Meaning and Mystery

I am writing this article just days after the tragic coach crash in Switzerland which killed so many children.
The mist of the last few mornings along with the terrible events in Switzerland has led me to do some reflecting. There is something intrinsically human about asking the question why? Why did this happen, why did that person die? The logical answers, of human error or human sickness or accident, are often not enough; we are craving to find a meaning beyond the mystery. If you like to see the sun that we know is somewhere behind the mist.
I do not suggest that I have the answers to these questions, if I’m honest my own faith is often rocked and shaken by tragic circumstance. But I do cling to the foundation that all of life and love is not simply meaningless. I read this week of an old British seafarer; Saint Brendan. He wrote after one particularly difficult voyage: “Stormy seas make weathered sea-men, those who proved God in the deep.” Sometimes keeping going is all we can do, that perseverance in itself weathering us and showing to others that just maybe there is a path through their mist.
Our family received a rubix cube key ring for Christmas… an annoying little thing, and I have taken to toying with it. (Or is it toying with me!) Many hours have been spent trying to figure it out. So far I have failed, I’ve been defeated… but I carry on trying because I know that this cube is solvable, there is the possibility of joy breaking through the mist… I’ve been mighty close a few times, who knows perhaps I’ll have cracked it by Easter day!!
My Christian faith affirms that life is the same, despite the tapestry of disappointments and sadness we do not quite lose hope. Our symbol of hope is of course the cross of Christ, in our tradition an empty cross. The blackest day of all, the execution by human hands of the most fully human life that ever lived. Yet our cross is empty and the remembrance is known as “Good” Friday, for this horrific event is a meeting and meaning point. God’s love meets humanities ultimate selfishness, and thankfully beyond even death, good and God are triumphant; nothing not even death can now defy hope. Love life and meaning henceforth have the victory, even if we surrounded yet by mists cannot see it. I pray that you and those that you love will have a good Easter, and though events can “weather” us… may we like Jesus, “prove God in the deep.”

Stephen

Are you a house where prayer lives?

Discipline:

Disciplines are rarely popular, but often bear great fruit. The same is true of the discipline of prayer. It can seem hard to settle down, it can often be hard to find the time but if we do…. many benefits flow entirely naturally.

Lent is traditionally a time for disciplines: no chocolate, no sweets, no alcohol, these and many other restrictions are often practiced. I may practice one of these privations this year but I prefer the more positive approach of taking something on for Lent, such as the Christian aid, count your blessings: http://www.christianaid.org.uk/getinvolved/lent-2012/index.aspx

Developing a life of prayer alongside serving our community and becoming, “Risk Taking Disciples” were identified recently as core elements of our vision as a church. We were asked to review our life by the Methodist Circuit. We found that much of what we were doing was good, but there was a clear feeling that we were still too comfortable and hadn’t a clear enough understanding of the needs of our community, or indeed the clear call of God. We did feel though that we were beginning to develop in our patterns of prayer. We have recently opened our first, “house of prayer.” Sam has joined Jean Lowe not simply as a lodger but in an attempt to put prayer at the heart of life. I am hoping and believing that this may be the first of many small communities of prayer that form around our area. As many of you know I try to practise a rhythm of prayer taken from the ancient Christian traditions which brought Christianity first to this country. If you have ever spent time in a monastery or even seen the many television programs based on these places you may have noticed that in these places, life fits around prayer, rather than as for many of us prayer fitting around life. I believe this change of emphasis is crucial if we are once more to impact our society with the good news of Christ’s love. A society that rushes and is not at peace with itself will soon come to recognise women and men of peace who live alongside them.
Lent has always been a traditional season for reflecting, so I invite you to look at yourself. Are you at peace? If not what steps will you take? Jean and Sam are going to open up their home each week during Lent for Prayer: (see notices or website for more details.) Why not join them, even if you can’t attend. (Details of Celtic Daily Prayer are available from: http://www.northumbriacommunity.org/pray-the-daily-office )
All this time and I haven’t even mentioned the Beacon project! Men and Women who are immersed in prayer, make excellent workers, colleagues, parents, grandparents, students etc etc. In fact Jesus might even have called us such people beacons, as we shine with his light that is within us.
For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Cor 4:6

