“You shall fear disaster no more!” – some thoughts on how to cope with Brexit!

Back in Advent last year, on Sunday 16th December 2018 (the 3rd Sunday of Advent) I preached a sermon on the lectionary readings (Zephaniah 3.14-20, Philippians 4.4-7, Luke 3.7-18) which I felt spoke powerfully into the political turmoil surrounding Brexit. I meant to turn it into a blog at the time but got swept up in the busyness of Christmas and forgot. Now, after a tumultuous week in Parliament, as the clock ticks down to 29th March when we are due to leave the EU, I have been prompted to dig it out. Sadly, but perhaps unsurprisingly, my words from December seem just as relevant today as they were then. So I offer them now as a suggestion of how faith might guide us through the coming days….

I wonder whether this sounds familiar….
A small nation seeking its own sovereignty, fed up with being ruled from a government in Europe, resenting paying hard earned taxes to a foreign power. At home, there are lots of different political groups, each with their own solution to what the future could and should look like, plotting to overthrow those in power.

Yes, I’m sure you’ve guessed right…. 1st century Palestine in the time of our Gospel reading and the ministry of John the Baptist…. Although, of course, you might also think that it’s an apt description of our beleaguered nation at the moment!
The history of God’s people as told in the Old Testament is a story of a people who have to get used to living in turbulent times when all they really want is a quiet life, filled with peace and joy and hope and love. It’s a story of people who swing from being faithful followers of God, particularly when he appears to give them what they want, to turning their back on him, particularly when life gets difficult.

To call people back to faithfulness, God used prophets to deliver his message – and there is a long tradition of prophets who speak out against the popular culture and way of thinking. They challenged, often with hard words, both the political and royal powers and ordinary folk – urging them to turn back to God, to give up their wicked ways, to remember the poor, the downtrodden, the foreigner. They would speak of the judgement that God would pass on those who refused to follow him. As you can imagine, they were not always very popular. But, they also delivered messages of hope – like the one that the prophet Zephaniah delivered, as heard in our first reading. This was a time when the holy city of Jerusalem had been overrun by people worshipping foreign gods and the morals and culture of the city were changing dramatically. There was also a sense of impending invasion from foreign armies. Into this environment of fear and confusion, Zephaniah spoke; ‘The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more.’ He goes onto encourage people…. ‘ I will remover disaster from you…. I will deal with your oppressors….and I will save the lame and gather the outcast’” Some people listened and returned to God, and some didn’t.

Over six hundred years later, John the Baptist, is doing the same thing as Zephaniah. He has been called by God as a prophet to speak to people who are living in troubled times and who have turned away from God. In our Gospel reading, he is speaking hard words to the crowds who have come out to see him, hoping for an easy solution for the political trouble they are in. Instead of issuing platitudes, he doesn’t mince his words. ‘You brood of vipers!’ he says. Now you might expect them all to turn round and go back home, but they ask John what they should do. If they were hoping to find someone who would mobilise them to turn against the ruling powers, they were disappointed. What they heard instead was someone saying that they had to change themselves. They had to examine themselves and reflect on how they had turned away from God. The only solution, said John, is for them to change their way of thinking and behaving. ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’ John pulls no punches as he warns of the day when God will judge all women and men. To bring about radical change in the life of their nation and to be set right in the eyes of God, to be judged favourably, John proclaimed that justice and mercy, truth and righteousness had to be placed at the centre of everyone’s life – both in their personal lives and in the public life of their communities and the nation.

So going back to that description I gave at the beginning of a small nation in turmoil, as we look back on the last two years, particularly this last week and look ahead to the coming weeks and months, what does John the Baptist have to say to us here and now? Now I guess that you, like me, are heartily fed up with the word ‘Brexit’ and you may have hoped that this morning in church you would escape the political mess that we are in. However, I don’t think that this is right. I always struggle with the idea that religion should be kept separate from politics. If we can’t bring every aspect of our life before God, including the way that our lives are governed at local, national and international level, then our faith doesn’t count for much. We are in effect saying, that God can have a role in part of our life and in part of the life of our world but not everywhere. This is clearly not God’s view – the prophets show us that God wants to be involved in absolutely every part of human existence, and that actually it is only God who can rescue us from the mess that people and nations regularly get themselves into!

So I make no apologies for talking about Brexit this morning. However, it’s not my job to tell you who I think is in the right or the wrong, or to offer an analysis of why we’re in the mess we are in. But I do think that as a preacher, it’s my job to help us think how God wants us to respond, and I think that part of the answer is to listen out for those are speaking prophetic words like Zephaniah and John the Baptist…. At the heart of their message is a courageous call for speaking the truth; a hunger for justice; and a willingness to the suffer for the cause of right – words from our collect this morning. Whether we want to leave or remain in the EU – who should we listen to? John and Zephaniah make it quite clear – it is those who ‘will save the lame and gather the outcast’, it is those who remember the poor, who seek justice, who don’t oppress others, who show mercy.’ Those are the people, who are speaking God’s words into our current situation – so our job is not to listen to those who speak loudest or who sell the most papers, but to those who are prophetic, who remind us of God’s values.

I think that the other part of the answer is given to us in our reading from Paul to the Philippians: “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” As someone said to me this week, the power of prayer is amazing – and so I think that this is a time when we need to really believe this. We need to pray – for our Prime Minister (Whether you agree with her or not), for our Government and Opposition parties (whether you agree with them or not, for all MPs and especially Angela Rayner our MP (whether you agree with them or not), for the European Union (whether you want to remain part of it or not). Pray for them, ask God to guide them in the ways of truth and justice. Pray for peace and reconciliation between those who hold differing view. Pray for truth, and only the truth, to be spoken and printed in the media. And if you don’t have the words, just say ‘God help us!’ and he will know what it is your heart and mind. And as you pray, as all of us pray, may we know the peace of God which surpasses all understanding guarding our hearts and minds (and that of our nation) in the Christ Jesus.’ Amen.

