Advent Sunday Address at St Mary Abbots

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.

Yorkshire

First time in Yorkshire to stay over for a while.
Great to be back:)

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.

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.

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."

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

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."

Thought For the Day 3rd October

Thought for the Day
Saturday 3rd October
Rob Marshall
Good morning
So now we know. London will hand over the Olympic torch to Rio De Janeiro as the host city of the 2016 Olympics.
How contrasting was the euphoria of the first South American city to host the games and the disappointment of Madrid – and the surprise and excitement of when London won 2012 came flooding back.
Just before yesterday’s vote, one IOC representative briefed the media saying :”if they win, they will be under pressure for seven years until they deliver the games.”
London will be able to give help and advice as the reality dawns as to what lies ahead for Rio: as TS Elliot warns us –“Between the idea and the reality; between the motion and the act, falls the shadow” and that shadow is all those things which we simply can’t possibly take into account when with every good intention – we agree to take something on.
A bishop who I once worked for used to say to me with increasing regularity – “why on earth did I agree to do this? Why did I take this on?” And, in the cold light of day we all have those times, when we look back at the moment when we accepted responsibility for something and then realised that the delivery of it might just be a little different to what we had imagined.
Unfortunately, for some people, this happens with a new job. Others find that a property they have bought was too big, too large. Even more emotionally and spiritually draining is a relationship, taken on without really thinking about what the long term effects might be.
When Huxley said “Hell isn’t merely paved with good intentions, it is walled and roofed with them” he confirmed lots of pastoral conversations I have had as a priest with people and with organisations.
The books of both the Old and New Testaments form a framework for my own understanding of human nature and this crucial idea of good intention, wanting to succeed and win, often in the face of unimagined and surprising obstacles figures prominently in Christian theology.
St Paul sums this up in Olympic fashion, urging people to live as if they are running a race – but sticking rigidly to pre-set goals of faith and hope whatever stumbling blocks come their way.
The main thing to avoid is cynicism: it’s too common and too easy to say “I told you so” when we see other people’s dreams collapse and the grandest of schemes fail.
It is a very human thing to want to succeed, to win the prize. The reality of experience is that the delivery of the goods is rarely without fraught moments and disappointments.
This is where faith in human nature and in what we ultimately believe in, comes to the rescue even if what we are really feeling is “why on earth did I agree to take this on?”

Copyright BBC

Thought for the Day 26th September 2009

Thought for the Day
Saturday 26th September
Rob Marshall

Good Morning
I’ve been looking up everything I can find about what one expert has described as the “fantastically important discovery” of more than 1500 gold and silver items in a Staffordshire field. The haul is staggering: war booty stripped from aristocratic warriors which, according to another expert, will “transform our understanding of anglo-saxon history”

Over the past few years I have become uncharacteristically interested in the anglo saxon period, principally because of how Christianity then emerged out of a very pagan culture. I’ve been many times to Iona, to Whithorn as well as visiting sites in Northumberland, North Yorkshire and Bradwell in Essex – trying to unravel the nuances of what is sometimes called the celtic church within the anglo saxon context.

As for this week’s treasures - there is still a long way to go – a lot of archaeological patience will be required as the new discoveries are analysed.
But we already know enough about this period to couch our expectation in a basic acceptance that the anglo-saxon context throws up a lot of clues about how we came to be the people that we are today.

The Venerable Bede, whose remains are preserved in the Galilee Chapel of Durham Cathedral, paints a rich picture of the anglo saxon era. Peter Hunter Blair’s book – The World of Bede highlights the relevance and pertinence of many of Bede’s observations, using history to understand human origins and behaviour.

Bede describes Britain as a place of great beauty with plenty of natural resources which we should use for the benefit of all; he sees the population consisting of many different tribes and clans, certainly not always of one mind – frequently at war – but respectful of strong authority and impatient of diplomatic weakness.

And he constantly charts the challenge of the new religion of Christianity, in a distinctly pagan context. The arrival of St Augustine, coupled with the influence of Columba from Iona meant that the church took root and became an instrinsic part of the rich tapestry which was anglo saxon Britain.

Contemporary debates continue about different faiths living side by side, about pluralism and cultural diversity. People are constantly searching for meaning and purpose.

And it is fascinating to behold these anglo saxon artefacts representing a previous civilisation in our own land, and where similar debates, differences and struggles still face us in our own time and context.

The question is, what lessons can we learn from the era of these anglo saxon treasures - - - - - about then and about now?

copywrite bbc

Welcome to Flynn

A new Marshall (boy) born today.
Flyn - to Chris and Beth - congratulations!!

