Thursday, 31 May 2012

Location, Location

So here we are on the 'get rid of buildings' trail and looking the criteria of visibility, accessibility and location it seems to me that one of the most telling is that of location, something that urbanisation, de-urbanisation, deprivation and the green belt all play their part in. Alongside we have the parish system and the enclosing (a sort of ecclesiastical enclosure act perhaps?) of our county that this represents

Confused (then my work is done)? Let me explain.

In the nineteenth century industrialisation drew many from the rural areas into the town and these towns grew accordingly. The tensions created by the expressions 'All England should be Christian' and 'a Vicar in every village' brought new churches into being to serve the new communities in the towns and cities, for the new communities in the expanding areas were surely villages by another namer (and in a different setting). As new communities were settled, new churches were built to serve them. The reality was that even in the 1800's Church was a middle-class affair (around 40-45% of the population went and the mission field was the inner city working class (18-20%) and so we built and worked. But the halcyon days of churchgoing were, like Titanic and it's sentimental, nostalgic tosh, never a reality.

Wearing rural dean and missioner hats I have been looking at some of the churches in the expanse that is the West Midlands and find that there are some places with a church building and little or no community as the tide which brought workers has ebbed leaving an empty expanse of nothing and no one. Other places I look at in the de-industrialised areas find me bumping into church building after church building with some of these areas have lost the industry and the houses which houses the workers whilst others are now surrounded by people of other faiths (a very different discussion). Outside of the major conurbations I find lots of rural churches which no longer have any substantial resident community (due to 'incomers' who appear on a Friday and leave Sunday afternoon, commuters and the demise of the estates and tenant farmers and the growth of larger, more efficient conglomerates).

One of the interesting ways of looking at a community is that of asking where it 'looks' to. Some of the communities that I have (wrongly) assumed might be considered to be part of a whole actually 'look' to different places than those I have assumed and some, rather sadly, look nowhere. They are merely remnants of a bygone age and are enigmatic creatures. They exist for themselves and because they can pay are likely to remain and yet as they do the money and mission in others places is absorbed (or perhaps influenced is a better word) by their existence and so they hamper rather than extend the work of being Church.

So here we are. A quick splurge onto the screen and a throwing of all my thoughts and internal dialogues out into the open with the reality that regardless of efficacy or missional thinking, there will always be opposition to closing churches (quite rightly so) but not always for the right reasons (which is of course wrong) and some just need to be rationalised and reduced (and some need to be opened too!).

Here's photograph of the West Midlands - each red dot is a place of worship:


I look forward to your comments.

pax

We don't need our buildings - do we?

One of the most popular themes I encounter at the moment is that of 'getting rid of buildings'. Time and time again I find myself in a meeting or conversation where this issue is raised.

"Why don't we get rid of our buildings, they are a money pit and not fit for service (or services)," they cry. "We'd be much more flexible and could meet in [insert your location here], where everyone in the area would come!" Having been privileged to have planted a few churches over the years I generally sit and smile at these words and the wondrous naivety of the speakers. the problem is that they, generally, have been Anglicans for all of their Christian life and know no different. BUT . .

Not having a building is great, especially on a Sunday when you arrive with all the kit for the service (which now occupies your garage, spare room or most of the house) and, having loaded it into the vehicle, unload it. You take it into the building (one of the plants we did was up four flights of stairs!) and set up. Having done the service you then pack everything up (which takes ages) and take it out to the vehicle, load it and take it back home and unpack it.

Alongside this there is the gathering, and arranging, of the chairs followed by the stacking and removing same back to the place where they live (and they never seemed to live in the same place that you were going to do your service).

Drop into the mix the caretaker, who often appeared to be lurking somewhere that made them visible enough to let you know they'd like you to finish and clear the building so they could get back to their Sunday off!

ADD to this . . . .

The fact that even though you'd like to be doing a service on a bank holiday weekend, the building just isn't available and we'd love you to do something on Ash Wednesday but we'd love you to do it somewhere else! Christmas? Not a chance - could you do it somewhere else?

CONSIDER this . . .

The 'if we do it they will come' approach doesn't work when you're in a sports hall or a school hall. You might be doing a great job and the services may be sublime but whilst you will have your regulars the reality is that the casual drop-in visitor, the seeker of God because of some amazing epiphany and those who want a pretty 'looks like a church' venue just are going to make it. Mind you, if you are in a small place more will be aware that you're meeting (but will still want something more like church!).

THE REALITY is . .

One of the biggest dreams in every church plant I have done is that glorious day when the church has its own building and the lugging in and out of equipment ends; when there is a 7*24 presence and the ability to put something on the wall becomes more than a dream. That wonderful moment when you realise that the all night prayer meeting can happen and that almost indescribable feeling that rises up at the reality that you can walk in and everything is already set up (for those who doubt the frustration, niggle and eventual throwing out of the toys that is the bringing and taking, setting up and breaking down of kit all I can do is suggest that they give it a try for three months - and that's without the fact that it adds a couple of hours to the Sunday, EVERY Sunday).

We don't need to get rid of our buildings but we need to engage with the planners, the (never go to church but wants a say) Victorian, Dickens, 'Whoever was here' and 'whatever happened here' societies and those who want to conserve 'their' church and tell them the realities. If they want to pay for the roof restoration (£250k please) or the essential work on the organ (£75k) or rewire, replumb or whatever else needs doing (just give me all your money) then they can have a say in what is going on. BUT . .

Church is living stones and the building that houses them needs to be fit for purpose. Where we have buildings that don't do what we need, then we need to re-order them. Where we have buildings which are special because of the many generations of additions, modifications and the leaving of fingerprints, we need to preserve them and change the interiors sympathetically. But change them we must! And where this is not possible then we should perhaps bite the bullet and, as an extreme last resort, hand them over to the councils, preservation societies or the state.

Note the 'last resort comment though, for when we let go of our landmark buildings; when we leave a place without a visible (or invisible, done in some school, hall or house) church presence we are leaving that place, barring a great revival, without a Christian influence (and place of safety, welcome and salvation) for good.

Time to stop saying we need to get rid of buildings and time to start making buildings do what we 9and the community) need them to do and if this means a Post Office, newsagents and general store in the church hall (or even the back of the church or in a spare room) then so be it. Church should be seen and felt throughout the communities we serve and church buildings should serve the Church and the communities in the same way.

believe me - not having a building is bigger than you think (as I hope you'll see with the next bit).

