Venturing Out

Now that quite a few of the lockdown restrictions are being eased, so that we can take unlimited time outdoors, shops are opening, we may visit one another’s gardens and there are more opportunities to travel, what do we do?

People have felt tempted to celebrate in large numbers, go to the beach and then find themselves mingling with crowds but we are still reminded to take care. (The situation in Leicester shows us that the virus has not gone away). Some of us can’t wait to get out and about but others of us feel very cautious. Should we wear a face mask, how often do we sanitise our hands, how do we avoid touching our faces?

I started this blog in the UK but now I am in Holland looking after my elderly Mum who is pretty poorly. Doug and I have driven all the way through the Channel Tunnel to Haarlem, and find ourselves experiencing easing of lockdown here in the Netherlands! The restriction here is 1.5 metres, hairdressers are open and the doctors and carers no longer wear PPE. Daily life still feels pretty precarious here and there are hardly any planes flying out of Schiphol, usually a very busy European hub, but the roads are very busy.   

 

When Jesus sends his disciples out, they probably felt pretty fearful but we read in Mathew 10.10 that Jesus reassures them telling them ‘take no bag for the journey’, not to rely on physical things, sound advice to us today, not to have too much with us when we go out. Jesus also sends them out like ‘sheep’, relying on the shepherd; giving us confidence still today that when we do go out we know that we have God with us as our shepherd.

I wouldn’t recommend venturing beyond the UK just yet, we had to fill in forms and have a doctor’s note to travel, but as we do go out, whether with utter excitement or with some trepidation, be assured of God’s presence with this Celtic blessing:

       

The Path

God bless the path on which you go
God bless the earth beneath your feet
God bless your destination.
God be a smooth way before you
A guiding star above you
A keen eye behind you
This day, this night, and forever.

God be with you whatever you pass
Jesus be with you whatever you climb
Spirit be with you wherever you stay.
God be with you at each stop and each sea
At each lying down and each rising up
In the trough of the waves, on the crest of 
 the billows.
Each step of the journey you take.

 

Paul

A Sonnet on Paul 

An enemy whom God has made a friend,

A righteous man discounting righteousness,

Last to believe and first for God to send,

He found the fountain in the wilderness.

Thrown to the ground and raised at the same moment,

A prisoner who set his captors free,

A naked man with love his only garment,

A blinded man who helped the world to see,

A Jew who had been perfect in the law,

Blesses the flesh of every other race

And helps them see what the apostles saw;

The glory of the lord in Jesus’ face.

Strong in his weakness, joyful in his pains,

And bound by love, he freed us from our chains.

Malcolm Guite

St Paul’s prayer from Philippians 4

 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

Peter

A Sonnet 

Impulsive master of misunderstanding

You comfort me with all your big mistakes;

Jumping the ship before you make the landing,

Placing the bet before you know the stakes.

I love the way you step out without knowing,

The way you sometimes speak before you think,

The way your broken faith is always growing,

The way he holds you even when you sink.

Born to a world that always tried to shame you,

Your shaky ego vulnerable to shame,

I love the way that Jesus chose to name you,

Before you knew how to deserve that name.

And in the end your Saviour let you prove

That each denial is undone by love.

 Malcolm Guite

 

Father,

You call us to follow like Peter,

to turn away from our own selfish interests,

even if the path is difficult to see,

or is heading in a direction we would never have chosen for ourselves.

Help us to see with the eyes of faith,

rather than from our own point of view.

Teach us to follow without fear,

knowing that You are always with us,

leading the way.

A Fresh New Day

Our journey is just beginning:

A fresh new day,

‘the day lies open before us’.

 

On an old, old path:

‘in his hands are the depths of the earth

And the mountain peaks belong to him’.

 

That’s the blessing,

‘Do not fear for I am with you,

I will strengthen you and help you’.

 

That’s where the hope blossoms,

‘Hope is in His unfailing love’:

However much we wandered yesterday,

We can start again today.