Thought for the Day Sept 19th BBC Radio 4

There’s been the usual, predictable response from cynics and critics as to why the bones of a 24 year old nun from the 19th century could possibly inspire the people of Britain in 2009. The relics of St Therese of Lisieux have arrived safely in the UK this week.

An atheist friend of mine saw the bones arriving in Portsmouth and asked me outright: “what would you do if you go and visit the relics of St Therese when she comes to Notting Hill, next month?” Well first, I told her, I’ve already visited them three times in Lisieux, so one of the main reasons for going would be the sheer curiosity of seeing the relics in a completely different context.

But of course the question concerned the whole point of relics and what they are about. Relics, basically, have played a significant part in the emergence of the church since its very beginning. They are the material remains– or any other object known to have been in direct contact - with someone designated as a saint by the church.

Scholars point out that in the second chapter of 2 Kings where Elijah’s mantle and Elisha’s bones were a source of encouragement to future believers – we see a perfectly understandable human reaction to the death of people who were respected and revered.
Mind you, the eighth century Council of Nicea directed that no church should be consecrated without a relic. I can still see Brian Sewell memorably travelling across France on his pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella explaining that communities thrived from the Middle Ages only if their cathedral or church had a relic: if they didn’t the town was a shadow of what it might have been if only for the bone of a saint!

Christian denominations don’t necessarily agree on the importance and status of relics. Though, going to visit a grave – knowing who rather than what lies below – is perfectly acceptable, indeed a respectable thing to do. And for some people relics are simply the next step – another way of celebrating and following the example of those who’ve gone before.

All those designated as saints by the church have demonstrated a miracle of faith as a foundation of their sainthood. That’s why the monks of Lindisfarne kept moving the body of St Cuthbert around when the Vikings arrived: he was a symbol of triumph over adversity – of faith – and hope in the future – those very bones represented liberty and freedom because of shocking suffering, violence and pillage in their own day.

Grisly human remains - relics might be on the one hand: but on the other, they can be mysteriously encouraging and, over centuries, profoundly significant to both communities and individuals.

Copyright BBC

San Francisco

San Francisco
Obama has had a bad summer. That was the unanimous feeling of democrats and republicans alike during my visit to California last week. This was not my first visit to San Francisco but it was, by far, my most memorable. The effects of the recession were everywhere – from the sales in the stores to the news stories about poverty and 10% rates of unemployment.
But it was to the south of Market Street, the “other side” of the famous tram F Line between the Wharfe and Castro, where the extent of human suffering, depravation, damage and poverty was not only shocking – it was unforgettable.
These mainly black American people seem to have no hope. Seized by the combined effects of poverty, alcohol and/or drugs ( I really wasn’t sure which) the extent of the begging and the visible signs of ill health in shop doorways, street corners and alleyways as a whole sea of human beings suffered, was in stark contrast to the hope and optimism of the America which Obama represents.
Hope? Where is it? Light? In this kind of darkness!? Optimism? Healthcare for all?
Missing limbs, lack of shoes, obvious medical conditions ranging from critical to superficial were on display everywhere. Several young looking human souls simply laid out flat on the concrete sidewalk – totally ignored by the coffee hugging, distracted, slightly restless, better off – rushing by on the other side.
The City remains enchanting if dirty. There is a sense of history and tradition which might, one day, return. There is hope. But the Golden Gate Bridge is hardly a symbol of opulence at the present time: rather a sign of hope that the future might bring less suffering and more confidence to this wonderful, fresh region.

Faith and its Critics - Book Review

There is something reassuring in the intellectual rigour of David Fergusson’s faith in his just published new book Faith and its Critics (Oxford University Press ISBN 978-0-19-956938). Based on the 2008 Gifford Lectures delivered at the University of Glasgow, this slim, readable, volume faces Christianity’s critics head on. Intriguingly, Fergusson suggests that a lot of modern atheism is an English language movement conducted through blogs and websites. And the fact that he estimates that there may be around 500 million atheists in the world – making them the fourth largest “religion” – underlines that we cannot take their arguments and theories of faith and religion at all lightly. But this book is full of confidence. It asserts the particular and unique dimensions of faith and urges Christians to fight their corner with positive arguments. The latter part of the book, focussing on the importance of sacred texts in religion, interested me most. Reminding the reader that most religious texts are “embedded in the cultural circumstances and assumptions of historical periods very different to our own” Fergusson focuses rather on interpretation as the key – “the task of interpreting sacred texts is therefore an unavoidable responsibility of the faith communities.” A fascinating book for students, clergy and laity.
Rob Marshall

ITV

Just heard that the ITV show I have recorded is going to be transmitted in September. Still awaiting date. Will be interesting to see how the filming turns out!