Pax

Daily Office - May 31

The Visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth

Psalm 85
Lord, you were gracious to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the offence of your people and covered all their sins. You laid aside all your fury and turned from your wrathful indignation. Restore us again, O God our Saviour, and let your anger cease from us. Will you be displeased with us for ever? Will you stretch out your wrath from one generation to another? Will you not give us life again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your mercy, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. I will listen to what the Lord God will say, for he shall speak peace to his people and to the faithful, that they turn not again to folly. Truly, his salvation is near to those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other; Truth shall spring up from the earth and righteousness look down from heaven. The Lord will indeed give all that is good, and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness shall go before him and direct his steps in the way.

Psalm 150
Alleluia. O praise God in his holiness; praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the blast of the trumpet; praise him upon the harp and lyre. Praise him with timbrel and dances; praise him upon the strings and pipe. Praise him with ringing cymbals; praise him upon the clashing cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Alleluia.


1 Samuel 2:1-10
Hannah prayed and said, ‘My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in my victory.
‘There is no Holy One like the Lord, no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honour. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world.
‘He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness; for not by might does one prevail. The Lord! His adversaries shall be shattered; the Most High will thunder in heaven.The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed.’

Mark 3:31-35
Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.’ And he replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’

The Collect
Mighty God, by whose grace Elizabeth rejoiced with Mary and greeted her as the mother of the Lord: look with favour on your lowly servants that, with Mary, we may magnify your holy name and rejoice to acclaim her Son our Saviour, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Wednesday, 30 May 2012

Daily Office - May 30

Josephine Butler, Social Reformer, 1906
Joan of Arc, Visionary, 1431
Apolo Kivebulaya, Priest, Evangelist in Central Africa, 1933


Psalm 119:153-end
O consider my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget your law. Plead my cause and redeem me; according to your promise, give me life. Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes. Great is your compassion, O Lord; give me life, according to your judgements. Many there are that persecute and oppress me, yet do I not swerve from your testimonies. It grieves me when I see the treacherous, for they do not keep your word. Consider, O Lord, how I love your commandments; give me life according to your loving-kindness. The sum of your word is truth, and all your righteous judgements endure for evermore. Princes have persecuted me without a cause, but my heart stands in awe of your word. I am as glad of your word as one who finds great spoils. As for lies, I hate and abhor them, but your law do I love. Seven times a day do I praise you, because of your righteous judgements. Great peace have they who love your law; nothing shall make them stumble. Lord, I have looked for your salvation and I have fulfilled your commandments. My soul has kept your testimonies and greatly have I loved them. I have kept your commandments and testimonies, for all my ways are before you. Let my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding, according to your word. Let my supplication come before you; deliver me, according to your promise. My lips shall pour forth your praise, when you have taught me your statutes. My tongue shall sing of your word, for all your commandments are righteous. Let your hand reach out to help me, for I have chosen your commandments. I have longed for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight. Let my soul live and it shall praise you, and let your judgements be my help. I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost; O seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.

Joshua 3
Early in the morning Joshua rose and set out from Shittim with all the Israelites, and they came to the Jordan. They camped there before crossing over. At the end of three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people, ‘When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place. Follow it, so that you may know the way you should go, for you have not passed this way before. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, a distance of about two thousand cubits; do not come any nearer to it.’ Then Joshua said to the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.’ To the priests Joshua said, ‘Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass on in front of the people.’ So they took up the ark of the covenant and went in front of the people.
The Lord said to Joshua, ‘This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses. You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, “When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.” ’ Joshua then said to the Israelites, ‘Draw near and hear the words of the Lord your God.’ Joshua said, ‘By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites: the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan. So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap.’
When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people. Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing towards the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.

Luke 9:37-50
On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. Just then a man from the crowd shouted, ‘Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It throws him into convulsions until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.’ Jesus answered, ‘You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.’ While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness of God.
While everyone was amazed at all that he was doing, he said to his disciples, ‘Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.’ But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side, and said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest.’
John answered, ‘Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.’

The Collect
God of compassion and love, by whose grace your servant Josephine Butler followed in the way of your Son in caring for those in need: help us like her to work with strength for the restoration of all to the dignity and freedom of those created in your image; through Jesus Christ our Saviour, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Tuesday, 29 May 2012

Heroes of the Faith - Flawed like us?

During the sermon on Pentecost Sunday I was very aware of the heroic Simon Peter standing, as he did, raising his voice and addressing the crowd. This wonderful, bold, saintly person. The cry, "Oh that we might be like him," on the lips of so many of us. Others look at the Apostle Paul and wish they could be the consistently 'go for it' zealot that we see in him.

Well of course these two mighty men of faith were heroes and were 'all out' for God. But they were also as flawed and fallible as us; They too had their feet of clay and their sinful natures poked through the thin layers of righteous clothing in exactly the saem way it does for us.

Take a look at the divisions, arising from the Gentile Pentecost, between Peter (leaning towards Judaism) and Paul (leaning towards freedom from the Jewish way). The divisions and the way that the primary figures handled themselves leads on to think that they weren't all sweetness and light and that they wouldn't have fared well in so many of our twee, 'let's agree to differ (and sing I love you with the love of the Lord)' churches and fellowships.

Let's face it, these two were flawed, aggressive and probably not the plaster saints that so many would have us believe. Don't believe me? Take a look at Galatians and the strongly worded, and extremely robust, attack on false Apostles. Who do you think Paul was having a pop at? Who were the 'pillars of the church' Paul was having a swipe at?

Not all the time, for there are indications of love and mutual respect, but there are barbs and the flawed and sinful human nature shows it's head from time to time.

I recall reading a biography of Paul which spoke of the man being depressive and flawed at times. Amazingly, depression is seen as making us fallible and open to attack of all kinds (mental, emotional and more) and yet it is often a hallmark of the Christian saints, historical and present, and thus should not be seen as something that limits but perhaps opens us to God and his healing, enabling and grace.

The tension between reflecting Christ in our lives and living with the hidden depths of our ever-present depraved nature is no different for us as it was for Simon Peter, Paul, James, John or any other of the saints and heroes. The ability to do good and to think differently, to endure the idiots we meet and struggle to see the image of the invisible God in the person before us (hoping that they might be doing the same with us), is part of the daily struggle to follow the path that leads to the cross and denying of self.

