Christmas - Our 'Busy' time! (1)

I wonder if it would be possible to get Parliament to pass a measure that permitted clergy to duff up (using a hardback copy of the ASB) all, and any, who greet them with the words, "Christmas lights are up - must be your 'busy' time, eh Vicar?"

For those of you who really do believe that the clergy only work 'for a couple of hours' on a Sunday and have a bit of a rush on during Easter and have Christmas as the 'busy time' let me try and set the records straight with a review of the 'set menu' that the Church calendar has brought/will bring this year:

January

Epiphany

Epiphany Services

Holocaust Memorial Day (27th Jan)
School events

Teaching sessions

Holocaust service

Octet of Prayer for Christian Unity (starts 3rd Wednesday in Jan)
Eight days of praying and meeting together

February 

Preparation for Lent (with 3,2,1 before Lent observed)

Lent

Ash Wednesday 

Lent Course begins

March

Lent continues (so do Lent courses!)

Mothering Sunday  (not 'Mother's day' that great invention of card, chocolate and restaurant owners - it's about 'Mother Church' first and then comes Mum and family!)

April

Easter

Palm Sunday
Tenebrae (service of 'shadows')

Maundy Thursday (Seder meal and 'stripping the altars')

Good Friday act of Witness

Three hour 'Watch' service

Easter Sunday (He IS Risen. Alleluia!!) - Dawn service, usual time service, celebrations

May

Easter continues

June

Pentecost - Church celebrates, 'Pentecost in the Park'

Trinity Sunday - Celebrates the Three-in-One and starts off .

 'Ordinary Time'  - that 'Green' period where there are no major festivals and the Church settles down into (extra) ordinary services each and every week!

July

Ordinary Time Continues

August

Ordinary Time Continues

(and the congregation vanish for Summer)

September

Ordinary Time Continues

(and the congregation returns from Summer)

October

Ordinary Time Continues

Harvest

school services

church services

harvest suppers

harvest lunches

St Francis of Assisi (Our patronal (ie 'church name') day)

November

Ordinary Time Comes to an end (time to put away that Green stole!)

Remembrancetide

Memorials,

Remembrance Sunday (coalesced with Armistice Day this year)

School services

Teaching on Remembrance in schools, military and other settings

All Souls

All Saints

Advent Approaches (4, 3, 2 Before Advent)

Christ the King - Last Sunday Service for year 'B' of the liturgical calendar

December

Advent

Advent services

Advent Course

Christingle services

School Assemblies

Carol Services

Christmas meals

Christmas

Christmas Eve (Children)

Christmas Eve (Midnight)

Christmas Day Services

Now consider the fact that throughout the year there are, relating to the church calendar):

Morning prayer (every day)

Feasts and festivals (saints and other days) - with communion
(I will post calendar of dates shortly)

Midweek Communion

Home Communion

Sunday Services (am and pm)

Prayer services

Reflections

Study groups
School Assemblies (Thank you quotidian cleric for the reminder)

And lots of ‘ad hoc’ stuff generated by church members (Praise God)

Actually – Christmas looks busy to those outside but is in reality a pretty quiet (and extremely joyful)  time – Easter is more emotionally charged and absolutely knackering by comparison – but all in all, it doesn’t let up from Advent 1 to Christ the King (the liturgical year)

Pax

ps. I'm sure I've missed stuff in this 'off the top of my head' splurge - apologies for omissions and embarrassment at the errors :-)

Daily Office - Nov 27

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.

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 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.

Isaiah 40:12-26
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure,
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?
Who has directed the spirit of the Lord,
or as his counsellor has instructed him?
Whom did he consult for his enlightenment,
and who taught him the path of justice?
Who taught him knowledge,
and showed him the way of understanding?
Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
and are accounted as dust on the scales;
see, he takes up the isles like fine dust.
Lebanon would not provide fuel enough,
nor are its animals enough for a burnt-offering.
All the nations are as nothing before him;
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

To whom then will you liken God,
or what likeness compare with him?
An idol? —A workman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold,
and casts for it silver chains.
As a gift one chooses mulberry wood
—wood that will not rot—
then seeks out a skilled artisan
to set up an image that will not topple.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to live in;
who brings princes to naught,
and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.

Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them, and they wither,
and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

To whom then will you compare me,
or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high and see:
Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
mighty in power,
not one is missing.

Revelation 14:14-15.end
Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand! Another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to the one who sat on the cloud, ‘Use your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.’ So the one who sat on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.
Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Then another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over fire, and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, ‘Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.’ So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the vintage of the earth, and he threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse’s bridle, for a distance of about two hundred miles.
Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and amazing: seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended.
And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:
‘Great and amazing are your deeds,
Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations!
Lord, who will not fear
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your judgements have been revealed.’

After this I looked, and the temple of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, and out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, robed in pure bright linen, with golden sashes across their chests. Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever; and the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were ended.

The Collect
Eternal Father,
whose Son Jesus Christ ascended to the throne of heaven
that he might rule over all things as Lord and King:
keep the Church in the unity of the Spirit
and in the bond of peace,
and bring the whole created order to worship at his feet;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Fast Food caption contest

I'll never order food from a mathematically aware delivery outlet again!

Enjoy:

ps. A while back I spent some fifteen minutes sitting in the car park of our local Mc Donald's waiting for our 'drive through' meal to be created.

When I pointed out to the manager that it had taken just over the fifteen minutes for our 'drive through' order to be completed, his response was: "You have to remember that Mc Donald's isn't 'fast food'!"

Yeah, too right :-)

Daily Office - Nov 25

Psalm 92
It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to tell of your love early in the morning and of your faithfulness in the night-time, upon the ten-stringed instrument, upon the harp, and to the melody of the lyre.
For you, Lord, have made me glad by your acts, and I sing aloud at the works of your hands.
O Lord, how glorious are your works! Your thoughts are very deep.
The senseless do not know, nor do fools understand, that though the wicked sprout like grass and all the workers of iniquity flourish, it is only to be destroyed for ever; • but you, O Lord, shall be exalted for evermore.
For lo, your enemies, O Lord, lo, your enemies shall perish, and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
But my horn you have exalted like the horns of wild oxen; I am anointed with fresh oil.
My eyes will look down on my foes; my ears shall hear the ruin of the evildoers who rise up against me.
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, and shall spread abroad like a cedar of Lebanon.
Such as are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be vigorous and in full leaf; that they may show that the Lord is true; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

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.

Isaiah 40:1-11
Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

A voice cries out:
‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’

A voice says, ‘Cry out!’ And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’
All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand for ever.
Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings;
lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings,
lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah,
‘Here is your God!’
See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him;
his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms,
and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.

Revelation 14:1-13
Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion! And with him were one hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who have been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; these follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found; they are blameless.

Then I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation and tribe and language and people. He said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgement has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.’

Then another angel, a second, followed, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’

Then another angel, a third, followed them, crying with a loud voice, ‘Those who worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or on their hands, they will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who receives the mark of its name.’

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus.

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labours, for their deeds follow them.’

The Collect
Eternal Father,
whose Son Jesus Christ ascended to the throne of heaven
that he might rule over all things as Lord and King:
keep the Church in the unity of the Spirit and in the bond of peace,
and bring the whole created order to worship at his feet;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Caption Contest - Cheesus Christ

One of the readers of this blog, having seen this, thought of me and kindly sent me a copy which I think is not only funny (in an odd sort of way) but worthy of being the focus of the cation contest too.

Hope you enjoy it!

