Morning Prayer - Monday 15 January 2018

Epiphany Season

Psalm 145
I will exalt you, O God my King, and bless your name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless you and praise your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and highly to be praised; his greatness is beyond all searching out.

One generation shall praise your works to another and declare your mighty acts.
They shall speak of the majesty of your glory, and I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
They shall speak of the might of your marvellous acts, and I will also tell of your greatness.
They shall pour forth the story of your abundant kindness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and merciful, long-suffering and of great goodness.
The Lord is loving to everyone and his mercy is over all his creatures. All your works praise you, O Lord, and your faithful servants bless you.

They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your mighty power, To make known to all peoples your mighty acts and the glorious splendour of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; your dominion endures throughout all ages.

The Lord is sure in all his words and faithful in all his deeds.
The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all those who are bowed down.
The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord, and you give them their food in due season. You open wide your hand and fill all things living with plenty.

The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving in all his works.
The Lord is near to those who call upon him, to all who call upon him faithfully. He fulfils the desire of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.

The Lord watches over those who love him, but all the wicked shall he destroy.

My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

Psalm 146
Alleluia.
Praise the Lord, O my soul: while I live will I praise the Lord; as long as I have any being,
I will sing praises to my God.

Put not your trust in princes, nor in any human power, for there is no help in them. When their breath goes forth, they return to the earth; on that day all their thoughts perish.

Happy are those who have the God of Jacob for their help, whose hope is in the Lord their God;
Who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them;
who keeps his promise for ever;
Who gives justice to those that suffer wrong and bread to those who hunger.

The Lord looses those that are bound;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous;
The Lord watches over the stranger in the land; he upholds the orphan and widow; but the way of the wicked he turns upside down.

The Lord shall reign for ever, your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
Alleluia.

Genesis 6.11-7.10
Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw that the earth was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth. And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth. Make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above; and put the door of the ark in its side; make it with lower, second, and third decks. For my part, I am going to bring a flood of waters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every kind shall come in to you, to keep them alive. Also take with you every kind of food that is eaten, and store it up; and it shall serve as food for you and for them.’ Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

Then the Lord said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and its mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its mate; and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive on the face of all the earth. For in seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.’ And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.

Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth. And Noah with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. And after seven days the waters of the flood came on the earth.

Matthew 24.1-14
As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. Then he asked them, ‘You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.’

When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, “I am the Messiah!” and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

‘Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But anyone who endures to the end will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come.

The Collect
Eternal Lord, our beginning and our end: bring us with the whole creation to your glory, hidden through past ages and made known
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sunday is a fun day

The day began with an 'early' Communion and ended with a Taizé Communion and, sandwiched in between them, was another Communion and an Epiphany service - and as a result the day just flew past in the blink of an eye. Looking at the clock, day aone, I realised that it had been, almost the toe minute, twelve hours from beginning to end and yet it didn't feel like it at all.

I was grabbed by a member of the parish a few weeks back and given a ticking off about how it wasn't hard work but long hours that killed us. But the problem is that each of us has a different idea of what constitutes 'long' I guess.

Today was about Christ becoming known to the world as the Magi come knocking with their gifts but unless we, the Church, are out there telling the world about Him, how will they hear or have that 'scales falling from the eyes' moment? We have a task before us indeed - and I wonder if we are doing it as well as we should?

Lord, this has been a great day; one in which I have been privileged to open the Scriptures and celebrate the risen Christ, and I thank you for it. But it has been a funny day. An unsettled day too as each of the Communion services were slightly out of kilter: the service sheets were wrong in one (Praise the Lord I had a set from elsewhere in the car), the means by which the candles could be lit were non-existent (must learn to carry a lighter), the order sheets had totally vanished in another service (rushed and printed a new set!!), a page was missing from another service (but the memory had the words on the internal paperwork), one of the people leading was missing, and ... well you get the picture I'm sure.

In former days I would have regarded the bumps in the road as 'attack' whereas now I just regard it as mere organisational tremors. But as I reflect in a most excellent day I am pondering whether these bumps might not still be attack. OK! We managed to pretty seamlessly deal with all but the candles, but these things which take my eyes off of the important and cause me to break step, who does it work for? This has made me realise how lax I have become at praying before, and for, a service and lulled me into a sense of false reliance upon others - and the more weak links we introduce, the more likely it is that something will break down.

Lord, help me find the balance between collegial and shared and abrogation. Help me to rejoice in the joy of having so many people involved in the service (we had eight different voices making our main service run yesterday - and it was brilliant) but not forget my duty to ensure that it flows well. Help me to train, equip, release and inspire those around me - and also not forget that sometimes it's the bumps that help us to climb. A shiny polished slope is destined to keep us in the shallows rather than take us to the heights!