Watching the film, 'Machine Gun Preacher' recently I found myself cheering as the flawed man that was Sam Childers apparently found Christ in a church service. I applauded as the Childers character went to East Africa and worked with others to construct buildings for orphans and returned and encourage people to give themselves and be committed to the work of God. Yippee, a real-life action hero of the Christian kind?

Well it was 'Yes' and then, for me, 'No'.

The man becomes more and more taken up with doing stuff in his own strength and his encouragement of others turns to condemnation and reviling and the means that he adopts deny the Christian message and puts off God entirely. The story is one of excess in all areas and by being so displays the ability to be the saint and have that subverted by our passion, commitment and desire to see 'stuff' happen, with or without God and His people.

I struggle to lead by example and be non-directive (which some see as a failing) and yet I know that there is a need for me to walk at God's pace in a way that might bring others on the journey with me and so, despite myself, I continue (but there's someone in me who wants to act differently).

When you look in the mirror do you celebrate the image of the invisible God made visible in you or do you sag at the image of the flawed and fallible person? May we make our prayer the words of John (3) in that, "He must become greater and we must become less.”

Pax

Daily Office - May 29

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.’

Psalm 133
Behold how good and pleasant it is to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, even on Aaron’s beard, running down upon the collar of his clothing. It is like the dew of Hermon running down upon the hills of Zion. For there the Lord has promised his blessing: even life for evermore.

Joshua 2
Then Joshua son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, ‘Go, view the land, especially Jericho.’ So they went, and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and spent the night there. The king of Jericho was told, ‘Some Israelites have come here tonight to search out the land.’ Then the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab, ‘Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come only to search out the whole land.’ But the woman took the two men and hid them. Then she said, ‘True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they came from. And when it was time to close the gate at dark, the men went out. Where the men went I do not know. Pursue them quickly, for you can overtake them.’ She had, however, brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax that she had laid out on the roof. So the men pursued them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. As soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.
Before they went to sleep, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men: ‘I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. As soon as we heard it, our hearts failed, and there was no courage left in any of us because of you. The Lord your God is indeed God in heaven above and on earth below. Now then, since I have dealt kindly with you, swear to me by the Lord that you in turn will deal kindly with my family. Give me a sign of good faith that you will spare my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.’ The men said to her, ‘Our life for yours! If you do not tell this business of ours, then we will deal kindly and faithfully with you when the Lord gives us the land.’
Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the outer side of the city wall and she resided within the wall itself. She said to them, ‘Go towards the hill country, so that the pursuers may not come upon you. Hide yourselves there for three days, until the pursuers have returned; then afterwards you may go on your way.’ The men said to her, ‘We will be released from this oath that you have made us swear to you if we invade the land and you do not tie this crimson cord in the window through which you let us down, and you do not gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your family. If any of you go out of the doors of your house into the street, they shall be responsible for their own death, and we shall be innocent; but if a hand is laid upon any who are with you in the house, we shall bear the responsibility for their death. But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be released from this oath that you made us swear to you.’ She said, ‘According to your words, so be it.’ She sent them away and they departed. Then she tied the crimson cord in the window.
They departed and went into the hill country and stayed there for three days, until the pursuers returned. The pursuers had searched all along the way and found nothing. Then the two men came down again from the hill country. They crossed over, came to Joshua son of Nun, and told him all that had happened to them. They said to Joshua, ‘Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before us.’

Luke 9:28-36
Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

The Collect
O Lord, from whom all good things come: grant to us your humble servants, that by your holy inspiration we may think those things that are good, and by your merciful guiding may perform the same; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Monday, 28 May 2012

Elision on a grand scale

Yesterday's service had within it a readings from Acts 2 and whilst the reader was contending with the various locations I was reminded of a masterful piece of elision. The verses were one to 12, which should be:

"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygiae and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs —we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”


What we got between verses eight and eleven was this:

"Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? People from all over the place and we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

Not sure about you but ten out of ten for being quick-witted and bonus point for the stunned silence of those listening.

Pax

Daily Office - May 28

Lanfranc, Prior of Le Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury, Scholar, 1089

Psalm 123
To you I lift up my eyes, to you that are enthroned in the heavens. As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, or the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until he have mercy upon us. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of the arrogant, and of the contempt of the proud.

Psalm 124
If the Lord himself had not been on our side, now may Israel say; If the Lord had not been on our side, when enemies rose up against us; Then would they have swallowed us alive when their anger burned against us; Then would the waters have overwhelmed us and the torrent gone over our soul; over our soul would have swept the raging waters. But blessed be the Lord who has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth. Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowler; the snare is broken and we are delivered. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who has made heaven and earth.

Psalm 125
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but stands fast for ever. As the hills stand about Jerusalem, so the Lord stands round about his people, from this time forth for evermore. The sceptre of wickedness shall not hold sway over the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous turn their hands to evil. Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are true of heart. Those who turn aside to crooked ways the Lord shall take away with the evildoers; but let there be peace upon Israel.

Psalm 126
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, then were we like those who dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with songs of joy. Then said they among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ The Lord has indeed done great things for us, and therefore we rejoiced. Restore again our fortunes, O Lord, as the river beds of the desert. Those who sow in tears shall reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed, will come back with shouts of joy, bearing their sheaves with them.

Joshua 1
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying, ‘My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your territory. No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’
Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, ‘Pass through the camp, and command the people: “Prepare your provisions; for in three days you are to cross over the Jordan, to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God gives you to possess.” ’
To the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, ‘Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, “The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest, and will give you this land.” Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan. But all the warriors among you shall cross over armed before your kindred and shall help them, until the Lord gives rest to your kindred as well as to you, and they too take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to your own land and take possession of it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan to the east.’
They answered Joshua: ‘All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses! Whoever rebels against your orders and disobeys your words, whatever you command, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.’

Luke 9:18-27
Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say that I am?’ They answered, ‘John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered, ‘The Messiah of God.’
He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, ‘The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.’
Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.’