Daily Office - Nov 24

Psalm 78:1-39
Hear my teaching, O my people; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable; I will pour forth mysteries from of old, such as we have heard and known, which our forebears have told us.
We will not hide from their children, but will recount to generations to come, the praises of the Lord and his power and the wonderful works he has done.
He laid a solemn charge on Jacob and made it a law in Israel, which he commanded them to teach their children, that the generations to come might know, and the children yet unborn, that they in turn might tell it to their children; so that they might put their trust in God and not forget the deeds of God, but keep his commandments, and not be like their forebears, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.
The people of Ephraim, armed with the bow, turned back in the day of battle; they did not keep the covenant of God and refused to walk in his law; they forgot what he had done and the wonders he had shown them.
For he did marvellous things in the sight of their forebears, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
He divided the sea and let them pass through; he made the waters stand still in a heap.
He led them with a cloud by day and all the night through with a blaze of fire.
He split the hard rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as from the great deep.
He brought streams out of the rock and made water gush out like rivers.
Yet for all this they sinned more against him and defied the Most High in the wilderness.
They tested God in their hearts and demanded food for their craving.
They spoke against God and said, ‘Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
‘He struck the rock indeed, so that the waters gushed out and the streams overflowed, but can he give bread or provide meat for his people?’
When the Lord heard this, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob and his anger went out against Israel, for they had no faith in God and put no trust in his saving help.
So he commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven.
He rained down upon them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven.
So mortals ate the bread of angels; he sent them food in plenty.
He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens and led out the south wind by his might.
He rained flesh upon them as thick as dust and winged fowl like the sand of the sea.
He let it fall in the midst of their camp and round about their tents.
So they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they desired.
But they did not stop their craving; their food was still in their mouths, when the anger of God rose against them, and slew their strongest men and felled the flower of Israel.
But for all this, they sinned yet more and put no faith in his wonderful works.
So he brought their days to an end like a breath and their years in sudden terror.
Whenever he slew them, they would seek him; they would repent and earnestly search for God.
They remembered that God was their rock and the Most High God their redeemer.

Yet they did but flatter him with their mouth and dissembled with their tongue.
Their heart was not steadfast towards him, neither were they faithful to his covenant.
But he was so merciful that he forgave their misdeeds and did not destroy them; many a time he turned back his wrath and did not suffer his whole displeasure to be roused.
For he remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes by and does not return.

Daniel 12
‘At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, keep the words secret and the book sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be running back and forth, and evil shall increase.’
Then I, Daniel, looked, and two others appeared, one standing on this bank of the stream and one on the other. One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was upstream, ‘How long shall it be until the end of these wonders?’ The man clothed in linen, who was upstream, raised his right hand and his left hand towards heaven. And I heard him swear by the one who lives for ever that it would be for a time, two times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things would be accomplished. I heard but could not understand; so I said, ‘My lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?’ He said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are to remain secret and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked shall continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. From the time that the regular burnt-offering is taken away and the abomination that desolates is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Happy are those who persevere and attain the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. But you, go your way, and rest; you shall rise for your reward at the end of the days.’

Revelation 13:11-end
Then I saw another beast that rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and it makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of all; and by the signs that it is allowed to perform on behalf of the beast, it deceives the inhabitants of earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet lived; and it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred and sixty-six.

The Collect
Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son was revealed to destroy the works of the devil
and to make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life:
grant that we, having this hope, may purify ourselves even as he is pure;
that when he shall appear in power and great glory
we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom;
where he is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Daily Office - Nov 23

Clement, Bishop of Rome, Martyr, c.100

Psalm 63
O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you; my soul is athirst for you.
My flesh also faints for you, as in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.
So would I gaze upon you in your holy place, that I might behold your power and your glory.
Your loving-kindness is better than life itself and so my lips shall praise you.
I will bless you as long as I live and lift up my hands in your name.
My soul shall be satisfied, as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed and meditate on you in the watches of the night.
For you have been my helper and under the shadow of your wings will I rejoice.
My soul clings to you; your right hand shall hold me fast.
But those who seek my soul to destroy it shall go down to the depths of the earth; let them fall by the edge of the sword and become a portion for jackals.
But the king shall rejoice in God; all those who swear by him shall be glad, for the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.


Psalm 65
Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; to you that answer prayer shall vows be paid.
To you shall all flesh come to confess their sins; when our misdeeds prevail against us, you will purge them away.
Happy are they whom you choose and draw to your courts to dwell there. We shall be satisfied with the blessings of your house, even of your holy temple.
With wonders you will answer us in your righteousness, O God of our salvation, O hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.
In your strength you set fast the mountains and are girded about with might.
You still the raging of the seas, the roaring of their waves and the clamour of the peoples.
Those who dwell at the ends of the earth tremble at your marvels; the gates of the morning and evening sing your praise.
You visit the earth and water it; you make it very plenteous.
The river of God is full of water; you prepare grain for your people, for so you provide for the earth.
You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; you soften the ground with showers and bless its increase.
You crown the year with your goodness, and your paths overflow with plenty.
May the pastures of the wilderness flow with goodness and the hills be girded with joy.
May the meadows be clothed with flocks of sheep and the valleys stand so thick with corn that they shall laugh and sing.

