Reflections on Take up the Cross

 

The Dutch priest, theologian and psychologist,  Henri Nouwen  1932-1996 wrote a meditation on Taking up the Cross as he reflects that in life we all have pain to deal with:

“Your pain is deep, and it won’t just go away. It is also uniquely yours, because it is linked to some of your earliest life experiences.

Your call is to bring that pain home. As long as your wounded part remains foreign to your adult self, your pain will injure you as well as others. Yes, you have to incorporate your pain into your self and let it bear fruit in your heart and the hearts of others.

This is what Jesus means when he asks you to take up your cross. He encourages you to recognize and embrace your unique suffering and to trust that your way to salvation lies therein. Taking up your cross means, first of all, befriending your wounds and letting them reveal to you your own truth.

There is great pain and suffering in the world. But the pain hardest to bear is your own. Once you have taken up that cross, you will be able to see clearly the crosses that others have to bear, and you will be able to reveal to them their own ways to joy, peace, and freedom.

Definition of the Cross

…..the cross performs a function of synthesis and measurement.  In it Heaven and Earth are conjoined…in it time and space are intermingled.  The cross is the unbroken umbilical cord of the cosmos, linking it to the center from which it sprang.  Of all symbols the cross is the most universal and all-embracing.  It symbolizes intervention, mediation, the natural and permanent structure of the universe and communication between Heaven and Earth and Earth and Heaven.

 

-Champeaux,G.de and Dom Sterckx, S. (O.S.B.) Introduction au monde des symboles, Jean Chevalier and Alain Gheerbrant, Dictionary of Symbols

 

Prayer

O God of love,

We journey with your son,

ever closer to Jerusalem,

to his cross, his true destiny.

 

We hear his words

“Take up your cross and follow me,”

but we’re not sure what this may mean for us.

 

We hear his words,

“deny your self,”

and wonder which self it is;

the self we put on for others,

or the self centred self

that wants it all for ourselves?

 

Whichever it is,

it seems like Jesus

is asking for all of us

and we’re not sure we can do this.

 

God, we will need your Holy Spirit

to be able to do this.

God, we will need your grace and mercy

to be able to do this.

 

We remember that you empowered your disciples,

the early Christians,

and others who decided to follow you and

we know and trust that you will do this for us.

Amen.

 

Sandcastles

 

Geoff writes:

Castles are meant to be all about permanence, durability, strength. But for most of us, our first encounter with a castle was the exact opposite – building a sandcastle on a childhood holiday!

 

Sandcastles didn’t last long, as many a child’s tears have testified. If the feet of fellow holidaymakers or seaside donkeys didn’t bring down our carefully crafted towers and battlements, the tide would do the job.

 

I suspect there is something of King Cnut in every child. I loved to pile up ramparts of sand in the face of the advancing waves, to watch the first stream of water flood into the moat and flow back, repulsed by my handiwork.

 

But of course the smallest child soon learns that it is only a matter of time, no matter how fervently he or she shovels fresh sand onto the crumbling walls, before the rising water floods in and a hasty retreat must be made through the cold water, back to the family picnic blanket.

 

To everything there is a season ……a time to build up, a time to break down.

(Ecclesiastes 3 v5 – Pete Seeger’s paraphrase from the words of ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’)

 

In the Bible God reminds us time after time that human endeavours are not meant to last forever.

 

But that does not make them meaningless. We are each granted our time in the sunshine, to do what we can for as long as we can – and to trust that, when the time comes, we can still retreat with dignity. Our God will be waiting for us with a big, warm dry beach towel.

 

Castles of Dreams

 

Geoff writes: 

When young Prince Ludwig of Bavaria looked out from his bedroom window in his father’s ‘country’ palace on the edge of the Alps, he saw the ruins of an ancient castle on a steep pinnacle of rock. And he dreamed………

 

The castle he built at Neuschwanstein has probably graced the front page of more tourist brochures than any other.  Few realise that it was built in the 1870s.

 

Irrational, fantastic, but a stunning testament to romantic ideals of beauty and chivalry, it was a cry of protest against the industrialised Realpolitik of Kaiser Wilhelm’s new Germany.

 

Of course, it helps if you’re a Prince or a King.  Ludwig was wise enough to know that the realities of life in the middle ages were very different from the ideals, but he followed his dream.

 

Despite his popularity among ordinary Bavarians, his extravagance and eccentricity were too much for the Establishment. He was deposed in a family coup d’etat and died in mysterious circumstances. But his memory is revered in modern Bavaria – if only as the unintentional founding father of Bavaria’s flourishing tourist industry.