The Collect
O Lord, from whom all good things come: grant to us your humble servants, that by your holy inspiration we may think those things that are good, and by your merciful guiding may perform the same; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Saturday, 26 May 2012

Daily Office - May 26

Augustine, first Archbishop of Canterbury, 605
John Calvin, Reformer, 1564
Philip Neri, Founder of the Oratorians, Spiritual Guide, 1595


Psalm 42
As the deer longs for the water brooks, so longs my soul for you, O God. My soul is athirst for God, even for the living God; when shall I come before the presence of God? My tears have been my bread day and night, while all day long they say to me, ‘Where is now your God?’ Now when I think on these things, I pour out my soul: how I went with the multitude and led the procession to the house of God, with the voice of praise and thanksgiving, among those who kept holy day. Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, and why are you so disquieted within me? Put your trust in God; for I will yet give him thanks, who is the help of my countenance, and my God. My soul is heavy within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan, and from Hermon and the hill of Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the thunder of your waterfalls; all your breakers and waves have gone over me. The Lord will grant his loving-kindness in the daytime; through the night his song will be with me, a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God my rock, ‘Why have you forgotten me, and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresses me?’ As they crush my bones, my enemies mock me; while all day long they say to me, ‘Where is now your God?’ Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul? and why are you so disquieted within me? O put your trust in God; for I will yet give him thanks, who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

Psalm 43
Give judgement for me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people; deliver me from the deceitful and the wicked. For you are the God of my refuge; why have you cast me from you, and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresses me? O send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling, that I may go to the altar of God,
to the God of my joy and gladness; and on the lyre I will give thanks to you, O God my God. Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, and why are you so disquieted within me? Put your trust in God; for I will yet give him thanks, who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

Numbers 32:1-27
Now the Reubenites and the Gadites owned a very great number of cattle. When they saw that the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead was a good place for cattle, the Gadites and the Reubenites came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, ‘Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon—the land that the Lord subdued before the congregation of Israel—is a land for cattle; and your servants have cattle.’ They continued, ‘If we have found favour in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession; do not make us cross the Jordan.’
But Moses said to the Gadites and to the Reubenites, ‘Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here? Why will you discourage the hearts of the Israelites from going over into the land that the Lord has given them? Your fathers did this, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. When they went up to the Wadi Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the hearts of the Israelites from going into the land that the Lord had given them. The Lord’s anger was kindled on that day and he swore, saying, “Surely none of the people who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upwards, shall see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not unreservedly followed me—none except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have unreservedly followed the Lord.” And the Lord’s anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord had disappeared. And now you, a brood of sinners, have risen in place of your fathers, to increase the Lord’s fierce anger against Israel! If you turn away from following him, he will again abandon them in the wilderness; and you will destroy all this people.’
Then they came up to him and said, ‘We will build sheepfolds here for our flocks, and towns for our little ones, but we will take up arms as a vanguard before the Israelites, until we have brought them to their place. Meanwhile our little ones will stay in the fortified towns because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return to our homes until all the Israelites have obtained their inheritance. We will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan to the east.’
So Moses said to them, ‘If you do this—if you take up arms to go before the Lord for the war, and all those of you who bear arms cross the Jordan before the Lord, until he has driven out his enemies from before him and the land is subdued before the Lord—then after that you may return and be free of obligation to the Lord and to Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the Lord. But if you do not do this, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out. Build towns for your little ones, and folds for your flocks; but do what you have promised.’
Then the Gadites and the Reubenites said to Moses, ‘Your servants will do as my lord commands. Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock shall remain there in the towns of Gilead; but your servants will cross over, everyone armed for war, to do battle for the Lord, just as my lord orders.’

Luke 9:1-17
Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there. Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’ They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere.
Now Herod the ruler heard about all that had taken place, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen. Herod said, ‘John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?’ And he tried to see him.
On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. When the crowds found out about it, they followed him; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured.
The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.’ But he said to them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.’ For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ They did so and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

The Collect
Almighty God, whose servant Augustine was sent as the apostle of the English people: grant that as he laboured in the Spirit to preach Christ's gospel in this land, so all who hear the good news may strive to make your truth known in all the world; 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.

Friday, 25 May 2012

Caption Contest - 26

It's Friday - the sun is shining, have a good at the caption contest and this time there's a prize in the shape of a DVD (honest!):

Bin Laden and Al Qaeda - Pakistan Sponsored?

The answer appears to be a resounding 'Yes' since the doctor who led the Americans to Bin Laden has been sentenced to thirty-three years for treason.

Listening to the Pakistan High Commissioner it seems obvious that the same nation that provided a home for Bin Laden also sees him as being state-sponsored, if this was not so then the term 'treason' would not be in play!

Now I know that therm treason can be applied to the betrayal of anyone but the High Commissioner's words leave me wondering just which side of the game Pakistan is playing on? Considering the reports of government support and intelligence being passed to AQ and the denials of such from the Pakistan government, the permitting of some tribal court to act and sentence as they have (the High Commissioner said that Dr. Afridi could appeal, this should not be necessary) damages their claims to be opposed to terrorism and leaves one wondering whether AQ and others are indeed state-sponsored. And if not, then Pakistan is the extremely divided and uncertain nation that we thought it was and the presence of ISAF forces is proved to be all the more valid.

Happy Daze

Daily Office - May 25

The Venerable Bede, Monk at Jarrow, Scholar, Historian, 735
Aldhelm, Bishop of Sherborne, 709


Psalm 28
To you I call, O Lord my rock; be not deaf to my cry, lest, if you do not hear me, I become like those who go down to the Pit. Hear the voice of my prayer when I cry out to you, when I lift up my hands to your holy of holies. Do not snatch me away with the wicked, with the evildoers, who speak peaceably with their neighbours, while malice is in their hearts. Repay them according to their deeds and according to the wickedness of their devices. Reward them according to the work of their hands and pay them their just deserts. They take no heed of the Lord’s doings, nor of the works of his hands; therefore shall he break them down and not build them up. Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard the voice of my prayer. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart has trusted in him and I am helped; Therefore my heart dances for joy and in my song will I praise him. The Lord is the strength of his people, a safe refuge for his anointed. Save your people and bless your inheritance; shepherd them and carry them for ever.

Psalm 30
I will exalt you, O Lord, because you have raised me up and have not let my foes triumph over me. O Lord my God, I cried out to you and you have healed me. You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead; you restored me to life from among those that go down to the Pit. Sing to the Lord, you servants of his; give thanks to his holy name. For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye, his favour for a lifetime. Heaviness may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. In my prosperity I said, ‘I shall never be moved. You, Lord, of your goodness, have made my hill so strong.’ Then you hid your face from me and I was utterly dismayed. To you, O Lord, I cried; to the Lord I made my supplication: ‘What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness? ‘Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; O Lord, be my helper.’ You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness; Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever.

