Category Archives: faith

‘I knew where I was!’

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I love listening to children and some of the things they can say quite innocently can make you laugh, cry or contemplate some deep issue. One such occurrence happened in Cornwall. One of the boys did not tell his dad where he was going. I don’t know but I guess the dad would have been annoyed and this annoyance would have come directly from this fathers love and concern for the well being of his son.

I overheard the boy say …

‘He didn’t know where I was … but I knew where I was!’  

Although that was an amusing thing to say, it has got me thinking about my relationship with God. Although I am not always sure where I am going, I always know where I am. I may be surprised to find my self in places … but, nevertheless, I know where I am. I wonder whether, with that personal knowledge of my own whereabouts, comes an assumption that others, including God, know where I am.

Often we speak of ourselves as the children of God and yet we want to know all the answers. Essentially this means we want to be treated by God as equals as only God can really have all the answers.

If we are children we ask questions but a lot of the time we trust. I wonder whether with this trust comes a personal responsibility to tell God where I am. I know God knows … but my telling him reminds me not only that I am cared for, but that God is interested and looking out for my well being.

Sing your own song!

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One of the real privileges of my role is that I get to mix traditional with pioneering and so experience many different aspects of life and worship that I may not otherwise experience. A cathedral, of all places, is a great place to experience the best of what we would call traditional, although I could well argue that some of the what our musicians do is pretty pioneering and innovative so that it cause you to pause and be struck afresh by some aspect of God.

Earlier this week I attended the cathedral carol service. Our choirs always produce a beautifully amazing sound but during thee carol service I experienced something new and different. At one point during the service the choir were standing very close to me which enabled me to hear each individual voice as well as the ‘one sound’. Each voice was unique, beautiful and noticeably different from each other. Together they were fantastic, but on this evening it was the individual voices that got me thinking and through which God challenged me.

As I walked home that evening from the station (skating / flying part of the way but that’s a story for another time) I reflected on this and thought each of us has our own distinct voice. The bible talks of the sheep following the shepherd because they know his voice. Our voice is probably as distinct and unique to us as our fingerprints are.

Our task, in our lives, is to find our own voice, to sing our own song .. to make our own individual contribution. Too foten we are guilty of trying to copy others, or wish to be like others. Sometimes we spend so much time envying others that we miss out totally on the beauty that we personally have.

What we have is distinct and unique to us … and no matter what we may think of it, God can take and join with it to make something we think ordinary simply stunning!

We simply need to find our voice and sing our song …. and see what happens.

a life of passion?

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The Secret in Their Eyes was a simply beautifully engaging movie, and is probably one of the best films I have seen in a while. The film has a strong plot and an ending (well one of the endings as there are a series of stories within this story) which does challenge you over what is justice all about. The ending I am referring to it quite grotesque in many ways … but I won’t spoil it for those of you that may want to try and watch it.

The film one the Oscar for the best foreign film. I particularly loved some of the filming … there are a great series of opening shots at a railway station that are very engaging which I adored  – much more in fact than the very special scene swooping into a football stadium and chasing a person through tunnels and terraces.

In particular I was truck by the running theme of passion. part way through the film one of the characters realises, when they are looking for the suspect, that people don’t lose their passions, and that there passions determine how they act. That simple line actually sets the tone, clues and behaviour for the rest of the film.

It has left me with so many thoughts on that passion stuff. In the gathering when we started to look at our rhythm of life we started by asking ourselves what we were passionate about. There was a resonance there for me. No matter what happens, our passions remain intact – and if that is so then passions are pretty influential in governing how we live our lives. If we have passion for justice, we will live in a way to support fairness; if we have a passion for money, we will live to increase our balance.

Passions determine how we live … I find that quite thought provoking.

Next weeks film at The Other Cinema is The Girl who Played with Fire – it’s probably going to be quite a popular one which means lots more people. Looking forward to it!

not ashamed … but quite confused

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I’ve been asked to sign up for the Not Ashamed an initiative of Christian Concern for our Nation (CCFON).

At first sight the campaign looks good and states:
‘NOT ASHAMED’ is an opportunity for Christians across the UK to stand together and to express our confidence that Jesus Christ is good news not just for individuals or for the church but for our nation as a whole. He is the only true hope for our society.’
I can and do agree with that. That should not be a surprise to you … after all I am a priest in the Church of England. If I did not believe Jesus Christ was good news for all and the only true hope then I should be looking for another job!

But as I look at the campaign I am a little concerned. Christians are being called to show they are not ashamed by wearing some symbol on a wristband, a t-shirt, baseball cap or by wearing a badge. While that is not bad in itself, (that common outlook can encourage people) I am concerned at the lack of practical good news action that is suggested here. Christians are being called upon to ‘explain to friends, neighbours, colleagues, family and others why Jesus Christ is such good news for individuals and for our society.’ But Surely it would be far more fitting with gospel values if we spoke and explained less and acted practically a lot more by actually being good news rather than just talking about it. Explaining why Jesus is good news is one thing, but if we can’t back that explanation with practical action that makes a difference then I would argue that those words do not really have any value.

