I began this Advent blog of wondering and questioning because of reading a book by Barbara Brown Taylor. The blog has been an ante dote to the rather arrogant certainty around us today in some Christian circles. The certainty that judges against any other opinion than the one being expressed. For me, I would rather live with the questions, because they lead me closer to an understanding of a God we cannot fathom and whose ways are as mysterious as that birth in Bethlehem. I leave the last word to Barbara - from her book 'The Preaching Life'.
'.....chances are that the way true believers believe is the way most of us believe: valiantly on some days and pitifully on others, with faith enough to move mountains on some occasions and not enough to get us out of bed on others. Since we believe in what we cannot know for sure, our belief tends to have a certain lightness to it, an openness to ambiguity and a willingness not to be sure about everything. Our belief is less like certainty than like trust or hope. We are betting our lives on something we cannot prove, and it is hard to be very smug about that. Most of the time the best we can do is to live 'as of' it were all true and when we do, it becomes truer somehow.
Our belief tends to show up in our actions more than in our words. Sometimes even we have to look at what we do to understand what we believe. We are not, at heart, believers in an institution or an ideology but in a relationship that changes from day to day and year to year. Just because we believe does not mean that we are not afraid of what might happen to us; it just means that we believe we know who will be with us when it does. Some days we are as firm in our faith as apostles and some days we are like lost sheep, which means that we belong to the flock, not because we are certain of God but because God is certain of us, and no one is able to snatch us out of God's hands.'
May the eagerness of the shepherds
The joy of the angels
The perseverance of the wise men
And the peace of the Christchild
Be yours this Christmastime
Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Tuesday, 24 December 2013
Monday, 23 December 2013
What if.....? Day 23
Pre-carols Communion yesterday morning. Interesting congregation, the committed who would be coming three times in one day (church wardens, organist and key laity), those going away who could make the morning but were going somewhere else after lunch, those who always come in the morning and were not bothered at all about the carol services and those for whom church was their lifeline.
It is this last group which made me reflect yesterday. I wrote a few days ago about creating community, and for at least seven people attending yesterday, all living alone, the local church was their community. It was here they met their friends, shared their problems, gained some joy in their week.
I chatted to a group of three old ladies about their Christmas - the first told me that her daughter had recently been diagnosed with cancer and had only a limited time to live. With the in-laws staying at Christmas they had no room for her. She had visited a couple of days ago - a journey of around 30 miles but without a car - 3 buses and a train each way - 3 hours travel. Christmas Day would be spent at home. The second lady told me that her son had recently had to downsize to live in a flat - again no room for anyone else at Christmas, she too was going to stay home alone. The third was going to her neice's this year - she did not do anything last year, for Christmas was a sad time. Her husband, son and brother had all died the year before one after another just before Christmas.
Loss, loneliness and the struggles of family life were all present in that short conversation. It made me think, not only how for those three people (or those around them) Christmas would not be how our media and culture would like to portray it, but also if this was 3 out of 20 adults, how many others are there up and down our country. It made me realise how how important for these three the message of God's love was, which I had feebily preached only half an hour earlier.
The Christian message of Hope, in the baby born in Bethlehem and who is Emmanuel - God with us, is ever more important today, for in a way all the wrapping, the glamorous present orgie, the bright coloured Christmas jumpers and the flashing fairy lights, just masks much of the darkness around. Yesterday I was not in prosperous Buckinghamshire - with its glazed ham, mulled wine and canapés. This was a place where the effects of hardship, struggle and isolation were felt on a daily basis. Much forgotten in some places. It is encouraging that some of our larger churches are getting involved with food banks and credit unions, for it brings the gospel into focus.
I would like to say there is a welcome in every church for those seeking God's love and fellowship. That is God's way, and for those who do not venture there - prayers nonetheless. Let's all look outwards these next three days and see how, even in a small, way, we can bring some light into the darkness around.
What if..... we each gave away something to day ?
It is this last group which made me reflect yesterday. I wrote a few days ago about creating community, and for at least seven people attending yesterday, all living alone, the local church was their community. It was here they met their friends, shared their problems, gained some joy in their week.
I chatted to a group of three old ladies about their Christmas - the first told me that her daughter had recently been diagnosed with cancer and had only a limited time to live. With the in-laws staying at Christmas they had no room for her. She had visited a couple of days ago - a journey of around 30 miles but without a car - 3 buses and a train each way - 3 hours travel. Christmas Day would be spent at home. The second lady told me that her son had recently had to downsize to live in a flat - again no room for anyone else at Christmas, she too was going to stay home alone. The third was going to her neice's this year - she did not do anything last year, for Christmas was a sad time. Her husband, son and brother had all died the year before one after another just before Christmas.
Loss, loneliness and the struggles of family life were all present in that short conversation. It made me think, not only how for those three people (or those around them) Christmas would not be how our media and culture would like to portray it, but also if this was 3 out of 20 adults, how many others are there up and down our country. It made me realise how how important for these three the message of God's love was, which I had feebily preached only half an hour earlier.
The Christian message of Hope, in the baby born in Bethlehem and who is Emmanuel - God with us, is ever more important today, for in a way all the wrapping, the glamorous present orgie, the bright coloured Christmas jumpers and the flashing fairy lights, just masks much of the darkness around. Yesterday I was not in prosperous Buckinghamshire - with its glazed ham, mulled wine and canapés. This was a place where the effects of hardship, struggle and isolation were felt on a daily basis. Much forgotten in some places. It is encouraging that some of our larger churches are getting involved with food banks and credit unions, for it brings the gospel into focus.
I would like to say there is a welcome in every church for those seeking God's love and fellowship. That is God's way, and for those who do not venture there - prayers nonetheless. Let's all look outwards these next three days and see how, even in a small, way, we can bring some light into the darkness around.
What if..... we each gave away something to day ?
Sunday, 22 December 2013
What if....? Day 22
With all the preparations which propel us forward towards Christmas Day - both hospitality related (decorations, food, presents) and work related (sermons and visual aids and carol services) - and thenbeing caught up in the celebrations after, it is interesting to read reviews in some of the magazines and papers which look back at the year.
2013 has been an interesting year - with news happening every moment of every day it is hard to analyse things. There has been much to regret, the squeeze on welfare payments has left many caught between a rock and a hard place; where employment is not even providing enough, where many businesses have not been able to succeed, where dependence on help - be it cheap supermarket prices, food banks or payday loans - has become the norm for many. This is a challenge for all of us in work to see whether we can do more, whether it is to give, support or protest.
We appear to live in an increasingly violent culture - on the global stage wars continue to rage, on the local, murder by someone know to the victim seems to happen frequently, and then there are the legal battles that get played out in court or on our newscreens. How do we counter such trends?
But on the positive side - and it is easy to see the glass half empty - we have had the warmest summer for years, people were a bit more chilled as they enjoyed the sunshine, we have enjoyed the royal birth, and ratings appear to be up for both the new Pope and the new Archbishop of Canterbury.
Some of these recollections have happened already as annual Cheistmas letters appear through the letterbox.
As Advent draws us into Christmas, these last few days may give us a time to reflect, albeit briefly on the year we have had - and taking the advent themes, to voice regret over our own shortcomings, as well as give thanks for all the good that there has been. That will set us in good stead to really enjoy 25th as we celebrate God coming amongst us and God continuing to be with us, whatever our circumstances.
What if..... we had the opportunity to rerun our year?
2013 has been an interesting year - with news happening every moment of every day it is hard to analyse things. There has been much to regret, the squeeze on welfare payments has left many caught between a rock and a hard place; where employment is not even providing enough, where many businesses have not been able to succeed, where dependence on help - be it cheap supermarket prices, food banks or payday loans - has become the norm for many. This is a challenge for all of us in work to see whether we can do more, whether it is to give, support or protest.
We appear to live in an increasingly violent culture - on the global stage wars continue to rage, on the local, murder by someone know to the victim seems to happen frequently, and then there are the legal battles that get played out in court or on our newscreens. How do we counter such trends?
But on the positive side - and it is easy to see the glass half empty - we have had the warmest summer for years, people were a bit more chilled as they enjoyed the sunshine, we have enjoyed the royal birth, and ratings appear to be up for both the new Pope and the new Archbishop of Canterbury.
Some of these recollections have happened already as annual Cheistmas letters appear through the letterbox.
As Advent draws us into Christmas, these last few days may give us a time to reflect, albeit briefly on the year we have had - and taking the advent themes, to voice regret over our own shortcomings, as well as give thanks for all the good that there has been. That will set us in good stead to really enjoy 25th as we celebrate God coming amongst us and God continuing to be with us, whatever our circumstances.
What if..... we had the opportunity to rerun our year?
Saturday, 21 December 2013
What if....? Day 21
The thing I most miss from parish ministry is the sense of being part of a community. It is particularly a loss during the seasons of Lent and Advent, when there is a feeling, as a parish priest, of walking alongside a community during a season of preparation - and then at Easter and Christmas celebrating with that same group of people the joy of arrival.
We all need community, however the more we move to different parts of the country, or into a different sphere of leadership, that community gets more and more dispersed. It then becomes more of an effort to gather people, to keep in touch and to have any meaningful relationship with them. Hence the use of Facebook for people to stay in contact and share the journey.
