Aylesford

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I will be leaving soon to attend the residential for KCME which is the Canterbury and Rochester Dioceses ongoing training program for curates – it used to be called POTTY training (post ordination training).

For the next few days I will be at Aylesford Priory which I know well from good use while at SEITE. It will be odd being there without everyone else I trained with, but good to know a few will be there.

For me … sadly, I feel this residential comes at the wrong time. I’m four weeks into a new ministry, I’m starting to make very tentative connections with people and I want to be ‘out there’ continuing those connections rather than inside for 3 days of training.

This is, however, good for me as it is a good excuse of reminding me that it will be God, and God alone, who fosters these connections and develops them if they are to develop. Me being away for a few days does nothing to change that – in fact, to think it does shows that I may have developed a little bit of a feeling of being important in this process which I need to be rid of.

No blogging though for the next few days as I know from experience that the Friar’s don’t have wireless 😦

discomfort, anger, tears

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I have recently come across the missional church network blog and was particularly challenged by this Franciscan benediction:

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain in to joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

What exciting words to leave a worship space with!

Taize

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I went to Taize prayer in the cathedral crypt last night. It was excellent. There was a deep silence sat in the crypt which I loved – it was a special time for many people that were there. It seems strange, but even in a cathedral I have found that finding silence can sometimes be a challenge.
Taize was a time where we could explore this silence.
I’m glad to say this happens every month in the crypt at 8.00pm – so I’ll definitely be at the next one.

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I tried out a spiritual profile test the other day, just for fun. Apparantly I am a seeker. I’ve cut and paste explorefaith.org’s definition of a ‘seeker’:

Seekers are people who naturally connect with the Holy One through questioning. They have a healthy skepticism that makes it easy for them to explore different opinions, understandings, and experiences of faith. They do not feel the need to accept traditional faith patterns in order to come to a lively trust in God. They do not feel that faith needs to be categorized or institutionalized in order to be real. Inconsistencies and mystery are not daunting to them, but they sometimes find it hard to recognize God in ready-made answers to questions of faith. They seek to relate to the Holy One through exploration and journey. They tend to pray with hopefulness rather than certainty in God’s response. If they were to meet God face to face, they would want to ask God questions.

The woman who met Jesus by a well near her town exemplifies the qualities of a seeker. She was courageous in speaking with Jesus—a male who was outside her tradition—and she even boldly challenged Jesus when he questioned her about her faith and life. Though she was on a path of trying to find and live spiritual truth, she was humble enough to accept new truth when it was revealed to her.

If you are a seeker you may find spiritual meaning through asking questions and testing the normally accepted assumptions about God and faith. As a seeker looking for truth, the journey will be as important to you as the destination. You may be encouraged in your seeking by going to explorefaith.org’s Explore Faith section. Other material of interest could include explorefaith.org books such as Blowing the Lid off the God-box and Beyond Words: Fifteen Ways of Doing Prayer, and articles introducing new ways of perceiving, such as those on Ram Dass, Jewish Spirituality, A World of Prayers, and The Stuff of Dreams, about using dreams and the unconscious to connect with God.

Seekers may struggle more with traditional patterns of prayer and faith. Praying the Hours and reading daily Signpost devotions may be surprise tonics for your soul.

so … there you have it!

preach

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This morning I did my first preach in the cathedral. This is the first time I had spoken in the cathedral on a Sunday and the first time I had been in a pulpit … ever!

There is something odd about being elevated a few feet above the rest of the congregation. Subliminally it seems to be saying this is the expert, this is the important part of the service, you need to listen and take this on board which I am uncomfortable with. There is also the view of being 6 feet above contradiction – again, another view that I am uncomfortable with.

When I speak I love to get feedback, and I think one of the best ways to learn is in dialogue. That way the speaker and the listener learn together. I love the imagery I remember from a Synagogue visit a few years ago in Chatham. I noticed that the ‘speaking area’ was in the centre of the space and when I asked the guide why this was he reminded us that the literal meaning of Synagaogue is ‘discussion house’. He then went on to tell how Rabbi’s would suggest a view from the centre and then it would be discussed openly.

I love that level of interaction which seems to get away from the ‘expert’ view but rather an opinion that is up for discussion. I’d love to see church working like that, although I realise the very thought would terrify some.

This morning I spoke about privilege using mainly Matthew 21:33-46 and Philippians 3:4-14. Both passages show, I believe, how people can lose the plot of reality when they start to put things over and above their realisation of a need for God.

This morning I would have loved to ask what people think, to have listened to their views, to have conversations take off in directions of peoples thoughts and interests. Maybe next time!

