textus exhibition

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The Textus Roffensis is on display in the cathedral crypt over these 3 days until Wednesday. To be honest I’m not really into history and old documents but it’s an important document, written a long time ago (1123) and is the erliest example we have of the written English language. Apparantly it is also the first laws to be written and is said to have influenced those who penned the Magna Carta.

So …. its free and if you are in the area why not pop into the cathedral to have a look. Even history- aversions like me will pop in for a look! More details of the exhibition here. I blogged about this here a little while ago as well.

solo wedding

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It’s been a great weekend and on Saturday I did my first wedding alone (as in without another priest to hold my hand) in the cathedral. Its seemed to go well but most importantly the bride and groom and their family were very happy.

I was again quite nervous – probably more so knowing there was no one to bail me out of I lost my way or was not sure of what was going on. But … it shows that those involved in my training have done a good job as all went ok. 
The most amazing thing as I reflect on the day and experience is the privilege it is to share with Zoe and Tony and to be able to play just a small part in their family history is a pretty amazing experience. Please pray for them as they start their married life together.

Photo Friday: Sky High

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This weeks photo over at my other page.

Mary Magdalene’s example

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Each day for me starts with Common Worship Morning Prayer. It’s a lot of words for 8am but I am amazed as I look back and discover how these words, and the practice of gathering for prayer, has sustained be over the last two years. Today, in our prayer, we remembered Mary Magdalene. Tradition tells us that Mary Magdalene was one of the most important women who traveled with Jesus. She was the leader of a group of women disciples who followed Jesus, and interestingly is one that stays around at the foot of the cross when all the male disciples disappear in fear! She was also thought of as being special by Jesus as he chose to appear to her before anyone else after his resurrection.  
In our New Testament reading this morning we read these words from LUke chapter 8:
Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.
The two highlighted  words caught my attention. Jesus proclaimed and brought the good news. They are two distinct actions. I hear a lot about proclaiming the good news but hear very little about bringing good news. I wonder if that is because talking about something is always very much easier than being and doing the very thing being spoken of?
In the example of Mary Magdalene today I wonder whether we have an example of a person who was able to live out the reality of proclaiming and bringing good news. Her life backed up her words. When things got tough she did not disappear. At Jesus’ time of need on the cross was Mary Magdalene good news to him? Surely, a friendly face, even a friendly face in pain and anguish at what she was seeing was a welcome sight after everyone else had deserted him?
It seems that Mary, more so than the other disciples, had a greater understanding of what it meant to follow Jesus; that being good news is something about ‘being there’ even when it hurts and you put yourself at risk. 
I have found the character of Mary Magdalene a challenge to me today.

the cycling Dean!

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Today, my boss, the Very Revd Adrian Newman, the Dean of Rochester, and all round pretty top bloke starts the ridiculously mad feat of cycling from Lands End to John o’Groats – a total of 1050 miles! I have printed his schedule below which looks amazingly tough. We shall all be praying for his safety and endurance as he does this to raise money for the cathedral.

Adrian is hoping that 1000 people will sponsor him £10 each. A number of us have sponsored him and it would be great if you could consider this – you can do so here very easily or by popping into the cathedral office.

The schedule:

Wed 21st    Land’s End to Mawgan Porth (gentle start but very hilly along the northern Cornwall coast)
Thu 22nd    Mawgan Porth to Great Torrington (again, fairly short distances but people say to take these     early days more slowly than you might want to)
Fri 23rd       Great Torrington to Bawdrip (getting longer)
Sat 24th      Bawdrip to Pandy (now the longer rides really begin)
Sun 25th     Pandy to Whittington
Mon 26th    Whittington to Burscough (today and tomorrow I’m carrying my stuff as Gill will travel back Monday and Jack travel out Tuesday)
Tue 27th     Burscough to Grasmere
Wed 28th    Grasmere to Traquair (over the border…….)
Thu 29th     Traquair to Auchterarder
Fri 30th       Auchterarder to Tomintoul (possibly the hardest day – very remote, very long climbing day)
Sat 31st      Tomintoul to Dornoch
Sun 1st       Dornoch to Thurso (stopping just short of Lands End so that I can guarantee arriving in the light the next day!)
Mon 2nd    Thurso to John O’Groats (just a short hop – 20 miles – down the coast)

Go well Adrian and we look forward to welcoming you back!

1st pub theology

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We had our first pub theology session last night. I was interested to see who would turn up and was really pleased with the turn out we had. There was a group of 5 of us which was a good size group of people to start with.

The location was great. There was space for us, the pub was not heaving but it was not dead quiet either. The pubs policy of not playing music, and of course good staff and cheap beer, all combined to make w/spoons the best place to try this out first – and that seemed to pay off.