Sadly as I look further intio the campaign I am saddened by the second claim which I can’t agree with (and so ultimately cannot sign up to this campaign … and I guess that means some will think I am ashamed of my faith, but nothing could be further from the truth!)

The second claim, or more accurately a demand, cannot actually be found on the website. To find this you have to download the pdf leaflet which adds:
‘WE CALL on government, employers and other leaders in our country to protect the freedom of Christians to participate in public life without compromising biblical teaching and to promote in our society the values that are revealed through Jesus Christ and that have so shaped our nation, for the good of all.’    
I don’t understand the reasoning for this call. As I have said before here on SHP I do not believe Christianity is marginalised in our nation. I’m actually quite sickened by the claim and thought. I don’t understand what Biblical teaching is being undermined, apart from our clear commands to help the poor and marginalised, but I suspect that is not the Biblical teaching this campaign is talking about. Sadly my fear is that people will see this as a demand from all the church serving our own interests when in fact it is only from a particular section of the church.
Most of all, I want to know where this teaching and idea comes from.
Where in the gospels does Jesus say campaign for your own rights?
Where in the bible does it say we should campaign to make things better for ourselves?
Is this campaign going to speak out for the poor, the marginalised and those who will be suffering more after benefits cuts as time progresses …. or is it only going to speak out for those that can’t wear their chosen jewellery even though their employers have always had a no jewellery rule?
I’m very open to being shown I am wrong … at the moment I am just very concerned and confused!

changing habits

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We have been doing a bit of energy awareness education in our house and it seems to be having a good effect!

I recently switched our energy supplier to British Gas. As part of the deal they sent us a free energy monitor which attaches itself to one of the electrical cables going into the meter and transmits how much electricity is being used at any one time and, more importantly, how much that is costing us each day and each month.

I guess I am like many dads and I am constantly moaning about the TV being left on when no one is watching it, and lights left on in empty rooms. I think we have all been shocked how much power we have been using as a family – discovering, for example, that just turning the hall light off could save us nearly £5 per month.

The result … the house is in semi-darkness! But … this has got to be better for the planet and it’s quite interesting that a simple meter by the phone has had such a great effect on our behaviour. the good thing – this has got to be better for our carbon footprint, and also for our wallets!

I guess, reflecting on this, it shows me again how key meaningful illustrations or activities are if we are to make an impact and change behaviour. I have been ‘going on’ for years about turning lights and things off … no one has listened to me … but the little meter with the £ and kw sign has had more impact in minutes than I have in years.

I guess people just need to see the reasons plain and simple!

discovering hidden gifts

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The last few Wednesdays, and the next few, have been set aside for compiling a portfolio of my last two years working as a pioneer curate. The material is all there in various places (blog, journals, podcasts etc) and I now need to draw stuff from it and put it into an 8000 word essay to satisfy the particular authorities that I am learning and reflecting adequately on my experiences. You may well detect some sarcasm there … and you would be right as I think there is a lost opportunity here for some creativity but … that’s another story!

A large part of pulling the portfolio together has involved me in reading through old blog posts and journal entries. This week I came across this writing in my journal for 31st October 2008. This is 8 weeks in to my visiting places:

‘I’m finding this really difficult as I don’t think I’m particularly good at small talk. I don’t think I find it easy to naturally talk to men either. I’m not sure how to do this other than ‘hello’, ‘how are you?’, or ‘are you having a good day?’ This is tough and I am not sure what to do or how to achieve any sort of balance here. How do I make progress here?’

I had forgotten I had written this nearly 2 years ago. I remember genuinely feeling that I did not have the ability to just be able to talk to people that I do not know. I remember feeling pretty useless and wondering whether I had this all wrong. I look back now and realise that I have been able to do what I have been called to; that I am able to engage with many different people in conversation and that I was just not aware that I could.

I have been reminded this week that first and foremost God calls …. when we respond God then gives us the gifts to fit that calling. As I look back over just 2 years I am quite stunned by what God has given me the ability to do. It has been fairly scary and I have been on a steep learning path – but as I look back I am quite amazed at how God has equipped me with new gifts to do a new thing.

So … what have I learned? First and foremost God calls, when we respond, or step forward, then God equips. That’s a pretty amazing thing to hold on to.

inception reality?

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Saw Inception last night which was a pretty cool film. It had elements of Matrix while exploring mind control through dreams and traveling through different layers of ‘reality’. Yes the film poses that old question of ‘what is reality’ and leaves you guessing …. and it does it well.

I like to grab or collect quotes from films which make me sit up. The sit up quote last night was … ‘you know what you know, but what do you believe?’ The film explores that fragile dimension between knowledge and belief which is something I am pretty interested in. There are other quotes around the need to dream bigger along with our reluctance, or fear, to do so.