Intercessions:
In joyful expectation of his coming to our aid
we pray to Jesus.

Come to your Church as Lord and judge.
We pray for all who lead our Church, for our Archbishops and Bishops and Archdeacons, for all who minister faithfully in parishes across our land.
Help us to live in the light of your coming,
Give us courage to speak out your words of justice and mercy
and give us a longing for your kingdom.
Maranatha: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to your world as King of the nations.
We pray for our Prime Minister, our Parliament and the leaders of the European Union, for wisdom in all the discussions and decisions that lie ahead as the future of our nation is determined.
We ask that before you rulers will stand in silence, and hear your voice urging that the poor, the marginalised and the oppressed are not overlooked.
Maranatha: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to the suffering as Saviour and comforter.
We pray for …
Break into our lives,
where we struggle with sickness and distress,
and set us free to serve you for ever.
Maranatha: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to us as shepherd and guardian of our souls.
We remember …
Give us with all the faithful departed
a share in your victory over evil and death.
Maranatha: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come from heaven, Lord Jesus, with power and great glory.
Lift us up to meet you,
that with all your saints and angels
we may live and reign with you in your new creation.
Maranatha: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Silence is kept.
Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay;
give new courage to your people,
who trust in your love.
By your coming, raise us to share in the joy of your kingdom
on earth as in heaven,
where you live and reign with the Father and the Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
Amen.

#MeToo – in the shadow of the Virgin Mary

This post has been in the making for a couple of weeks since the allegations surrounding Harvey Weinstein broke and the hashtag #MeToo surfaced.  I wasn’t sure whether to write this, whether it might just seem that I’m jumping on a bandwagon of pouring out stuff from the past that doesn’t need airing.  But this morning, on retreat at Mirfield, at Mattins we remembered the Blessed Virgin Mary with the words “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you” and so I decided to sit by a statue that I’ve come to love and write.

I haven’t suffered in the way that many women (and men too) have at the hand of abusers but a number of episodes from the past have shaped my behaviour today.  When I was 19, on my gap year I worked in London for Ove Arup, Structural Engineers, and commuted from home in High Wycombe.  One day, walking home from the station at about 7pm in the dark, I was walking along a quiet road to a short cut up a hill across a field.  Something made me uncomfortable and so I started to walk the long way round.  I suddenly became aware of someone close behind me and turned to see a young man, with his trousers undone and his hand about to take hold of me,  I screamed and ran, got home and called the police.  Still to this day I shudder about what might have happened if I’d kept on across that hillside path.  I was fortunate, I wasn’t even touched physically, but I’m still angry that someone thought it OK to do that to me.  I am still nervous about walking in the countryside alone and I’m angry that someone took away my ability to enjoy parts of God’s creation fully unless I’m with someone.

My second story comes from the time whem I was a structural engineer in the 1980s and early 1990s and would often have to visit building sites to inspect work.  It was generally accepted that as a young woman I would experience sexist comments from building contractors on site. Rightly or wrongly, I accepted this as the norm and learned my own strategy for dealing with this, in the same way that I did for the numerous times when clients and other professionals assumed that I must be a secretary and not an engineer on their design team.  However, there was site where one labourer decided that he could make lewd proposals in a threatening manner whenever he came across me.  I was too scared to go to quieter parts of the building site but fortunately I was brave enough to report this to his supervisor (who was very protective of me) and the man was dealt with (probably in a way that I wouldn’t approve of!)  That was 30 years ago now and seemed part of a different culture but as I recall this event, and then remember the two occasions when I encountered the stereotypical flashers in dirty macs, I feel angry that people have behaved to me in this way.

I am lucky – I’ve not experienced rape or serious sexual assault.  I’m also someone who isn’t scared to speak out about what happened to me. My stories seem insignificant in the light of some of the #MeToo stories, but I wanted to tell them to add to the voices saying “It is wrong that people are subjected to unwanted sexual advances.  We humans need to be so much better than this.”

As I look at the Virgin Mary holding her son, I see a woman, peaceful and full of grace and love.  Her Son is reaching out his arms as if to say, you are all welcome, you are all valued and I have come to give you freedom.  There’s an attractive innocence there, but of course, I’m aware that it wasn’t always like this for Jesus as he experienced too the horror of abuse, pain and death.  However, as I write down my stories in the tranquillity of this place, I am filled with a yearning desire that we humans should regain a sense of respect towards one another. That we would learn to recognise where the boundaries lie around one another so that we would recognise when friendly banter becomes abuse, where touch becomes inappropriate, where love becomes control.  That #MeToo would no longer mean “I’ve had people show inappropriate sexual behaviour to me” but “I have always been treated as a human being, full of grace and love.”  But for those of us currently saying #MeToo, may we experience the love of Christ setting us free from all the memories that hold us captive.

By the statue of The Blessed Virgin Mary is a reflection sheet with this prayer which I offer for all those who have their own #MeToo story to tell, that they may find peace and also courage to tell their story.

Lord help us to understand that in everything we experience and in all that happens to people, you are there in the midst of it, living it with us; so that we know that at the heart of everything we can find love and your gift of peace.  Amen.

Found this rose in the garden at Mirfield today in a damp gloomy morning – beauty in the midst of decay, hope in the midst of despair

“Do not be afraid!” – a tale of being rescued by the Lectionary!

Since the election of Donald Trump I have felt increasingly fearful about the future of the world.  I know that I do have a propensity sometimes to feel anxious, but the shock of the US presidential election result, preceeded by the shock Brexit vote has heightened my sense of fear for the future.