One of the joys today was found in small numbers - for in one place with our 'special' service on offer we barely filled a quarter of the building and yet, talking to people afterwards, I realised that what we had done was immensely valuable as it made Church accessible for those who came to a place where it might not have been expected to be.

Church in unusual places - sounds like the New Testament times, doesn't it?

Lord for the needs, the pain, the confusion and the bumps - I thank You.

For the joy of working with others - I give you praise.

Give me patience, grace and love for the day ahead - be with me every step of the way, just as You were today :-)

Can't make it to Church? 18 January 15

This is the second Sunday in the season of Epiphany, a time of celebrating the making visible the invisible God and making this known to the 'non-religious'* world - which is represented by the Magi (the 'Wise men / three kings / mages').

We begin with one of my favourite books as the scene is set for Eli (a good bloke) and Phineas and Hopni (his dodgy sons) and some real calamities thanks to Eli's weakness regarding admonishing the dodgy pair. But there is a hope in it all, Samuel, a boy who hears the call of God.

'Hear I am, speak Lord, I am listening,' is something every cleric wishes this they serve would say and so Samuel's example here is one of the pivotal passages for the future of the Church (and the reports of our demise are greatly exaggerated). But there is also an explicit warning to those who lead churches now, 'man up and dig in or be replaced,' for God is always on the look to call up new people and relegate those who are disobedient or wrong.

'Who is worthy?' This is the question asked in Revelation - and the answer is ultimately Jesus, for all fall far short, and it is this that sees Jesus open the door for us (all) should we approach the doorkeeper and engage with Him. and it is through Jesus that we are called, just like the focus of the Gospel reading Nathanuel, to follow Him.

As the Samuel story unfolds we see tragedy come upon God's people as the Ark of the Covenant (God in a box) is lost and Eli's sons are killed as the Philistines defeat them. Eli, hearing the news falls backwards off his seat and dies and his now widowed daughter-in-law goes into labour and gives birth to a child. To mark it all. The child is called 'Ichabod' (the glory has departed).

Now, had Eli admonished (Gk. noutheteo) his sons then this would not have happened? This was the word God had given to Samuel, that he would deal with the iniquity of the men - and blimey, he did, didn't he?

This is where we find the Church today - and because of it we, and the Church, are at a crossroads, where we need to correct wrong behaviour in us and others or resign ourselves to seeing God's glory depart.

The choice is ours: Ichabod or noutheteo - which are you going to choose?

The Collect
Almighty God, in Christ you make all things new: transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your heavenly glory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

1 Samuel 3.1-20
Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.

At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ and he said, ‘Here I am!’ and ran to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call; lie down again.’ So he went and lay down. The Lord called again, ‘Samuel!’ Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call, my son; lie down again.’ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” ’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’ Then the Lord said to Samuel, ‘See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. On that day I will fulfil against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I am about to punish his house for ever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering for ever.’

Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. But Eli called Samuel and said, ‘Samuel, my son.’ He said, ‘Here I am.’ Eli said, ‘What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.’ So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, ‘It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.’

As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of The Lord.

Revelation 5.1-10
Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’

Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. They sing a new song:
‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation;  you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth.’

John 1.43-51
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’ And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’

Post Communion Prayer
God of glory, you nourish us with your Word who is the bread of life:
fill us with your Holy Spirit that through us the light of your glory may shine in all the world. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Epiphany - A great revelation

I remember a bloke in the mid-sixties (Colin Chapman) who worked really hard at making English something interesting and appealing to his (North London) pupils reading a poem with the word 'epiphany' in it. This was a word we never heard before and when he asked what we thought - we merely shrugged - and then . . . He made us all jump by turning round and telling it that it was one of those moments when something suddenly becomes clear (not our general experience I would guess).

Today the day the Church celebrates 'The Epiphany' - the revelation of Jesus to the non-believing, scientific, thinking world (as opposed to the smelly Jewish shepherd world) - in the shape of the Magi (AKA 'three kings or wise men') is most certainly 'revelation' but it took its time to come about. The shortest estimate comes in at about three months and the longest, five years, and regardless - it's not sudden is it? What's more interesting is that our tableaux replete with shepherds, angels, MJ&J and the freakings (as one of the children pronounced it during one of the carol services) weren't all there together in the stable - today's visitors arrive late and, considering the Holy Innocents (the slaughter of boys under two years of age) - I would have to assume it was no more than a couple of years after Jesus' birth.