I often ask the question - where and who is my community, and it am often asked it. The different congregation each Sunday is something, especially now I know people,; the sisters at Burnham Abbey are part of my extended community, as are the people I work with more regularly or live among.
Last nights attempt at building community gathered a number of people for mulled wine and mince pies at The Rectory. In someway it was a disparate group of people, their only apparent connection was that they knew me. However as they got chatting and shared stories and experiences there were numerous connections happening. Clergy who did not know one another, those who lived in close proximity, those who only met occasionally and formally, those recently retired or had never met their spouses colleagues before. It was a chance for busy clergy to attend something, rather than make it happen, for locals to meet people a bit further afield and for those who worked alone to meet others.
Whether we have a ready made one or not, all community building takes time and effort. Investment in people and in bringing them together, for true community is not a self-serving thing, it is connecting others, creating the bigger picture and broadening the vision. It is not being part of the sum that counts, but the sum of all the parts, whoever and wherever those parts may be.
What if...we all spent some time community building this Christmas?
We all need community, however the more we move to different parts of the country, or into a different sphere of leadership, that community gets more and more dispersed. It then becomes more of an effort to gather people, to keep in touch and to have any meaningful relationship with them. Hence the use of Facebook for people to stay in contact and share the journey.
I often ask the question - where and who is my community, and it am often asked it. The different congregation each Sunday is something, especially now I know people,; the sisters at Burnham Abbey are part of my extended community, as are the people I work with more regularly or live among.
Last nights attempt at building community gathered a number of people for mulled wine and mince pies at The Rectory. In someway it was a disparate group of people, their only apparent connection was that they knew me. However as they got chatting and shared stories and experiences there were numerous connections happening. Clergy who did not know one another, those who lived in close proximity, those who only met occasionally and formally, those recently retired or had never met their spouses colleagues before. It was a chance for busy clergy to attend something, rather than make it happen, for locals to meet people a bit further afield and for those who worked alone to meet others.
Whether we have a ready made one or not, all community building takes time and effort. Investment in people and in bringing them together, for true community is not a self-serving thing, it is connecting others, creating the bigger picture and broadening the vision. It is not being part of the sum that counts, but the sum of all the parts, whoever and wherever those parts may be.
What if...we all spent some time community building this Christmas?
Friday, 20 December 2013
What if...? Day 20
Suddenly I am caught up in a writing frenzy as I realise that 5 services are just around the corner. It is always a challenge adding a new slant on the Christmas story, and somehow messages from the past do not quite fit.
A return visit to Bethlehem this year has helped, this time in February - when reflection on Christmas is not quite in tune with the year. To think of Bethlehem out of context helps gain a better perspective on the ordinariness of the event, and it's extra ordinary impact. The need to get the baby out of the manager and I to our lives and world.
With Syria and Egypt, Afghanistan and Iraq still very much in the news during 2013 and our own domestic scene of cost cutting, increasing reliance on food banks and a royal baby - the Holy land has been off the radar for a bit. However the plight of the Palestinian Christians goes on, that small remnant amongst Jews and Muslims, trying to live as peaceably as possible with their neighbours.
I will never forget hearing gun fire, as I sat in the courtyard of a church on the site of Jacob's well, in the West Bank, hearing the confession of one of our tour party. It brought home to me both the fragility and vulnerability of the world in which we live and the life we each occupy. The fact that Christ came into a similar upside down world, and taught us about turning it the right way up. That's what has been going on for the last 2000 years and still goes on.
As I rewrite my messages, there is still a need to realign the priorities and set a new course. From hatred to love, from anger to reconciliation, from repression to confession and from doubt to faith. It's a complex world and there is no slick message. The preacher in our own tentative steps towards enlightenment is as vulnerable as the tentative seeker coming to hear.
What if.......we admitted we do not have all the answers?
A return visit to Bethlehem this year has helped, this time in February - when reflection on Christmas is not quite in tune with the year. To think of Bethlehem out of context helps gain a better perspective on the ordinariness of the event, and it's extra ordinary impact. The need to get the baby out of the manager and I to our lives and world.
With Syria and Egypt, Afghanistan and Iraq still very much in the news during 2013 and our own domestic scene of cost cutting, increasing reliance on food banks and a royal baby - the Holy land has been off the radar for a bit. However the plight of the Palestinian Christians goes on, that small remnant amongst Jews and Muslims, trying to live as peaceably as possible with their neighbours.
I will never forget hearing gun fire, as I sat in the courtyard of a church on the site of Jacob's well, in the West Bank, hearing the confession of one of our tour party. It brought home to me both the fragility and vulnerability of the world in which we live and the life we each occupy. The fact that Christ came into a similar upside down world, and taught us about turning it the right way up. That's what has been going on for the last 2000 years and still goes on.
As I rewrite my messages, there is still a need to realign the priorities and set a new course. From hatred to love, from anger to reconciliation, from repression to confession and from doubt to faith. It's a complex world and there is no slick message. The preacher in our own tentative steps towards enlightenment is as vulnerable as the tentative seeker coming to hear.
What if.......we admitted we do not have all the answers?
Thursday, 19 December 2013
What if...? Day 19
Beautiful Holy Communion yesterday with the sisters at Burnham Abbey. A quiet oasis in the midst of a busy time and a busy season. The chance to stop, and pray and share in Holy things.
I think one of the most important aspects of the work of the Anglican Church in Bucks is the praying presence of two communities. The Sisters of Burnham Abbey at one end and the Well at Willen, in Milton Keynes at the other. It seems significant that symbolically all we do, up and down the archdeaconry is sandwiched together by prayer. The fact that not many people know that is even more striking. Silently, regularly, rhymically the needs of the church and the world are brought before God. That is so reassuring to me as I drive from one end to the other throughout the year.
Yesterday's reading at Holy Communion was the Birth of Jesus narrative from Mathew's gospel. We were reminded that Christ was Emmanuel, God with us. This one day event, now can be an everyday event if we acknowledge Christ in our lives. That is made even more real to me as I connect occasionally with the praying presence that is Burnham Abbey, recognising its eternal significance for all that we do.
What if.. we all stopped for a moment today and put what concerns us into perspective?
I think one of the most important aspects of the work of the Anglican Church in Bucks is the praying presence of two communities. The Sisters of Burnham Abbey at one end and the Well at Willen, in Milton Keynes at the other. It seems significant that symbolically all we do, up and down the archdeaconry is sandwiched together by prayer. The fact that not many people know that is even more striking. Silently, regularly, rhymically the needs of the church and the world are brought before God. That is so reassuring to me as I drive from one end to the other throughout the year.
Yesterday's reading at Holy Communion was the Birth of Jesus narrative from Mathew's gospel. We were reminded that Christ was Emmanuel, God with us. This one day event, now can be an everyday event if we acknowledge Christ in our lives. That is made even more real to me as I connect occasionally with the praying presence that is Burnham Abbey, recognising its eternal significance for all that we do.
What if.. we all stopped for a moment today and put what concerns us into perspective?
Wednesday, 18 December 2013
What if......Day 18
A Chrismassie evening last night with those training to be Licenced Lay ministers and Priests in the archdeaconry, hosted by our Director of Ordinands. It was very encouraging to see the variety in the room of age, gender and Christian tradition. A group of people enthusiastic to serve God and God's Church.
Usually the group that the archdeacon has least to do with prior to ordination, it was also good to see last night people known to me as those who have been active in their local churches for many years. As individuals are encouraged to use their gifts ministries develop. The often used word when people describe their call to licenced ministry is 'surprise'. That God uses ordinary people in the service of the world is hardly rocket science (who else can he use) but the fact that it is you and me somehow makes it even more unbelievable.
Participation in God's work has no barriers, just a willing heart is required. Only by having men and women who say 'yes' can that important work be done - and what is that work? Making disciples of all the nations, yes, but also feeding the hungry, visiting the lonely, clothing the naked, befriending the stranger. In fact making the world a better place. The fact that God continues to call people tells me that the work is far from complete and the mission of the Church will continue as it has done for two thousand years.
What if......we all did something for the Kingdom today?
Usually the group that the archdeacon has least to do with prior to ordination, it was also good to see last night people known to me as those who have been active in their local churches for many years. As individuals are encouraged to use their gifts ministries develop. The often used word when people describe their call to licenced ministry is 'surprise'. That God uses ordinary people in the service of the world is hardly rocket science (who else can he use) but the fact that it is you and me somehow makes it even more unbelievable.
Participation in God's work has no barriers, just a willing heart is required. Only by having men and women who say 'yes' can that important work be done - and what is that work? Making disciples of all the nations, yes, but also feeding the hungry, visiting the lonely, clothing the naked, befriending the stranger. In fact making the world a better place. The fact that God continues to call people tells me that the work is far from complete and the mission of the Church will continue as it has done for two thousand years.
What if......we all did something for the Kingdom today?
