Psalm 90.1-12
Days are what we live in - Philip Larkin
Prayer: God as our refuge
Creation
Teach us
Number our days
Apply our hearts
Wisdom - the knowledge of the love of God.
Monday 18 August 2008
Sunday 17 August 2008
St Mary Abbots 17th August AM
The Canaanite Woman's Faith. Matthew 15.21-28
Jesus heals at a distance:
healing in this story is almost incidental.
Tyre/Sidon 30 miles nw of Gennesaret
Woman comes out of the Pagan environment to meet Jesus.
"O Lord, Son of David".
She wins the approval of Jesus Christ - not because of the words she uses but because of her faith.
Jesus' atttiude to Pagan belief.
A story that would have been siezed on by the authorities.
Racism
Sectarianism
"dogs" - a way of referring to Gentiles?
"The woman's faith - which wins her request - is not belief in Jesus as israel's Messiah, but the persevering faith which admits humbly that she has no right to immediate help but is prepared to take second place to Israel. "
Jesus heals at a distance:
healing in this story is almost incidental.
Tyre/Sidon 30 miles nw of Gennesaret
Woman comes out of the Pagan environment to meet Jesus.
"O Lord, Son of David".
She wins the approval of Jesus Christ - not because of the words she uses but because of her faith.
Jesus' atttiude to Pagan belief.
A story that would have been siezed on by the authorities.
Racism
Sectarianism
"dogs" - a way of referring to Gentiles?
"The woman's faith - which wins her request - is not belief in Jesus as israel's Messiah, but the persevering faith which admits humbly that she has no right to immediate help but is prepared to take second place to Israel. "
Hull City's First Win
So Hull City are above Arsenal and Liverpool in the first Premiership leagye table of the season ! LOL
What a day - beating Fulham 2-1
What a day - beating Fulham 2-1
Sunday 3 August 2008
St Mary Abbots 030808 Lambeth Conference
The word COMMUNION
Holy Communion
Communion of Saints
Anglican Communion
Runcie task:
"dealing with urgent questions which face all mankind and we must act as serious religious people who believe that Christ and the Gospel can make all the difference to a world full of hoelessness, violence and want."
Runcie definition:
"dispersed or shared authority is an authority which builds up the church's fellowship with God and one another."
What are the issues:
Theology
Culture
Hermeneutics
"Our ministry takes place in the context of a needy and divided world in which there is both deep fear and great suffering."
+Rowan
Aims:
to be more confident in our Anglican identity
to grow in energy and enthusiasm for mission."
Holy Communion
Communion of Saints
Anglican Communion
Runcie task:
"dealing with urgent questions which face all mankind and we must act as serious religious people who believe that Christ and the Gospel can make all the difference to a world full of hoelessness, violence and want."
Runcie definition:
"dispersed or shared authority is an authority which builds up the church's fellowship with God and one another."
What are the issues:
Theology
Culture
Hermeneutics
"Our ministry takes place in the context of a needy and divided world in which there is both deep fear and great suffering."
+Rowan
Aims:
to be more confident in our Anglican identity
to grow in energy and enthusiasm for mission."
3rd August Sung Eucharist at St Mary Abbots
Matthew 14 13-21 - a popular story!!
- a quiet place/they withdrew
purpose: to instruct
compassion!
heals the sick
but the external signs go one steo further/feeding of 5000
How does the Lord come across:
NEW MOSES
IMPACT: visuals (aware of them) spiritual (unaware)
DISCIPLES - new shepherds of Israel
But they cannot do it alone:
They need to UNDERSTAND
They need FEEDING
GOD SUSTAINS them
- a quiet place/they withdrew
purpose: to instruct
compassion!
heals the sick
but the external signs go one steo further/feeding of 5000
How does the Lord come across:
NEW MOSES
IMPACT: visuals (aware of them) spiritual (unaware)
DISCIPLES - new shepherds of Israel
But they cannot do it alone:
They need to UNDERSTAND
They need FEEDING
GOD SUSTAINS them
Saturday 2 August 2008
Thought For The Day BBC Radio 4 2nd Aug
TFTD Saturday 2nd August
Rob Marshall
Good morning.