DAILY BANQUET

View from a Great Banquet

I wonder if you can pinpoint and think of the best meal that you have ever had? Obviously there is quite a bit of choice, many of us eat a meal every day.  For me two meals come into my mind… the first was a bit of a disaster. I was part of the rugby club when I trained to be a minister at Mansfield College, our rugby team was linked with Merton College, and back then they had a cordon bleu chef.  The meal that was prepared for our rugby club dinner was Beef Wellington, and I can still see it sitting in my plate waiting for me to devour it. It looked and smelt absolutely fantastic…. And boy was I ready to eat. I had just completed a 24 hour sponsored fast in favour of the people of South Africa, to protest about apartheid. It was you would think perfect. I was very hungry, the food was perfect  and the atmosphere excellent.  Sadly the next thing that I can remember is being extremely ill, I only got about half way through the beef wellington… some of you are I suspect thinking, “Rugby Club” much beer etc etc. My friends at the time did not believe me either!  The truth was after 2 or 3 days of further illness I finally got to the doctors, who again did not believe my story, however after a series of tests I was found to have Giardia. The mixture of an empty stomach, very high protein food and this little bug, ruined a great meal, it was not the single pint of beer and the half a glass of wine.  

Another great meal that I can remember was when we were invited by a family member to the, Manoir de Quatre Saisons. This is an extremely posh restaurant outside Oxford founded by Raymond Blanc. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before, there were more courses than I can remember, all pretty small, but ultimately very refreshing. I experienced tastes and sights that were literally outside of my experience, it was a great banquet. Of course the best part was that my wallet got nowhere near the bill…. I didn’t have to pay for this, it was a gift.

In our studies of Luke’s gospel Jesus told a story of a great banquet, invitations are sent out, but those invited make excuses one by one.  Then the command is sent, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.” I love this thought, the image of the down and out’s the fringe of society being invited into the Manoir is simply beautiful. We are of course in danger of thinking of this invitation as if it is a once in a lifetime moment, Jesus inviting us to dine with him in heaven when we die. In that context we will all have a good reason (excuse) why we are not quite ready to receive this invitation. I believe a better way of looking at this is as a daily invitation from Christ to share with him, to eat with him. In revelation John portrays Jesus as standing at our door, knocking. When we finally open the door he comes in and eats with us and we with him.  I believe our failure to grasp the everyday nature of Jesus’ invitation greatly limits our ability to really “feed on him” in our hearts through faith.  As we study these passages on Sundays and in Fellowship groups, I pray that you will realise afresh that YOU are invited, not simply to “pie in the sky when we die,” but to a rich banquet here on earth while we LIVE. Jesus after all also said, “I have come that they might have LIFE, in all its fullness.”

May God bless you

Stephen

Hero's

My Nana was my hero really, especially when it came to Christmas. We would almost always go to her house and she made the best puddings in the world…. (that was of course before Debbie’s puddings!) It was always wonderful to see Nana, I simply knew she loved me; she always kept the biggest piece of Fridge pudding for me. (Please contact me for recipe… it’ll seriously improve any Christmas!)

                We all have heroes, people we look up to or who we’d love to meet. The Jews 2000 years ago, and still today, were waiting for their “hero” their Messiah: the one who would come and rescue them.  Of course the problem that they had was that they weren’t quite sure what their hero would look like? Some said he’d be like Elijah one of the prophets, others said he would be a king like great king David. Others thought he would be a priest like Aaron. One who would bring forgiveness and restore their relationship with Yahweh (God.) I believe the sad thing is that they missed their hero when he came. He was too small to be a king, born in a stable: albeit in king David’s town. His words didn’t comfort them, he challenged them and didn’t pronounce judgement on their enemies. He was the wrong type of prophet. They even missed him when he split the veil in two and broke open the holy of holies as he offered the perfect sacrifice. They scoffed at the “Place of the Skull” this was no place for a proper priest; it was un-clean, outside the city walls.

                Our society still looks for heroes, mostly in the wrong places: celebrities, footballers, superstars. The truth is most of these are just ordinary people, often with a few extra hang ups! To find the real heroes we need to look smaller, closer to home. Advent and Christmas is a time when we are invited to open our eyes. We need to, it’s a dark time of year, but if we do we may just spot our hero living very close by. As we celebrate Jesus as Emmanuel, we rejoice that he is always near. I believe he lives in the Holy Spirit, who lives in some very ordinary people around us. So open your eyes to meet Jesus: He has the authority of a king, but he never bullies; he speaks words of truth and challenge like a prophet but he never flatters or destroys; he brings forgiveness and hope and his offerings are acts of love and kindness. Like a priest he brings us right back into the presence of God. When you meet people with those qualities, rejoice, your hero is close at hand.

                Come to think of it, if my Nana was my hero does that mean that we all can be heroes to someone?

Happy Christmas and a Peaceful new year

Stephen