Lying in bed this morning, I presented Roger with a catalogue of my fears:

• a Trump presidency
• the poor economic outlook as outlined in the Chancellor’s autumn statement and recent warnings from other financial organisations
• post Brexit Britain
• the rise of the far right as seen in the alt-right movement in the US, the murder of Jo Cox MP, and the possibility of the election of people like Marine le Pen as European Presidents
• how IS will respond if their power base in Iraq and Syria is destroyed, possibly turning their attention to more terrorist attacks in Europe and elsewhere
• what angry voters might do when they discover that Trump and Brexit do not solve all their problems

Since then, I’ve remembered more things to be anxious about – climate change, the declining numbers attending church, increasing immigration due to global warming….

Looking back, this was rather a big list to present to Roger on just waking up and having to get up quickly to get to an early morning appointment!

Over breakfast, I then announced that all of this made me have doubts about God.  Why is God not halting this flow of calamity?  Why isn’t earth getting more like heaven?  Oh dear,  not a good start to the day!!  As usual, my ever patient husband had words of wisdom and by the end of breakfast my faith in God was restored.  While we might not be seeing a glorious future on a large scale, there are glimmers of hope all around us. Things like the Night Shelters running in Manchester this winter, the Droylsden Foodbank, the lovely sense of community at last night’s “Saints and Supper” with one of my churches.  Small things, maybe, but a reminder that good has not been defeated by evil.

About to start work and move forward with planning the many services coming up between now and Christmas, I felt compelled to sit down and read the readings set for Morning Prayer before doing anything else.  I started to read the first reading from Isaiah 41 and couldn’t believe my eyes.  How could the producers of the Lectionary possibly have known what I needed to hear this morning?  For this is what was in front of me;

Isaiah 41:8-20
8 But you, Israel, my servant,
    Jacob, whom I have chosen,
    the offspring of Abraham, my friend; 
9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
    and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, ‘You are my servant,
    I have chosen you and not cast you off ’; 
10 do not fear, for I am with you,
    do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. 

11 Yes, all who are incensed against you
    shall be ashamed and disgraced;
those who strive against you
    shall be as nothing and shall perish. 
12 You shall seek those who contend with you,
    but you shall not find them;
those who war against you
    shall be as nothing at all. 
13 For I, the Lord your God,
    hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, ‘Do not fear,
    I will help you.’ 

14 Do not fear, you worm Jacob,
    you insect* Israel!
I will help you, says the Lord;
    your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. 
15 Now, I will make of you a threshing-sledge,
    sharp, new, and having teeth;
you shall thresh the mountains and crush them,
    and you shall make the hills like chaff. 
16 You shall winnow them and the wind shall carry them away,
    and the tempest shall scatter them.
Then you shall rejoice in the Lord;
    in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory. 

17 When the poor and needy seek water,
    and there is none,
    and their tongue is parched with thirst,
I the Lord will answer them,
    I the God of Israel will not forsake them. 
18 I will open rivers on the bare heights,
   and fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
    and the dry land springs of water. 
19 I will put in the wilderness the cedar,
    the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive;
I will set in the desert the cypress,
    the plane and the pine together, 
20 so that all may see and know,
    all may consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
    the Holy One of Israel has created it

Before those of you who have said Morning Prayer today point out that this isn’t the right reading, my tablet took me to yesterday’s readings by mistake, which I confess I didn’t read then.  So even more amazing that I found my way to this passage!

My heart was singing by the time I reached the end.  Those repeated assurances of an ever faithful God, “Do not be afraid”, reminded me that I alone do not need to shoulder the burdens of a troubled world.  The long history of our planet and humanity has shown that time and time again God has had to reassure us and remind us that the darkness, evil, will not prevail.  But this is not to say that I set my fears aside and say that the future of the world is not my concern, for I’ve come away from this reading with two images to ponder.

1. “Now, I will make of you a threshing-sledge,sharp, new, and having teeth;” – I have to be realistic.  I cannot solve the problems of the world alone and if I even try to think about all of them, it’s not particularly healthy and will leave me feeling overburdened and ineffective.  What I need to have is focus, to make a different where I can, where I have the ability to change hearts and minds and circumstances – whether that’s through action, words, financial donations, prayer. It’s about being sharp and having teeth, being strategic and realistic, being prophetic and recognising that I am not utterly powerless in playing my part in building God’s kingdom.
2. ” I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.  I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive; I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together.”  This is just beautiful – a vision of paradise! It’s the hope I need to cling too when I doubt or fear.  God has always been faithful in the past, God has always kept his promises even if we can’t always understand how he is at work.  I do believe that it is not beyond God to one day bring heaven to earth for all to experience – but I don’t know when this will be.  This Advent, perhaps my challenge is practice waiting…  To keep watchful for the beautiful glimpses of paradise, of heaven that are to be found – a promise of God’s glory, and to remember that while there is some light, there can never be complete darkness.

PS  I was just about to post this when I came across this Guardian article which has just appeared on Facebook “The 13 impossible crises that humanity now faces” by George Monbiot. It’s pretty much as my list so I know I’m not alone!  He concludes “I write this not to depress you, though I know it will have that effect, but to concentrate our minds on the scale of the task”.  I’m sure we’re not the only two to feel like this so perhaps a new movement is required – a movement of realism and hope… but isn’t this what the Christian faith is all about?  So perhaps the Gospel is needed now more than ever….

“So, do you like being a vicar? “

At a party on Saturday I met a friend that I don’t think I’ve seen since I was ordained and moved to Manchester in 1999.  As we were talking she asked me whether I liked being a vicar. “Yes” , I replied, because I do. It’s who am I and I can’t imagine any other life.  I recounted one of my recurring nightmares: I’m still a structural engineer (a job I loved but came to realise was not what I wanted to be for the rest of my life), and I want a new job but I don’t know what and I panic that I’ll have to stay an engineer for ever.  Everytime I wake up, I am so relieved to remember that I did find a new job and I don’t need to panic!  