 

God has a soft spot for dreamers, even if their dreams appear controversial or divisive at first. Remember Joseph, whose bizarre dreams also drove his brothers to the brink of fratricide. He didn’t have the wealth of a prince, but with the guidance and protection of God he delivered his dream and saved his family, and the whole of Egypt, from starvation.

Ruins

Caerphilly (Gwent/Glamorgan)

 Geoff writes: 

Our turbulent national history (notably the the long-disputed borders between England and Wales and England and Scotland) have left us with a remarkable legacy of ruined castles. These were the ones that did not find a new use in the post-mediaeval economy and were fortuitously too remote to be plundered for building materials.

 

The existence of our stone castles is really a testament to the violence, insecurity and injustice that dominates so much of our history. They tell of strength, but also of disunity and fear; of a squabbling military aristocracy that relied on stone walls and weaponry to keep their rivals, and their peasant populations, often newly conquered, under control.

 

At the end of the Civil War, when the old castles played a role in armed conflict for the last time, Cromwell’s Parliamentarians blew holes in their walls and put them permanently out of service. The ordinary population didn’t miss them at all.

 

Anyone who knows the story of the Fall of Jericho (Joshua 6) will know that the God of Israel also had little respect for stone fortifications.

 

But he has to remind the Kings and rulers of Judah and Israel again and again, through the words of Amos, Micah, Isaiah and Jeremiah, that they too should not put their trust in stone battlements. Instead they should gain the favour of God by obedience to his commandments of justice.

 

They didn’t listen. The walls of Jerusalem could not save the city when Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon broke them down in 586 BC. The walls lay in ruins for 140 years.

 

 

These months of lockdown and distancing have brought most of us many sorrows and difficulties and we continue to hope and pray that we are now beginning to emerge from the worst of the effects of the pandemic. Alas, many other countries are even now facing the full brunt of the virus and we are warned of the possibility of a second spike. Cautionary news at best.

Keeping strong in faith is always important, especially during difficult times, and while nothing can take away our ability to pray and trust we have been deprived of our customary fellowship and mutual support. Thankfully we now have the opportunity to worship together in our church on Sunday mornings, albeit in somewhat reduced circumstances; it does feel odd to share communion with masks, visors, distancing and sanitizing. And some of us need to protect ourselves in a manner that means we cannot safely return to church yet, however it has been inspiring to see a large number of our church members coming to share in worship, plus others joining in with the video services.

Some of our hymns refer to the difficulties we can face, and they urge us onwards. For example, “Through the night of doubt and sorrow, onward goes the pilgrim band” which in ordinary times seems a bit miserable perhaps, takes on a life of its own. It affirms “one the light of God’s own presence o’er his ransomed people shed; chasing far the gloom and terror, brightening all the path they tread”.  Likewise, “Thy hand O God hath guided thy flock from age to age” refers to hard times “when shadows thick were falling….” and challenges us today:  “And we, shall we be faithless, shall hearts fail, hands hang down?” leading to the glorious affirmation “Thy presence will not fail us nor leave thy work undone: with thy right hand to help us, the victory shall be won”. Yes!

And if you want something more contemporary, there’s “Lord, the light of your love is shining, in the midst of the darkness shining”, with a prayer for ourselves and for our nation “Shine, Jesus, shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory; blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire”. In the hardest times we call upon God afresh for our own commitment to be renewed and for the good of our nation and our world.

O Lord Jesus Christ, Lord of hope and glory, keep us calm and faithful in all troubles.

Give strength and direction to all who seek to do your will – to all who strive for peace, all who work for righteousness, all who exercise the ministry of caring and healing.

Renew our faith to meet these troubled times, that your peaceful, holy and saving presence may uphold us day by day. Amen.

A wander through some holiday snaps

 

 

 Geoff Oates write about Castles: 

After beaches, the great staple of the English holiday outing is…the castle. Since childhood I have spent countless happy hours exploring every tower, every battlement, every spiral staircase and every dungeon I could get into from Dover to Dunstanburgh and from the Rhine to the Alps.

 

From ancient times the best castles stood on hilltops, as you see in the picture of Bamburgh on the Northumberland coast. It stands as testament to the colour and romance of the Middle Ages, and speaks of strength, confidence and security. They offered shelter and protection to people and livestock.

 

One of the most common and powerful images for God in our Old Testament scriptures is ‘Rock’.  Psalm 62: The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer’ I could have mentioned Psalm 18, Proverbs 18, 2 Samuel 22….and many more. The image is not of a mere pile of stone, but of a fortified hilltop. ‘Strong tower’ is another common image.

