On Tuesdays and Thursdays my day starts with Morning Prayer (as it does most days) before I then walk around Rochester praying. Rochester High Street at 8.30am is an interesting time, quiet, although never empty with deliveries happening or people rushing for trains. I tend to take my camera with me on my prayer walk as I find having a camera with me helps me to look around what has become a very familiar environment in a fresh way.
Today I took this picture of Deanery Gate as I was wandering on my prayer walk. I find gateways, doorways, quite ‘interesting’ as I walk around this historical place of Rochester. As I was looking and contemplating this morning I was struck first by my thinking of how many thousands of people have walked through this gate since it’s 15th. century installation, each on their own personal journey.
I was then struck my a new thought. Doors are two-way. Often I think about what is on the other side of the door, and walking through doorways. This morning, however, with the sunlight pouring through the gate towards me, I started to consider what might be coming from the other side of the door towards me.
If we simply walk through doors in search of our ‘destiny’ or the next job then we may be in danger of missing something. That something or someone could be in need of our attention, or be in possession of something to pass on to us.
In the past I have always thought about pushing doors and see if they open for me. It has been a language that has been used with me, and I have used it with others, when thinking about our life journeys and decisions and such like. I think God may have challenged me on that today.
Maybe, just maybe, he is calling me to simply wait on this side of the door and see what comes through.
Exciting and scary at the same time …. so … for now …. I dwell by the door and wait …. wondering!
We did pub theology again last night in Wetherspoons and started with a great question from Jim. It went something like:
‘taking on board Ecclesiastes saying there is a time or season for everything, we could interpret that to say there is a time to turn to God and a time to turn away; and taking the incident of Peter denying Jesus 3 times before the cock crowed while realising that an admission of being a disciple could have resulted in him being crucified along with Jesus whereas the denial meant he kept his life and God was able to use him to build the church … is there ever a time when it is right to deny Christ?’
It was a good question and I don’t think my writing has done it the justice is deserves. We chatted and batted this around a fair bit, taking in pre-destination along with those awkward moments in the bible (such as when Joshua’s spies ‘spend the night’ with Rahab the prostitute). We came up with very mixed views with some saying it is always right to stand up for what you believe in while others saying sometimes it would be important to keep the bigger picture in mind with a denial allowing other great things to happen.
It’s an interesting question which I have continued to dwell on over the last few hours – it is easy to say immediately say ‘no, of course not!’ Sometimes, though, I wonder if we don’t need to consider things just a little longer – which I find quite difficult here as my massive gut reaction is to say I need to stand up for Jesus.
Pub theology, as an event, is a good time. We have fun, we drink, some eat … and we even get a bit of theology thinking in there as well.
Improv everywhere have been on mission again … this time at an ice rink in New York.
These missions always make me smile, and often make me laugh. Such a creative bunch of people who enjoy life and don’t take themselves too seriously!
There is something with Improv and bringing joy nd laughter to others that I really like.
a rather late submission for photo Friday … but here is mine for the week …. and its number 244 over at the photo Friday website.
I really like being part of the blog world. I blog because I need to reflect on what I do, what I am becoming and where I have come from. I hear views that blogging is ‘on the way out’ due to social sites such as Facebook and Twitter, but I hope this is not the case as there are some thoughts that cannot be placed into a mere 140 characters. People have often asked how I manage to keep blogging … the answer, I guess, is in that whole reflection thing. I really need to reflect and think a lot about what is happening – and, for me, blogging is a way to fulfil that need to reflect, even if it is aloud.
What I also love about the blog world is hearing the views, thoughts, struggles, revelations and ideas of others. There are a few blogs I follow by reading on a regular and semi regular basis by making good use of Google Reader. There is always good stuff coming from the people I follow (obviously or I would not follow them!!) but the other day I was massively challenged by two particular blog posts that appeared in my reader on the same day.
Liz wrote here of being broken that really challenged me and set me thinking about how I work or ‘exercise’ my ministry. Mark writes here about what is important to ministry and what we are called to which has caused me to pause and acknowledge, again, that priorities need to change in my life. I have been letting these posts ‘sink in’ for a while before drawing attention to them but thanks Liz and Mark for your raw honesty in posting.
The beauty of blogging, I guess, is not that I can only reflect on what is happening to me, but that in some weird way I give others the opportunity and permission to speak into my life by learning from them. In an age when smaller and briefer is starting to be seen as being better I very much value the challenges and reflections of others.
Looks like there is a good job going at CSM if you are interested …
CSM Office and Communications Manager – 4 days/week
Job Description and details on how to apply available on request from andy.flannagan@thecsm.org.uk
Do you know this person?