Coventry Pilgrimage

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I’ve just booked myself into this pilgrimage at Coventry cathedral which seems good and appropriate for me in my setting at Rochester cathedral.

The program looks really good.

I hope there will be a chance catch up with some friends that might be there as well.

surprised!

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I had an interesting time in the pub I have been frequenting yesterday while meeting a friend for lunch. We got engaged in conversation with a couple of guys. The guys were ‘tough’ guys with a mass of life experience and a mass of respect from the drinking fraternity that are in this place daily – or at least they are every day I am in.

It was interesting because the conversation ended up with one of the guys buying us each pint – despite our objections outlining that we needed to work later in the day, 2 pints of Spitfire were plonked on our table for us to drink while the guy joked that he was ‘buying himself in’ to heaven.

This whole experience was a surprise to me as each day I have entered this place and although aware that I have been ‘clocked’ by this group of men, there has been no acknowledgment of any kind. From nothing we went into conversation over a time-span of 2 hours and were bought a drink. Being with someone meant it was easier to talk and I wonder whether going alone is seen as too much of a threat. Saying that, I am not sure this group of men would be threatened by anything this world could chuck at them. I would guess they are the group used to being threatening rather then being threatened.

I am not naive enough to suggest this is acceptance of or inclusion within this community, but I am excited and intrigued enough to wonder if this is a small initial step in the right direction. Whatever it means, it shows that my presence in this environment is causing a reaction of some description.

we pray for justice

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Lord, hear our prayer

ordination

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It’s a weird word, meaning lots of different things to different people. Being ordained is quite strange too in many ways and the reaction in others as a response to it are wide and varied.

Today I had a study day and although most of it was used to think and start to write my sermon for Sunday morning I reflected a little on ‘what is this ordination lark all about?’

I remembered a card with great words about ordination from my great friend Richard sent me which was a great place to start my reflections:

You are not ordained to minister; that happened at your baptism.
You are not ordained to be a caring person; you are already called to do that.
You are not ordained to serve the church; this is already implied in your membership.
You are not ordained to become involved in social issues, ecology, race, politics, revolution; for this is laid upon every Christian.

You are ordained to something smaller and less spectacular:
To read and interpret those sacred stories of our community,
so that they speak a word to people today;
to remember and practice those rituals and rites of meaning that in their poetry address people at the level where they operate;
to foster in community through word and sacrament that encounter with truth which will set men and women free to minister as the body of Christ.

Today I have been attempting to read and interpret sacred stories so that they may speak into lives I connect with.

Remembering these words gves me a level of excitement as I look forward to the rest of the week.

Thanks Richard!

building on … ?

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On Monday I visited a local sports centre which was an interesting experience.
People who I have known for years were struck by the dog collar and were not sure how to react in front of me.

After using the gym and chatting with some blokes in the steam room I got changed and there was a little hush as I was putting the dog collar back on. I made some joke about ‘fancy dress’ which lightened the mood and produced a couple of questions around where I was and whether the cathedral was a (Roman) Catholic cathedral.

I have been struck again by the different reactions that wearing a dog collar has. I was expecting this but I guess i have been surprised by a few things.

I’m glad to say that my closest friends treat me no differently, which was a fear of mine. They know me, they know I am the same person and so they are able to relate to me in an identical way.

Others who have known my face when collecting the children from clubs or school have suddenly started smiling at me or talking to me. I have had one serious conversation with a guy about spirituality and how he does not feel comfortable in traditional church as he does not think his views fit with mainstream Christianity. It was not the time or place (tired children for both of us needing to go home) to discuss this further but I think actually the guys views just don’t sit with the tradition of the church that he has attended … his views are mainstream Christianity, just not mainstream evangelical Christianty which happens to be the ‘flavour’ of the churches he has visited.

This experience has re-emphasised to me that any new Christian community I become involved in needs to place relationship, discussion and respect above a set of beliefs that we all agree. There is a need to develop open community which is inviting and welcoming based on common humanity and a commitment to journey rather than common belief.

That may be a risky way of existing but, for me, it fits better with the journey image that we often use of Christian faith. If we are on a journey then it is not really possible for all of us to believe identical stuff all of the time. Our experience of humanity and of God will be different, we will all be at different stages of the journey and some may not even have started the journey yet at all. If we can accept that and live that out authentically I believe we will learn what it means to live the life as God intended in John 10:10 which is life as God experiences it – a trinitarian (ie in relationship) existence.

If this is truly the case a joint belief system, a statement of faith to subscribe to, cannot be the thing we base new Christian community around. Rather it will need to be some form of a rule of life which would enable a commitment to support and journey together.