Numbers 27:12-end
The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go up this mountain of the Abarim range, and see the land that I have given to the Israelites. When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarrelled with me. You did not show my holiness before their eyes at the waters.’ (These are the waters of Meribath-kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, ‘Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint someone over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep without a shepherd.’ So the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand upon him; have him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and commission him in their sight. You shall give him some of your authority, so that all the congregation of the Israelites may obey. But he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the decision of the Urim before the Lord; at his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the Israelites with him, the whole congregation.’ So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation; he laid his hands on him and commissioned him—as the Lord had directed through Moses.

Luke 8:40-end
Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. Just then there came a man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, who was dying.
As he went, the crowds pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her haemorrhage stopped. Then Jesus asked, ‘Who touched me?’ When all denied it, Peter said, ‘Master, the crowds surround you and press in on you.’ But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.’ When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before him, she declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.’
While he was still speaking, someone came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher any longer.’ When Jesus heard this, he replied, ‘Do not fear. Only believe, and she will be saved.’ When he came to the house, he did not allow anyone to enter with him, except Peter, John, and James, and the child’s father and mother. They were all weeping and wailing for her; but he said, ‘Do not weep; for she is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and called out, ‘Child, get up!’ Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then he directed them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astounded; but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.

The Collect
God our maker, whose Son Jesus Christ gave to your servant Bede grace to drink in with joy the word that leads us to know you and to love you: in your goodness grant that we also may come at length to you, the source of all wisdom, and stand before your 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.

Thursday, 24 May 2012

Daily Office - May 24

John and Charles Wesley, Evangelists, Hymn Writers, 1791 and 1788

Psalm 24
The earth is the Lord’s and all that fills it, the compass of the world and all who dwell therein. For he has founded it upon the seas and set it firm upon the rivers of the deep. ‘Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord, or who can rise up in his holy place?’ ‘Those who have clean hands and a pure heart, who have not lifted up their soul to an idol, nor sworn an oath to a lie; ‘They shall receive a blessing from the Lord, a just reward from the God of their salvation.’ Such is the company of those who seek him, of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Lift up your heads, O gates; be lifted up, you everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. ‘Who is the King of glory?’ ‘The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord who is mighty in battle.’ Lift up your heads, O gates; be lifted up, you everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. ‘Who is this King of glory?’ ‘The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.’

Psalm 72
Give the king your judgements, O God, and your righteousness to the son of a king. Then shall he judge your people righteously and your poor with justice. May the mountains bring forth peace, and the little hills righteousness for the people. May he defend the poor among the people, deliver the children of the needy and crush the oppressor. May he live as long as the sun and moon endure, from one generation to another. May he come down like rain upon the mown grass, like the showers that water the earth. In his time shall righteousness flourish, and abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more. May his dominion extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. May his foes kneel before him and his enemies lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall bring gifts. All kings shall fall down before him; all nations shall do him service. For he shall deliver the poor that cry out, the needy and those who have no helper. He shall have pity on the weak and poor; he shall preserve the lives of the needy. He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, and dear shall their blood be in his sight. Long may he live; unto him may be given gold from Sheba; may prayer be made for him continually and may they bless him all the day long. May there be abundance of grain on the earth, standing thick upon the hilltops; may its fruit flourish like Lebanon and its grain grow like the grass of the field. May his name remain for ever and be established as long as the sun endures; may all nations be blest in him and call him blessed. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wonderful things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever. May all the earth be filled with his glory. Amen. Amen.

Numbers 24
Now Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, so he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face towards the wilderness. Balaam looked up and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. Then the spirit of God came upon him, and he uttered his oracle, saying:
‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is clear, the oracle of one who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, but with eyes uncovered: how fair are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! Like palm groves that stretch far away, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the Lord has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall have abundant water, his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God, who brings him out of Egypt, is like the horns of a wild ox for him; he shall devour the nations that are his foes and break their bones. He shall strike with his arrows. He crouched, he lay down like a lion, and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, and cursed is everyone who curses you.’
Then Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. Balak said to Balaam, ‘I summoned you to curse my enemies, but instead you have blessed them these three times. Now be off with you! Go home! I said, “I will reward you richly”, but the Lord has denied you any reward.’ And Balaam said to Balak, ‘Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, “If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will; what the Lord says, that is what I will say”? So now, I am going to my people; let me advise you what this people will do to your people in days to come.’
So he uttered his oracle, saying:
‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,
the oracle of one who hears the words of God,
and knows the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
who falls down, but with his eyes uncovered:
I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near—
a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the borderlands of Moab,
and the territory of all the Shethites.
Edom will become a possession,
Seir a possession of its enemies,
while Israel does valiantly.
One out of Jacob shall rule,
and destroy the survivors of Ir.’
Then he looked on Amalek, and uttered his oracle, saying: ‘First among the nations was Amalek,
but its end is to perish for ever.’
Then he looked on the Kenite, and uttered his oracle, saying:
‘Enduring is your dwelling-place, and your nest is set in the rock; yet Kain is destined for burning. How long shall Asshur take you away captive?’
Again he uttered his oracle, saying: ‘Alas, who shall live when God does this? But ships shall come from Kittim and shall afflict Asshur and Eber; and he also shall perish for ever.’ Then Balaam got up and went back to his place, and Balak also went his way.

Luke 8:26-39
Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me’—for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Legion’; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.
Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’ So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

The Collect
God of mercy, who inspired John and Charles Wesley with zeal for your gospel: grant to all people boldness to proclaim your word and a heart ever to rejoice in singing your praises; 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.

Wednesday, 23 May 2012

Healthcare - NICE - it's not!

I am struggling with the issue of healthcare and that wonderfully contrary, and apparently ridiculous, organisation NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence). The reason for this is twofold in that I am amazed at the various pronouncements that come from this body and secondly because of the comments, and pain, from some that I encounter.

It wasn't that long ago that NICE was supporting elective caesarians, something which might "Enable people to mange their diaries and their lives," but is advocating the use of major surgery to support lifestyles and consumerism (in the main - I know there are some for whom this is a necessary choice for reason other than physiological, but they are not the major group of potential users).