I’ve been thinking since Saturday night about this question and how I could have answered it better and after an exhausting Sunday with five services, I’ve been reminded why I like, in fact, love being a vicar.  So here’s my answer as it unfolded yesterday.

Service 1: 9.15am Holy Communion at St Andrew’s: During the service I was thinking about who I should visit during the week. The person who came to mind came up to me after the service and apologised for being late as it had taken such a long time to get her husband who’s not well ready for church.  “Don’t worry” I replied and added “Would it be ok if I came round to see you this week?”  Her face lit up with joy  “Oh, yes please”.  It took me by surprise that a visit from me would bring such joy – I know I’m a reasonably nice person but I’m not that special!  Then the penny dropped, the joy is that someone bothered to show an interest, and that as a vicar, as a priest, it’s not just my interest but God’s interest, God’s love, that I have the privilege of representing.

Service 2: 10.45am Holy Communion at St Martin’s.  Preaching on Bible Sunday, as I do each year on this Sunday, I encouraged people to ask themselves whether they read the Bible enough. I’m used to not getting much response to my sermons (I don’t think  it’s because they’re no good, it’s just that people aren’t in the habit of saying much about the services!) Since the service, one person has asked me where they should start reading the Bible and another has told me that she’s going to start reading  the Psalms.  Glad to have been of some help! 

Service 3 12.30m Blessing of three children/young people at St Martin’s. It was such a privilege to take this service, giving thanks to God for and blessing three of the children who live at St  Martin’s Vicarage.  Only a short service, but precious moments of celebrating God’s love for each one of them, anointing them and pronouncing God’s blessing on them and praying for the whole family to know God’s faithful love, care and protection. 

Service 4  4.30pm St James on Sunday Afternoon. This is a congregation that I started about 8 years ago when I was a vicar in Ashton and remained with during my time as Young Adults Missioner until this summer.  Before stepping down from the leadership in July, I had invited Bishop  Mark to come to a service and yesterday he came.  It was a privilege to sit as part of the congregation and look round at everyone else there and realise that few of them were part of a church before we started St James on Sunday Afternoons.  As we shared communion together and had the opportunity to be anointed by Bishop  Mark, I felt such joy at the Christian  family we have become where children and adults have come to know the realiy of God’s love and are now sharing in the leadership of this service.  It was a special joy to hear how one of the adults had got on so well preaching at the morning service – part of her journey, I hope, towards becoming her a vicar. A Great afternoon, feeling humbled by the impact of my ministry in this area.

Service 5. 6.30pm Licensing Service St Michael’s, Ashton.  Another service with Bishop Mark as he licensed Revd Jules Mambu as a new curate in Roger’s parish. The service reminded me of my various licensing services in the past and the privilege of accepting the Bishop’s invitation to minister as a priest.   And then afterwards enjoying the extravagant spread of cakes!!!  Never quite sure whether the regular opportunities for vicars to eat cake are a blessing or not – particularly at the end of a long day when the temptation is to eat too many.

A snapshot of a day in  my life –  and yes, though busy, I loved it!!  Being a vicar isn’t always eeasy, after all people and communities can be hard work at times (there have been moments when I have wished that my church only had me in it!!).  It can feel messy, people fall out with each other or get angry for no apparent reason at all, sometimes it’s a lonely existence, it can be exhausting with long hours and only one day off a week.  And sometimes I feel distinctly inadequate – a year ago today a young father of two from my parish died after a battle with cancer. The day before, I had anointed him and baptised his baby  son at the bedside in Christie’s hospital. This was a moment of such anguish – all the theological arguments I had in my head as to why God allows suffering seemed of little use as I prayed in that room, and tried to hold  back my tears so that I could do what was needed.  But even there, I sensed the privilege of being a vicar – of knowing that when all else fails, I simply have to trust in God and let him give me the words and the actions needed.

And besides, what other job lets you sit in IKEA with coffee and a cinnamon bun on a Monday morning and blog!!

Berry picking, Lazarus and noticing God at work in the world.

This is the sermon that I am preaching today at the International Church of Christ the King in Tampere, inspired by the last couple of weeks in Finland and the Synod this coming week here in Tampere

It’s a real pleasure to be preaching here this afternoon.  Usually on a Sunday I would be preaching in my two parishes in Manchester, but I’m here this week as part of the link between the dioceses of Manchester and Tampere – and I’ll say a little more about that later.  I’ve visited Tampere several times and this time I persuaded my husband Roger to come with me for a couple of week’s holiday.  He’s back in Manchester now but we had a lovely time visiting Lapland, Tampere and Helsinki.  We like hiking and we were blessed with beautiful weather in Lapland so spent some time in the forests.  However, whenever we go hiking Roger always ends up ahead of me! It’s not  because he walks faster than me but because I stop to pick berries or look at a tiny flower or a bird I’ve spotted.  He on the other hand tends to look at the landscape around him and doesn’t need to stop so much. 

So what does this have to do with our gospel?  Luke tells this uncomfortable story of the rich man who goes to hell and the poor man Lazarus who goes to heaven.  A warning to us all!  But perhaps, if you’re honest,  you, like me, want to say, well of course that’s what happens to those who are super rich and greedy but I’m not super rich and I‘m a kind sort of person so I’m safe – we’d remind ourselves to be a bit more generous and move on to the next chapter.  In the past, my sermon on this passage would be an elaboration of that theme, picking up on the last part of our second reading to reinforce this message of dealing wisely with money.

