ADVENT
Piercing the darkness short days
Contrast to light
Human condition
VATICAN TWO on the Church:
“Christ is the light of all nations. Hence this sacred Synod, which has been gathered in the Holy Spirit, eagerly desires to shed on all men that radiance which brightens the countenance of the Church. This it will do by proclaiming the gospel to every creature.”
Finding a Prophetic Voice putting your finger on it
Not being afraid to speak out
God’s messengers
Finding new confidence
ARCHBISHOP William Temple
“The prophet is primarily the man, not to whom God has communicated certain divine thoughts, but whose mind is illuminated by the divine spirit to intercept the divine acts: and the act is primary.”
Being Prepared preparation is a biblical priority
preparation for Jesus
preparation for each stage of life
preparation for Resurrection
ST JOHN
John 14.2
I am going to prepare a place for you.
Sunday, 29 November 2009
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Book Review Sadie Jones The Outcast
Sadie Jones won the Costa first novel prize with this extremely readable and surprising novel.
The story of a young man, set in post war England, the victim not only of a culmination of family circumstances but of an age when talking of feelings and emotion seemed odd and unmanly.
The book is about childhood, bereavement, trauma and abuse - abuse in many and various forms, multi-layered and complicated beyond recognition at times.
All of the characters are strongly portrayed and brilliantly researched; you get to know them and they add up.
There are several twists which I would not like to reveal so as not to spoil your enjoyment: but go with this book: it's really good.
The story of a young man, set in post war England, the victim not only of a culmination of family circumstances but of an age when talking of feelings and emotion seemed odd and unmanly.
The book is about childhood, bereavement, trauma and abuse - abuse in many and various forms, multi-layered and complicated beyond recognition at times.
All of the characters are strongly portrayed and brilliantly researched; you get to know them and they add up.
There are several twists which I would not like to reveal so as not to spoil your enjoyment: but go with this book: it's really good.
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Remembrance Sunday
Sacrifice
theme runs through our liturgies deeply today
Hebrew Bible
sacrifice - different types and different reasons
Abraham - Isaac
Jesus
essence of fulfilment
essence of transformation
supreme sacrifice
Disciples
called to share in this
"follow me"
means sharing in this sacrifice
Remembrance Sunday
human sacrifice
examples of service
dedication & love which speak to us
"Accept through him, our great High Priest, this our sacrifice of praise."
Eucharistic Prayer
Brings together
thanks
calling
prayers for the church and the world.
theme runs through our liturgies deeply today
Hebrew Bible
sacrifice - different types and different reasons
Abraham - Isaac
Jesus
essence of fulfilment
essence of transformation
supreme sacrifice
Disciples
called to share in this
"follow me"
means sharing in this sacrifice
Remembrance Sunday
human sacrifice
examples of service
dedication & love which speak to us
"Accept through him, our great High Priest, this our sacrifice of praise."
Eucharistic Prayer
Brings together
thanks
calling
prayers for the church and the world.
All Saints St Mary Abbots
I believe in the Communion of Saints
what do we mean by this?
communion = coming together as one
saints = 20Th emergence of greater association of saints within Anglicanism
"The saint is one who has a strange nearness to God and makes God real to other people."
Michael Ramsey
nearness - pilgrimage
"makes God real" - pilgrimage
inheritance
illuminate out paths
unity- communion
golden thread
Cedd- saint of the moment - courageous, cultural, cross
Company of Saints
St Augustine in City of God
"We shall rest and we shall see; we shall see and we shall love; we shall love and we shall praise; In the end which is no end."
what do we mean by this?
communion = coming together as one
saints = 20Th emergence of greater association of saints within Anglicanism
"The saint is one who has a strange nearness to God and makes God real to other people."
Michael Ramsey
nearness - pilgrimage
"makes God real" - pilgrimage
inheritance
illuminate out paths
unity- communion
golden thread
Cedd- saint of the moment - courageous, cultural, cross
Company of Saints
St Augustine in City of God
"We shall rest and we shall see; we shall see and we shall love; we shall love and we shall praise; In the end which is no end."
