Hijacking things to make a point ...

... and saying what we really want to say isn't always one and the same thing!

A 'for instance' has to be yesterday's celebration of Fathers and the number of people I saw who posted things like:

     

And the perhaps sadder:

 Now as much as I am aware of what is outside of my very own front door with regard to the  'man deserts' and 'tsunamis of family breakdown' and which I understand that there are so many lone female parents out there (and those children with two parent present are now officially in the minority), I have to say that outside of my doors there are also men who struggle to be lone parents too!

So I have to ask the question, 'If the writing was on the other sex, how would many of those who posted such things yesterday feel about it?'

The problem we have in this world today is that amongst all the rancour, bitterness and revenge-seeking, there exist little balance and even less charity. Experience outside of my church doors demonstrates that for many the other side of the coin which proclaims, 'All men are rapists,' has on it the words, 'All women are whores!'

Yesterday was a day to celebrate those fathers who are there for their children and work hard at being role models, providers, carers and more besides.

It was a day to recognise that there are many fathers out there for whom yesterday was a day when they were prevented from seeing their children because mum has a new bloke or the breakdown of the relationship which brought the children into being was acrimonious!

It was a day to celebrate what is good in the male role model - not abuse some because of the bad behaviour of others.

There will always be those (male and female alike) for whom the parental role is an area where failure is the reality and just as we don't lash out at absent mothers (and they exist) I really don't think it's right to lash out at the fathers either.

Perhaps these might have been better images to post:

In the book of Matthew (chapter seven) we are told that we must be careful in the ways that exercise judgement for we will be judged in the same way that we judge people. So to those who posted negatively on Sunday, can I ask whether you will be posting 'Father Positive' images on 'Mothering Sunday*'?

If the answer is 'No' then perhaps you need to stop and ask yourself 'Why?'.

*Mothering Sunday is about 'Mother Church'

 'Mother's (and Father's) day is about consumerism and pressure from card, eatery and gift manufacturers!

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO SEE FULL-SIZE

Thought for the Day - Father's Day?

Yesterday, being Father's Day, I was surprised at the number of non-father comments (more later I'm sure) and hearing of lone parents and 'man deserts' and the like I thought I'd give you this 'Thought for the Day':

With God - every day is Father's day!


Happy Monday

Father's Love - A Thought for Father's Day

No, not the usual Matt Redman song but something from the pen (and heart) of Bob Carlisle - sung by Gary Valenciano. 

 The words and graphics are something to chew over and, if they don't fully fit, perhaps let you give thanks that there's still time to remedy it if you're a Dad!

 

Ministry - it's taking care . .

Or perhaps that should be 'care taking' in the sense of clearing up from yesterday and putting out the chairs, setting up the sanctuary and all those little jobs that need to be done to make the building look right for the morning services.

Doing it today is a real pain in the back (literally) as I picked up a solitary chair and, as I moved it, have done something that makes turning an interesting experience! Think I'll have to be a bit careful and avoid leaping about during the service.

The best bit of Sunday mornings comes when someone or other will make the odd remark about how something isn't in the right place or comment on the positioning of the chairs or such like. These days I point out that there is always room at eight o'clock on a Sunday morning for anyone else to come and help move things around. Sadly thought this is never their calling :-)

Yesterday we unveiled a Jubilee mural which we have been co-ordinating with a number of other bodies and people. Some are names on the paper and others, like the head teacher of our local infants school and the Guiding lady, are there and doing the stuff with a vengeance as they come alongside and support our Pioneer Minister.

The weather was pretty awful but the event was rewarding and fun (I'll post pictures some time today as time permits), just like Church being at the centre of community should be.

And so on to an encounter with Ezekiel (17: 24 - 24, a trip to Corinthian (1 Cor 5: 6 - 17) and a bit of seed sowing with Mark (4: 26 - 34)

Happy Father's day to those so inclined (or blessed) - remember it's not just a name but a job description!

Fathers' Day?

No, it's Father, Son and Holy Spirit Day!

I was stunned to hear one of the clergy I know explain how grateful they were for Fathers' Day falling on Trinity Sunday. This meant that they could put the 'knotty' issue of Father, Son and Holy Spirit aside and focus on just the Father.

Of course we don't do 'Mothers' Day' where I am, but we do 'Mothering Sunday'. The difference? One is about Mother church and the opportunity to renew vows and return to the place where you were baptised and the other raises the prices of flowers, makes booking a sensibly priced meal almost impossible and fill our shops with naff 'For Mum' presents that cost the earth and mean nothing and Father's Day is, sadly, no different!

The teaching on the Trinity is immensely important and one of the tests of error is to see how the church (or denomination) handles it. To put it aside for a piddling little commercial enterprise such as Father's Day (for we do Father's Day - One Father and should go no father than that!*) is to deny all that needs to be proclaimed and proclaims all that denies the Godhead in one single act. No wonder the person and their congregation are so poor, they have no teaching and little leadership (of the Christian type) it seems.

I was going to post this on Sunday but it was legalised madness (all day) and so by the time the last service was done (Taizé Communion - always a great way to wind down) and I got down to writing this I found that Bishop Inge (Worcester) had, apparently, made a move to adopt Fathers' Day. When I started reading for myself (always a good start) I initially found that the bloke had merely suggested that kid's write a prayer in their Dad's card. Good one, I thought, bringing God into the public domain in a Fathers' Day setting.

I was a little less impressed (but only a little) when I found the CofE had even given tips on how to customise a service for use on Father's Day. Mind you, how often does Father's Day fall on a Trinity Sunday, so I guess that usually it would be possible to use it and make a Sunday in Ordinary Time a little less ordinary. and so this sort of quelled my discomfort. But then the angel on the other shoulder (am I the only one to have an little angel and a little devil on opposite shoulders?) started talking to me about buying into the corporate world of junk, meaningless presents and rubbish such as bedevils Mothers' Day.

Of course, the CofE webiste given for the modifications to an 'ordinary service' (http://www.cofe.anglican.org/fathersday) didn't work so I'll never know whether the service was sacred, profane or merely more sentimental, yet worthless and meaningless, mush.

I've been and waded through (http://www.whatdadsadd.co.uk/) to see what the Mothers' Union and the CofE have got up to in this area.

For more about the CofE side, take a look at: http://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2010/06/pr5510.aspx

Funny thing was, I've realised that we never mentioned Fathers' Day during any of the service on Sunday, guess that was because as a Christian, EVERY DAY is Father's Day (and the Son's and the Holy Spirit's.

Yee Ha!

*I know someone will tell me it should have be 'further' but that wouldn't have worked anywhere near as well, wouyld it?