Tuesday, 17 December 2013
What if....? Day 17
It's strange how some things can play on your mind. I have had a bit of a sleepless night worrying about a decision I had to make yesterday. I had not received the information I needed prior to a meeting, and so have refused to go ahead with the meeting. Quite understandable, I hear some of you say, but the actual being up front, and assertive, and delaying a meeting until the new year was very much against my nature. Could I fit in doing the preparation before hand ? No. But I do feel as thought I have let people down by cancelling a meeting!
I suppose it's where we all draw the line at being reasonable. I had asked for information for the last month and it had not been forthcoming. Less than two days before a meeting was unreasonable. If I was delaying a meeting that would be unreasonable, but we have time on our side, so that is reasonable.
Maybe I am far too conscientious, always giving the benefit of the doubt, to others and going along with it. Yet by standing out I am the one who feels bad! Maybe too the guilt is coupled with the fact that I have had a get days off recently? Know harm in that anyway, but again I feel bad.
These are some of the dilemmas those in ministry feel quite often. The Christian way of putting others first gets us into all sorts of knots. We do not want to let people down, want to be always there, always responsive, always thought well of. Most of us want to work hard, get good results, and help things along. We want to work for good, even if it costs us.
And all of this is often at the expense of our friends and families, our work/life balance and our own health. Clergy stress is high.
Today at bishop's staff we are addressing some of these issues as we discuss how we can better care for our clergy and how we can be an example to them. Maybe, just maybe my own assertion that it is reasonable to cancel a meeting and the related feelings around it, with help us all encourage one another that reasonableness around a work/life balance is everyone's right and responsibility.
What if..... we all ceased to feel guilty about things that are unreasonable anyway?
I suppose it's where we all draw the line at being reasonable. I had asked for information for the last month and it had not been forthcoming. Less than two days before a meeting was unreasonable. If I was delaying a meeting that would be unreasonable, but we have time on our side, so that is reasonable.
Maybe I am far too conscientious, always giving the benefit of the doubt, to others and going along with it. Yet by standing out I am the one who feels bad! Maybe too the guilt is coupled with the fact that I have had a get days off recently? Know harm in that anyway, but again I feel bad.
These are some of the dilemmas those in ministry feel quite often. The Christian way of putting others first gets us into all sorts of knots. We do not want to let people down, want to be always there, always responsive, always thought well of. Most of us want to work hard, get good results, and help things along. We want to work for good, even if it costs us.
And all of this is often at the expense of our friends and families, our work/life balance and our own health. Clergy stress is high.
Today at bishop's staff we are addressing some of these issues as we discuss how we can better care for our clergy and how we can be an example to them. Maybe, just maybe my own assertion that it is reasonable to cancel a meeting and the related feelings around it, with help us all encourage one another that reasonableness around a work/life balance is everyone's right and responsibility.
What if..... we all ceased to feel guilty about things that are unreasonable anyway?
Monday, 16 December 2013
What if.....day 16
Came third yesterday in a Christmas quiz! Two friends and I - the three french hens - took part in a fun quiz. Interesting questions, only one religious one out of 50, and the spelling of nearby teams of the word myrrh, was quite interesting. Anyway, we did not know the number of reindeer - nor their names, or the year the Beatles had a Christmas number one with 'I wanna hold your hand' but managed quite a few of the rest.
The small blot on the evening, came from a disagreement on the next table, which had been reserved for a particular team, but was occupied by another family oblivious of the quiz taking place. Suddenly this escalated into a verbal exchange between the men, which threatened at one stage to spill over onto our table as feelings got a little over heated. It was not great - and showed how much of a short fuse some people have, and how differences can quickly get out of control. Everything became an issue rather than one person simply apologising and walking away. It was not something, any of the three french hens experience very often.
Christmas for many is not a time for peace and harmony, but for stress and violence. Internal pressures get exposed and, for those not used to turning the other cheek, competition and pride lead to aggression and anger. It made us think of how in the heat of a moment lives can be change forever (as in the recent disagreement in a supermarket car park between pensioners), and how some people live with verbally aggressive people. So at a time of Christmas joy, it was perhaps salutary to happen upon the other side of Christmas cheer and remember those caught up, often accidentally, in the discontent of those who desperately need some graciousness and peace.
What if........we shrugged and walked away each time we were wronged?
The small blot on the evening, came from a disagreement on the next table, which had been reserved for a particular team, but was occupied by another family oblivious of the quiz taking place. Suddenly this escalated into a verbal exchange between the men, which threatened at one stage to spill over onto our table as feelings got a little over heated. It was not great - and showed how much of a short fuse some people have, and how differences can quickly get out of control. Everything became an issue rather than one person simply apologising and walking away. It was not something, any of the three french hens experience very often.
Christmas for many is not a time for peace and harmony, but for stress and violence. Internal pressures get exposed and, for those not used to turning the other cheek, competition and pride lead to aggression and anger. It made us think of how in the heat of a moment lives can be change forever (as in the recent disagreement in a supermarket car park between pensioners), and how some people live with verbally aggressive people. So at a time of Christmas joy, it was perhaps salutary to happen upon the other side of Christmas cheer and remember those caught up, often accidentally, in the discontent of those who desperately need some graciousness and peace.
What if........we shrugged and walked away each time we were wronged?
Sunday, 15 December 2013
What if.....Day 15
I am currently struck by the sophistication of Christmas decorations. Everything possible to decorate a home inside and out, and huge moving models in shopping centres and elsewhere. From polar bears to santa's, icebergs to singing reindeer. Then occasionally it's possible to spot a nativity scene. Simple and unadorned. The Christmas wrapping has certainly eclipsed the Christmas meaning in many places.
There is quite a need for a retelling of the story year by year so it is passed on to our children's children. To pay as much attention to the stable as the reindeer. I am afraid the retailers won't do it for us. There is so much magic and relevance in the Christmas story, and that annual visit of the local family to a church carol service gives us that opportunity. Then the church comes into its own, once the presents are bought and wrapped, the expectation rises and the children cannot wait for Christmas morning.
Advent may have become the season for shopping, but Christmas Eve certainly belongs to the church, and we would be foolish to do anything more sophisticated than read that eternal story as has been told for 2000 years.
What if......we each told the Christmas story to one other person this year ?
There is quite a need for a retelling of the story year by year so it is passed on to our children's children. To pay as much attention to the stable as the reindeer. I am afraid the retailers won't do it for us. There is so much magic and relevance in the Christmas story, and that annual visit of the local family to a church carol service gives us that opportunity. Then the church comes into its own, once the presents are bought and wrapped, the expectation rises and the children cannot wait for Christmas morning.
Advent may have become the season for shopping, but Christmas Eve certainly belongs to the church, and we would be foolish to do anything more sophisticated than read that eternal story as has been told for 2000 years.
What if......we each told the Christmas story to one other person this year ?
Saturday, 14 December 2013
What if...? Day 14
There is always interest whenever league tables are published. No matter what they reveal there is no doubt people are curious to see how the thing most familiar to them faired, be it a local town, person, team or in yesterday's case school. Comparing tables is not easy, there is so much you do not know from the three statistics presented, and they give a very stilted image of school life in all it's fullness.
Yet from the tables local schools, known to me stood out. These were not the elite category, or the ones you had to gain entry to or pay huge fees, but your ordinary village or town school. It was good to see particularly some of the schools in my archdeaconry listed in places where there is good partnership between church and local school, and where both struggle with limited resources in the communities they serve. From Waddesden in Bucks to Colnbrook in Slough, much hard work has gone on to gain the results listed in yesterday's paper.
Of course the humanist society made some comments again about faith schools and their entry requirements, but the truth is that many of these schools are THE local school and have open doors for everyone who lives locally to attend, from all faiths and none. I do not agree with league tables, but there is a chance here for such schools, who have often struggled against the odds and worked hard to gain such results, to take lots of pride in their achievements.
What if.... We all chose to celebrate hard work rather than discredit it?
Yet from the tables local schools, known to me stood out. These were not the elite category, or the ones you had to gain entry to or pay huge fees, but your ordinary village or town school. It was good to see particularly some of the schools in my archdeaconry listed in places where there is good partnership between church and local school, and where both struggle with limited resources in the communities they serve. From Waddesden in Bucks to Colnbrook in Slough, much hard work has gone on to gain the results listed in yesterday's paper.
Of course the humanist society made some comments again about faith schools and their entry requirements, but the truth is that many of these schools are THE local school and have open doors for everyone who lives locally to attend, from all faiths and none. I do not agree with league tables, but there is a chance here for such schools, who have often struggled against the odds and worked hard to gain such results, to take lots of pride in their achievements.
What if.... We all chose to celebrate hard work rather than discredit it?
Friday, 13 December 2013
What if.....Day 13
Over the past few weeks, I have been keeping a watching eye on Masterchef - The Professionals, and thoroughly enjoyed the final last night. It has been interesting to see a good chef becoming a great chef. How does that happen? I suppose during the series the chefs have learnt new skills, have been mentored by some great chefs themselves and been put in some pretty pressured situations. But, the main thing is that they appear to have become more confident in their own abilities to be creative, to play around with flavours and produce finally, almost a flawless 3 course meal.
