Sun Rise service

I know it’s short notice but like most people I was caught unawares by Rupert’s latest wheeze and so I am announcing a special Sun Rise Service to be held tomorrow at our local shopping centre. We will meet at the church at 6.30am for a brief period of reflection as we remember the late lamentable News of the World. Then I will lead a procession to the local newsagent for the purchase of the Sun on Sunday, the latest publication to grace our culture from the Antipodean media mogul. This will be followed by a reading of the journal at the coffee shop. When the three minutes of looking at the pictures are up we will remain at the establishment to finish our beverages before returning home. Participants are then free to do what they usually do with products from News International; in my case it will be lining the floor of the rabbit hutch although our rabbit refuses to do his business on anything coming out of Wapping and Thomas More Square.

Fair Trade Spooks

Interesting idea from Fair Trade Canada for Halloween to encourage people to give out Fair Trade chocolate and stickers to visiting trick or treaters. I thought the wording of the French version of the poster was particularly amusing.



In our church we are offering an alternative to Halloween called Glitter and Glo. The event has been very successful in the past and we are looking forward to welcoming loads of local children again this year.




The Diocese of Winchester has some good links to interesting resources for Halloween.

h/t @fairtradesleuth

Get Matthew back in the tax booth

Today we remember Matthew the tax collector who was called from his tax booth to follow Jesus and appointed one of the twelve disciples (Matthew 9:9-13). As I was preparing for Morning Prayer and then our mid week communion service this morning I was reflecting on the call of Matthew in light of a piece of news I had heard earlier on the radio.

Apparently the latest official estimate is that the annual amount of uncollected tax in the UK is about £35 billion. The figures are for 2009/10 and represent a reduction from the previous year but it is still a staggeringly large amount. Of course this is an estimate, how can you actually know the amount since it is unpaid or undeclared, nevertheless the same method for assessing the amount has been employed by HMRC for many years. HMRC explains that the reason for the reduction is largely accounted for by the reduction in VAT during the period being assessed. In other words, it was not that more tax was recovered but that less was owed.

So it occurred to me that as we celebrate St Matthew today perhaps we ought to call people to become tax collectors so we can recover some of this money and that might go some way to addressing the huge financial mess we find ourselves in.

Anyway, I found today's collect for St Matthew challenging:

O Almighty God,
whose blessed Son called Matthew the tax collector
to be an apostle and evangelist:
give us grace to forsake the selfish pursuit of gain
      and the possessive love of riches
that we may follow in the way of your Son Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

An easy mistake #gb10 #gb11

Our first venture into the world of camping as a family was attending Greenbelt 2010. I have to say it was not a great success and when I tentatively (no pun intended) explored the possibility of a return to Cheltenham for Greenbelt 2011 I was greeted with a resounding no!

Could it have been the five miles of walking as we trudged back and forth from the car park with all our gear because cars were banned from the site due to the rain soaked ground? Perhaps it was the near subzero temperatures at night on an August bank holiday?

Maybe it was the hour long queue to get a token so we could get a place for our young son in the children’s activities another hour later. We gave up trying in the end and he had a rather boring time saved only by his spotting the chap from ‘Rev’ filming outside a toilet on the Sunday morning. Unfortunately D had never seen Rev but he has seen the Pirates of the Caribbean series and kept calling out ‘look it’s Lord Cutler Beckett’ as Tom Hollander tried to record some footage.

Possibly the booking of a tent in Tangerine Fields only to find it was pitched by a very muddy patch on a major walkway was an error of judgement. Our nights were punctuated with unwary campers screaming as they ended up in the mud or banged into our tent as they sought to avoid said muddy patch. It didn’t help when friends informed us, once we were on site, that they had booked a T F tent before and would never do it again because of the noise.

Before leaving for Greenbelt I’d checked out the leisure centre facilities in the area and printed off a map. So on the Sunday morning, after an uplifting communion service, we jumped in the car to head off for a swim and a shower. Following the directions we  eventually arrived at a very grand looking set of buildings but didn’t give it a second thought as this was Cheltenham. We trudged up to the entrance in our grubby clothes and wellies. The doors to the centre slid open and we were greeted by a couple of smart looking young men in spotless tracksuits. I asked for a family ticket for a swim and was informed that the pool wasn’t open until 2pm. I explained that according to the website the pool was open all day. I was asked what website I’d looked at. ‘The website for Cheltenham Leisure Centre’ said I. ‘Ah’, said they, ‘This is Cheltenham Ladies College’. How was I to know they both used the initials CLC? Anyone could have made such a mistake.