Pause For Thought

Just recorded another series of Pause for Thoughtr for BBC Radio 2. Produced by Unique, in Bell Street, Marble Arch - I've been doing this slot for about 15 years now! Good to be asked to do more at Christmas as well.

St Bartholomew The Apostle 24th August

Today (23rd August) is the eve of St Bartholomew

Suggested that Bartholomew is indeed Nathaniel in John's Gospel.

Philip brings him to Jesus

Jesus surmises that here is an Israelite " in whom there is no guile"

Guile is deception, duplicity, dishonesty, slyness, sharp practise

Bartholomew has a simple, direct character which avoids all of these.

overcomes all cynicism and proclaims Jesus as Lord

Josiah G Holland's poem:
God give us men! A time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands
men whom the lust of office does not fill
Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy,
Men who possess opinions and a will
men who love honour, men who cannot lie.

Old Testament Study St Mary Abbots 23rd August

Professor John Rogerson
in his book Beginning Old Testament Study

- complained the church has largely ignored OT study in recent years
-suggests that the primary aim of any biblical study should be understanding

Exodus 4.27-5.1
is a typical passage for those of us who see that any understanding of the NT is rooted at least in an understanding of the Old.

Looks at Moses and Aaron

Key motifs there - for instance - wilderness, mountain, words, signs
all of these com into full prominence for the Christian in the New Testament

Holiness of God
Presence of God
Covenant with God

Bedrock of our Christian faith.

On this our faith in Jesus is rooted.

Wedding James & Sonja 22nd August

It was nice to officiate at a wedding once again and to wish James and Sonjia all the best at the start of their married life together!

Feast of the Transfiguratiion 2009

This was a particularly fulfilling and great Feast Day.

It began early, setting up St Mary Abbots for a day of reflection, prayer and meditation led by Bishop David Hope.

Then it was into the day itself, on the hour, every hour, a reading, a prayer and hymn reflection the great feast.

After lunch the day continued until I had to leave to preach at St Paul's Cathedral at the Mass of the Transfiguration. It is always a great honour to be in the pulpit graced by so many in the past.

Then, quickly onto the tube and in torrential rain to St George's Campbel Hill Square, where many had gathered for a Eucharist presided over and preached at by Bishop David Hope.

It was a momentous day.

All rounded off at Nandos, Notting Hill where chicken and chips and a nice bottle of white finished the feast.

St Mary Abbots 020809

Searching and Sustenance

John 6 24-35

Passage worth reading again and again.

Follows on the from feeding of 5000

Strangely synoptic for John.

Crowd go looking for Jesus. Jesus recognises it was because the picnic that they hunt him down. Then he challenges them - what are you searching for?

The passage then goes on to discuss "the work of God"; what is it?

Jesus then talks in terms of feeding them spiritually with food and drink and that it it only through the Father that they will understand fully.

"I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

Celtic Cross

Notes from leading a Quiet Day at St Chad's College, Durham

A world of words
update
blogging
profiles

narrative/blog.storytelling - all the rage

Man has always found a way of telling the story

Caves at Lascaux

Monasteries of Moldavia

Celtic Cross

Ruthwell Cross is another fine example
Celts didn't write much down but they could tell a great story

18 ft high
dates from 7th century
preaching cross
designed to tell the story of Jesus' life

Today, we focus on the story of Jesus, of the Church and on our selves.

End of the Celtic Pilgrimage

Celtic Summer has just come to an end and I have said goodbye to the group in Durham.

Every year is a great time - visiting the church across the north east - and experiencinglife wiht a varied group of people.

Back now to London.

Back in Durham

Leading "Celtic Summer" is an annual event for me now and it is always good to be back in Durham for the week.

The 2009 group is a bit smaller than usual because my colleague Martin Warner is leading a similar group in a few weeks time so the group is, effectively, split into two.

We have had a great week visiting Lastingham, Whitby, Seahouses, Lindisfarne, Seahouses and a whole host of other places.

The regular services in the Chapel are also a great joy and delight.

Today I led a Quiet Day - and really enjoyed it. Some people might see me and a quiet day as a contradiction in terms - but it seemed to go well and I got quite a bit out of it too.

And so to a north east weekend - looking forward to it.

Farewell to Paul Moss as headmaster

"Guest of Honour" speech today delivered at St James Junior School Speech Day.