The final included a piece about the 3 finalists own background, all had a different story to tell, but it became clear that it had not been education or university that led them to fulfil their passion, but a love of cooking and food. When so many of us enjoy going out for a good meal it is helpful to be reminded that vocational training is of as much benefit to our society as academics, with a constant drive for educational standards and top grades, where would we be without bricklayers and hairdressers, beauty therapists and cooks?
I am looking forward in the new year to eating in the restaurent attached to our local college. Maybe the next Masterchef champion will be cooking lunch?
What if......we paid more attention to passion than qualifications?
The final included a piece about the 3 finalists own background, all had a different story to tell, but it became clear that it had not been education or university that led them to fulfil their passion, but a love of cooking and food. When so many of us enjoy going out for a good meal it is helpful to be reminded that vocational training is of as much benefit to our society as academics, with a constant drive for educational standards and top grades, where would we be without bricklayers and hairdressers, beauty therapists and cooks?
I am looking forward in the new year to eating in the restaurent attached to our local college. Maybe the next Masterchef champion will be cooking lunch?
What if......we paid more attention to passion than qualifications?
Thursday, 12 December 2013
What if...Day 12
Driving around the diocese it is possible to experience considerable variances in weather. Yesterday driving first to Donnington and back, and then to Eton it was fog all the way, but returning home Slough deanery was 6 degrees colder than Aylesbury. Snow is the interesting one, when you are almost snowed in on the edge of the Chilterns it is hard to be believed when the sun is shining Milton Keynes or Slough.
Commuting short distances you hardly view floods or ice with any cause for concern, but not knowing what one will discover 30 or 40 miles from home, makes it necessary to put all manner of items in the car boot - just in case.
Driving to a short listing meeting in fog was not great, you get comfort in small things - the familiar sat nav, the lights of pubs and garages on the way, the lights on the car in front. Much like life really, when all is blurred and muddled, it is the familiar and mundane which gives that basic security.
I wish I could be a bit more laid back when it comes to travelling around - doing 12,000 miles a year I should be used to it, but each journey is made with a prayer and there is great relief when I am told I have reached my destination. But again the same thing goes for life, if it were not such an adventure then we would have no need of faith.
What if.....we embraced the adventure rather than feared the road ahead?
Commuting short distances you hardly view floods or ice with any cause for concern, but not knowing what one will discover 30 or 40 miles from home, makes it necessary to put all manner of items in the car boot - just in case.
Driving to a short listing meeting in fog was not great, you get comfort in small things - the familiar sat nav, the lights of pubs and garages on the way, the lights on the car in front. Much like life really, when all is blurred and muddled, it is the familiar and mundane which gives that basic security.
I wish I could be a bit more laid back when it comes to travelling around - doing 12,000 miles a year I should be used to it, but each journey is made with a prayer and there is great relief when I am told I have reached my destination. But again the same thing goes for life, if it were not such an adventure then we would have no need of faith.
What if.....we embraced the adventure rather than feared the road ahead?
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
What if...? Day 11
O wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High
Reaching from one end to the other
Mighty and sweetly ordering all things
Come and teach us the way of prudence
It is an extra-ordinary Advent so far this year, with the death of Nelson Mandela filling our news. It is not our usual practice to reflect so much on a life and what it stood for. Even more extra-ordinary was a stadium filled with a great spectrum of people at this memorial service yesterday. Statesmen standing side by side ordinary Africans to celebrate his life. Such a gathering bringing together global personalities (world leaders, singers, freedom fighters) would have seemed an impossible dream only a few years ago.
That service seems to stand for the possible - not only what became within Mandela's lifetime, but a rainbow gathering from around the globe, inter-racial, inter-faith, inter-national. Where differences were set aside or even deemed irrelevant. When Desmond Tutu gave the blessing it seemed like the whole world kept silence to receive God's blessing on what was happening.
How our world needs that corporate togetherness, and when it happens God wants to bless it. Advent is a time when the Church has remembered Christ who comes. The traditional Advent antiphons, give voice to not only who Christ is, but a cry for what he brought and continues to bring.
How we need wisdom today, not only to make good and wise decisions, but to know when things more eternal (like the gathering yesterday) are far greater than things temporal. A cry we need when so much time is taken up with our obsessions and differences which keep us apart, rather than those that bring us together. We may then be able to stand in silence together and feel God's blessing.
What if.... We all had the grace to set our differences aside for the common good?
Reaching from one end to the other
Mighty and sweetly ordering all things
Come and teach us the way of prudence
It is an extra-ordinary Advent so far this year, with the death of Nelson Mandela filling our news. It is not our usual practice to reflect so much on a life and what it stood for. Even more extra-ordinary was a stadium filled with a great spectrum of people at this memorial service yesterday. Statesmen standing side by side ordinary Africans to celebrate his life. Such a gathering bringing together global personalities (world leaders, singers, freedom fighters) would have seemed an impossible dream only a few years ago.
That service seems to stand for the possible - not only what became within Mandela's lifetime, but a rainbow gathering from around the globe, inter-racial, inter-faith, inter-national. Where differences were set aside or even deemed irrelevant. When Desmond Tutu gave the blessing it seemed like the whole world kept silence to receive God's blessing on what was happening.
How our world needs that corporate togetherness, and when it happens God wants to bless it. Advent is a time when the Church has remembered Christ who comes. The traditional Advent antiphons, give voice to not only who Christ is, but a cry for what he brought and continues to bring.
How we need wisdom today, not only to make good and wise decisions, but to know when things more eternal (like the gathering yesterday) are far greater than things temporal. A cry we need when so much time is taken up with our obsessions and differences which keep us apart, rather than those that bring us together. We may then be able to stand in silence together and feel God's blessing.
What if.... We all had the grace to set our differences aside for the common good?
Tuesday, 10 December 2013
What if..? Day 10
Looking forward to an away day today with Bucks team colleagues - the bishop, parish development adviser, vocations adviser, chaplain and schools adviser. A chance to chew the cud, and talk about the state of the archdeaconry. We have been a team for around 5 years now so know how we each work and what gets us up in the morning. There are common threads and then the different day to day things we are dealing with.
It is difficult to have a vision for Buckinghamshire, being part of a large diocese with its own vision and aims, however what we try and do is allow the local to flourish in an integrated way - to see the church and church school as prime sources of local vision and mission, and allow God's love, creativity and power to permeate individuals that come into contact with either. To give our clergy the space to thrive and the resources and encouragement they need to do that; to give opportunity for vocations that have begun to germinate to be tested and nurtured, and to provide resources and a response when things get sticky or hard or toxic.
It may all be hands off, rather than hands on, but the challenge in a sense is tougher. We, as leaders, need to be equipped for the emergency, the question, the difficult situation when it happens and confident enough that all those involved in parish life within our 300 churches have the right tools at their disposal and know that they are not alone, but completely backed up at the centre. We need to know where things are at, without being interfering and to offer the right resource at the right time. An attempt at servant ministry perhaps.
I do not pretend to know personally every church warden, but after 6 years I know pretty well the clergy, and those church wardens who are long serving, and it is always a challenge for me to divide up my time between them all, and the work of the diocese, so that trust and confidence between us can flourish. Parish ministry is the heart beat of our national church and, having been there myself, deserves most of a bishop or archdeacon's care and attention (plus encouragement and support).
At a time when our local clergy are rushed off their feet with carol services and our churches the focus of Christmas mission, it seems appropriate to be meeting to think about how we can further support them. It may not be radical but by setting time aside to ask how we can continued to be faithful to those we serve seems like a good idea.
What if... in some way we served those who serve today?
It is difficult to have a vision for Buckinghamshire, being part of a large diocese with its own vision and aims, however what we try and do is allow the local to flourish in an integrated way - to see the church and church school as prime sources of local vision and mission, and allow God's love, creativity and power to permeate individuals that come into contact with either. To give our clergy the space to thrive and the resources and encouragement they need to do that; to give opportunity for vocations that have begun to germinate to be tested and nurtured, and to provide resources and a response when things get sticky or hard or toxic.
It may all be hands off, rather than hands on, but the challenge in a sense is tougher. We, as leaders, need to be equipped for the emergency, the question, the difficult situation when it happens and confident enough that all those involved in parish life within our 300 churches have the right tools at their disposal and know that they are not alone, but completely backed up at the centre. We need to know where things are at, without being interfering and to offer the right resource at the right time. An attempt at servant ministry perhaps.
I do not pretend to know personally every church warden, but after 6 years I know pretty well the clergy, and those church wardens who are long serving, and it is always a challenge for me to divide up my time between them all, and the work of the diocese, so that trust and confidence between us can flourish. Parish ministry is the heart beat of our national church and, having been there myself, deserves most of a bishop or archdeacon's care and attention (plus encouragement and support).
At a time when our local clergy are rushed off their feet with carol services and our churches the focus of Christmas mission, it seems appropriate to be meeting to think about how we can further support them. It may not be radical but by setting time aside to ask how we can continued to be faithful to those we serve seems like a good idea.
What if... in some way we served those who serve today?