Sport is more than a physical activity. It involves body AND mind AND spirit. So there is something wonderfully uplifting as well as exciting about the fact that in less than a week the Olympic Games in Beijing get underway.
But this particular Olympics has raised more questions about freedom and human rights than most.
Among all the recent stories out of China about the earthquake and its aftermath, the economic and technological advances of Chinese society, the concern about pollution levels at the Olympics sites, there has been another story niggling away, demanding our attention. This is about censorship.
Put simply, 20,000 accredited journalists have been battling to have access to websites in the media centre which the Chinese authorities blocked: ruling out, for instance, Amnesty International’s website, which is critical of China’s human rights record. In the past 48 hours the number of available websites has increased after media pressure, but the censorship has been embarrassing for the International Olympic Committee who, seven years ago when the Games were awarded to Beijing, were assured – and seemed to believe - that such things would not be part of the China of the future.
I don’t want to be simplistic here. Most messages reaching us have been adopted - or adapted - to suit the needs, beliefs and lifestyles of the messenger. So nothing is black and white – never more so when other cultures, who do things and see things differently from those of us doing the judging, are suddenly at the centre of attention.
But I have been re-reading Herman and Chomsky’s “Manufacturing Consent” – in which they emphasise that freedom of expression should not be defended, quote, “by virtue of its contribution to some higher good; rather (because freedom of expression) is a value in itself.”
The Christian faith regards freedom as a gift from God. Freedom, said Jesus, is found in ‘the Truth that sets you free’.
And always it is linked to how freedom is to be USED, both by the giver and the receiver. The giver may have goals and desires for the receiver, but ultimately allows the receiver to make his or her own choices. The receiver, given the gift of freedom, is called to exercise it responsibly and beneficially, not selfishly or excessively.
This is relevant to countries also – at the moment to China in particular because its spectacular staging of the Olympics will make it the focus of worldwide headlines. And when we are told that sport and politics should be kept separate, our retort has to be that freedom is NEVER just a matter of politics, it is also a matter of the SPIRIT.
The Olympic motto this year is ‘One World, One Dream’. But this is an instance of where ANY dream will NOT do.
Rob Marshall
Good morning.
Sport is more than a physical activity. It involves body AND mind AND spirit. So there is something wonderfully uplifting as well as exciting about the fact that in less than a week the Olympic Games in Beijing get underway.
But this particular Olympics has raised more questions about freedom and human rights than most.
Among all the recent stories out of China about the earthquake and its aftermath, the economic and technological advances of Chinese society, the concern about pollution levels at the Olympics sites, there has been another story niggling away, demanding our attention. This is about censorship.
Put simply, 20,000 accredited journalists have been battling to have access to websites in the media centre which the Chinese authorities blocked: ruling out, for instance, Amnesty International’s website, which is critical of China’s human rights record. In the past 48 hours the number of available websites has increased after media pressure, but the censorship has been embarrassing for the International Olympic Committee who, seven years ago when the Games were awarded to Beijing, were assured – and seemed to believe - that such things would not be part of the China of the future.
I don’t want to be simplistic here. Most messages reaching us have been adopted - or adapted - to suit the needs, beliefs and lifestyles of the messenger. So nothing is black and white – never more so when other cultures, who do things and see things differently from those of us doing the judging, are suddenly at the centre of attention.
But I have been re-reading Herman and Chomsky’s “Manufacturing Consent” – in which they emphasise that freedom of expression should not be defended, quote, “by virtue of its contribution to some higher good; rather (because freedom of expression) is a value in itself.”
The Christian faith regards freedom as a gift from God. Freedom, said Jesus, is found in ‘the Truth that sets you free’.
And always it is linked to how freedom is to be USED, both by the giver and the receiver. The giver may have goals and desires for the receiver, but ultimately allows the receiver to make his or her own choices. The receiver, given the gift of freedom, is called to exercise it responsibly and beneficially, not selfishly or excessively.
This is relevant to countries also – at the moment to China in particular because its spectacular staging of the Olympics will make it the focus of worldwide headlines. And when we are told that sport and politics should be kept separate, our retort has to be that freedom is NEVER just a matter of politics, it is also a matter of the SPIRIT.
The Olympic motto this year is ‘One World, One Dream’. But this is an instance of where ANY dream will NOT do.
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