Journal: Church, church meetings and an evensnog

It started with a Common Worship Communion at home, followed by another up the road (with an annual district church meeting thrown in) and ended with Book of Common Prayer evensong to complete the day.

Annual meetings are always fun for, like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get! But we managed to stroll through it and I was home for lunch before we hit 14:00. Lunch done, there was just enough time to follow up on a few things pastoral before it was off down the road for the final service of the day.

'The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end . . . '
How could one miss the opportunity to bring the day to a close with a homily on the Old Testament reading. So I took it with book hands.

How often do we reflect on God's amazing love as shown to us through the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ? How often do we think of the resurrection of Lazarus as an opportunity to get us familiar with God's overwhelming power; and how often do we wonder how we limit God's power in, and through, us?

Here I am Lord, send me, use me. is this our prayer today?

Lord, use us and the people of this town to proclaim your love and to set the captives free,

Journal: Initiation?

What would usually have been a cool Sunday was tinged with sadness as one of our lovely old ladies left the building this week. She'd been looking tired and was obviously struggling and I guess it was truly a blessed relief for her - and a sadness for those left behind. Add to this the loss of half a couple who have been a big part at another of our churches and the recent loss of another chap and it all gets a bit sad. 

But we celebrated lives and did the stuff in a couple of places and then did a couple of baptisms - two beautiful babes (one being the Mum who just shone) and the younger of the pair managed the whole event without crying when I got him wet. It was an odd service with convoluted and unwieldy liturgy and no oil for the chrismation - and, of course, for once my oil stock was left at home - so I did a virtual signing and explained how oil, water and light were the key elements of the service, 

We missed bits - after all, how many responses can you insert into a block of text before it gets to be worthless - and we laid the tracks as the train was running and in the end, did something sequitur and theologically sorted.

Phase one of the day lasted six hours - but it felt like one, the sign of a great day - phase two took the shape of a bit of pastoral engagement and raced through and then, wonder of wonders, I had an evening off so I chilled with the family.

But what of today? 

I learnt that misshaped liturgy is something unprintable to me and something of an obstruction to those outside the Church who are subjected to it. It's stupid, lazy and arrogant to assume that we need to dumb down our services because people are thick. It's pathetic to visit a church and talk down to or demean the congregation because of our own lack of liturgy, theology and experience - the fault too often lies in us.

Lord, on a day when we celebrated the second Adam,

A day when we remembered what sin has done,

A day when we celebrated new life in Christ,

For the bits where I was a stumbling block - I'm sorry

For the bits where I was a light in the darkness - I'm thankful

For those who heard the Gospel preached - I'm hopeful.

Feed me, forgive me and lead me deeper into You.