So Christmas is done - and in a nutshell:

Donkey ride on a dusty road to a town South of Jerusalem (no security barriers then)
In a land that was occupied by strangers
In a town that was full - no room at the inn
Giving birth in a stable - laid on the stuff the cattle ate
Visited by shepherds (I ask you, shepherds, smelly outcasts!)
And then?
Time passes
More time passes
And then into town comes the Circus:
Flash geezers with expensive clobber on camels arrive.
Looking for a King - no ordinary King, but the 'King of all kings'
Which doesn't please the bloke who is king at the time
(and he's killed his own kids to keep the job as his)
They've brought Him gifts
Not nappies, baby bottles and stuff
Proper gifts
Gold - that's the stuff of kings
Frankincense - the stuff of priests
Myrrh - the smell of death
In three gifts volumes are spoken: Priest, King and Sacrifice
From Gentiles - people who are distant from God
Not local lads but foreigners (and we know about foreigners don't we ;-)  )
Making clear something that the locals might not have understood
Jesus is the Christ (God's anointed one) for ALL
Jew and gentile
Near and far
All colours and complexions
Suddenly, yet slowly, it all becomes clear.

Morning Prayer - Jan 6

EPIPHANY

Psalm 113
Alleluia.
Give praise, you servants of the Lord, O praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this time forth and for evermore.
From the rising of the sun to its setting let the name of the Lord be praised.

The Lord is high above all nations and his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God,
that has his throne so high, yet humbles himself to behold the things of heaven and earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ashes, To set them with princes, with the princes of his people. He gives the barren woman a place in the house and makes her a joyful mother of children.
Alleluia.

Psalm 132
Lord, remember for David all the hardships he endured; How he swore an oath to the Lord and vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
 ‘I will not come within the shelter of my house, nor climb up into my bed;
‘I will not allow my eyes to sleep, nor let my eyelids slumber,
‘Until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.’

Now, we heard of the ark in Ephrathah and found it in the fields of Ja-ar. Let us enter his dwelling place and fall low before his footstool. Arise, O Lord, into your resting place, you and the ark of your strength. Let your priests be clothed with righteousness and your faithful ones sing with joy. For your servant David’s sake, turn not away the face of your anointed. The Lord has sworn an oath to David, a promise from which he will not shrink:
‘Of the fruit of your body shall I set upon your throne.
‘If your children keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their children also shall sit upon your throne for evermore.’

For the Lord has chosen Zion for himself; he has desired her for his habitation:
‘This shall be my resting place for ever; here will I dwell, for I have longed for her.
‘I will abundantly bless her provision; her poor will I satisfy with bread.
‘I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her faithful ones shall rejoice and sing.
‘There will I make a horn to spring up for David; I will keep a lantern burning for my anointed.
‘As for his enemies, I will clothe them with shame; but on him shall his crown be bright.’

Jeremiah 31.7-14
For thus says the Lord:
Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say,
   ‘Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel.’

See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labour, together; a great company, they shall return here. With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.’ For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the Lord.

John 1.29-34
The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” I myself did not know him; but I came baptising with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptise with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptises with the Holy Spirit.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’

The Collect
O God,
who by the leading of a star manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:
mercifully grant that we, who know you now by faith, may at last behold your glory face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Last Day of Christmas - Christ is made known a day early

I know tomorrow is really Epiphany (that day which celebrates Jesus, the Christ, being made known to the non-believing world - the world of science, learning and unbelieving faith) but where I am (and in many other places too) we will be celebrating it today.

In today's services the two prayers below (the Collect and Post Communion prayers respectively):

O God,
who by the leading of a star manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:
mercifully grant that we, who know you now by faith, may at last behold your glory face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Lord God,
the bright splendour whom the nations seek:
may we who with the wise men have been drawn by your light
discern the glory of your presence in your Son,
the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

And by way of a bonus there is this most wonderful carol to close Christmas with:

Remember when Everyone knew about Church?

That time when just about everyone, yes ALL the people you met, knew the Lord's Prayer (traditional version) and could quote passages (King James Version) and knew that the time before Christmas was Advent and the time before Easter was Lent (and they knew this was a 'purple' season too!)?

I happened to mention to someone that Advent started next week and they, being rather typical of the people I tend to meet these days, assumed that I was talking about a new club. After all Trinity has become Kuda (which is, if memory serves me correctly, the name of a Tapir in India) so it makes sense that Advent might be another renaming!

I explained that Advent was the time before Christmas and immediately they picked up on it and asked whether that was another name for the twelve days before Christmas!!

Thus stopped in my tracks I moved the bus back a little and explained that the twelve days of Christmas actually began on Christmas Day (which this year, I added, will happen on the 25th December) and ends with Epiphany (5th January) - so they occur AFTER Christmas.