However, my hikes in the forest inspired me to think a little differently about this passage.  They have made me think about what the rich man actually noticed at his gate. We are told that the rich man feasted lavishly every day and always dressed in the smartest clothes until the day he died.   It certainly sounds like he had lived like this for many years.  Similarly, it sounds as though poor Lazarus, had lain at his gate for years – perhaps just a grubby cloth covering his damaged skin, hungry and in pain.  During these years, the rich man must have passed by Lazarus at the gateway many times but without seeming to notice him.  Perhaps the rich man was so caught up in his next business venture or thinking about the party the night before that he never noticed what was in front of his very eyes.  Or perhaps he once upon a time he had noticed Lazarus lying at his gate, but soon Lazarus just blended in with the rest of the scenery and was ignored.  Or perhaps the rich man knew the poor man  was there, but was embarrassed or irritated and chose to avert his eyes when he passed and after a while this just became habit. Or of course perhaps the rich man was just a really horrible man and had no conscience at all – but I think this less likely because I think often Jesus told stories about people who we would identify with at least in part! So the question for us today from this gospel reading is (assuming we are not really horrible people without any conscience at all!) “Who are we failing to  notice today?”  

In Manchester, there are many homeless people who sleep on the streets and during the day  sit begging .  I have to admit that this challenges  me.  I do notice the figures huddled on the side of the pavement but I don’t give any of them money.  I do try to acknowledge them and say “Sorry, No”.  On a cold day I think it would be nice to buy a hot drink for someone I’ve seen but then think that if I do it for one, I should do it for everyone and that would be unmanageable.  I comfort myself by giving regularly to charities who work with the homeless or giving food to those who come to my vicarage for help.  But, this parable does challenge me about whether I am doing just enough just to make myself feel good or whether I am still rather too much like the rich man still!
Jesus’s parables made his hearers uncomfortable and we see throughout the gospels how the religious people got angry and indignant-  “How dare he imply that we are like the bad person in a story?” As the Church today, I don’t think we like to see ourselves as the group being criticised or challenged by Jesus.  Perhaps we are more  comfortable being the ones who challenge others to look at whether their behaviour is godly or not.  But are there individuals or groups of people we don’t notice, either because we aren’t looking or because we choose not to look? People who need to hear about God’s love and mercy.

In the UK, the diversity of human sexuality is challenging the Anglican Church at the moment.  For a long time, the church has  ignored this issue and many homosexual people have felt let down by the church.  But times are changing and the Church can no longer ignore the needs and desires of a section of our communities.  We are having to notice, to open our eyes, have conversations and learn what response God wants from us.  

In both our countries immigration is a significant issue and I guess that in both places opinion is divided over the right way to respond as those of other faiths start to build communities of their own.  There is also an increase in both our countries of people who are no longer members of the church and it is difficult not to notice our congregations getting smaller.  

Our response to all of these issues challenging the church could be for us to be like the rich man and close our eyes to the messiness of the world around us, and instead focus on enjoying our feasting in our worship with those in our congregation week by week, and assume that all is well with us and God.  However, I think that the church is called to notice the Lazaruses at our gate.  

Many churches do wonderful things to transform the lives of those who are isolated and who are suffering – and I have seen this both here in Finland and in Manchester – meals for the hungry, skills for the unemployed, company for the lonely.  But I think there is a new need in rapidly changing times for the church to notice even more, to look hard at the places in our cities where we rarely go and that brings me to explain what I’m here for this week.  The clergy and deacons of your diocese are coming together to do just this.  They along with some of us who are overseas friends are going on pilgrimages into the city – to offices, prisons, mosques, work places, institutions… Our task is to explore where people experience mercy and grace in their lives and also where they have experience of no mercy. This is an exercise in noticing what we have perhaps failed to see in the past – those place where God is at work in the world.  The previous Archbishop of Canterbury described mission as looking at the world, seeing where God is at work and joining in – and I love this description of what all of us lay and ordained are asked by God to do.  Instead of being like the rich man and staying comfortably inside our spiritual homes we are called to step outside to encounter people like Lazarus who need to experience mercy and love, however uncomfortable we may feel. 

I’d like to take us back to hiking in the forest for a moment. It’s important to be aware of the wider landscape when hiking so that you don’t lose your way or miss dangers ahead or fail to see spectacular views. But stopping, bending down and noticing the small things like berries, mushrooms, flowers, butterflies bring hidden delights.  I think this is a picture of our life working with God in the world, both seeing the big picture of his abundant grace and mercy but also taking time to notice God at work in surprising places.  So my prayer this week, is that all those taking part in the Synod, encounter God in surprising places in this city.  In doing this may we all be inspired, with all in our congregations, to join with God in working in new places and new ways so that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit becomes a reality in every corner of our parishes.

A lesson from Finland for would-be builders of walls

In 2008 I made my first visit to Tampere in Finland as part of a project btween the link dioceses of Manchester and Tampere. I spent a week on placement in Hervanta parish and then later in the year returned for a conference focussing on theological reflection at which all of us who had been on placements presented some reflections on our experiences. Following Donald Trump’s recent reiteration that he is going to build a “impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful, beautiful, southern border wall” between the US and Mexico, one of these reflections came back into my mind.  It was titled: “The church’s call to be a bridge-builder – or a remover of fences!” and I thought Donald Trump might want to take note before he gets any further with his wall building proposals!

A walk around Hervanta soon reveals that Finnish people 

live with significant freedom from physical boundaries in their living spaces.  There is no strict delineation between the built and the natural environment, schools are not surrounded by fences, social and private housing are not as separated as in the UK. The forest is a place where Finns feel very much at home.  One person described the forest as a “hiding place” for Finns which I initially agreed with until I realised that this meant it was a personal hiding place where he felts safe while I thought of it as a hiding place for other people which made me feel unsafe!  In all communities, boundaries are created to separate those places deemed “safe” and “unsafe” and misplaced boundaries can have a serious impact on the relationships between different individuals and communities, often creating or perpetuation false senses of fear, suspicion and isolation.   Since returning home I have been increasingly aware of the number of fences around homes, public buildings and open spaces (and even churches!) and have reflected that these serve as a visual reminder of the “fences” that exist between different peoples.  In a multicultural setting, boundaries between different peoples can be created all too easily and different groups can become isolated.  