Monday, 9 December 2013
What if......? Day 9
Yesterday we were reminded again in our Gospel reading of the extraordinary way the coming of Christ was foretold. John the Baptiser, down by the river, had quite a following - an early celebrity, known for his dress and his diet. His message was as unpalatable - repent for the kingdom is close at hand - of course the religious people were quite uncomfortable. But, John was already aware - more than anyone else (except of course his parents and cousin's family) that he was making way for another, who was the real thing. John, in a way had the freedom to be himself - not honed like his father by regular worship in the temple, or the expectations placed upon a male Jewish boy. He seems his own man, with its own message - simply baptising those who wished to have a changed life.
How often we are shaped by who others think we should be, or who we think we should be to fit in with our environment, peers, role or culture. It is hard to shake that off and to find our true selves.
After the church service yesterday a young girl, aged about 9 sat down at the piano and began to play - no music, just a few modern songs she had learned to play. When I asked her, she thought she might do Grade 1, but just liked playing. She obviously had a real gift and comforming to the usual pattern of going through the grades in music did not much appeal. In fact it would probably get in the way of the freedom she was experiencing of playing her own tune.
What if...we all were freed to be our true selves and play our own tune even just for one day?
How often we are shaped by who others think we should be, or who we think we should be to fit in with our environment, peers, role or culture. It is hard to shake that off and to find our true selves.
After the church service yesterday a young girl, aged about 9 sat down at the piano and began to play - no music, just a few modern songs she had learned to play. When I asked her, she thought she might do Grade 1, but just liked playing. She obviously had a real gift and comforming to the usual pattern of going through the grades in music did not much appeal. In fact it would probably get in the way of the freedom she was experiencing of playing her own tune.
What if...we all were freed to be our true selves and play our own tune even just for one day?
Sunday, 8 December 2013
What if.......Day 8
Popped down to Slough briefly yesterday to join the people of St John's and St Michael's, Manor Park in their 24 hour prayer for the parish. Currently in vacancy, there is a local determination to discern what shape and type of ministry God wants for that part of the deanery. It was great to be among them and to add my prayers to many. There are currently two churches both in need of total refurbishment, an unsuitable incumbents house and much work to be done in a part of Slough where ecumenical and inter-faith relations are good and so necessary. New creativity will be key to the next stage for ministry in that place.
As I assembled my nativity set yesterday afternoon I reflected how much creativity had been necessary in God's plan. The choice of a person and place was surprising - young woman starting out with her man, David's city, at the time of a census. The method was unheard of - tell the story of what's happening to those working in the fields, and astronomers from afar can work it out for themselves with the necessary signs. The nuances, connections, whole picture, could never have been second guessed. We are all left to come to our own conclusions.
It may well be that some of our plans work out that way, but many do not through careful planning, and prudent resource deployment. Also we do not like lose ends, things not fully worked through. Allowing 24 hours to pray seemed a good start to me, the next stage would be leaving time for God to speak - through the various people who care and the outsiders to see what emerges, and then to have the boldness and courage to creatively respond in whatever way emerges.
Desire as we might for it to be so, God's plan is often far from tidy, we just need that courage to live in the ambiguity and allow ourselves to be surprised when parts of it make human sense!
What if ....... we did not act as if we had to make sense of it all?
As I assembled my nativity set yesterday afternoon I reflected how much creativity had been necessary in God's plan. The choice of a person and place was surprising - young woman starting out with her man, David's city, at the time of a census. The method was unheard of - tell the story of what's happening to those working in the fields, and astronomers from afar can work it out for themselves with the necessary signs. The nuances, connections, whole picture, could never have been second guessed. We are all left to come to our own conclusions.
It may well be that some of our plans work out that way, but many do not through careful planning, and prudent resource deployment. Also we do not like lose ends, things not fully worked through. Allowing 24 hours to pray seemed a good start to me, the next stage would be leaving time for God to speak - through the various people who care and the outsiders to see what emerges, and then to have the boldness and courage to creatively respond in whatever way emerges.
Desire as we might for it to be so, God's plan is often far from tidy, we just need that courage to live in the ambiguity and allow ourselves to be surprised when parts of it make human sense!
What if ....... we did not act as if we had to make sense of it all?
Saturday, 7 December 2013
What if......? Day 7
Last night I found myself at Quainton, pulling a ribbon to open the doors through a new screen to open up the base of the tower. The church is large, with some large monuments to match. Two monuments to members of the Dormer family have moved around the church over the years, and their current resting place is in the base of the tower, either side of the bell ropes. They are extraordinary monuments - sentimental, melancholic and bold. They have been admired by both Simon Jenkins and Pevsner !
Much in need of restoration, this small village has taken seriously the need to make the most of their listed building, opening it up more for worshippers and Dormer monument enthusiasts alike. Hence, phase 1 a glass screen between the church and the monuments/ringing chamber allowing easy access to both. Phase 2 will be tackling the damp at the base of the tower, and Phase 3 restoring the two monuments. It was great to be part of this village occasion, where Priest in Charge, architect, church wardens and others were all visibly playing their important part in ensuring the country's heritage is preserved for future generations, and making what goes on inside our churches accessible to all. Prayer, Pilgrimage and Preservation.
I am sure those who appreciate our museums, public buildings and places of interest, do not always realise that the total upkeep of our historic churches (many grade 1 and 2 listed) falls entirely onto our local communities, and very often those few who are regular attenders. It is an amazing feat, even to fill in the grant applications, yet alone fund raise, deploy builders and architects and oversee the work, particularly as our prime call as Christians was not to do any of these things!
I get the privilege of pulling the ribbons on occasions and offer encouragement to these unsung heroes of our nations heritage. The glass screen at Quainton illustrates the work of many, as they create an opening between the past and the present, which all can cross, and between sacred and secular in our lives.
What if many more gave themselves to altruistic work, not for the sake of themselves but for others?
Much in need of restoration, this small village has taken seriously the need to make the most of their listed building, opening it up more for worshippers and Dormer monument enthusiasts alike. Hence, phase 1 a glass screen between the church and the monuments/ringing chamber allowing easy access to both. Phase 2 will be tackling the damp at the base of the tower, and Phase 3 restoring the two monuments. It was great to be part of this village occasion, where Priest in Charge, architect, church wardens and others were all visibly playing their important part in ensuring the country's heritage is preserved for future generations, and making what goes on inside our churches accessible to all. Prayer, Pilgrimage and Preservation.
I am sure those who appreciate our museums, public buildings and places of interest, do not always realise that the total upkeep of our historic churches (many grade 1 and 2 listed) falls entirely onto our local communities, and very often those few who are regular attenders. It is an amazing feat, even to fill in the grant applications, yet alone fund raise, deploy builders and architects and oversee the work, particularly as our prime call as Christians was not to do any of these things!
I get the privilege of pulling the ribbons on occasions and offer encouragement to these unsung heroes of our nations heritage. The glass screen at Quainton illustrates the work of many, as they create an opening between the past and the present, which all can cross, and between sacred and secular in our lives.
What if many more gave themselves to altruistic work, not for the sake of themselves but for others?
Friday, 6 December 2013
What if..? Day 6
'For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.' Nelson Mandela
Today the world mourns the death of one extraordinary man, someone whose courage and determination literally changed the face of the world.
Yesterday evening, I sat and watched the news and the tributes pouring in for Nelson Mandela with the Dean of Kimberley, two white people, with a connection to our brothers and sisters in South Africa. As people who have looked on at the struggle of others to gain what we take for granted, growing up while the struggle to end apartheid was going on, thankfully knowing as adults that race should never be a divide.
Bishop John and I never made it to Rabben Island when we first visited South Africa in 2008. We were in Cape Town for the inauguration of the new Archbishop, and had visited the Waterfront where Mandela's statute stands with Desmond Tuto and other heroes of the South African story, sadly though the timing did not work and we missed literally missed the boat. However we did make it to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg another time and were gripped and moved by the story and the stories of courage, self sacrifice and then eventual graciousness and forgiveness.
Amongst the clergy in Kimberley and Kuruman there are many other stories of courage and hope, including some who have shared in Nelson Mandela's own story. Our thoughts today are with the Africa people. South Africa is a complex country and the struggle for equality in many spheres continues to go on. Today we honour a man of deep conviction, who is an example to all of us of graceful determination.
I am reminded this morning of Christ's call to bring release to the prisoners and of all those around the world still enslaved.
What if.... we too all worked to bring others the freedom we so enjoy?
Today the world mourns the death of one extraordinary man, someone whose courage and determination literally changed the face of the world.
Yesterday evening, I sat and watched the news and the tributes pouring in for Nelson Mandela with the Dean of Kimberley, two white people, with a connection to our brothers and sisters in South Africa. As people who have looked on at the struggle of others to gain what we take for granted, growing up while the struggle to end apartheid was going on, thankfully knowing as adults that race should never be a divide.
Bishop John and I never made it to Rabben Island when we first visited South Africa in 2008. We were in Cape Town for the inauguration of the new Archbishop, and had visited the Waterfront where Mandela's statute stands with Desmond Tuto and other heroes of the South African story, sadly though the timing did not work and we missed literally missed the boat. However we did make it to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg another time and were gripped and moved by the story and the stories of courage, self sacrifice and then eventual graciousness and forgiveness.
