politics and faith

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Yesterday was an end of an era as KCME, our formal post ordination training program, came to an end. We are the final year of the course in its current format and we ended in style with a tour of the houses of parliament, eucharist in The chapel of St Mary Undercroft and lunch with Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the chaplain to the Speaker of the House.

I have been happy to complain about KCME, but credit where credit is due – this was a great and well planned day to end the course with – so thanks need to go to Chris, Chris and Trevor.

It was a fascinating day, and the experience fo eucharist in St mary Undercroft was amazing – even for a pioneer like me that usually is pretty oblivious to grandness of the surroundings in which I do my ‘stuff’.

It was also a pleasure to meet Rose who became Speakers Chaplain just over a year ago. It was interesting to hear her story and her commitment to be unembarrassed and pro-active about the gospel in the setting of politics and parliament.

I believe Christians need to be involved in the politics of our country (that will not surprise any of you!) and it is great to know that Rose is there, leading our MP’s in prayer each day and getting alongside all those working within Parliament. Please remember to pray for her as she develops this exciting ministry.

Oh yeah … I wanted to make a quip at those leaders and organisations that say our faith is being persecuted in this country …. and yet the Houses of Parliament have a chaplain …. but to bring that up would be shallow and cheap of me !!

protect it .. or live by it?

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I finally got around to watching The Book of Eli the other day. It’s another apocalyptic film, a film that depicts the regression of humanity when the bubble of technology bursts.

Without spoling the film too much, Eli (played by Denzel Washington) is carrying the worlds last copy of the Bible which another character, Carnegie (Gary Oldman) is fairly desperate to get his hands on by any means. Some of the scenes are fairly brutal as he attempts to find ‘the book’.

There comes a time in the film when Eli seems to give the book away, and his new found friend, Solara (Mila Kunis) expresses her surprise , saying that she did not think anything would be able to make him give up the book. I think Eli’s response could be a challenge to the church of today:

‘In all these years I’ve been carrying it and reading it every day, I got so caught up in keeping it safe  that I forgot to live by what I learned from it’

Do we, as church, get so embroiled in protecting scripture that we forget to live by its teachings. Have some people become more passionate for protecting the word than they have for the message? I would suggest that some parts of the church have fallen into this and in doing so have lost the central message of the book they protect.

Without wanting to be repetitive …. that would be ‘love’.

a mixed day

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Today was both a sad and an exciting day.
Sad for the cathedral and for the Diocese of Rochester.
Exciting for Adrian and the diocese of London.
Today was Adrian’s last official day as Dean of Rochester and he really will be very much missed.

On a personal note I could not have asked for a better training incumbent. I have always counted it a privilege to be able to learn at Rochester Cathedral from the whole of Chapter, but it has been amazing to have someone of Adrian’s calibre point me in the right direction, support me, challenge me and simply have time for me when I have needed time. I cannot express in words how much I have learned from this man. I will miss his open door, his wisdom and his sense of humour. Most of all I will miss his leadership example which is one of grace, respect and servanthood – a great example to have as a curate and one that I can only hope to aspire too, but dismally fail regularly.

Ww will all miss him hugely, but we are all immensely proud of him and feel honoured that our journey’s have crossed foe the time that they did.

Adrian moves on to be Bishop of Stepney which is an amazing role for a pretty amazing bloke.

If you are the praying type – please hold Adrian and Gill in your prayers over these next few weeks.

God’s law

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A heard a kind of joke the other day, which isn’t really a joke, but I liked it and used it to start my sermon last week. I don’t usually do the joke thing at the start of the sermon (no need when most of your sermon is a joke anyway!) but last Sunday I did.

It went something like this:

It involves a group of rabbis. They like to challenge each other. They have various challenges suitable for rabbis. In particular they like to challenge rabbi Gabriel. Gabriel knows too much! Gabriel always has something to say. Gabriel is the one everyone wants to out do. So they call Gabriel over …. ‘our challenge to you is to stand on one leg and recite the whole of God’s law. Gabriel ponders …. and they think they have him …. ‘at last something he will fail at they think’! ….
‘too hard a challenge?’ they ask?
‘Ok’, says Gabriel, and moves into the centre of the circle. He stands on one leg and starts,
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your soul.
Love your neighbour and yourself.’
He stops hopping, places both feet on the ground, smiles and says ‘the rest is narrative!

There are lots of arguments flying around ‘church’ at the moment ….. and some people involved in those arguments seem to have lost sight of the core of ‘the law’.

The core is love, and if the core is love we are called to love, and if we love then how can we exclude?

God’s law is love.

Discuss …..

apocalyptic adbusters

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I don’t read many magazines, but by far my favourite, which I subscribe to, is Adbusters. I love the style of writing, the feel of the mag and the challenge. I love that it’s not just a mag like other mags full of adverts from companies we pretend are doing us good when we all know that they are ripping us off and harming the world in the process.

This issue has the theme of ‘apocalyptic boredom’ taking a theme that has been the subject of many a film that seems to have been around recently.