This issue of fewer boundaries  in people’s living space is very pertinent for me at the moment.  In my local neighbourhood, most of the terraced housing have enclosed their alleys with gates with the result that groups of young people can no longer meet in these areas.  The only local place available is the street outside our vicarage and church school and the church grounds.  This has caused problems with balls breaking windows and going into gardens.   We have literally been creating  bigger barriers as higher and higher fences have been put in to protect the school and vicarage.  The police have even suggested that metal shutters could go on the school windows and razor wire on the roof!  I felt uncomfortable about this situation before going to Finland but since coming back I have a much more heightened sense that while it is right to be concerned with security, fencing in more and more spaces is detrimental to communities.    I see in a new way that the fences we physically build are visible signs of our tendency to build other kinds of fences around ourselves.  
As a church we strive to be part of a community where all are valued and all have an equal part to play in our shared life together. To be like this, we need to examine the boundaries that exist within the church, in the local community and in people’s minds.  Several passages from Scripture have emerged as I’ve started to reflect on these issues:  “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave new free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3.28); “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners…” (Luke 4:18); “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free…..” (Gal 5:1).  These passages remind us of God’s desire for all people to be one and to experience freedom.     
A heavily fenced community seems an unlikely place where these can be true and so one role of the church needs to be to tear down those fences which aren’t needed to create a place where people can experience their God-given freedom.

Waiting for the Kingfisher

Until a couple of days ago, I’d never seen a kingfisher in this country and I’d put this as one of the things to do on my ’50 things @ 50 list’.  Having googled the best places to see this beautiful bird in the northwest and waking up to sunshine, Roger and I arrived at Pennington Flash.

 

I like watching birds but I get bored easily so as we got to Pengy’s hide, I turned to Roger and said ‘I’m not sure I have the patience for this!’. I’m not an optimist by nature, but deep down I knew that this was the day and the place to achieve my dream. We’d come prepared – a flask of coffee and some cake, a book for Roger to read – and I sat down for the anticipated long wait.

The first thing I noticed was the peace and calm – there was a kind of thickness to it, like a warm duvet enveloping me in comfort.  The second thing was the silence – none of the sounds I’m used to of sirens and cars and people – just bird song and rustles in the trees.  The third thing was a bird landing on a branch to the side of the hide. It was in the shade so all I could see was the silhouette but I realised this was it! The disproportionately long bill compared to its body, a fairly squat body.  After a few moments it flew across the pond and the flash or iridescent blue confirmed that we’d been blessed by the presence of a kingfisher. I hadn’t been challenged with a long wait, just ten minutes to have an encounter with the bird I’d long to see for many years.  The moment was soon gone though as a group of birders arrived and filled the hide with their chatter.  We slipped away rejoicing.

We spent a little time in some other hides, but they too were noisy – but we did have the privilege of watching a heron gorging itself on a breakfast of tiny fish and a delightful family of moorhens.

One of the prompts to deciding to embark on my quest this particular week was an article about Rowan William’s new book ‘Being Disciples’ in the Church Times.  He talks about how he loves the image of prayer as birdwatching:

“you sit very still because something is liable to burst into view, and sometimes of course it means a long day sitting in the rain with nothing very much happening. I suspect that, for most of us, a lot of our experience of prayer is precisely that.  But the odd occasions when you do see what TS Eliot (in section IV of ‘Burnt Norton’ called ‘the kingfisher’s wing’ flashing ‘light to light’ make it all worthwhile.  And I think that living in this sort of expectancy – living in awareness, your eyes sufficiently open and your mind both relaxed and attentive enough to see that when it happens – is basic to discipleship.”

He continues to talk about how in the Gospels the disciples don’t just listen, they are expected to look as well, picking up clues all the way through.  Williams notes how, in Mark’s Gospel, the disciples are portrayed as ‘incredibly stupid about picking up clues: they can’t do it.  The kingfisher flashes past them, and Peter or someone (usually Peter) turns round and says ‘Oh, I missed that’.’

Since spotting my kingfisher, a friend has introduced me to this beautiful poem by Anna Lewin…….

 

Prayer is like watching for
The kingfisher. All you can do is
Be there where he is like to appear, and
Wait.
Often nothing much happens;
There is space, silence and
Expectancy.
No visible signs, only the
Knowledge that he’s been there
And may come again.
Seeing or not seeing cease to matter,
You have been prepared.
But when you’ve almost stopped
Expecting it, a flash of brightness
Gives encouragement.

Prayer can be just like this – a long, long wait. But sometimes, we have that encounter with God very quickly; we receive an image or an idea or some words as soon as we’ve sat down.  What do we do then?  Once I’d seen the kingfisher there was almost no point staying – I’d done what I’d set out to do.  But we stayed, and were free to look for other things – the unexpected family of moorhens and the heron feeding right in front of us.  If we’d gone home straight away, we’d have missed these further delights. But we also had time to reflect on the gift of the kingfisher without our focus turning to more mundane things like driving home or what to have for lunch.  So too with prayer – if we sense that God has spoken to us quickly, we needn’t stop praying. Instead, we can relax with what we have received, mull it over, ponder it – and who knows, God might have other treasures in store for us as we sit.

I’ve also been prompted to search for a vaguely remembered kingfisher piece of writing by Trevor Dennis in his book ‘Keeping God Company’. God is pictured as a dove flanked by her archangels, a nightingale and a peregrine falcon.  A kingfisher comes to ask God to make him different. He wants to sing as beautifully as the nightingale so that all would stop to listen to him. He also wants to be able to fly like the falcon so that he could come hurtling down out of the sky and scare the living daylights out of everyone! God laughs and tells the kingfisher to look at his back but the kingfisher can’t turn his head around far enough and he can’t fly upside-down above the water to see his reflection.  God tells the kingfisher to fly up and down the river while she watches. 