The latest issue to cause me concern is the raising of the age limit for IVF and making IVF available for same-sex couples. The only ray of sunlight is the recommendation of the extension to allow women with cancer to perhaps become mothers before surgery, radiation or other means remove the potential for this. Now whilst some might be clapping about this there are more than a few who are asking why certain drugs for cancer and other ills are refused to their loved ones and yet shedloads of money are potentially put on the table for non-life threatening stuff.

Now I know of the tales of those for whom the not having children renders the mother mentally damaged and there are always exceptions to the rule but there seems to little balance here if the discussions I have been part of, or overheard are anything to go by.

Having a child is not a right, it is a biological function, and sometimes this goes pear-shaped. Where possible I think it is right to offer IVF to couples who have difficulties but as I walk wards and discuss stuff with over-worked, staff-depleted and stressed nurses, I do have to ask how comes NICE can issue advice to spend money, especially for those who were never going to biologically have children, when the sharp end is so vulnerable and underfunded.

I said nothing yesterday but couldn't help feeling that the voices of those around me regarding NICE and their many outcomes were probably right.

Still, that's what the world is about isn't it, rights?

And it gives the Christians an opportunity to think and develop answers (I'm still thinking but you have the 'Start' on the board of Monopoly that is my life here for you to get you thinking too). There are many considerations and issues - back to this later.

Pax

Daily Office - May 23

Psalm 2
Why are the nations in tumult, and why do the peoples devise a vain plot? The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his anointed: ‘Let us break their bonds asunder and cast away their cords from us.’ He who dwells in heaven shall laugh them to scorn; the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury: ‘Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.’ I will proclaim the decree of the Lord; he said to me: ‘You are my Son; this day have I begotten you. ‘Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ Now therefore be wise, O kings; be prudent, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and with trembling kiss his feet, lest he be angry and you perish from the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are all they who take refuge in him.

Psalm 29
Ascribe to the Lord, you powers of heaven, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the honour due to his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is upon the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is mighty in operation; the voice of the Lord is a glorious voice. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon; He makes Lebanon skip like a calf and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord splits the flash of lightning; the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe and strips the forests bare; in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’ The Lord sits enthroned above the water flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king for evermore. The Lord shall give strength to his people; the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

Numbers 23:13-end
So Balak said to him, ‘Come with me to another place from which you may see them; you shall see only part of them, and shall not see them all; then curse them for me from there.’ So he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah. He built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. Balaam said to Balak, ‘Stand here beside your burnt-offerings, while I meet the Lord over there.’ The Lord met Balaam, put a word into his mouth, and said, ‘Return to Balak, and this is what you shall say.’ When he came to him, he was standing beside his burnt-offerings with the officials of Moab. Balak said to him, ‘What has the Lord said?’ Then Balaam uttered his oracle, saying:
‘Rise, Balak, and hear; listen to me, O son of Zippor: God is not a human being, that he should lie, or a mortal, that he should change his mind. Has he promised, and will he not do it? Has he spoken, and will he not fulfil it? See, I received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob; nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The Lord their God is with them, acclaimed as a king among them. God, who brings them out of Egypt, is like the horns of a wild ox for them. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel; now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel, “See what God has done!” Look, a people rising up like a lioness, and rousing itself like a lion! It does not lie down until it has eaten the prey and drunk the blood of the slain.’
Then Balak said to Balaam, ‘Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all.’ But Balaam answered Balak, ‘Did I not tell you, “Whatever the Lord says, that is what I must do”?’
So Balak said to Balaam, ‘Come now, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.’ So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the waste-land. Balaam said to Balak, ‘Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.’ So Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Luke 8:16-25
‘No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light. Then pay attention to how you listen; for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away.’
Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, ‘Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.’ But he said to them, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.’
One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake.’ So they put out, and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A gale swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. They went to him and woke him up, shouting, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?’

The Collect
O God the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: we beseech you, leave us not comfortless, but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us and exalt us to the place where our Saviour Christ is gone before, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Tuesday, 22 May 2012

Interesting donated things

One of those who read yesterday's 'donated things' blog asked what the top ten things were. So here goes (but there's thirteen):

1. Videos (VHS) - no one wants them and even the local tip refuses has stopped specifically having a place for them - it's the general landfill for them!

2. Electrical items that have stopped working or become dangerous - strange how people think that a non-working bit of electronics might work if given to the church.

3.Pottery - especially the three-legged shire horse and the amazingly chipped stuff.

4. Holiday mementoes - funny how sombreros and many other 'holiday' related stuff ends up here. Rarely finds a home outside that big tip in the sky!

5. Surgical and prosthetic stuff - yes, really. Crutches and the like (including bed pans) have all arrived at our doors as the tide of live ebbs away. The intention is accompanied by the sadness of loss and this is always a tough area. This sometimes leads into

6. Wheelchairs - Which are always pretty useful as I supply other churches so that they can offer one for visitors (and their own if the need arises) and increase their welcome.

7. China - sometimes wonderful, often mixed and not matched, chipped and being thrown away because they are not fit for use anymore. But still they come.

8. Glass - vases, glasses and kitchen stuff - can be useful and passed on, but often chipped, cracked and as useless to us as it was to the person who donated it!

9. Kitchenware - always useful if serviceable, just not always serviceable. Often find a home for this with the homeless we help locate and settle in.

10. Books. I love them but they are bulky and often no one wants them. If only I had the time to read many of the books because they are books! No more reason needed from my part, but they are bulky, heavy and difficult to store and so get passed to someone who uses them on stalls at various charity fairs.

11. Toys - many old McD toys plus many puzzles (incomplete) and stuff that kids have broken or grown out of (which our girls buy and bring home :-( ).

12. Children's clothes - which oddly rarely go anywhere as everyone seems to want new stuff, and

13. General clothing - which almost always, without fail, ends up going for rags (and so blesses the Air Cadets).

I hope this gives some insight into the sort of stuff that arrives (I've left out furniture and the numerous 'cottage suites') and provides some food for thought for the next time you fancy dropping stuff off at your local church building. We aren't charity shops and they are beginning to hate us for trying to offload the stuff given to us, so please think before you donate.
What do you mean there isn't a single pair!

pax

Daily Office - May 22

Psalm 98
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvellous things. His own right hand and his holy arm have won for him the victory. The Lord has made known his salvation; his deliverance has he openly shown in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness towards the house of Israel, and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Sound praises to the Lord, all the earth; break into singing and make music. Make music to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the voice of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn sound praises before the Lord, the King. Let the sea thunder and all that fills it, the world and all that dwell upon it. Let the rivers clap their hands and let the hills ring out together before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. In righteousness shall he judge the world and the peoples with equity.