 

 

 

Open Church

Yesterday we went into All Saints to film prayers ready for Sunday morning’s YouTube service. It felt inspirational to be there, especially as it has been thoroughly cleansed and has sanitisers, markings and guidance ready for people to come in and use the building.

Today (Thursday) sees the church open for the first time in months, from 10.00am – 12.00, and anyone is welcome to come along (unless the numbers entering become too high, of course!). We hope it marks a gentle first step back towards resuming worship together – but tomorrow it is simply for Private Prayer.

I notice that our Muslim brethren are uncertain about returning to mosques as they feel that their worship must be communal. I rather share that view, as we can pray anywhere – and should – but for shared worship we obviously need to be …… together. Nevertheless, an opportunity to come to a familiar spiritual space to seek afresh the presence of the God whom we worship is welcome.

If you come tomorrow, you may wonder what is expected. Can I only enter if I make it clear that I am praying, do I have to kneel or bow the whole time – how do I justify being there? Of course you can “look prayerful” in some way the whole time if you wish, but the sense of wanting to reconnect with the faith community, our brothers and sisters, to be in the Holy Presence, to be still enough, aware enough, of the peace which God offers is sufficient.

I love Psalm 122 which speaks of the people of Israel ascending the hill to Jerusalem and its temple, a sacred space for encountering the Lord in company with many others. I must admit that I think about it most of all when we have parked the car near the Fitness Centre in St Albans and take the path up to the Abbey. And the psalm speaks above all of gladness and God’s goodness – and of peace for the community and for every human heart.

I was glad when they said unto me 
 We will go into the house of the Lord.
  Our feet shall stand in thy gates 
 O Jerusalem.
  Jerusalem is built as a city 
 that is at unity in itself.
  For thither the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord 
 to testify unto Israel, to give thanks unto the Name of the Lord.
  For there is the seat of judgement 
 even the seat of the house of David.
  O pray for the peace of Jerusalem 
 they shall prosper that love thee.
  Peace be within thy walls 
 and plenteousness within thy palaces.
  For my brethren and companions’ sakes 
 I will wish thee prosperity.
  Yea, because of the house of the Lord our God
 I will seek to do thee good.

The one who points us to Jesus

Today, as we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist, we are remembering someone who was called by God to deliver a vital message. John appeared in the desert with a new and radical message; the long awaited and promised Messiah was coming - get ready and prepare for him: turn and repent. John was only the messenger; he himself was not the Messiah. His role was to point to Jesus. ‘John was the messenger in time; Jesus is the Word for eternity.’

John gave his life ‘to testify to the light.’ He challenged the way people were living and treating each other and, like Jesus, it resulted in death. Closer to our own time we think of Maximilian Kolbe who gave his life for another prisoner in Auschwitz concentration camp. We think of Martin Luther King who gave his life for racial equality and justice. We recall Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, who was shot as he said Mass because of his concern, like John’s, for the poor and justice for them.

At present, we are rightly being reminded of the mistreatment and murder of people for what they say or appear to represent. Across the world and through the ages black people have been enslaved, marginalised, murdered and still we see callous brutality meted out regularly. Human beings are capable of great good but also terrible atrocities. John called out to people to end oppression and injustice, and the message remains all too relevant today.

We are all asked to be messengers by God. Each of us is asked to live, share and proclaim God’s love with courage and conviction, standing up for what is right. Let’s be inspired, encouraged and challenged by John the Baptist; prophet and messenger of God.

In our lonely, windswept wilderness places,

Where we stand forlorn,

Your voice calls out;

Prepare the way for the Lord.

In the dark places

and shadows where we hide our fears,

your voice calls out;

Prepare the way of the Lord.

In the streets we walk

And the paths we cross,

Guide our feet,

Take us to places where you would go,

Give us words that you would use

And help us to point the way

Away from our selves,

To your love.  