The imagery is uses for our different levels of consciousness are quite interesting – but it would spoil the movie for you if I gave them away here. I suspect this imagery is more powerful than I realised and I’m guessing the film needs a second viewing to fully take the imagery in.

The film does have quite a sinister edge to it that I like … it leave you wondering but also leaves you concerned that others are able to manipulate the thoughts of others …. and how the sowing of little seeds of ideas can have pretty major consequences.

This is probably the action movie of the summer!

Resignation to inaction or hold Israel to account?

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Bishop Nick Baines blogs today about resignations,and I found myself massively agreeing with his view on the more serious resignation around the world ‘that Israel can do what it likes and get away with it – that in the end no one will hold Israel to account. They can build their illegal settlements, flout UN Resolutions at will, refuse to cooperate with the wider world (eg. nuclear proliferation negotiations) and commit atrocities against vulnerable people – and apart from a few sharp words, they can then carry on business as usual.’

Bishop Nick is of course referring to Israeli forces intercepting an unarmed flotilla attempting to take medical supplies and food to people in Gaza. As ever Israel speaks of ‘self defence‘ and yet we read of deaths of unarmed civilians yet again from armed Israeli military personnel.

Many have protested and Israel will ignore those protests and simply carry on committing atrocities.

When will governments stand up and act against this country that flouts international laws and has total disregard or respect for human life and the views of those who disagree.

William Hague (the Foreign Secretary) speaks well today and says ‘there is a clear need for Israel to act with restraint and in line with international obligations.’ He goes on to say: ‘This news underlines the need to lift the restrictions on access to Gaza in line with UNSCR (UN Security Council Resolution) 1860.The closure (of access to Gaza) is unacceptable and counter-productive. There can be no better response from the international community to this tragedy than to achieve urgently a durable resolution to the Gaza crisis.

I call on the Government of Israel to open the crossings to allow unfettered access for aid to Gaza, and address the serious concerns about the deterioration in the humanitarian and economic situation and about the effect on a generation of young Palestinians.” 
We can pray that these are not merely empty words – the whole world knows the blockade is inhumane and inexcusable. What else does Israel need to do before the UN takes action – maybe banning sales of arms to Israel would be a good start!
We should pray that the global resignation that nothing will change can be crushed so that lives can be saved.

Ascension

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Today is Ascension Day which is a day that I think gets overlooked in the tradition of church that I have grown up in. We mark it at the cathedral but from my experience last year not many people become involved in the sevice – but it is a Thursday evening when people are doing other things.

Ascension day is quite an important day to remember. It is the day when Christ ‘ascended’ into heaven. This can be (and is by many) viewed as Jesus simply returning home. But he is changed. There is a difference. This is the human Jesus ascending in to heaven and sitting with God. This is the Jesus carrying the marks of crucifixion taking up his place in heaven. Humanity is now permanently in heaven; and it’s not a ‘fluffy’ ideal nice humanity but a real imperfect humanity scarred with the marks of cruelty – I wonder if that is so that the rest of us don’t feel to out of place?

nothing to be afraid of

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It’s been an interesting few days … and I seem to be making endless excuses for not blogging as regularly as I used to or would like to. I guess part of this is that mission, as I see it, that is: getting alongside people and listening and attempting to be an expression of God’s love in a variety of circumstances sounds grand …. but actually it is just me being me and listening, and sometimes responding, to people in a way that it is helpful to them.

In my reflections today I have been thinking more on inculturation. I believe if my faith is to be meaningful today then it has to relate in a significant and authentic way with my culture. The new developing community of people who call ourselves the gathering speak of our faith informing our experience of the world and our experience of the world informing our faith. This is both serious and important to us. A faith that cannot relate to my world is irrelevant.

Different cultures express themselves and faith differently. God, to be God, must be God of all cultures. If that is true, and I believe it is, then it is clear that faith and the living out of that faith will feel and look very different in different cultures. I think it then follows that lifestyles will be different depending upon how those different cultures interpret and are able to express their faith.

A long while ago I remember coming across the Christ we Share pack. The pack illustrates how Christ has been depicted in art in different cultures. Some of the pictures are challenging to our stereotypes of what Christ must have been like. These pictures are, however, an illustration showing how different cultures understand and relate to the Christ figure. Christ, like faith, needs to be in the prevalent culture to be both noticed and relevant.

If people are going to travel their journey of faith with integrity, then there is a requirement for that journey to be understandable within that culture. It makes sense that the same faith can look very different dependent upon the culture that faith expression is sitting within. In the past such stuff have caused concern – but if God is God of all (and if God isn’t then God can’t be God!) then this diversity should be welcomed and embraced.

As we seek to travel together in the gathering we long to travel in a way that embraces, welcomes and cherishes the culture(s) around us. There are loads of groups/churches/organisations/collectives that exist together because they agree about everything. I believe the love of God within creation really flourishes in groups of people that choose to travel together despite not agreeing on everything because they acknowledge that we all bring something unique and valid. I hope that is what the gathering becomes.