Psalm 99
The Lord is king: let the peoples tremble; he is enthroned above the cherubim: let the earth shake. The Lord is great in Zion and high above all peoples. Let them praise your name, which is great and awesome; the Lord our God is holy. Mighty king, who loves justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt the Lord our God; bow down before his footstool, for he is holy. Moses and Aaron among his priests and Samuel among those who call upon his name, they called upon the Lord and he answered them. He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; they kept his testimonies and the law that he gave them. You answered them, O Lord our God; you were a God who forgave them and pardoned them for their offences. Exalt the Lord our God and worship him upon his holy hill, for the Lord our God is holy.

Psalm 100
O be joyful in the Lord, all the earth; serve the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with a song. Know that the Lord is God; it is he that has made us and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and bless his name. For the Lord is gracious; his steadfast love is everlasting, and his faithfulness endures from generation to generation.

Numbers 22:36-23:12
When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at Ir-moab, on the boundary formed by the Arnon, at the farthest point of the boundary. Balak said to Balaam, ‘Did I not send to summon you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honour you?’ Balaam said to Balak, ‘I have come to you now, but do I have power to say just anything? The word God puts in my mouth, that is what I must say.’ Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent them to Balaam and to the officials who were with him.
On the next day Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal; and from there he could see part of the people of Israel.
Then Balaam said to Balak, ‘Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.’ Balak did as Balaam had said; and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. Then Balaam said to Balak, ‘Stay here beside your burnt-offerings while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet me. Whatever he shows me I will tell you.’ And he went to a bare height.
Then God met Balaam; and Balaam said to him, ‘I have arranged the seven altars, and have offered a bull and a ram on each altar.’ The Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, ‘Return to Balak, and this is what you must say.’ So he returned to Balak, who was standing beside his burnt-offerings with all the officials of Moab. Then Balaam uttered his oracle, saying:
‘Balak has brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains: “Come, curse Jacob for me; Come, denounce Israel!” How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced? For from the top of the crags I see him, from the hills I behold him; Here is a people living alone, and not reckoning itself among the nations! Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number the dust-cloud of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!’
Then Balak said to Balaam, ‘What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but now you have done nothing but bless them.’ He answered, ‘Must I not take care to say what the Lord puts into my mouth?’

Luke 8:1-15
Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.
When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: ‘A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.’ As he said this, he called out, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’
Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that “looking they may not perceive, and listening they may not understand.”
‘Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe only for a while and in a time of testing fall away. As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.

The Collect
O God the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: we beseech you, leave us not comfortless, but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us and exalt us to the place where our Saviour Christ is gone before, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Monday, 21 May 2012

Church as a place of donated things

When the fifth-century prophet Malachi issued the command, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." Little did he know, I suspect, that some of the words within verse ten of chapter three would so be taken to heart or acted upon.

One of the challenges I often encounter is the well-meaning person who has so much blessing that they don't have room for all their stuff. The, ". . you will not have room for it," phrase means that when this occurs, because I guess God has blessed the person with it all, they bring the overflow of their loft and shed to the church building in the hope that we will be able to find a use for it.

I have checked the various offerings and nowhere have I found a 'tat' offering, but it obviously exists, even if it is unspoken and unwritten, for oh so often I find bags of mismatched china, ornaments and pieces of glazed ware (often chipped or having a leg missing in the case of animals) and bits of electronics arrive at the church door. Sometimes there is a note . . . scene fades . . .

"Dear Vicar, we were clearing out the loft and wondered if someone might be able to make use of this television. The sound doesn't work but it has subtitles and so it might be useful if you know a deaf person."

I look at the 36" Cathode Ray Tubed monster which is almost dwarfing the mini parked in the car park (no one we know, they are just picking up their chinese takeaway and didn't want to leave it on the road in case it got damaged!!!). I try lifting it, but having once ordered a Charles Atlas body-building kit only to find I wasn't strong enough to open the envelope, but to no avail. Eventually three of us lug it into the car and, knowing no one who is both deaf and in need of a TV, we take it down to the tip.

We return to find a complete dinner service comprised of seventy-two (I kid you not) cups, saucers, plates and assorted jugs (and one of those multicoloured sand lighthouses from the Isle of Wight). Amazing, no two piece of the china matches and the collection of individual items must indeed be a treasure trove to the partially insane cleric and a source of torment to those who suffer from any form of OCD-related existence. I ponder the fate of this gift as these days the charity shops turn off their lights and lay on the floor as I pass lest I should enter and share my blessings.

What a wonderful thing it is to have a calling - the opportunity to meet odd people and acquire even odder things.

Pax

ps. How odd, as I finished this there was a knock at the door and someone was asking if we knew anyone who might like a new pair of slippers and granddad has just died and won't be needing them :-)

pps. The wonderful thing is that the stuff comes (in part) because of the relationships we have built and this is to be celebrated (just not with a three-legged porcelain shire horse!)

Daily Office - May 21

Helena, Protector of the Holy Places, 330

Psalm 93
The Lord is king and has put on glorious apparel; the Lord has put on his glory and girded himself with strength. He has made the whole world so sure that it cannot be moved. Your throne has been established from of old; you are from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of many waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea, the Lord on high is mightier. Your testimonies are very sure; holiness adorns your house, O Lord, for ever.

Psalm 96
Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord and bless his name; tell out his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations and his wonders among all peoples. For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; he is more to be feared than all gods. For all the gods of the nations are but idols; it is the Lord who made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him; power and splendour are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples; ascribe to the Lord honour and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the honour due to his name; bring offerings and come into his courts. O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him. Tell it out among the nations that the Lord is king. He has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity. Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad; let the sea thunder and all that is in it; Let the fields be joyful and all that is in them; let all the trees of the wood shout for joy before the Lord. For he comes, he comes to judge the earth; with righteousness he will judge the world and the peoples with his truth.