Amongst the clergy in Kimberley and Kuruman there are many other stories of courage and hope, including some who have shared in Nelson Mandela's own story. Our thoughts today are with the Africa people. South Africa is a complex country and the struggle for equality in many spheres continues to go on. Today we honour a man of deep conviction, who is an example to all of us of graceful determination.
I am reminded this morning of Christ's call to bring release to the prisoners and of all those around the world still enslaved.
What if.... we too all worked to bring others the freedom we so enjoy?
Thursday, 5 December 2013
What if.....? Day 5
One of the things I have done for the last twenty five years is to keep an index of all my sermons. It's probably the only semi-exact organised filing system I have, but each is filed in date order, numbered and cross referenced Biblically on my computer. I did once have a great Bible programme where I could footnote the appropriate numbered sermon, but that was lost a while ago as computers got upgraded. Now I have a list, in Bible book order.
This system does mean that I can look at the readings for Sundays and see whether I have preached on that passage before. Often it works and helps me to get a bit of inspiration, but I am still amazed by the passages I have not preached on - probably because that was the Sunday I took off from parish ministry, say after Easter or Christmas or when the curate preached.
This Sunday's passage is a case in point. I used to use Advent as a time for a short sermon series in the parish, or to preach on the Advent themes. The referenced sermon was Number 5!. That was written well before I was ordained! well before any serious New Testament study had been undertaken, and only because an encouraging Vicar let me loose in the pulpit occasionally.
It made an interesting read. Preached not for Advent, but at an evening baptism service (by immersion) held at our local Baptist Church in Billericay where two of the young people were baptised. That encouraging Vicar must have had faith me in! Well, two things struck me on re-reading that sermon. Firstly how much content there was in it. Not the length, but the depth - there were quotes, and Biblical references and what commentators had said. In those days, there had been plenty of time to prepare - weeks rather than days, and so I had time to do all the reading around a text (almost too much!).
Secondly I was struck by how much heart was in the sermon, it was quite raw and nicely naive in places. Reflecting back I am aware of how context conscious I have become in my preaching style - not really cautious but aware of both audience and preacher in a different way, speaking to a particular group of people in a particular way. The passion is still there, but differently expressed. Maybe more head than heart - and perhaps necessarily so.
I have decided not to use much of my 5th sermon on Sunday, but will have to take a couple of hours on Saturday to write a new one. It will not be so rich, and it will not be so innocently heartfelt. I envy my earlier passion, that almost childlike faith that believed it could move mountains. I still do, but in a different and more rational acceptable 'adult' way.
What if we all allowed our heart to express itself in some way today?
This system does mean that I can look at the readings for Sundays and see whether I have preached on that passage before. Often it works and helps me to get a bit of inspiration, but I am still amazed by the passages I have not preached on - probably because that was the Sunday I took off from parish ministry, say after Easter or Christmas or when the curate preached.
This Sunday's passage is a case in point. I used to use Advent as a time for a short sermon series in the parish, or to preach on the Advent themes. The referenced sermon was Number 5!. That was written well before I was ordained! well before any serious New Testament study had been undertaken, and only because an encouraging Vicar let me loose in the pulpit occasionally.
It made an interesting read. Preached not for Advent, but at an evening baptism service (by immersion) held at our local Baptist Church in Billericay where two of the young people were baptised. That encouraging Vicar must have had faith me in! Well, two things struck me on re-reading that sermon. Firstly how much content there was in it. Not the length, but the depth - there were quotes, and Biblical references and what commentators had said. In those days, there had been plenty of time to prepare - weeks rather than days, and so I had time to do all the reading around a text (almost too much!).
Secondly I was struck by how much heart was in the sermon, it was quite raw and nicely naive in places. Reflecting back I am aware of how context conscious I have become in my preaching style - not really cautious but aware of both audience and preacher in a different way, speaking to a particular group of people in a particular way. The passion is still there, but differently expressed. Maybe more head than heart - and perhaps necessarily so.
I have decided not to use much of my 5th sermon on Sunday, but will have to take a couple of hours on Saturday to write a new one. It will not be so rich, and it will not be so innocently heartfelt. I envy my earlier passion, that almost childlike faith that believed it could move mountains. I still do, but in a different and more rational acceptable 'adult' way.
What if we all allowed our heart to express itself in some way today?
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
What if...? Day 4
For the last six years I have been involved with our diocesan link with the diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman in South Africa. I have written extensively about the diocese on my blog in the past, particularly a few years ago when the World Cup was held in that country. It has been a real privilege over the years to form some good friendships and work, particularly with clergy, across two continents and varied cultures.
Regrettably, due to other demands on my time, I shall soon be giving up as Chair of the Link Committee, however today we are meeting with Simon, Dean of Kimberley Cathedral, as he spends some time in the Oxford Diocese. It will be important to look back as well as look forward, there are some exciting developments including the appointment of a Development Officer in K and K, supported by the Oxford Diocese working with parish across a huge geographical area and supporting their outreach work into communities with many needs. Our partnership, as it has developed, has been built on trust and honesty, as well as real relationship. There have been (and still are) many challenges and an equal partnership has taken both determination and humility. We learn from one another and I have benefitted enormously from the privilege of walking with fellow brothers and sisters that path of shared faith in such different contexts.
It is at this time of year also that my parents receive their annual parcel from Germany. After the Second World War, at my mothers school, British schoolchildren were encouraged to have a pen friend in West Germany. A friendship was certainly born and for the last sixty years my parents have kept in touch with Maria and Jochen, and their family. Regular correspondence has been interspersed with visits, and throughout those years world events have been part of a shared friendship, including the fall of the Berlin Wall - never thought possible in those early days - and very important as Jochen escaped with his mother as a children from East Germany. That friendship, now marked by the regular Christmas parcel in both directions, has deepened understanding, far more than I am sure those early teachers ever thought.
Walking as friends in one another's shoes across divides, whether geographical, cultural, gender or race, changes lives and makes for a better world, as differences fade because what is shared is far more precious.
What if....we all tried walking in another person's shoes, even for one day ?
Regrettably, due to other demands on my time, I shall soon be giving up as Chair of the Link Committee, however today we are meeting with Simon, Dean of Kimberley Cathedral, as he spends some time in the Oxford Diocese. It will be important to look back as well as look forward, there are some exciting developments including the appointment of a Development Officer in K and K, supported by the Oxford Diocese working with parish across a huge geographical area and supporting their outreach work into communities with many needs. Our partnership, as it has developed, has been built on trust and honesty, as well as real relationship. There have been (and still are) many challenges and an equal partnership has taken both determination and humility. We learn from one another and I have benefitted enormously from the privilege of walking with fellow brothers and sisters that path of shared faith in such different contexts.
It is at this time of year also that my parents receive their annual parcel from Germany. After the Second World War, at my mothers school, British schoolchildren were encouraged to have a pen friend in West Germany. A friendship was certainly born and for the last sixty years my parents have kept in touch with Maria and Jochen, and their family. Regular correspondence has been interspersed with visits, and throughout those years world events have been part of a shared friendship, including the fall of the Berlin Wall - never thought possible in those early days - and very important as Jochen escaped with his mother as a children from East Germany. That friendship, now marked by the regular Christmas parcel in both directions, has deepened understanding, far more than I am sure those early teachers ever thought.
Walking as friends in one another's shoes across divides, whether geographical, cultural, gender or race, changes lives and makes for a better world, as differences fade because what is shared is far more precious.
What if....we all tried walking in another person's shoes, even for one day ?
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
What if...? Day 3
These past few sunny weeks I have been thrilled by the extraordinary autumn colours. Driving around Bucks there are certain places where the blends of gold, copper and yellow are wonderful. No trips to New England needed here! It is as if the trees are clinging to their leaves for as long as possible, although my lawn tells a different story. It is so easy when racing from one thing to another, to ignore natures picture around us, but just the briefest acknowledgement that colour, texture and form are freely available in God's natural world, puts man-made life into perspective. We don't have to do it all........
What if each of us stopped for a moment today and smiled at the autumn trees?
What if each of us stopped for a moment today and smiled at the autumn trees?
Monday, 2 December 2013
What if....? Day 2
There is much talk in the diocese of Oxford at the moment about Parish Share. We are introducing a new scheme in 2014. I think, after a great deal of hard work, what we have is as transparent and fair as any scheme can be. We are offering a rural subsidy as well as an urban one, to those deaneries who juggle different financial priorities; we are calculating ministry cost (the cost of our clergy) in exact terms - stipend, pension, housing and NI; fee income is being deducted from deanery totals and central costs have been pruned. At this time deaneries have the rather more complex task of agreeing how their share will be divided between parishes, and benefices likewise.
There is no doubt about it, for Oxford, most of the share goes into paying our hard working clergy; therefore it saddens me when churches do not reach their target. I know money is an issue and, as I have mentioned there are many other priorities - the new scheme to build a loo, the costly repairs, the accumulated fabric fund in case the boiler breaks down. However for most of our parishes what is being asked in parish share is being used to give their Vicar (and curate) something to live on and in. I am not sure how other institutions would function, were there not regularly paid employees - the NHS, the police, the local supermarket. There is no doubt that parishes do value their parish priest, so many people speak to me about how concerned they are about how hard the vicar works, and thank you cards often demonstrate the effect of a particular ministry. A fair parish share scheme too should reflect that value, therefore the challenge is whether the true local costs will be paid locally.