The conversation flowed really well and I was surprised at how diverse a range of stuff we considered. I wondered whether we needed more direction, and I’m sure that the people there will say if they think so, but it did seem that the conversation flowed naturally from theology and spirituality to jobs and other stuff and then returned to faith issues.

We started by thinking about what ‘theology’ meant as this was, after all, ‘pub theology’ … and the conversation just carried on from there. In all I was really quite excited by how the event went.

We are going to try and get together again in a couple of weeks, so if you want to try it out why not come join in with a drink at the next Pub Theology on Monday 9th. August, same place from 7.00pm. (the link takes you to the Facebook page) The early time is just so we can make sure we get a table or two… it would be easy and natural to join in when you can make it.

my first wedding

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I experienced another first at the weekend in ‘doing’ my first wedding. Until this particular day the most nervous I had been was just before signing the opening 3 lines of the eucharistic prayer in the cathedral. That still gets to me (I was in the office this morning practicing 45 mins. before the service started!) but I was very surprised how nervous I was before the wedding ceremony yesterday.

I guess I was very conscious of how things could go ‘wrong’ with signing licences and the other legal stuff. More importantly this is a very special, and unrepeatable day, for this couple. I really wanted to ensure I had prepared fully so that they could enjoy their day as much as possible.

Everything seemed to go well and I was struck, again, how fortunate I am as I get to share some very special moments with people. To be able to serve people in this way is pretty amazing and I am remembering again how privileged I am in being where I am doing what I am doing.

I get to officiate at another wedding next week so that’s pretty cool!

pub theology

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The gathering are starting our first pub theology on Monday night in Rochester – if you are interested why not come along. More details may be found on the facebook page. The beauty of Facebook is that you can see who is coming already.

Pub theology is an opportunity to get together, have a beer or two, maybe eat some food and talk about theology – that being talking about anything we want really in relation to faith and spirituality.

Get in touch if you wish to know any more.

cheat (or is that cheeky?) pioneer post!

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Wednesdays for me is a study day. In our working agreements, all curates are supposed to take a day a week for study. I’m fortunate in that Adrian sees the value of this and has encouraged me to make the space for this work. This is part of our training and formation. Personally I think it is a good discipline to protect this time, like protecting time with families and days off. If we are going to lead churches in appropriate and relevant ways it is important that we regularly keep abreast of old and new ideas so we can contemplate, study and avoid getting into a rut. If we can form good habits in our curacies then they are likely to stay in the future.  But … I digress.

My major assignment this year has been different to my fellow curates. I am to present a portfolio of my first two years work as a pioneer working out of a cathedral as an 8000 word equivalent. I have information, study notes, reflections and so on in a variety of places … podcasts that I have experimented with, journals for things and thoughts i do not wish to be public, notes from book I have red and applied to by context, and of course this blog. In fact the major part of the raw material for my portfolio will come from this blog over the last two years. There is so much reflection and information and ongoing questions that I need to make a judgement and the most sensible, to me, seems to be to take those that have come across as being the most major.

I have an opec spec on what particular facet(s) I choose to concentrate on … and this is where you, the wonderful regular readers of SHP come in. I very much consider that you have been traveling this journey with me. Many of you have been kind enough to make comments, or to email me or even meet up for coffee, beer or food to chat about some of the stuff that has been raised. I’ve valued that input and all of it has challenged me and most of it has influenced my practice.

So … I have a request. If you consider yourself to be part of this in some way (and I think you all are) I would be grateful if you could take a moment or two to consider what you think have come through as the major issues or questions that I have been experiencing or asking over the last 2 years. I would like my portfolio to reflect what others are hearing as well as what I believe I have experienced.

I hope you don’t think that is a cheeky question … but rather one that will massively help me to learn as much as I can from the last couple of years.

Cheers
R

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Saw Eclipse last night – a good film if you have been following the Twilight books and films … and I have!

I did not think the film was as face paced as the previous two, but this is kind of a ‘middle of the story’ film with happenings and information that needs to be set out as preparation for the last book and climax of the story.

Towards the end of the movie Bella is questioned over stuff by Edward and her response is interesting;

‘This isn’t a choice between you and me …. this is a choice between what I am supposed to be and who I am.’

Bella’s words make me think again of those people I have been listening to recently. People I have already mentioned in previous posts that have been prevented from exploring their spirituality because of expectations placed on them by others. These expectations are various but usually amount to how a person looks, behaves or thinks. There seem to be many who are happy to tell others what to think and how to behave – even if that means the person has to reject and deny who they happen to be.

I’m not sure that God needs people who are doing what others think they are supposed to be doing.
If that is God’s plan, we may as well all be clones, doing what each other thinks we should be doing, i.e. all copying each other!

I think God needs people whom God has created, in God’s image,  to be themselves. Surely by being ourselves we are being the people God created us to be …. no?

but … back to the film …. worth going to see, if you like vampires and stuff!