Daniel 10:1-11:1
In the third year of King Cyrus of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. The word was true, and it concerned a great conflict. He understood the word, having received understanding in the vision.
At that time I, Daniel, had been mourning for three weeks. I had eaten no rich food, no meat or wine had entered my mouth, and I had not anointed myself at all, for the full three weeks. On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river (that is, the Tigris), I looked up and saw a man clothed in linen, with a belt of gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like beryl, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the roar of a multitude. I, Daniel, alone saw the vision; the people who were with me did not see the vision, though a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled and hid themselves. So I was left alone to see this great vision. My strength left me, and my complexion grew deathly pale, and I retained no strength. Then I heard the sound of his words; and when I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a trance, face to the ground.
But then a hand touched me and roused me to my hands and knees. He said to me, ‘Daniel, greatly beloved, pay attention to the words that I am going to speak to you. Stand on your feet, for I have now been sent to you.’ So while he was speaking this word to me, I stood up trembling. He said to me, ‘Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. So Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia, and have come to help you understand what is to happen to your people at the end of days. For there is a further vision for those days.’
While he was speaking these words to me, I turned my face towards the ground and was speechless. Then one in human form touched my lips, and I opened my mouth to speak, and said to the one who stood before me, ‘My lord, because of the vision such pains have come upon me that I retain no strength. How can my lord’s servant talk with my lord? For I am shaking, no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.’
Again one in human form touched me and strengthened me. He said, ‘Do not fear, greatly beloved, you are safe. Be strong and courageous!’ When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, ‘Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.’ Then he said, ‘Do you know why I have come to you? Now I must return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I am through with him, the prince of Greece will come. But I am to tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth. There is no one with me who contends against these princes except Michael, your prince.
As for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to support and strengthen him.

Revelation 13:1-10
And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads; and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have received a death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed. In amazement the whole earth followed the beast. They worshipped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshipped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?’
The beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also, it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. It was given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slaughtered.
Let anyone who has an ear listen:
If you are to be taken captive, into captivity you go;
if you kill with the sword, with the sword you must be killed.
Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

The Collect
Creator and Father of eternity,
whose martyr Clement bore witness with his blood
to the love he proclaimed and the gospel that he preached:
give us thankful hearts as we celebrate your faithfulness,
revealed to us in the lives of your saints,
and strengthen us in our pilgrimage as we follow your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

This week - a retrospective (and a plea)

What an amazing week this has been- we've seen people who don't care a hoot about Christ, the Gospel or Church all bundling in to have their say about how the church should operate, most especially in the area of bishops and even more specifically, women bishops.

I have been so very frustrated by the people who have engaged me and berated me for stuff that they don't even have a clue about (and don't care about either if we are honest - they just ride on the bandwagon regardless). There was the idiot MP who said that it was bizarre that, since the CofE had a woman at the very top, there should be any problem with having women bishops! Now I don't know how he copes with national politics but hopefully he fares a little better with that and should therefore keep to the job he was elected to do. Of course, as the honourable gentleman made his points he also felt it necessary to clarify the position, when asked, by saying that of course ('of course', why 'of course') wasn't a Christian and had little real interest in the whole affair!

I had to endure the witterings of some (undoubtedly lovely yet woeful) bloke who asked how he was going to tell his newly minted daughter that she couldn't be 'a fully accepted and functioning woman in the Church'! If I was him I'd have been cuddling her and singing songs because, to be quite frank, the poor mite wouldn't have had a clue what he was going on about anyway. And of course . . .  Once she reached 18 she could legally attend a BAP (the selection thing for clergy) and if accepted could go to college and then be ordained, priested and serve in the church for a few years and then, perhaps, find herself selected for 'advancement' (what being called to be a bishop is) and this would mean that she'd be in her early forties - so the bloke has a bit of time yet.