As an archdeacon I have the current figures of paid share for 2013. I pray the new scheme gets better results, because if we did not have generous parishes which enables the stipend bills to be paid, we would have a lot of very poor clergy this Christmas. There is a challenge to all of us who attend our local church, even just once a year, or like to have our name on the electoral roll, to contribute toward the well being of the person who willingly marries our children, buries our grandparents, visits our neighbour, brings a smile to our children in school, holds the local community regularly in prayer and is always there for us. That holy person who gives us both security and faith. The person who fills our grade 1 listed building with light and love.
What if all our parish churches considered the shortfall on their share this week, publicised the amount and asked for people to make up the difference, so by Christmas we can celebrate together the value we all have in being a member of the Body of Christ?
There is no doubt about it, for Oxford, most of the share goes into paying our hard working clergy; therefore it saddens me when churches do not reach their target. I know money is an issue and, as I have mentioned there are many other priorities - the new scheme to build a loo, the costly repairs, the accumulated fabric fund in case the boiler breaks down. However for most of our parishes what is being asked in parish share is being used to give their Vicar (and curate) something to live on and in. I am not sure how other institutions would function, were there not regularly paid employees - the NHS, the police, the local supermarket. There is no doubt that parishes do value their parish priest, so many people speak to me about how concerned they are about how hard the vicar works, and thank you cards often demonstrate the effect of a particular ministry. A fair parish share scheme too should reflect that value, therefore the challenge is whether the true local costs will be paid locally.
As an archdeacon I have the current figures of paid share for 2013. I pray the new scheme gets better results, because if we did not have generous parishes which enables the stipend bills to be paid, we would have a lot of very poor clergy this Christmas. There is a challenge to all of us who attend our local church, even just once a year, or like to have our name on the electoral roll, to contribute toward the well being of the person who willingly marries our children, buries our grandparents, visits our neighbour, brings a smile to our children in school, holds the local community regularly in prayer and is always there for us. That holy person who gives us both security and faith. The person who fills our grade 1 listed building with light and love.
What if all our parish churches considered the shortfall on their share this week, publicised the amount and asked for people to make up the difference, so by Christmas we can celebrate together the value we all have in being a member of the Body of Christ?
Sunday, 1 December 2013
What if ...... ?
I have become increasingly concerned about how stuck we as Christians can get, with our own traditions, with our own view of God, with our own interpretation of Scripture. At times this strikes me as arrogant, as if we know everything, or even the mind of Christ.
I have just finished reading Barbara Brown Taylor's book 'Leaving Church'. It charters her own decision to leave full time Christian ministry after 20 years to pursue God outside the institution. For one who has given her life to a similar path it is deeply challenging, particularly as now it is 25 years since I gave up the normal world of work for serving in the church. The challenge is however interspersed with insights which resonate with me, discoveries I too have made - particularly that God cannot be found in a box or Christian experience, at any one time held up as the definitive answer. Life is but a journey of exploration, when we think we have found something that deepens our spirituality in one direction, by keeping looking we find something else somewhere else.
Advent is a time of looking, searching for meaning once again in the incarnation, that profound yet simple story of God coming to us. An intrusion that the religious did not welcome.
So my Advent pondering this year take the form of 'What if....' I will challenge myself as I ponder and pray on these and hope I will challenge others too.
Day 1 - what if there had been room in the inn?
Saturday, 30 March 2013
Busyness and the day the world changed
Today I am reflecting on giving up busyness for Lent. In fact today should be, for Christians, the least busy day of the whole Church year. Why? Well, with Good Friday over and Jesus in the tomb, we wait expectantly for resurrection joy.
However, I predict that for many Christians today has been one of the busiest days in church - with flowers to arrange, brasses to clean, Easter gardens to prepare. No time to put your feet up ...just yet.
What is busyness? That's something I have been trying to work out all of Lent, as I have tried desperately to give it up. I have concluded that it is not the absence of a full diary, or the avoidance of 14 hr days, or even the lack of a full 24 hr day off. Instead, it is a matter of heart and attitude. It is amazing how often I say 'I am so busy' or 'it's such a busy time'. Why? Usually because I want people to understand the pressure I am under and to have a bit of sympathy for the impossible task of being available to clergy and Churchwardens across a huge county, and a large diocese 24/7 for all sorts of advice and assistance. Yet, I enjoy being busy and I enjoy my work, so the challenge has been to embrace busyness in a new way. To not allow the sense of overwhelming, or martyr or heroine to take over.
It has been good to enjoy in a positive way, the pauses when they happen, to make the most of the 'gifts' that come my way, be it a meal cooked for me, the invitation to join a 24 hr retreat with some other Archdeacons, the added 3 days in Jordan after the responsibilities of the Holyland pilgrimage.
Time has not permitted me to read a deep Lent book, yet I found space to read a couple of books whilst in Israel, there has not been many free evenings yet I have enjoyed a couple at the theatre - including a great concert last week at The Stables with Hazel O'Connor. I have sat and eaten breakfast looking out at the garden, rather than at a computer screen, I have shared meals with friends and planned two holidays.
Jesus found time to engage and retreat, to be with others and alone, and to be and do. I ended my Lenten reflection at Ludgershall yesterday, as we had reflected on the way we too let Christ down, with the words 'we wait to see whether we are worth him rising for'. The curse of busyness swamps our lives, and we need to make space for that resurrection, not just as we celebrate tomorrow, but in the spare moments and the pauses, no matter how brief, of our day to day lives, Lest we remain entombed by our own self importance and miss the Spirit as it passes by.
Sunday, 10 March 2013
The Promised Land
We counted them all out and yesterday we counted them all back ! The second tranch of pilgrims, Sarah Merrick, Ben and I all returned safely to Heathrow. We had a good time in Jordan, and following on from Petra on Thursday saw some more of the country on Friday as we ended our pilgrimage standing on Mount Nebo. The view into Israel, across the Dead Sea was misty, however the land did lay stretched out in front of us as we pondered the final words of the book of Deuteronomy. For Moses this was the end of his journey, as he had fulfilled his mission and Joshua would take over. For all of us we can live in the promise that whatever God calls us to do, God will go with us.
The trip was not quite over as we spent the final evening on the edge of the Dead Sea in hotel luxury before leaving for the airport yesterday. Now it's back to emails and post for the archdeacon. But not quite business as usual, I now have someone to share The Rectory and that is new territory for me, and to have my supper cooked for me last evening it was definitely a Promised land of a sort.
Thursday, 7 March 2013
Petra
Had a really good closing Eucharist in Jerusalem before the group split with two bishops and the blue coach returning to Heathrow and the rest of us - Diocesan bishop, archdeacon and communications director going with the green coach to Jordan. We crossed over and have stayed near Petra for two nights. Today we all walked own into the site and had a great day exploring it all. Fantastic buildings and great weather too. Some of us entered up 800 steps to view the Monastery above the site. Well worth the climb with a freshly squeezed orange juice at the end. Tomorrow we make for Mount Nebo. It's been a good few days. The pilgrimage has ended with clerical shirts now in the bottom of the suitcase, but we continue to journey together until we touch down at Heathrow on Saturday.
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
The Streets of Jerusalem
Whilst I have been in the Holy Land I have been reading the latest book by Mary Grey 'The Resurrection of Peace'. She takes a journey through the land of the Holy One with the focus on the Israel/Palestine conflict. It has been good to read and reflect about the places we have visited whilst we visit them in a Lenten way. Today we walked, as three groups, the Via Dolorosa - the traditional route. It is through the old city in all it's hustle and bustle and ends in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre with all its religious chaos. It was a poignant reminder of, in a way, how little had changed, as Jesus took that journey and the world carried on, but at the same time how much should have been changed by the resurrection hope that is hours. That hope remains here - but is flickering dimly and trying its best not to go out. We have met some amazing Living Stones, determined for the light not to go out. The streets of Jerusalem are therefore a reminder to keep the light ablaze and the hope of the Resurrection alive in the Holy Land and in our own lives. We have it so easy, compared to the people of Hebron we met yesterday or the Christians in Bethlehem or the members of the Israeli armed forces trained to be occupiers. And if the death of the Prince of Peace means anything and that we really mean that through the resurrection Jesus is In our midst, then we need to take our prayers from the streets of Jerusalem into our Churches and homes that peace will someday come and the hope that is ours will not only be shared but experienced around the world.
Monday, 4 March 2013
The Cock Crowed
The cock crowed
A pang of guilt and I knew immediately that I had let God down
It had been easier to turn the other cheek, to say nothing,
To keep my head down and walk away
To pretend that I had not heard them and shrugged it off.
The cock crowed
My face reddened as I shyed away
I had not spoken up, I had kept my light firmly under the bushel,
Salt and light I had not been because I had other things to do,
Kept busy with trivia rather than get involved.
The cock crowed
I felt shame deep inside as they looked at me.
I had made a joke, laughed aloud, been one of the crowd
Blamed the spouse, or parents or children
Hid the evidence, blended in and hoped no one would notice.