 

David, the warrior King, chose the rock of Zion, the highest of the hills that now make up Jerusalem, as his stronghold.

 

A Rock is not just of shelter and security in times of turmoil, but a vantage point, a watchtower from where we have a clearer, broader vision of all that surrounds us.

 

Even when we feel life is hemming us in, besieging us with trials, God our Rock gives us safety, and hope and perspective for the future.

Miscommunication

 

In today’s Gospel there is an interesting and confusing exchange that goes on between Jesus and the Canaanite woman. She was an outsider.

In the account of this story we don’t understand everything about the situation. Many people spend a lot of effort and time trying to explain away Jesus’ response in these verses, yet as they remain, people interpret them differently.

 

Anyone who has written enough emails, or text messages knows the danger of miscommunication. Many times, what is received and understood is rather different than what was intended. Sometimes we interpret harshness or even malice where none was meant. Yet when this happens we rarely see ourselves in the wrong!

Here a person with a desperate family problem is begging Jesus for help and his response could have easily been interpreted as scorn or hate. She chose to look past that for the saving power and healing that she needed.

How many of us have felt harmed by someone? How many times we have heard some word or phrase and felt offended and felt our pride hurt?

In an age when there is so much offence given and taken, we need to ensure that we  should really know God’s desire for us: we can overcome our human feelings that drive us away from God and from each other even when we may have arguments in the church.

When we feel upset we can keep our focus on what is truly important, the saving power of Jesus, the love of God that overcomes all sadness and calls us all beloved children of God and gives us life in all its fullness.

Colossians 3:12-14

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

 

 

The Assumption of Mary

 

In Pietà the Welsh poet and Anglican priest R. S. Thomas (1913-2000) reflected on the deep togetherness of mother and son, so famously sculped by Michelangelo. The strong bond between a mother and son is reflected in the Gospels and the early church reflected on the deep obedience of Mary the disciple to the mission of God and her Son our Saviour, giving Mary a special place in worship and prayer.

 

St. John presents Mary as the model disciple, who teaches us to “do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). St. Luke reflects that the Holy Spirit infused both mother and son at the very moment of the child’s conception.

 

Thomas’s poem expresses the conviction of the church that Mary is not just an instrument but that the incarnation of the Son in the womb of the virgin was the preeminent work of God.

 

The importance of Mary as mother reminds us who we all are, beloved children of God and that we are called to act as the beloved children of God in the world.

 

Here are the two small stanzas of Thomas’s  poem Pieta. The scene is Calvary, but the time is both before his death at his birth and ourselves in the present.

Pieta

Always the same hills

Crown the horizon

Remote witnesses of the still scene.

And in the foreground

The tall Cross,

Sombre, untenanted,

Aches for the Body

That is back in the cradle

Of a maid’s arms.

R.S. Thomas

 

In 431 C.E., the Council of Ephesus proclaimed Mary to be the Mother of God as Arius, later declared a heretic, had declared that Jesus had not always been the Son of God so the church responded by rooting his identity, and therefore that of his mother, in the pure plan of God maintaining that there was never a moment when he was not the Son of God. So, even in the womb and at his birth, the Virgin was the God-bearer, the Mother of God.

 

Belief in the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary arose very early in the history of the church because of this understanding. The idea was that as both belong fully to God, nothing separates mother and Son. Her assumption is an echo of his resurrection.

 

 

Inspiration

 

The Canons of St Albans have an annual Cellarer’s Feast at the Abbey, fairly expensive but a good meal followed by an interesting talk. In 2018 we heard the Revd Richard Coles, and last year it was a Dean from some other Cathedral. I really can’t remember his name, but I do recall that he was talking about the use of cathedrals (especially in view of some of them having a fairground ride within to “see the roof”, though he scarcely mentioned that). In particular Doug and I were struck by his assertion that for those who attend a cathedral “at least they are assured of a jolly good sermon”. Maybe the Residentiary Canons liked that remark, but we thought it was a bit of a cheek. Particularly in view of his performance that evening, although in fairness it wasn’t a sermon – just a lot of tosh.

 

So in these weeks Doug and I find ourselves pitted  on Sundays against leading staff from our own Diocese. It would be no contest to spar with the aforementioned Dean who must still be somewhere in Barchester. Last Sunday Bishop Alan spoke on the Internet service about Jesus walking on the Water, and I did the same here at All Saints. This Sunday Doug will be sparring with Bishop Michael on the Syro-Phoenician woman. You have the opportunity to experience both if you wish.