The young men at the college were very helpful and gave us directions to the leisure centre which, when we finally arrived, looked more like a municipal facility than the other CLC. Anyway, we had a great time in a near empty pool, the kids had their first experience on diving boards and I enjoyed a very long, hot shower and refreshing shave. During our time in the pool there was a very heavy downpour over Cheltenham which finished just as we arrived back at the racecourse.

My wife had a particularly traumatic experience with the toilets at GB10 which I might recount in another post.

Thinking of all my corporeal and virtual pals who are at Greenbelt 11 and praying they have a great time. Missing meeting up for a chat and cuppa in the Tiny Tea Tent but not missing the rain, camping and sleepless nights. Greenbelt 12? Let’s wait and see.

Gallicantu

Today we celebrate the life and witness of Simon Peter. The gospel reading set for today is Matthew 16:13-19 and recounts Peter’s insight when he declares Jesus to be the Messiah at Caesarea Philippi. At this moment of confession Jesus commissions Peter for his future ministry. I’ve visited the place traditionally believed to be the site of Peter’s confession and it is an impressive setting with a cliff face pitted with cultic shrines. The place is also the origin of the Banais, one of the sources of the river Jordan.

When I think of Peter another place and building come to mind and this is perhaps my favourite church in the Holy Land. St Peter en Gallicantu is situated on the east slope of Mt Zion and is believed to be the site of the house of the priest Caiaphas. The views from the site are stunning and the building is beautiful, decorated with some expertly realised mosaics. Gallicantu means 'cock crow' and the church takes it’s name from the incident during Jesus’ last hours before crucifixion when Peter denied that he even knew the very one he had proclaimed Messiah (Matthew 26:69-75). In the courtyard by the church is a sculpture depicting the scene of Peter’s denial and the sanctuary roof has a golden cockerel which burns in the sunshine.

The reason I find myself drawn to Gallicantu rather than Caesarea Philippi is that this is the Peter I more easily identify with; Peter the denier rather than Peter the confessor. Yet, at this moment of greatest failure I am reminded of the overwhelming grace of God because the story for Peter doesn’t end in the courtyard at Gallicantu. When Peter meets the risen Lord he is forgiven, restored and empowered to fulfil the calling he first received at Caesarea Philippi. So Peter is an inspiration, not because of his success but because of his failure and because God could use even someone like Peter to build his church.

Ascension

We saw his light break through the cloud of glory
Whilst we were rooted still in time and place
As earth became a part of Heaven’s story
And heaven opened to his human face.
We saw him go and yet we were not parted
He took us with him to the heart of things
The heart that broke for all the broken-hearted
Is whole and Heaven-centred now, and sings,
Sings in the strength that rises out of weakness,
Sings through the clouds that veil him from our sight,
Whilst we our selves become his clouds of witness
And sing the waning darkness into light,
His light in us, and ours in him concealed,
Which all creation waits to see revealed .

With thanks to Malcolm Guite for permission to post his Ascension Day Sonet. You can hear Malcolm read the poem here and there is also a brief explanation of the inspiration behind the composition. I particularly found this comment interesting:

For you have died, says St. Paul, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. In the ascension Christ’s glory is at once revealed and concealed, and so is ours.

Maggi Dawn's post on Ascension Day is also well worth a read.

It’s Pancake Day… again.

Here’s the excellent Maid Marian and her Merry Men to remind us what today is all about.



I posted this last year but make no apologies for a repeat.

A lake of beer

Today is St Brigid’s day. There seem to be an interesting variety of accounts of Brigid’s life and I am grateful to Catholic Online for the following summary.