Psalm 97
The Lord is king: let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of the isles be glad. Clouds and darkness are round about him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and burns up his enemies on every side. His lightnings lit up the world; the earth saw it and trembled. The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declared his righteousness and all the peoples have seen his glory. Confounded be all who worship carved images and delight in mere idols. Bow down before him, all you gods. Zion heard and was glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoiced, because of your judgements, O Lord. For you, Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. The Lord loves those who hate evil; he preserves the lives of his faithful and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light has sprung up for the righteous and joy for the true of heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name.

Numbers 22:1-35
The Israelites set out, and camped in the plains of Moab across the Jordan from Jericho. Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were so numerous; Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel. And Moab said to the elders of Midian, ‘This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.’ Now Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is on the Euphrates, in the land of Amaw, to summon him, saying, ‘A people has come out of Egypt; they have spread over the face of the earth, and they have settled next to me. Come now, curse this people for me, since they are stronger than I; perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land; for I know that whomsoever you bless is blessed, and whomsoever you curse is cursed.’
So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand; and they came to Balaam, and gave him Balak’s message. He said to them, ‘Stay here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, just as the Lord speaks to me’; so the officials of Moab stayed with Balaam. God came to Balaam and said, ‘Who are these men with you?’ Balaam said to God, ‘King Balak son of Zippor of Moab has sent me this message: “A people has come out of Egypt and has spread over the face of the earth; now come, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.” ’ God said to Balaam, ‘You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.’ So Balaam rose in the morning, and said to the officials of Balak, ‘Go to your own land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.’ So the officials of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, ‘Balaam refuses to come with us.’
Once again Balak sent officials, more numerous and more distinguished than these. They came to Balaam and said to him, ‘Thus says Balak son of Zippor: “Do not let anything hinder you from coming to me; for I will surely do you great honour, and whatever you say to me I will do; come, curse this people for me.” ’ But Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, ‘Although Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God, to do less or more. You remain here, as the others did, so that I may learn what more the Lord may say to me.’ That night God came to Balaam and said to him, ‘If the men have come to summon you, get up and go with them; but do only what I tell you to do.’ So Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the officials of Moab.
God’s anger was kindled because he was going, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the road as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. The donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand; so the donkey turned off the road, and went into the field; and Balaam struck the donkey, to turn it back on to the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it scraped against the wall, and scraped Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck it again. Then the angel of the Lord went ahead, and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam; and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and it said to Balaam, ‘What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?’ Balaam said to the donkey, ‘Because you have made a fool of me! I wish I had a sword in my hand! I would kill you right now!’ But the donkey said to Balaam, ‘Am I not your donkey, which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I been in the habit of treating you in this way?’ And he said, ‘No.’
Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed down, falling on his face. The angel of the Lord said to him, ‘Why have you struck your donkey these three times? I have come out as an adversary, because your way is perverse before me. The donkey saw me, and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away from me, surely I would by now have killed you and let it live.’ Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, ‘I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now therefore, if it is displeasing to you, I will return home.’ The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, ‘Go with the men; but speak only what I tell you to speak.’ So Balaam went on with the officials of Balak.

Luke 7:36-end
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.’ Jesus spoke up and said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ ‘Teacher,’ he replied, ‘speak.’ ‘A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon answered, ‘I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the greater debt.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You have judged rightly.’ Then turning towards the woman, he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.’ Then he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this who even forgives sins?’ And he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’

The Collect
O God the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: we beseech you, leave us not comfortless, but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us and exalt us to the place where our Saviour Christ is gone before, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Sunday, 20 May 2012

Another 'Dear Vicar . . '

I have this weekend received a really nice communication asking me why this blog is not 'more distinctly Christian'? The points raised are interesting and challenging and I will seek to address them as best I can from the limited resources before me.

1. "So much of your blog relates to incidents and material taken from outside the church setting and rarely are your response or observations Christian in terms of quoting the Bible or promoting what I understand to be a Christian viewpoint."

2. "You appear to be a minister in a challenging setting and yet rarely speak of the ways in which the Gospel has brought sinners to a place of faith and repentance. Is this because you don't see them or are there other reasons?"

3. "Do you think your Christmas cards, images and caption contests are something that should appear on a blog which claims to be Christian? I know they would not be well received in my fellowship but then again neither would many of your views."


The writer does take pains to point out that fact that they find the daily readings and some of the material on this blog to be helpful and commends the blog overall, it is just the problems they have with the lack of Bible quotes, promotion of things Christian and some of the images and the like.

I will attempt to answer in the order given (a real challenge for me):

I have to say that I hope (and would like to think) that everything in this blog is Christian and although I don't continually write chapter and verse or post (or quote from) some of the great minds out there who excel in Christian (or theology) speak, the Bible is present (as are Christian viewpoints and lifestyles).

I don't do the great 'I led them to the Lord' stories because I often find them to be more about the person who led them than the Lord who called them and the Christ who died for them. There are many who will regale you tales of their great evangelistic zeal and successes (although oddly many are in small churches and fellowships so where do they store them?) if you search the internet. Others will ask you for donations and will invite you to buy CDs, books and the like (so you can read, hear and watch them too). The encounters I have, when spoken of are the encounters of a minister amongst a people who know little of Christ and want even less to do with His Church! The engagements are of an apologetic nature and seek to bless what God is doing and find ways to introduce the reality that, even when they don't know it, God is acting in their lives.

Question three is a bit of a silly question because the fact that the images and stuff you speak of are there indicates that I obviously do think they are fitting for a Christian site! That the church or fellowship you attend would not welcome them is perhaps as much their problem as the posting of them is mine. Mind you I soon learned that as a Pentecostal (for instance) the 'F' word was much in use but travelled under the cover of 'Jolly' (i.e. Where's that jolly spanner; the man's a jolly nuisance!).

I might be a little more gritty but then again as a wonderful old Welsh preacher one said, "You may sometimes look like the world to the church but to those in the world you look like Jesus!" So I guess that means that those who are offended or discomforted by my words will be so, and this isn't my intention, but there are many in a variety of settings and roles who enjoy the madness that is this blog and so I suppose those who want to come will and those who don't won't. The economics of a market culture (and as they don't pay neither side loses).

That said, if I do cross the line (and that's a real possibility knowing the schoolboy and rag-mag writing child who resides behind these eyes) I know that there are many who love and care for me who would restore me gently (most of the time).

Thank you for your question. I hope I have done them justice.

Pax