1. Organised, administratively gifted in book-keeping, communications, payment systems, executive support, web, and passionate about seeing the Kingdom come in the realm of politics.
2.Keen to have an impact at the heart of the Labour party, helping to run CSM, the Christian Socialist Movement, directed by Andy Flannagan.
3. Ready to start working in March.
CSM exists to be a prophetic voice to the left side of politics, both encouraging and challenging. Our members pray and campaign for justice, engaging in politics locally and nationally. We support and resource Christians for that adventure.
Today is Wednesday. Wednesday is a study day. Usually I do not like Wednesdays. Today I have enjoyed the day because I guess, for the first time in ages, I am starting to look at something that really interests me because this investigation, for sake of a better term, has arisen out of my normal everyday stuff that I do as the pioneer curate from Rochester Cathedral.
I have become very aware of confession and forgiveness. A good number of encounters I have had with people has involved people ‘confessing’ and, I think, wanting to hear from another human being that they are ‘ok’. That’s pretty basically outlined although in reality I think what I have an am experiencing is much more complex that that.
As a spin off this whole area actually excites and interests me because I don’t think the church is seen as a place of forgiveness. In my conversations with various characters it is seen very much as the place of condemnation with people feeling unable to walk inside through fear of being judged. Jesus is, however, all about forgiveness and acceptance. If some people are seeking forgiveness and acceptance then interest in the character of Jesus, away from the church, may well help those people in their personal quests.
I have lots of questions around this issue, such as ‘what are people looking for with ‘forgiveness’?’, ‘why do people feel a need to confess?’, ‘what is a priest or anyone doing in absolution and with what right?’, ‘is forgiveness/confession more beneficial to the person being forgiven or to the forgiver?’. Those are just a few of the many I have in my growing list.
One surprising thing I learned recently was that there is precious little research on this and no one really started to investigate forgiveness until the 1980’s. Today I discovered a gem from the John Templeton Foundation (its amazing what you can find if you browse the footnotes). Between 1999 and 2005 they funded 46 scientific research projects that were primarily looking at forgiveness. You can see these projects here. I have not looked in any massive depth yet, but it looks to be some quite interesting and unique stuff here.
I’m off to read some more …. but if you have any reflections or know of any research that may be useful for me I’d love to hear from you – thanks!
Discrimination in all forms needs to be challenged head on.
I was shocked to read of Gray and Keys (and now Burtons) comments on Sian Massey over the weekend and I am quite, if I am honest, glad that the storm is continuing so that Gray and Burton cannot just squirm out of this with an apologetic phone call and a one match suspension.
Rom Atkinson was equally discriminatory a while back and had the dignity to realise he needed to go and resigned. He was probably going to be sacked. Why are the comments from Gray and Burton being treated differently? This is discrimination which has caused pain and outrage which surely needs to be dealt with decisively.
If this only results in a slap on the wrist and the loss of one or two television fees what sort of message does this send to our young people? What does it say to the rest of the world about how we value each other? How can we challenge prejudice and injustice in other parts of the world when we allow and tolerate blatant discrimination in our own sports and media?
Come on Sky … if you really are appalled by these comments act decisively!
Today I preached in the cathedral and tried to look at todays gospel reading by asking ‘why?’ Why did these people, who had work to do and businesses to run, just get up and go with Jesus, leaving everything behind to follow him.
We looked a bit at First Century life, taking in how disciples were trained and how rabbi’s selected their followers. Essentially, rabbis didn’t ask people to follow them, they relied on their reputation while expecting people to ask to follow them. Each rabbi would only be interested in taking the best and would grill them with questions looking to be impressed by them before allowing them to become a disciple. Many aspired to be disciples but few attained it, failing at a number of hurdles and so leaving school and returning to the family business … which is where we find these early disciples.
Todays reading shows Jesus turning that whole thing upside down. Jesus the rabbi calls people who are not expecting it. As a rabbi he wants the best. He looks at these men and says ‘I want you’ … i.e. you are the best! These guys had already failed in their quest to become disciples and yet now, Jesus calls them … no wonder they respond immediately!
I ended my talk today by remember ing that since becoming a Christian at the age of 17 I have heard over and over again that I need to have faith, that I need to believe in Jesus and so on and so on. I do. But, here, in this reading, today though we discover something different:
Jesus believes in us!
Jesus calls us because he believes in us.
These early disciples left because they heard the rabbi say ‘I believe in you’ … and Jesus says the same today!
I find that pretty cool!
(just found this from Abbotsford which takes the follow me theme in a different and interesting way)
The Shiny Headed Prophet 