Monday, 26 October 2009
Ecclesiastes St Mary Abbots 251009
Ecclesiastes 11/12
Final section of Ecclesiastes
1. Latin of the Greek phrase Qoheleth - gatherer, teacher, preacher;
2. Genre - that of wisdom
3. Post exile - Persian period/date 450-300 BC/last book of OT Canon
4. Language is late/not elegant/contains many Aramaic words
5. Author - possibly Solomon - but highly unlikely- teacher/wisdom/
6.Context radically different/ from Orthodox Jewish teaching
Overview of the teaching:
dismal outlook
vanity/emptiness/worthlessness 0f life
Persian influence - money/possessions lead to false security
Main Thrust
on our own we are useless: scholar A Philips
Life is capricious - best bet is to be on good terms with God
God is supreme
Intense belief in God of the writer
A book for the 21st century
Final section of Ecclesiastes
1. Latin of the Greek phrase Qoheleth - gatherer, teacher, preacher;
2. Genre - that of wisdom
3. Post exile - Persian period/date 450-300 BC/last book of OT Canon
4. Language is late/not elegant/contains many Aramaic words
5. Author - possibly Solomon - but highly unlikely- teacher/wisdom/
6.Context radically different/ from Orthodox Jewish teaching
Overview of the teaching:
dismal outlook
vanity/emptiness/worthlessness 0f life
Persian influence - money/possessions lead to false security
Main Thrust
on our own we are useless: scholar A Philips
Life is capricious - best bet is to be on good terms with God
God is supreme
Intense belief in God of the writer
A book for the 21st century
Sunday, 25 October 2009
25th October Unity: St Mary Abbots
I am going to talk a little bit tonight about the news story we raised at Wednesday's breakfast re the Vatican overture.
My headings for tonight include insights of three recent ABC's on the question of Anglican/Roman Catholic unity.
Heading being: future of our Church and Communion again in news focus
What does history teach us?
Current situation: Archbishops' Council, House of Bishops and General Synod all picking their way through the question of women in the episcopate.
Roman Catholic Church makes overture
Consequent questions raised again about "state" of the CofE and CofE/RC relations
---
Tomorrow (though terribly missed off our church calendar!) we remember Cedd of Lastingham
After a Pope from Rome sent Augustine to convert the English - there were controversies and disagreements amongst all the commonality across the Christian Church in Bede's well attested world.
Cedd joined in the debate: urged the Irish and Roman ways to co-join
Recent Archbishops have all had their unique way of dealing with the dilemma which is the main news story of the weekend re our Church
Owen Chadwick - in his book - Michael Ramsey (A Life) found a welcome not as a stranger
"Pope Paul VI included this general sentence as Ramsey arrived: "as you cross our thresh hold we want especially to feel that you are not entering the house of strangers, but that this is your home, where you have a right to be".
Robert Runcie saw the quest for unity not in terms of supremacy - but humility - agreeing with Gregory the Great.
"An Archbishop of Canterbury cannot but have respect for the Pope who sent Augustine to England,a Pope who exercised the sort of Primacy that ARCIC commends to us today. Gregory the Great asked for 'no honour which shall detract from the honour of belonging to my brethren' and believed that it was through 'himility rather than supremacy that the unity of the church is preserved.'
Ended with Rowan Williams
uncomfortable, at the centre of another story on the unity front:
it is his conviction (writing in The Truce of God) that "a catholic church is one whose loyalty is to a vision of humanity as a single , though endlessly various, whole, a single pattern centred on Jesus."
My headings for tonight include insights of three recent ABC's on the question of Anglican/Roman Catholic unity.
Heading being: future of our Church and Communion again in news focus
What does history teach us?
Current situation: Archbishops' Council, House of Bishops and General Synod all picking their way through the question of women in the episcopate.
Roman Catholic Church makes overture
Consequent questions raised again about "state" of the CofE and CofE/RC relations
---
Tomorrow (though terribly missed off our church calendar!) we remember Cedd of Lastingham
After a Pope from Rome sent Augustine to convert the English - there were controversies and disagreements amongst all the commonality across the Christian Church in Bede's well attested world.
Cedd joined in the debate: urged the Irish and Roman ways to co-join
Recent Archbishops have all had their unique way of dealing with the dilemma which is the main news story of the weekend re our Church
Owen Chadwick - in his book - Michael Ramsey (A Life) found a welcome not as a stranger
"Pope Paul VI included this general sentence as Ramsey arrived: "as you cross our thresh hold we want especially to feel that you are not entering the house of strangers, but that this is your home, where you have a right to be".
Robert Runcie saw the quest for unity not in terms of supremacy - but humility - agreeing with Gregory the Great.
"An Archbishop of Canterbury cannot but have respect for the Pope who sent Augustine to England,a Pope who exercised the sort of Primacy that ARCIC commends to us today. Gregory the Great asked for 'no honour which shall detract from the honour of belonging to my brethren' and believed that it was through 'himility rather than supremacy that the unity of the church is preserved.'
Ended with Rowan Williams
uncomfortable, at the centre of another story on the unity front:
it is his conviction (writing in The Truce of God) that "a catholic church is one whose loyalty is to a vision of humanity as a single , though endlessly various, whole, a single pattern centred on Jesus."
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