Brigid was probably born at Faughart near Dundalk, Louth, Ireland. Her parents were baptized by St. Patrick, with whom she developed a close friendship. According to legend, her father was Dubhthach, an Irish chieftain of Lienster, and her mother, Brocca, was a slave at his court. Even as a young girl she evinced an interest for a religious life and took the veil in her youth from St. Macaille at Croghan and probably was professed by St. Mel of Armagh, who is believed to have conferred abbatial authority on her. She settled with seven of her virgins at the foot of Croghan Hill for a time and about the year 468, followed Mel to Meath. About the year 470 she founded a double monastery at Cill-Dara (Kildare) and was Abbess of the convent, the first in Ireland. The foundation developed into a centre of learning and spirituality, and around it grew up the Cathedral city of Kildare. She founded a school of art at Kildare and its illuminated manuscripts became famous, notably the Book of Kildare, which was praised as one of the finest of all illuminated Irish manuscripts before its disappearance three centuries ago. Brigid was one of the most remarkable women of her times, and despite the numerous legendary, extravagant, and even fantastic miracles attributed to her, there is no doubt that her extraordinary spirituality, boundless charity, and compassion for those in distress were real. She died at Kildare on February 1. The Mary of the Gael, she is buried at Downpatrick with St. Columba and St. Patrick, with whom she is the patron of Ireland. Her name is sometimes Bridget and Bride.

It will come as no surprise to readers of this blog that for me the most interesting attribution to Brigid is the following prayer:

I'd like to give a lake of beer to God.
I'd love the Heavenly
Host to be tippling there
For all eternity.

I'd love the men of Heaven to live with me,
To dance and sing.
If they wanted, I'd put at their disposal
Vats of suffering.

White cups of love I’d give them,
With a heart and a half;
Sweet pitchers of mercy I'd offer
To every man.

I'd make Heaven a cheerful spot,
Because the happy heart is true.
I'd make the men contented for their own sake
I'd like Jesus to love me too.

I'd like the people of heaven to gather
From all the parishes around,
I'd give a special welcome to the women,
The three Marys of great renown.

I'd sit with the men, the women of God
There by the lake of beer
We'd be drinking good health forever
And every drop would be a prayer.

Simeon and Anna

This is probably my favourite picture from my trip to Jerusalem in 2008. It was taken at about 6:30am in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre by the Edicule (the tomb of Christ) and is of a Coptic priest reading the scriptures by candlelight. When I saw the priest I immediately thought of Simeon faithfully waiting for the consolation of Israel in the Temple.

Today is Candlemas when we celebrate the presentation of Jesus in the Temple and remember the witness of the devout Simeon and the prophetess Anna (Luke 2:22-40).

When Simeon saw the Christ child he uttered the words known as the Nunc Dimittis. Anna responded by thanking God and talking about Jesus to those who were waiting for God’s deliverance. Two elderly, faithful servants of God, trusting him and waiting for his time and glimpsing the glory of God revealed in Jesus as they approached the end of their lives.

Candlemas is one of those pivotal Christian festivals when we look back to the birth of Christ and forward to his crucifixion. This painting by Bartolome Esteban Murillo is titled The Infant Christ Asleep on the Cross (1670s).

The shocking image depicts the Christ child asleep on the cross with a skull lying beside him. Both these symbols directly refer to his forthcoming sacrifice and are intended to emphasise the notion that Christ was born in order to die for the world.

Doug Chaplin has created his own images for Candlemas. Maggi Dawn and Tim Goodbody have also posted interesting reflections on the festival.

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word.

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

To be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of thy people Israel.

Nunc Dimittis 1662 Book of Common Prayer

hanukka

This evening marks the beginning of the Jewish festival of Hanukka – the eight day festival of lights. The celebration traces its origins back over 2,000 years to when the Seleucid leader, Antiochus IV, invaded Israel and attempted to force the Jews to assimilate into his empire and to renounce their religion and culture. Under the leadership of Judah Maccabee the Jews revolted and eventually drove out the Seleucid armies.

The Hanukkah celebration of lighting the menorah traces its origin to a miracle that occurred after the victory of the Maccabees. The Temple in Jerusalem had been defiled by the invading Seleucid army. It was traditional to light a special lamp in the Temple, called a menorah, with olive oil, but all of the vials of oil were made impure, with the exception of one. According to Hanukkah history, the one vial of oil burned for eight days until pure oil could be obtained for the Temple. In gratitude, the Jews began lighting small menorahs in their homes to commemorate this miracle and the victory.