It had only been audible to me. That gentle yet powerful whisper,
That every so often shouts to our conscience and awakens it.
A tug of love, which makes us so ashamed that in the face our creator we either want to run away or fall on our knees in repentance.
God's glory and our frailty, so far apart
That God's tears and our own flow
And we realise deep within that healing will only come through a compassionate and merciful Saviour.
Prayers and Praise
We have had a day of worship and prayer, beginning at the Anglican Cathedral with a Eucharist, mainly in Arabic. It takes some getting used to speaking the English equivalent of the liturgy whilst others are praying in another language with different line and paragraph lengths. Coffee outside in the garden before going to another place of prayer the Western Wall.
The maleness of the society first depicted at the cathedral with an all male altar party and a woman deacon handing out the books, and came home further at the wall with many fewer men praying than women, but the women section less than a third of the size of the male one. Women literally had to jostle to get to the place of prayer and leave their petitions with God and in the wall itself.
After another delicious lunch we made for the main Jerusalem Jewish Hospital to see the 12 stained glass windows by Mark Chegal in the hospital synagogue. The windows were stunning and depicted the 12 sons of Jacob (the 12 tribes of Israel) each was stunning in its own way and the viewing helped by the audio presentation which talked about the symbolism of each painting and tribe from its colour, to the depictions on the glass.
Finally we climbed the hill to Ein Karem. The Church on the hill marking the visit of Mary to Elizabeth. The singing in the chapel reflected the praise on Elizabeth and Mary's lips as they rejoiced together in what God had done. After a male start to the day this place was a celebration of women, and as we worshipped paintings of all the key women in the Bible looked down upon us. Including Esther, Deborah, Miriam, and Rachel. Downstairs their is a great picture of Mary and Elizabeth greeting one another, with other women in it preparing the hospitality. With the Magnificat on our lips we climbed down to the coaches and back to the hotel.
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Setting our face towards Jerusalem
The sight of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives is stunning. The old walls, the Dome of the Rock, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, mosques and towers, spires and bazaars. The whole of life is there. Then along with us on the Way of Palm Sunday are tourist groups galore, all nationalities, revealed at the Paternoster Church as they pray the Lord's Prayer in their own language, gathered around the words displayed on the walls.
To try and enter into the events which mark the beginning of Holy Week is hard, however murals in each of the churches help, as does reflecting on various points on the way - the olive branches at the start of the walk, the view of Jerusalem whilst thinking about how Christ must still weep over it, the olive grove in Gethsemane (the place of the olive press) which has stood there for hundreds of years. Personally I was encouraged by the determination of our group to make the most of the day, despite their own frailty. I was also struck by some of the worship going on around, and the words we too sang.
The highlight of the day for me was however Bethany. We had the church to ourselves as we reflected upon priority and friendship. I was reminded of my own attempt to give up busyness for Lent and to spend time with God. The time to work and the time to rest, and the way that Jesus enjoyed friendship.
We spent the rest of the day down by the Dead Sea. A new experience for some, and for those of us who had floated before, the chance of an ice cream and a rest in the sunshine.
We are now in Jerusalem expectant as we enter into the final days of Holy Week, as a group and for ourselves.
Friday, 1 March 2013
Bridges not Walls
Today has been a day of contrasts. We began with shopping at a wonderful Christian co-operative - olive wood, icons, holy water, and olive oil, you name it you could buy it here! Followed rather more apiritually with Communion at the Bethlehem Maternity Hospital. Celebrating Jesus' birth in a place of birth. After a short talk about the hospital, and it's outreach into the desert and to the Bedouin tribes women we walked to the Lutheran centre. The wall loomed large at moments during the day, and this contrasted with the projects undertaken through the Lutheran centre - including leadership training, women's sport and activities for the over 65s. The determination is to build bridges and not walls.
After a trip to the shepherds fields and some worship in both the church there and the cave chapel, we queued in the church of the nativity to see the 'place of Christ's birth' below in the crypt. With a surfeit of icons and hanging lamps we heard tales of priests fighting, which ended with us being hassled out of St Catnerine's church (my favourite) so the Roman Cathalic Arabic stations of the cross could begin. My aim is to get down to the crypt later and see the wonderful frescoes of St Jerome's mother and sister. I think some peaceful reflection is required.
The Pilgrims are becoming great fun and there is a lovely atmosphere. We leave here tomorrow and set our faces on Jerusalem with a swim in the Dead Sea on the way.
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Life giving water
Today has been a day of reflection on wells and water. We made our way first thing into the Palestinian land to the town of Nablus. It was a time to not only admire Greek Orthodox Church, and see Jacobs Well beneath but to drink of the hospitality of local Christians at the Anglican Church. The life giving water that Jesus promised is now still offered in the town by the local Anglican Church as they offer healthcare at St Luke's hospital, their nursery for children from the poorer part of town and have given land to the Muslims to build a mosque. The vicar oozed energy and passion.
The encounter with Jesus and the woman, her offer of a drink and his willingness to meet her where she was came home to me this afternoon as three male bishops stood in the river Jordan. Suddenly 2000 years later life did not seem to have changed much, and I was aware of Jesus' welcome and call as opposed to the repression of women there still is in society and the church.
Many found it helpful to renew their baptism vows as I held on to the inner conviction that I was in the right place and doing God's work (I am mad that women in the church still feel this). The comfort was that one of the bishop's felt the pain too.
We checked into our accommodation in Bethlehem around 5pm having battled the Jerusalem traffic. I look forward to tomorrow and pondering the Nativity with the green coach.
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Around Galilee
Today we have celebrated Christ's lakeside ministry. The pilgrims all assembled to celebrate the Eucharist by the lake in the almost open air. It is a fantastic spot and a privilege to preach on the calling of the early disciples. I was struck preparing by the move of Simon Peter from the shallow water to the deep, and all that he was prepared to give up to follow Jesus even when he had just made the most lucrative catch he had ever had in his life.
We moved on to the church of the multiplication. With its fantastic mosaics of loaves and fishes, as well as cartoon type ducks (or geese). The pilgrims followed in the footsteps of our Lord from there to the Mount of the Beatitudes, which although full of pilgrim and tourist groups, was enhanced by the most beautiful flowers and birdsong. This really is a good time to visit. With two bishop's on board, the archdeacon herded up from the rear - and spent the rest of the day doing the domestics. Tips, service sheets and readers. She got some interesting looks to throughout the day as women priests are still something of a rarity (or novelty ).
We set out on the Lake just before midday, and enjoyed some stillness away from the shore. It was calm and still and wonderful to just enjoy the views and the peace.
Lunch was fish (surprise surprise) and then onto the Church commemorating Peter's restoration on the shore. The highlight for me of the day as we had the place to ourselves and it was quite restful as the Sea lapped the shore. Pilgrims paddled. Finally we visited Capernaum, which was interrupted a bit by diggers and builders but memorable nonetheless. Now for some rest before dinner, although it is hard to get the pilgrims away from the water - a number have now decided to go for a swim. And we don't celebrate baptism until tomorrow!
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
By the Lakeside
After a day of airports, flight, labelling the group and getting them to the guest house yesterday, it has been a joy today to begin again in Galilee. With images of last time and minibus queues for Mount Tabor and a rush for the midday Eucharist in my mind I has anticipated the first day on the green coach with some dread! However with a good nights's sleep, an early start and well behaved pilgrims the day was, in a very unbiblical fashion, quite civilised. We reached Mount Tabor with just three small groups in front of us, and had some lovely worship in one of the side chapels. After a wander we picked up the mini buses again and were in Nazareth in no time. We made the Church of the Annunciation before midday and then joined the blue bus for the Eucharist.
A chance to stop and group and reflect on the pilgrimage call to slow down the heart and mind to allow God to do God's work. Bishop John full of calm as ever (in mid sabbatical mood). We had another reading and hymn in the Synagogue Church as we passed before lunch. A beer to relax, some pitta bread and plentiful lunch it was hard to group the group again. But after toilet queues (as everyone decides they now want to go at once!) we separated the greens from the blues (no analogy whatsoever!) and us greens visited the church at Cana then travelled back to the guest house.
A sit beside the lake gave me some sense of the relief Christ himself must have felt when he left the crowds, although the is a pang of guilt as he would have turned his reflections on the day into prayer rather than a blog. But still, something of the still small voice of calm remains. The blue coach have yet to return - hopefully by happy hour at 6.30pm before dinner.
Sunday, 24 February 2013
A Lenten Pilgrimage
Off to Israel first thing tomorrow with 84 pilgrims from the Diocese of Oxford. It is only a couple of years since my last (and first) visit and quite a memorable one it was too. Not only of the places we visited, the living stones we met whilst there, but also for the little incidents and stress of looking after 130 people. This time there will be fewer of us and a less demanding programme. With it being Lent too I hope the worship, prayer and reflection gets us all reconnected with God in a deeper way.
I have given up busyness for Lent, so hopefully the responsibility of the green coach, will not detract from that and we will go with the flow for the next ten days or so. It will be good to work with another +A. Bishop Andrew Proud from Reading and have some cross archdeaconry conversations. Great too to be with some pilgrims from Buckinghamshire.
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