This quote from page 7 grabbed me:

‘very few people know that the original greek translation of ‘apocalypse’ means ‘lifting the veil’ or ‘revelation’ … a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception.

Far from being a horrible experience, apocalypse represents the revealing of the true nature of things. It ushers in an era of forgotten freedoms and unprecedented clarity. This ‘lifting of the veil will set us free from the misery that has been the result of our ignorance.’

It strikes me that the greek definition is a definition of hope, a definition of freedom and definition worth looking forward to. The other night at pub theology one thing someone raised was a question of why Christians are so obsessed with who, at the end, will be kept out of heaven and who will be included.

I believe that comes from a misunderstanding of what ‘apocalypse;’ is about …. a revealing of the true nature of stuff …. maybe not the apocalyptic subject of films like The Road, The Book of Eli, Daybreakers or Red Dawn which give us concern for the future …. but the lifting of the veil that will set us all free

something worth looking forward to then!

what’s your biggest regret?

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That’s a pretty amazing question to ask people that you do not know – in fact it’s probably quite a hard question to ask someone you do know!
I found this video via Cathryn’s blog.
It’s an amazing video – and some of you may well need a tissue or two as the answers become raw and honest.

It’s an interesting question to reflect on … regret … not in a negative way but as a way to remind and inspire us to take opportunities of the future.

undignified eating

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I’ve fallen behind in reading stuff recently but caught up on Maggi’s Corpus Christi post recently. It has challenged me in my thinking on the eucharist:

‘the word for “eat” in the phrase above – τρώγω (trogo) describes the kind of enthusiastic eating of a hungry animal. Imagine a dog knawing on a bone: teeth bared, mouth wide, getting stuck in for all its worth.’ ….                go read more here.

Aung Sang Sui Kyi Reith Lectures

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Aung San Suu Kyi will be giving two of the 2011 Reith Lectures on the subject of ‘Securing Freedom’. Her lectures, which were recorded in Burma and smuggled out of the country, focus on the struggle for freedom and democracy, the meaning of freedom and dissent and the responsibility of the international community

Lecture 1 Dissent
On BBC Radio 4
Tuesday 28 June 9am
Repeated Saturday 2 July 22.15

Lecture 2 Liberty
On BBC Radio 4
Tuesday 5 July 9am
Repeated Saturday 9 July 22.15

On BBC World Service
Tuesday 28 June 16.05 (GMT +1)
Tuesday 5 July 16.05 (GMT +1)

The lectures will be repeated on BBC World Service at various times. For full details click here.

mission shaped cathedrals

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Mission Shaped Cathedrals Project Introduction Movie from Episcopal Village on Vimeo.

A little while ago Karen Ward asked if I would be interviewed and talk about what I do to be used as part of an introduction to a mission shaped cathedrals project in America. This is the video that was put together skillfully by Tim and used at the conference.

The video features people at 3 cathedrals: Steve Clarke at Gloucester, Sue Wallace at York and myself. I think it’s a good video which gives a good account of what we are trying to do.

mystery

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Last Sunday was Trinity Sunday, and I was on the rota to preach.

I have heard endless sermons that have tried to explain the Trinity. I have heard the Trinity described as something like a jaffa cake, or something like steam, water and ice; or like one person who can be mum, sister and daughter.

I guess there is something in each of those analogies (well maybe not the jaffa cake one!) but I think that sometimes they, and we, miss the point.

God being three and yet one does not make sense. God being three, Father, Son and Holy Spirit is mind boggling. It’s a mystery.

In our limited human understanding and vocabulary we are trying to describe a life that is totally outside of our experience or even our wildest dreams. In short, we are trying to describe what is indescribable for us. God is Trinity … and that’s that!

I shared on Sunday a visit I made a spart of my training with SEITE to the Chatham synagogue. We met the person in charge called Gabriel. I had developed a question during the week but now I cannot remember the question; but his answer has stayed with me for nearly 6 years now! He looked at me, shrugged his shoulders and said ‘God will be God.’ As he said it he gave a look that simply said ‘why are you bothering to even ask that? It’s a mystery … it’s meant to be a mystery … God is God!’

Within church, and maybe even in society, I wonder whether we have got bogged down in trying to explain everything. I guess this comes from a need or desire to be in control. In our pondering over trying ‘to work it out’ we are in danger of missing out on simply enjoying life and being who we were created to be.

AS an illustration I have noticed a big difference between children and adults at art exhibions. In particular I remember the Shibboleth of Doris Salcedo in the Tate Modern a few years ago. Adults looked and tried to explain it, wondering whether it was a trick and how it was made. Children played in it, stuck their hands and legs inside it, and enjoyed it. Adults tried to explain while children accepted the beauty of the mystery.

There is a tension in accepting mystery when you live in a 21st century technological world – but I wonder whether it is a tension we need to relax into so that we can ‘enjoy’ rather than miss the beauty as we attempt to ‘explain’.