suppose it’s only natural to want to know more about a church you are joining. Some are familiar with Anglicanism and feel at home straight away. Others ask questions about what it means to be an Anglican as they come from other denominations or none, which is where it can get rather complicated! Our Anglican tendency to always choose both/and in any situation can make it hard to define what we are like.

One question I am often asked is whether I am a priest/minister/pastor in RL. The title I wear is ‘Lay Pastor’ but I think new members often want to check out just what that might mean. I have no wish to hide anything and tell anyone who asks that I am not ordained in RL, so not a priest like Able Shepherd, or a minister like Gareth Janus who are both on our Leadership Team. In RL I act as a pastor to many people, but I’m not a pastor who leads a church in RL.

I suspect that the question is asked because we like to know that the person leading a church has the right to do so, the authority. Am I allowed to lead worship, to preach, to offer pastoral care? Who says so? It’s not unusual now for lay people, those not ordained, to lead churches, especially Fresh Expressions (or Emerging Church) such as ours. So in answering the ‘Are you a priest?’ question I usually go on to explain that I am called Lay Pastor with the express approval of the bishops who look after our ministry: Bishop Christopher of Guildford England, and Bishop Tom of Wellington New Zealand. That seems to reassure most people. It reassures me! I am glad to work with their approval and under their authority. Being accountable to the bishops protects me and protects those who participate in our life as a Christian community. I have people there in the background who will give advice if I need it. I very much appreciate having bishops around. Of course, it also fits with what it means to be Anglican. We work in a church which recognizes deacons, priests and bishops ministering in the church.

In the first century inIsrael, the worshipping community was led in a recognized way. The chief priests and elders mentioned in today’s Gospel passage were responsible for the running of the Temple as well as being a major part of the ruling body of the Jews, the Sanhedrin. I have no doubt they wanted to make sure everything ran well in the Temple. Having large crowds gathered round an itinerant rabbi who happened to sit down to teach in the Temple was not something they were happy with.

This wasn’t just any itinerant rabbi. Only the day before, Jesus had ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey with the crowds cheering and calling him ‘The Son of David’ – a king’s son. He’d gone to the Temple and turned over the tables of the money changers and those selling animals for sacrifice, causing chaos and outrage. In the context of the first century Temple, Jesus had acted as a full blown griefer, destroying the way the ministry of the Temple worked by his actions. He would be classed with those who piled up burning crosses in our SL Cathedral courtyard on Easter Day, risking overloading and crashing the sim.

Like those who wish to learn more about my authority to preach and lead here, the chief priests and elders wanted to know what right Jesus had to challenge their way of doing things. They were in charge and decided what happened in the Temple but Jesus seemed to take no notice of that at all. We might feel the same if we came here to find someone else ready to lead the service, or busy telling everyone to do things differently from the way they normally happen.

Jesus, of course, saw beyond the actual circumstances and the question asked. He was more than capable of running rings round these well educated leaders, and he did, by asking a very clever question of them in his turn. It seemed a simple enough thing to ask: Did John’s baptism come from God or from a human source? The leaders were astute enough to see the implications of either answer. It’s obvious that if the baptism of John was sent by God, these leaders should have been there listening to every word John said and taking it very seriously indeed. As God’s people they should have listened to God’s messenger. If the baptism of John was just a human idea they could dismiss it. However, if they dismissed it the people would be outraged. They had flocked to John, hailing him as a prophet. Many would have seen John baptize Jesus and would have been aware that John pointed to Jesus as God’s anointed one, the one the crowds had just acclaimed the day before. To deny John’s status as a prophet was to risk a riot.

Jesus knew that the answer of ‘We don’t know’ really meant that the leaders were simply not open to considering what they should do, which was to embrace this new move of God in their midst. They wanted to carry on doing things as they always had. It was comfortable, predictable, nicely under control, and WRONG. To show just how well he understood the working of their minds, Jesus told the parable of the two sons.

The first son represents these leaders in God’s vineyard which is a way of talking of the people of Israel. Like the first son, the leaders had said ‘yes’ to God. They no doubt made sure to the best of their ability that they kept all of the Law scrupulously. But when it came to believing the one sent by God, they were not prepared to consider it. Their ‘yes’ to God was not followed with action. The outsiders of society, the tax collectors and prostitutes, had rejected God’s rule in their lives. They didn’t follow the Law and they were looked down on by the elders. They were no-hopers, the dregs of society. However, they had proved open to what God was saying through John and later through Jesus. Having initially said ‘No’ to God, they had allowed themselves to be changed. They had repented of their former ways and as a result were at the front of the queue of those entering the kingdom of God. The elders had no choice but to choose the first son as the one who did the will of his father, but in the process they condemned themselves for not doing so.

Those who were sinners, who didn’t expect to be acceptable ever, found themselves in an encounter with God’s grace which included them in all that was good. In responding they changed for the better. The chief priests and elders couldn’t see their need. They were self-sufficient, they knew how to live and they were not open to change. They missed the opportunity offered to them.

St Paul was a Pharisee and he had a similar attitude towards Jesus. After Jesus’ death, Paul spent huge amounts of energy trying to eliminate this new teaching which went against everything he believed in. Fortunately for him, God was not prepared to accept that and gave Paul the opportunity of a face to face encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road which turned his life around completely, just as it had turned around the lives of the tax collectors and sinners. He went on to be a wonderful apostle to the Gentiles.

When we read what he wrote to the Philippians there can be no doubt that he knew by whose authority Jesus taught and acted as he did while on earth. In the face of Jesus’ humility, the arrogance of Paul had faded completely. He saw Jesus as the supreme authority, who was highly exalted by God and given ‘the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  and every tongue should confess  that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’

As individuals, as a ministry, we can never take the risk of staying as we are, presuming we have everything right. God has a habit of challenging our certainties and checking if our promise to follow Jesus means we will go where he leads. He’s not interested in empty words but in our actions.

The Leadership Team met yesterday and one of the issues we were looking at was how we can develop from purely a ‘come to us’ model of church in SL to also include a ‘go to them’ model. We could carry on as we are but God appears to be calling us to open ourselves to his leading. There is so much need in SL, so many broken and hurting people. We have a message of hope and healing. How can we keep it to ourselves, however comfortable and familiar it feels to do just that?

We will be inviting this community and any who want to join in, to have conversations about what we should do, where we should go, how we should fulfil the Great Commission to go into all the world and make disciples. I hope you will feel you can be part of this as we listen to God together.

Helene Milena – Lay Pastor