This morning on Radio 4’s Thought for the Day the Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks spoke about Hanukka and went on to say this:

But there's a beautiful law in Judaism, and it applies to a day like today, Friday. On the Friday of Hanukkah we light two kinds of lights, for the festival and for the Sabbath, both of which begin at nightfall. What if we only have one candle? What do we light it as: a Hanukkah light or a Sabbath light? It can't be both.

The answer is: we light it as a Sabbath light, because the Sabbath light symbolizes peace in the home. And in Judaism, even the smallest fragment of peace takes precedence over even the greatest victory in war.

The first picture above is of a replica of the 7 branch Menorah from the second Temple which stands in the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem. The second Menorah is the traditional 9 branch Menorah used to celebrate Hanukkah.

re:fresh 2008

(Steve Chalke speaking at re:fresh 2008)

The Chelmsford Christian Festival re:fresh 2008 came to a climax this morning with a service of celebration followed by a party in the park. Churches from across the town joined together to worship and to hear Steve Chalke's challenge to step out and follow Jesus. It was an opportunity to respond to Christ's call to follow whether one was already on the journey or considering responding for the first time. Steve used an illustration from Soren Kierkegaard about geese and asked the crowd whether we wanted to be wild geese liberated to fly and follow the sun or tame geese only concerned with our stomachs and being fattened up for Christmas! I have to admit to feelings of guilt as I tucked in to my Full Monty breakfast baguette for lunch.

Attendances at events during the nine day festival varied with some packed out and others suffering from the bad weather. Highlights included The London Community Gospel Choir, Godspell, Yfriday, Paul Jones and Fiona Hendley Jones as well as a wide range of seminars exploring topics such as war, politics, law and adversity. The festival was sponsored by local churches and Chelmsford Borough Council.

Shakey still rocking - Neil Young 6th July 2008

Saw Neil Young on Sunday at the Hop Farm Festival in Kent and he was 'most excellent'. The weather didn't spoil the occasion and Young was supported by a strong line up including Supergrass, My Morning Jacket, Rufus Wainwright (brilliant version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah), Guillemots, Laura Marling, Everest, Carbon/Silicon and Primal Scream who finished with a storming version of Movin' On Up.

There were about 30,000 gathered at the festival which prides itself on its green credentials and refusal to rely on branding. But the crowd were gathered for one reason only and when Young took to the stage I realised a teenage dream, having been unable to see him with Crazy Horse at the Hammersmith Odeon in the mid 70's. The stage was an interesting mix of amps, instruments, fans, cinema lights and a cigar store indian. Most intriguing was the painter's easel at the side of the stage on which a series of paintings inspired by the songs were displayed. The paintings had been created by Young's roadie Eric Johnson during previous shows. In interview Young said that if you didn't want to watch him you could always watch his roadie paint!

Anyway, on with the main event. Young took to the stage in his signature paint splattered suit and roared into a powerful rendition of Love and Only Love. The set mainly focused on his heavier material, perfect for a venue which provided an excellent backdrop for his sonic tour de force. There was a quieter passage which included classics like Heart of Gold and Old Man and Young accompanied himself on a pump organ as he sang a heartfelt Mother Earth. Then a blistering version of No Hidden Path from his last album Chrome Dreams II. This monster went on for over 15 minutes with soaring solos, bone shaking rumbles and harmonics that only Young can rip from his faithful black Les Paul.

The band, including wife Peggy, were magnificent; raw power when required and then perfect harmonies to complement the beauty of Young's acoustic masterpieces. There was one final treat to end: having left the stage for a few moments the band returned and launched into a stunning version of The Beatles A Day In The Life ending with Young's guitar, displaying several broken strings after the thrashing he had just given it, alone in front of an amp and the drone of feedback reverberating around the countryside. As my daughter would say 'awesome'!

(festival weather! Alison & Tim Hancock, Kate & Phil Ritchie)

Set list:

Love And Only Love

Hey Hey, My My

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

I've Been Waiting For You

Spirit Road

Fu***n' Up

Oh, Lonesome Me

Mother Earth

The Needle And The Damage Done

Unknown Legend

Heart Of Gold

Old Man

Get Back To The Country

Words

No Hidden Path

A Day In The Life

re:fresh 2008

For information and details about re:fresh 2008 the Chelmsford Christian Festival running between July 12th - 20th go here