Another person told me that there were many women whose ministries would have been enhanced and made 'effective' by being made bishop and now this had been lost to them. Now, odd as it seems perhaps, I would like people whose ministries were already effective to be given the wonderfully enhancing job of bishop and if it was moving up that made them effective I doubt I'd be interested anyway (hope that makes sense).

I have had (far too many) people explain how stupid, uncaring and disobedient the laity were to have voted as they did and they have explained how we should listen only to the bishops in future and withdraw the vote from the laity (now that sounds egalitarian, doesn't it?). Other have said that the diocesan lay reps should have voted with their respective diocesan synods rather than take it on themselves to exercise conscience, stupidity or disobedience. This leads me to think that what we need is to get rid of the General Synod and merely take the votes from the diocesan bodies and then, adding the votes from each of the houses into three final sums, take the decision from there.

This is surely a much more cost-effective solution to church management in the future and makes life in the future much more simple and effective (and perhaps we'd get diocesan synod rep's who were really engaged and effective in return?

Others have told me that the decision should be overturned and that we should do 'whatever it takes to bring it back' and overturn the decision. Actually I have to disagree with that thought for we engaged in a democratic process and we got a decision. Now it wasn't what I expected and wasn't what many wanted either but the reality is that we have it. To engage in scheming and cunning plans to get what we want to happen when it hasn't (by democratic and established means) is to look shallow and somewhat tawdry I fear!

So here's my summation of what has happened (and it will be my last word on it for some time I hope):

There are three groups of people - those who want women bishops, those who don't want women bishops and those who don't care (and there are a great many of them) as long as they can be left in peace to preach the Gospel, reach the lost, pastor the broken and love the unloveable. What I would like to see is a solution that  respects the position of those who have difficulty with the consecration of women without weakening the position of the women and one that doesn't get in the way of the real ministry of the Church - which has nothing to do with making bishops (women or men) but winning souls.

If, as it should be (and probably would be if it weren't such a 'must have' issue for some), this issue does not return until a new General Synod is convened (which means five years before we get to the same place again) the I for one will not be that troubled. Now this isn't anything 'anti-women' (for I have never been 'anti-women'') but is merely a plea for some rational and balanced response. It were any other issue, or better still something unpopular, and the cry to speed things up or make things happen to make this cause happen then people would be up in arms. Let us transfer into it something that we don't agree with and see whether we'd applaud cutting corners, clever measures or whatever. (I'm guessing not!).

Wanting to have the good opinion of the world and to endlessly go on about equality and living up to the standards of the world in which we find ourself is a totally confused state of mind (and reality). The reason for these words is the fact that just the world that we are called to serve has few standards and to work (tirelessly in some places) to make ourselves look, feel and act like it is to dismiss the calling we have to be Church and to render the Church weak, ineffective and impotent!

If we want to be popular then that's great. If we think that 'being popular' means that we cease to be different and put off the Gospel message for something that merely endorses the world and its values, standards and behaviour then what we really want is a different sort of Church altogether - it's call APOSTATE Church!

I wonder if God has not been gracious in the decision this week (as painful as it is for some) as it provides time for us to work out ways in which we might all coexist as one body and also give us the time to set aside all the distraction from the Gospel calling we have (and it is a distraction) to actually preach the Gospel and serve those whom we are called to serve.

And whilst I sympathise with those who were broken by Tuesday's decision (was it really only that short a while since it happened?) I also feel for those who are opposed to the consecration (and ordination too perhaps) of women who now find themselves hiding lest they be asked which side they support. As one told me, "I'm just keeping out of the way because anything else is an invitation to being abused!" Are we really that shallow?

So - we have dissipated so much time on this subject. Time which General Synod, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Theological Student, Laity and others (are there any others) could have perhaps used to build the kingdom rather than berate, abuse and present Church as a divided, divisive and spiteful place.

I leave this subject with something Jesus would like us all to know (John 17: 21):

"I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one- as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me."

No one can take joy from this week's goings on in General Synod - especially not the God we serve, three in one; Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Pax