 

Seriously, I do believe that sermons are still really important, and that all preachers need to strive to communicate effectively and meaningfully. St Paul and St Peter in the New Testament speak out confidently, ready to challenge their hearers to find or increase their faith. We still need that today, all of us. Academic sermons are not  generally helpful outside academic circles – the thoughts and words need to say something to me about my life now. It is the Scripture that needs to be brought alive, not the admiration for the hortatory abilities of the preacher. Simple connectedness is vital, backed by a depth of spirituality that can feed through to the hearers.

 

Please pray for all preachers, for our team and the Diocesan team, our Deanery clergy and Readers, that the Lord will inspire us all to seek excellence in communication and present the lively truths of God, the wonder of salvation, the strengthening power of the Spirit in what we say and do.  The Good News of Jesus has never been needed more than in these difficult times. And may we all live lives that show the holy presence of Jesus through our love and caring and sharing in word and deed.

Heartstopping

 

We have followed the Van Tulleken twins for quite a while now. Highly recommended. They are often on the BBC offering wise health advice. Being both Doctors they seem to know what they are talking about. Chris and Xand are identical twins, and their repartee  – and the fact that it is virtually impossible to discern any difference there may be between them, apart from the depth of a beard perhaps – makes their programmes on i-player very watchable.

Drs Chris and Xand often conduct health experiments, sometimes with others but frequently on themselves, all to check that their fitness and lifestyle advice is accurate. Painful experiments are not easy watching, but they have always come up smiling. Perhaps their fortitude results from their wide-ranging involvement in humanitarian medical projects across the world.

The latest programme (available now) is something else. They go deeply into the effects of Covid -19 in our country, with Chris going into a London hospital and Xand into an elderly care home. Both situations are harrowing, and Chris’ experience is only lightened by an elderly man coming through intensive care for covid after reaching a point where the situation looked hopeless. The medical staff make it clear that this is an exception. Meanwhile Xand enters a care home where seven residents have died. There is sorrow and a will to overcome the virus. But Xand contracts the virus and it becomes so serious that he is brought into the London hospital where his brother is reporting on Intensive Care, able to be there because he is a medical doctor.

However, Xand’s heart is racing much too fast and will not slow. The medical team decides that they must stop his heart and allow it to start again. You watch the heartrate and it is deeply concerning – both that Xand is going through this and that Chris is allowed to be present. Yes he is a doctor, but here only an observer with no clinical input, and he sees his brother, his identical twin, go through this life or death procedure. It feels somewhat unethical to allow this, as relatives would not normally be allowed to be present during operations. Happily Xand comes through as expected, and we - and Chris - can breathe again. 

The programme is sobering if we think that the consequences for most of us are minimal. These guys are only in their early forties, and used to taking precautions. Xand remains unwell as the virus seems to have affected other organs such as his kidneys, and since then it has caused atrial fibrillation. The two brothers’ are very close and the whole episode has naturally affected them powerfully. Personally I hope and pray that Xand will recover more fully, but I know and feel shocked that so many people in hospitals and care homes have died because of the spread of the virus.

I could make a point here about identifying with and mixing with those who are in need, about the helplessness of those around a gravely ill or dying person like those at the foot of the cross, but I will leave those hints there. But the pain and anguish caused in real life by this virus is widespread, and we must do all we can to prevent its spread.

 

Heavenly Father, we pray for the worldwide response to the pandemic, that people will work together to care for others and take all possible precautions against spreading it to loved ones or to strangers. Please guide us to find a vaccine and to use it wisely and caringly, for the good of all. But in the meantime, give us strength to support one another and wisdom to avoid the infection. We make our prayer in the name of our Saviour, Friend and Brother, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Headlines

Nerine found this: 

Sometimes I just want it to stop. Talk of COVID, looting, brutality. I lose my way. I become convinced that this ‘new normal’ is real life. Then I meet an 87-year-old who talks of living through polio, diphtheria, Vietnam protests and yet is still enchanted with life. 

He seemed surprised when I said that 2020 must be especially challenging for him. “No,” he said, looking me straight in the eyes. “I learned a long time ago to not see the world through the printed headlines.  I see the world through the people that surround me. I see the world with the realization that we love big. Therefore, I just choose to write my own headlines: 

‘Husband loves wife today.’  ‘Family drops everything to come to Grandma’s bedside.’ ” He patted my hand. “ ‘Old man meets new friend.’ "  

His words collide with my worries, freeing them from the tether I had been holding tight.  They float away. I am left with a renewed spirit and a new way to write my own headline. 