“The kingfisher did as he was asked, though he didn’t have a clue what his God was on about. He flew fast and straight, while the autumn sun shone full on his back, and the blue there caught fire and made all seem dull beside it.  He turned and flew back to the patch of light in the woods.

God clapped her hands. ‘My friend, my good friend,’ she cried, ‘you have your own glory! I have put it on your back! It was a good day’s work when I made you! You wear me on your back! Fly now, my kingfisher, flash your blue flame over the water, and we will delight in all that beauty I have given you! You do, you wear me on your back!’

It’s been a privilege this week to see that flash of blue, my first kingfisher.  God’s glory glimpsed indeed over a peaceful pond near Leigh. A memory to cherish- but also an image to ponder further on as I reflect on prayer and discipleship.

Running the Race – some Olympic parables

A sermon inspired by Hebrews 12.1-2 and my love of the Olympics…

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,”

Sometimes the lectionary that sets our readings and world events coincide with great relevance and today is one of those days!  This verse from our second reading leapt out at me – especially the phrase ‘run with perseverance the race….’ as we are witnessing that great sports spectacle of the Olympics taking place in Rio.

Amidst clouds of witnesses in a variety of sports arenas and in homes around the world, we’ve seen amazing achievements.  But what I find interesting is the stories behind some of these achievements.  Jesus knew that telling stories about everyday events such as farming, parties, building houses, and so on, was a good way of helping people think about God and inspiring them in their journey of faith and so this morning I want to tell you a few stories that Jesus might have told had he been in Rio at the moment.  I hope that these modern day parables will inspire us to run the race that is set before us!

The first might be called “the parable of the young man who looked death in the eye”  Jesus once said: There was once a young man who enjoyed all that life had to offer.  He was a good sportsman but it was only part of his life.  He had a good time being a normal teenager until at 16 he became dangerously ill.  He ruptured his spleen and was given a 5% chance of survival.  As he recovered, he had a major decision to make.  He’d been out of the sport he loved, diving, for a long period an had to ask himself what he wanted out of life: to have a normal teenage life studying for GCSEs or devoting himself to diving, his passion, and working hard to become the best diver he could be.  He made his decision and seven years later, Chris Mears won a gold medal along with his partner Jack Laugher in the synchronised 3m springboard competition.  They didn’t actually dive spectacular dives – those high rated ones which have you on the edge of your seat watching in case something goes wrong.  But they consistently dived well those that chose with a slightly lower tariff, steadily building up their scores… and seeing the competition falter and drop away.  Jesus continued, “And I tell you, whoever is faithful, whoever uses their gifts and talents and perseveres will be blessed.”

Jesus went on to tell the “parable of the lost sportswoman.”  Suppose there is a young girl lost in the favelas, living with the poorest of the poor in Brazil,  ignored by most people, dismissed as worthless because of her poverty.  Like so many other young people living without hope, she got caught up in fighting and got expelled from school.  Her family the enrolled her in free judo classes when she was a child to keep her away from gang life and drugs. And that young girl found she had a gift and a dream…… Through tough times, she kept training and qualified for the 2012 Olympics.  Then she nearly got lost again. She was disqualified in the early stages of the London Olympics for an irregular manoeuvre and faced a torrent of abuse. One text message read  “The place for a monkey is in a cage. You are not an Olympian.” She considered giving up judo, so hurt was she by thi.   But four years later, Rafaela Silva came back to bring Brazil its first gold medal  the Rio games in the 57kg judo division.  When she has won her gold medal, she calls together her family, friends and neighbours saying ‘Rejoice with me, for I was hidden from view but now have been seen by all, for I have used the gifts I have been given, ….’ Her friends rejoiced saying  “We have hope now that we too can do great things, rise out of poverty and be noticed by those who have shut their eyes to the favelas for so long.  Jesus continued: “So I tell you, there will be joy in the presence of the angels of God over one who has overcome oppression and adversity and who has persevered to use their God given gifts to their fullest.”

Jesus told another parable when there was a problem just before the games began: “The parable of the great sportsperson”.  There was a role given to the greatest sportsperson, the honour of lighting the Olympic flame.  The organisers thought long and hard and asked the great footballer, Pele, their hero to do the job.  But he became unwell and couldn’t do it.  How can we find another great person to take on this honour? the officials asked. They then chose their second best sportsperson, a tennis player, to light the flame.  But he refused saying there is one who is greater than me.  “How can there be anyone greater?” the officials asked. So Jesus told a story to help them think about true greatness.   There was a marathon runner who trained diligently.  At the Athens Olympics in 2004, he was well on his way to winning Brazil’s first marathon gold. He held a 30-second lead at the 22-mile mark.

But then an Irish ex-priest jumped out of the crowd, grabbed the runner and pushed him off the track. This priest who had been recently defrocked said later he wanted to take out the race leader “to draw attention to the Bible”. The marathon runner was able to pick himself up and get running again but he only managed to get bronze.   There was an appeal that he should be given gold but that was denied.  However, he was awarded the Pierre de Coubertin medal by the International Olympic Committee for “exceptional demonstration of fair play and Olympic values”.  Despite being prevented from winning the greatest prize possible, the runner forgave the man who disrupted his race. The organisers listened to this story and replied “We understand now.  A great sportsperson, deserving of this high honour, need not have won the most prizes but be the one who has played well.” And so they invited that marathon runner, Vanderlei de Lima, to have the great honour of lighting the Olympic flame at the start of the Rio Games.