  

Dedication

Today is St Etheldreda’s Day.  Around 646, English princess, Etheldreda, Audrey, of East Anglia, despite her calling to be a nun, was married for reasons of State. Her husband grew tired of living as brother and sister and eventually attempted to bribe the local bishop, Wilfrid of York, to release Audrey from her vows.

Saint Wilfrid refused, and helped Audrey escape. She fled south, and founded the Abbey of Ely; by this time her husband gave up and married someone else.

Etheldreda lived an austere life of prayer but died of a huge tumour on her neck, which she believed was a result of all the necklaces she had worn in her early years!

During the Middle Ages, a festival, ‘St. Audrey's Fair’, was held at Ely on her feast day. Sadly, the shoddiness of the goods on sale particularly the neckerchiefs, gave rise to the word ‘tawdry’!

There’s a C13^th Church dedicated to St Etheldreda just outside Hatfield House built when the old palace was the home of the Bishop of Ely.

Lord Jesus, help us, like Etheldreda, to be faithful to our calling, to realise that material possessions are not lasting treasures and that prayer and following your way of love is the way to eternal life. Amen.   

Follow

I follow Jesus,

Who is man,

Human, whole, impartial,

Passionate, curious

And yet also God incarnate,

Creative and created,

To walk beside us.

I follow the Shepherd

Like a lamb,

Trusting, comforted, safe,

Held in a strength beyond my own.

Knowing that I am sought,

Special, precious

And enabled to be.

I follow the saints,

Those who followed Him before,

Those who died to self,

For Him,

I learn from their lives,

Sacrifice and wisdom.

God given.

I follow because I am called,

Desired, loved and cherished

By my Creator,

My Saviour.

Asked only to love in return,

Love others and be loved.

Mary Fleeson

Pilgrimage

Today we remember St Alban, it would be the day when the annual St Alban’s pilgrimage takes place when pilgrims from all around the diocese and beyond walk to our Cathedral and the shrine of St Alban, the first Christian martyr in Britain. This pilgrimage dates back to at least the C5^th as we read that a Bishop from France came over and visited the shrine and took back some soil from the site of Alban’s martyrdom to France.

Alban, a Roman citizen, living in the garrison town of Verulamium, had sheltered a Christian priest who was fleeing from persecution, was so moved by his faith he became a Christian himself and decided to swap clothes with the priest.

Almost immediately, Alban was arrested as he was assumed to be the priest. When asked who he was, Alban replied, ‘I am a Christian and I stand ready to do my Christian duty…My name is Alban and I shall always adore and worship the true and living God’.  Rowan Williams comments in his latest book Luminaries that our duty is not just to people who are with us now but to the future community in which all, friends and strangers, have their place.   

This Christian loyalty that Alban showed is that of a true pilgrim. ‘Pilgrims are loyal to where they are going - to the place where God’s power and love have appeared. Pilgrims keep their eye on the future, on the goal, and are loyal to the people alongside them on the pilgrimage but also to the people on the road ahead’.    

St Alban opened his home and his heart to a man running from persecution and decided to stand in his place and risk the penalty. He leaves us the legacy of a pilgrimage, a road that leads us forward in loving and serving God, in carrying the cross faithfully, aware that Jesus’ call to true life, with assurance and hope for eternal life, is the ultimate commitment in all we think and do.

‘I am a Christian and I stand ready to do my Christian duty…..I shall always adore and worship the true and living God’.   

The Alban Prayer

Almighty God we thank you for this place (the shrine),

built to your glory and in memory of Alban, our first martyr

Following his example in the fellowship of the saints

may we worship and adore the true and living God

and be faithful witnesses to the Christ

who is alive and reigns now and for ever. Amen

Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?              Matthew 16: 24-26

Hope

 

Hope

O God of life,

who chooses creation over chaos

and new beginnings over emptiness,

we bring to you the disorder of our nations and world

and the emptiness that we may find in our lives and relationships.

Bless us with the grace of creativity.

Bless us and all people with the hope of your promise of new beginnings.