Andy Stanley, posted on Face Book by Coach Lisle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monstrous Fear, Quiet Faith

The words “Grandad” and “Grandma” are heard frequently in the Vicarage at the moment as we are addressed by our grandson who is staying with us and has many questions. Many of the questions are about dinosaurs, which are currently very popular with many children, and I have to admit that we do not know many of the answers. There are dinos we have never heard of and I struggle to remember their complicated Latin names. Happily an under-four lad can put us straight.

I am not sure about the appeal of the dinosaurs. They are an enigma, and many of them are scary. Jurassic Park, Jurassic World and their subsequent movies portrayed them brilliantly, but I felt no need to encounter one personally nor dwell on issues such as their speed, size or food preferences – not least since it might have been something like me. Or you.

The dinosaurs became extinct millions of years ago when an asteroid hit the earth, raising a massive cloud of dust blotting out the sun. Another encouraging thought for a young child. Or a grown adult. When I was young I found stories such as Little Red Riding Hood or the rhyme about Jack and Jill falling down – with Jack tragically breaking his crown - quite frightening enough. Of course, dealing with fear is important for us all, as there are many challenges in the world and issues which can alarm. There are tensions between the nations, threats of war, dangerous weapons, knife crime, the virus, so much which we can pick up on in the news, like a huge, lumbering monster waiting to devour us or stamp us out.

Believing in and trusting God helps us to cope with our anxiety and gives us hope for our lives and the world. Jesus lived in a world of real threats and violence, but he calls his disciples to trust in the Heavenly Father for this world and the next. He is very aware of the troubles of the world, of the cares and fears of ordinary people, and he calls people to enter the Kingdom of God where our lives are ruled by the Lord and not by the changing ways of this world. He meets violence and death head-on, not by accident, and in his love he is willing to lay down his life for us, his friends. If we think only of the pains and problems of this world we can easily find ourselves apprehensive, but to look to Jesus who is The Way, The Truth and The Life is to have confidence in One who holds us and saves us.

“Wash your hands, cover your face and make space”.

Doug writes: 

Hands. Face. Space is the new mantra. When you are dealing with a contagious virus these are three areas to watch with great care. I wouldn’t mind adding the word “Brain” to that list.

It seems that some people think that masks and distancing goes against their democratic rights. There were protests in Germany the other day by a large group who not only protested but deliberately ignored all health advice. Some may have been genuine “non-believers” of some sort (if such a thing is possible in this case) but the fact of a large neo-Nazi presence suggests that brains were not functioning well.

There have been some similar protests in the UK and the US also, which is pretty shocking. We all know how awkward and inconvenient this virus is, and we should know that it can have a devastating impact on others even if we feel invulnerable ourselves for some unfathomable reason.

Yet even walking round our town, people can be very casual about distancing. Some simply carry on as if you weren’t there, rather than seeing it as a shared responsibility. A few others actually walk around our supermarkets with no mask whatever, despite it being illegal.

It is now becoming illegal to attend a place of worship unless you are wearing a mask. Including All Saints. It is inconvenient and displeasing, and for the priest it makes preaching and leading prayers much more difficult, but we need to recognise that the familiar places and actions from the past cannot currently be done in the way they once were. We need to embrace that fact.

The virus shows us all too clearly that people respond in many ways to adverse stimuli, sometimes out of fear and frustration if not folly. I believe in the power of protest - so often vital change has been made in response to people’s combined stand against injustice. But in pandemic situations large and small, international and local, we need to work with the authorities and trust and pray that the situation will be remedied in the near future, aware that there remains a significant threat to us all.

Hands, Face, Space: it is incumbent on us all to sanitise our hands regularly, to mask our face in public places, to maintain social distancing and ensure that the space is not between our ears.

Running on Empty?

The Feeding of the 5,000

 Jesus is grieving for his cousin John the Baptist and wants some time to pray alone, but the crowds continue to follow and make demands on him. He has compassion on the crowd and heals their sick. He teaches them and after a long day he feeds them, rather than sending them away. When Jesus was ‘running on empty ‘ he still has compassion and love.

 

It reminds me of the story of the widow’s jars of oil and flour in the Old Testament – the ones that felt empty but always had just enough to make bread for that day. I wonder if Jesus was thinking of that story when he taught his disciples to pray “and give us today our daily bread”? Was he teaching us to pray and position our hearts in such a way that even when we feel totally depleted we would still be moved with love to serve?

 

The thrust of this parable for us as followers of Jesus is to understand there is always enough in us to minister one more time – no matter how tired, how sad, or how low on energy because we don’t minister to others out of our own strength. It is just that we are more aware of that fact when we are on rock bottom.

We need this reminder to see in Jesus that, even on empty, you can still treat needy people kindly and compassionately. For when we see Jesus deal with people so tenderly it helps us to do the same