 Quick as a flash, back comes the response, 'Epiphany? Isn't that what they do when someone dies - Why do they do it for Christmas?

'No, no, no.' said I (patiently), 'That's an epitaph!'

'Yes, that's what you said. Why do one at Christmas because that's all about giving presents not dead people. That's Hallowe'en!'

So I began to explain that Hallowe'en was not about epitaphs nor dead people and get on to All Souls, Saints and all that stuff when I came up with a great idea!

I looked at them and said, 'Never mind - soon be Christmas won't it?' And left knowing when I'd been soundly beaten :-)

Epifanny - Christmas ends - Revelation complete

Last year one of the children in a school I do assemblies at gave me a picture with three green things with brightly coloured humps, a supernova and what looked like an octopus. Underneath the illustration was the word 'epifanny'

I was impressed for the images (for the child at least) was three camels (complete with'kings') heading towards a star underneath which the baby Jesus (the octopus) was to be found. They knew the word and who the epifanny was for - the three non-believing types on the camels. This was their moment of 'sudden' (I love that thought for how long had they been travelling?) and 'great' revelation of God's solution to all the world's problems.

Last night the tree and decorations were packed away and all that remains is a manger, which this morning found its congregation added to by three geezers on camels - it is indeed Epifanny! Well OK, it is actually epiphany but who cares how the spelling goes - it's knowing what it is the most important bit, we can deal with the letters later.

One of the family treasures we have has to be a wonderful glass nativity for when I see it I remember the man who made it (and his wife) and pray for them both; I remember God's gift to us and how the marginalised (shepherds) and the world ( found in well off and intellectually able Magi) teach me that God's gives to those who are near and far off from Him. How God seeks relationship with those who have and (most importantly) those who have nothing.

The fact that the outcast, smell, poor were the first to see His solution cheers me greatly.

The fact that intelligent people who had no relationship with God sought the truth (and I know some who pose as intelligent and able who, in reading their books or listening to them on radio, who do the very opposite) found it in Jesus, cheers me (that's the engineer and scientist in me I guess).

So here's a piece of music and some bits of glass to help you celebrate Epiphany:

Christmas cards (2012) - 3

iOS6 maps caused you a problem?

Well, you're not alone as this card clearly demonstrates as the Magi visited a decidedly older baby Jesus.

It's official, if only they'd used Garmin we'd could have made Epiphany part of the Christmas Day celebrations ;-)

In, Out, Up, Of

Today should be an interesting and challenging day as we come to a 'vision meeting' this evening!

During this meeting we will consider the knotty issue of sustainability and where our church sits within such considerations.

We will examine who we are and what we are called to do and why we do it - and who we are doing it with, to and for.

Church cannot move in any one direction without being grounded to three others, hence the diagram below:

As we celebrate the Epiphany - Christ being made known to the world, known to men who were bright, intelligent, educated and questioning all - may we too be bright, intelligent, educated and questioning too! May we seek answers and examine all before us, not doubting but not taking all as read - it's what God calls us to be - thinking and intelligent followers.

The 'sheep' bit is about following a shepherd not following blindly!

Pax

Looking to Epiphany

St Stephen's Day has passed and as we move towards Epiphany, via Holy Innocents tomorrow, I have been sitting thanking God for the waning year with the Wurzels singing 'White Christmas' in the background (R4 'Loose Ends') and thoughts of triumphs, tragedies and confusion aplenty.

The Wise men, Magi, three Kings (or is it four?) are still journeying and have another thirteen days before they reach the holy infant (you don't have yours in the nativity scene yet, do you?) and as I think of them I think of the whole business of making Christ known to those who have no relationship with God. Let's be fair there are quite a few of them so we, potentially, have our hands full.

It was this that got me thinking about the numbers of people out there and their needs. Not just that but the reality that we have more people, numerically and percentage-wise, who are unevangelised now than when Christianity first hit our shores. This thought led me back to the 40-40-20 situation:

I find the 40-40-20 representation of the population quite helpful:

40% being 'unchurched', that is having no understanding or experience of Church.

20% being 'dechurched' (which means may have had churchgoing in the family, usually Grandparents, been to wedding, baptism, funeral or Christmas/Easter and not warm towards the Church to the point of being negative and antagonistic towards it.

20% being 'dechurched' (like those above) but are generally warm (or at least not negative) towards the Church.

10% attend but are perhaps not committed or understanding what Church is (come because they have always come perhaps?).

10% attend and have an understanding and are engaged with Church (also known as 'members' and are the troops in this campaign of making Christ known).

So Epiphany, the time when those not knowing are made aware, could that be true for some now because we are aware and active?

Pax