Enfold us in your peace.

                                  

 

In Church a poem by RS Thomas

 

A powerful, complex poem which confronts the paradox of presence and absence, faith and doubt in a profound way. The Welsh poet priest RS Thomas, reflects that that Jesus, as Christ, is absent from the cross, but this very absence symbolises and affirms his continuing presence with us.  

Often I try

To analyse the quality

Of its silences. Is this where God hides

From my searching? I have stopped to listen,

After the few people have gone,

To the air recomposing itself

For vigil. It has waited like this

Since the stones grouped themselves about it.

These are the hard ribs

Of a body that our prayers have failed

To animate. Shadows advance

From their corners to take possession

Of places the light held

For an hour. The bats resume

Their business. The uneasiness of the pews

Ceases. There is no other sound

In the darkness but the sound of a man

Breathing, testing his faith

On emptiness, nailing his questions

One by one to an untenanted cross.

 RS Thomas

I

Feet of Clay?

How the great tragedies of literature help us to understand others and ourselves and how they encourage us to have compassion.

 

It’s fascinating that we often find ourselves respecting and admiring the central figures of great tragic works of literature and the Bible and yet may be quick to condemn people today when they fall from grace or indeed ourselves when we make mistakes. Have we inherited this attitude from the Victorians or is there something about our society today that is not forgiving? We also need to remind ourselves that there is nothing inherently noble about the personalities of characters like Hamlet, Jude the Obscure or Anna Karenina. We give them dignity but this is really to do with the way their stories have been told to us. If the media had told their stories today they would be indistinguishable from the usual objects of popular ridicule and humiliation.

 

The real purpose of tragedy, right from its beginning in the Bible where we find great characters like Jacob and Moses, and also going back to great Greek plays, is to teach us to be more aware of our human condition, of our ability to achieve great things and our propensity towards failing to maintain our higher motivation. They give us a complex lens and help us to view the travails of gains, loss and errors in all those around us and in ourselves. They help us to look with greater generosity and to understand that everyone matters and everyone counts.

For Christians, the ultimate tragedy is shown in the story of the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve share a beautiful, innocent life yet grasp at the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This human fall from grace continues throughout history, in all people. We all have Feet of Clay. Our faith teaches us that we all fall short of God’s glory, and that forgiveness is costly - but through Jesus we gain newness of life in turning to him and following God’s way of love for all people.

 

  Colossians 3:12

As God’s people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Compassion

It is four years today since the death of Jo Cox, a committed and  compassionate young MP. Together with the image this weekend of the injured far-right demonstrator being carried to safety by the Black Lives Matter supporter, Patrick Hutchinson, it underlines our need of compassion.

Jo Cox

Of our Shared Humanity

“We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.”

“Our communities have been deeply enhanced by immigration”

Of Parliament

“I understand how hard it is to be a parent, and to balance trying to earn an income and to be a good mum with caring responsibilities for elderly relatives. Such experiences will make people in this place better law makers, so we must attract women, and both women and men who are parents.”

“I came in to make a difference”

Of Equal Opportunities

“Every weekend families across Britain settle down to watch the X-Factor or Britain’s Got Talent. We revel in the discovery of new talent, the chance for someone to come from nowhere and suddenly make it big based simply on their raw ability and hard work. Yet our society is all too often the opposite of this ideal opportunity.”

“It’s not (only) about creating an equal country, but it is about stopping the development of an underclass cut off from the rest of society.”

 

Lord, give me a heart full of compassion.  Help me to be attentive to the needs of others and to reach out to them. You give your healing grace to all those in need, so may I bring compassion through your strength.

Help me to see how I can carry and support others, even those I may not naturally associate with………..

Make me a channel of Your peace,                                                 Where there is hatred, let me bring Your love
Where there is injury, Your pardon Lord
And where there's doubt, true faith in You

Make me a channel of Your peace
Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there's sadness, ever joy

Luke 6.27-36 ‘Jesus said:  I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.