There was another story told when some sportspeople were overheard saying, ‘Why do we need to obey the laws laid down for us?  Surely if we’re not actually hurting anyone else, it doesn’t matter if we break the rules?”  So Jesus told this story, “The parable of the drug cheats.”  All the competitors taking part in the Olympics wanted to do their very best and win the ultimate prize of a medal, especially the gold medal with its title of Olympic Champion.  They trained hard and most followed the rules but some decided that their need to win was greater than others.  In fact one country decided that it needed to have lots of medallists so they gave some of their sportsmen and women drugs to help them run faster, jump higher, compete for longer, be stronger.  They thought no one would know but people began to wonder why some members of that team suddenly got so much better.  Then there was an investigation and the drugs cheating was discovered. In some of the events, every single competitor from that country was banned.  Both those who cheated and broke the rules as well as those who kept the rules and been honest and fair had to stay at home and watch others take the medals they had hoped to win. You fools, said Jesus to those he had overheard, this day you have lost everything.  So it is with those who think there are short cuts to the final prize and do not run the race following God’s commandments!

When Jesus told his parables, he left it to his audience to take away the stories they had heard and mull over them and think about the lessons they could learn from them.  And then, he hoped they would  act on these lessons so that they would grow closer to God, loving him and one other.  So in this tradition, I’m going to leave these Olympic parables with you this morning for you to ponder on.  May they help each of us to “lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.”

The heartbeat of God

I spent a few days away on retreat at the end of July and I came across an image that seemed very important for me as I start a new ministry as the vicar of St Andrew, Droylsden (alongside my existing post of vicar of St Martin, Droylsden). I then realised that it tied in well with the gospel reading for my first Sunday – Luke 12.32-40 and the phrase “‘your heart will always be where your treasure is’”. So I preached on this and used the image as a focus for our intercessions. The image was that of a neonatal baby and here are the prayers that flowed out of this.

When babies are born prematurely, as soon as they are stable enough, the best way for them to thrive is to have regular skin to skin contact with a parent. Resting on their mum or dad’s chest, they pick up their parent’s heartbeat and their own heartbeat strengthens. This means that they grow stronger more quickly and feel less pain. The heartbeat of the parent, beating as one with theirs brings life, real treasure! We could apply the same image to us and God. That we need to spend time resting with God, letting our heart beat settle so that it matches God’s and that as we do this, his values and desires become ours and we truly find that heavenly treasure.

Picking up on the theme of letting our hearts be where our treasure is, and that for us that treasure is being with God and serving God, I invite you to sit still and become aware of your own heart beating. Perhaps you might like to put your hand on your heart – or feel your pulse…..

Maybe your heart is beating strongly – perhaps it’s a bit erratic, or it’s beating a bit quickly – but it’s beating and you’re alive and that’s something to give thanks to God for. So let’s take a moment to say a quiet thank you to God for all that is good in our lives at this moment.

Now let’s imagine that we’re listening to God’s heart beat – beating steadily, firmly, constant, full of love and life and faithfulness and generosity. Try to imagine your beat starting to beat like God’s – and his love and life and faithfulness and generosity overflowing into your life. Let’s take a moment to try and sense that closeness with God..

As we sense that closeness with God for ourselves, let’s imagine God’s heartbeat filling this building, so that all who encounter this church and the congregations who worship here, cannot fail to experience God’s love. Let’s take a moment as we ask God to sustain the life of this church and to bring growth….

Aware of God’s love, life, faithfulness and generosity, let’s now think of those people we are aware of who need God’s healing, who need God’s love, who need God’s faithfulness to sustain them. Let’s take a moment to offer those names to God

There comes a time for all people when their heart stops beating and their earthly life is over – but our Christian hope is that life continues – as they are gathered up into God’s presence and his heartbeat goes on sustaining them. So let’s take a moment to remember those who have died.

Loving God, Lord of life, with our hearts we cry to you,
hear our prayers and answer us. Amen.

Another year gone!

I’ve just come back from the leavers’ assembly at the primary school near my church. The annual year books containing their precious memories have been given to all the year 6 children, sports and special achievement awards handed out, tissues passed round to weeping children and their parents and the goodbyes said.

Not having children, the end of school year shouldn’t really have much effect on my life other than not having to take assemblies for five weeks. As a priest my life is governed predominantly by the liturgical year-  Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter….   So it always surprises me how the end of the school year feels such a significant time in my year.

Some of this may be due to emptier roads in the morning and afternoon and a stillness around our house as the school next doors sits more or less empty during August.  Maybe it’s that my body remembers the years that I have been in education when this day heralds a time to relax, a time that ‘hangs’ in that one year of study is left behind but the next year won’t start until September.  That residual memory has possibly conditioned me to automatically feel a weight lifted on this day and a need to have a different rhythm of life over the coming month.

The hymn in assembly was ‘One more step along the world’ by Sydney Carter:

One more step along the world I go;

one more step along the world I go;
from the old things to the new
keep me travelling along with you:

It’s an obvious choice for those children moving on to something new and a healthy reminder that God is a constant companion on the journey moving forward. But as I reflected on another year completed, for some of us this feels more like the end of one cycle of time and a wait for it all to start again. We’ve been here before, last year and the year before, and will be here next year, and the next (and if it isn’t us, our successors will be!)  It’s  more like ‘one more step around the world I go’!  For some people, life may feel as though there is constant change – which can be exciting or exhausting.  For others, life may feel the safe day after day – which can be tedious or comforting. For me, from this time next week I will be experiencing both. Tuesday 2nd August will mark the start of something new as I start my ministry as vicar of St Andrew, Droylsden but I will also be continuing as vicar of St Martin, Droylsden where we have a well established rhythm of life and pattern of relationships. I will have to learn how to balance ministry where part of my time is travelling to the new and part is remaining with the old.  The good news is that God is with us both in our ventures into the unknown and those times where things remain the same, just as he has been with us in the past.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”   Revelations 22.13