Having guests
being a guest

Have guests
"hosts"
need to be well prepared
welcoming
make sacrifices

To be a guest
well prepared
respectful
polite/courteous
enjoy

"Own tradition"
God has invited all of us to be guests of creation
all equal
unique
shouldn't make excuses

real guest of honour

children:
wonderful examples
each is unique
never make excuses

Mr Paul Moss
well prepared
always welcoming
make sacrifices

A tribute to a wonderful headteacher.

Trafalgar Square Pedestal

On Monday at 9am a housewife from Sleaford, armed with a green lollipop, will take her place on a pedestal in Trafalgar Square.

It’s Antony Gormley’s idea to invite UK residents to spend one hour on the pedestal, 24/7 for 100 days, meaning that 2400 citizens will each have their moment. He calls it a composite portrait of Britain; a work of art: “we will discover what we really care about” he says, “our hopes and fears for now and in the future.”

Pedestals are dangerous places. They have traditionally been regarded as resting places for people whom we honour, or regard with a certain degree of reverence: put yourself on a pedestal and you are immediately in danger of being knocked off. To be knocked off your pedestal is rarely a nice experience.

But my biggest concern about the Trafalgar Square pedestal is the suggestion that this is the chance for ordinary people to be raised up to make their point. The PR operation surrounding the project,
in one very disconcerting way, rests on the notion of ord-inar-iness which is actually non existent.

One of the privileges of my own job as priest is to be confronted daily by the remarkableness of human life in all is forms. Strip away kudos, status, rank, wealth or inheritance- and there really is no such thing as an ordinary human being. It’s nonsense. A contradicton. The actor Christopher Reeve, who spent the last few years of his life in a wheelchair, said that “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endures in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”

And it’s true – that ord-inar-iness in people, signs and situations is rooted in the extraordinary – even in matters of faith as Frances Bacon memorably says – “God never wrought miracles to convince atheism, because his ordinary works convince it”.

There is no such thing as an ordinary person. Each of us is unique and extraordinary. Which brings us back to putting ourselves and others on pedestals.

On the basis of our uniqueness and individuality, as well as our potential, there is absolutely no point in keeping any of this a secret. Jesus himself says “No one lights a lamp and hides it under a bushel. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. “

So that on the understanding that this pedestal will celebrate the extraordinariness of human nature in all its forms, and, therefore, leave it not hidden, Antony Gormley has, in fact, come up with a great idea. I might even pop along myself to have a look myself. Mind you, it takes some guts and you’d never get me up there!

TFTD Michael Jackson

Thought for the Day
Rob Marshall: 27th June 2009
Good morning
Yesterday I listened to the Michael’s Jackson’s earth song, over and over again: “What about the sunrise? What about the rain?
What about all the things, that you said we were to gain….
What about killingfields, is there a time?
What about all the dreams, that you said were yours and mine?

And I realised, perhaps for the first time, how the combined weirdness and brilliance of Michael Jackson’s life was rooted in a child-like innocence
and that the world really wasn’t that bad – apart from the damage that human beings created around themselves.

Touched by genius, a music purist – a composer, writer, performer and superb dancer – Jackson’s dense creativity manifested itself in truly bizarre ways. Criminal proceedings only added to a mist of unease and mystery which often swirled around him.

Jackson’s undoubted artistic genius was rooted in his desire to withdraw from celebrity mainstream culture to be a recluse – and to imagine an unreal world where priorities are more focussed and reality is only a haze in the distance.

So that when he did burst out onto the stage – his contribution was at least thoughtful, often charged, sometimes sublime – and not least because whilst living in the world – he did not always want to be part of what he saw and witnessed. And the result only added to a sense of confusion and raised more questions.

Michael Jackson’s passing shows how massive a part music plays in many people’s lives. There is a profoundly spiritual aspect to the music that you and I love – marking rites of passage, present and former relationships, cadences in our lives that we might want to celebrate again and again – or quite simply forget – until we hear the tune. Thomas Beecham said that good music is that which penetrates the ear with facility and quits the memory with difficulty.

It is quite clear that Michael Jackson wrestled as a recluse, with the world, with man, with God and with himself. He saw humanity as flawed and lamented his role in it. In another of his songs, Heal the World, Jackson described love as a place of the heart where in making a little space for ourselves – we could make the world a better place: he writes:
If You Want To Know Why; There's A Love That Cannot LieLove Is Strong; It Only Cares For Joyful Giving.

But it’s the Earth Song, with which I began, which reinforces Jackson’s belief, through music, that however flawed our starting point, we all need to take a little time out to ask some profound and even theological questions:
He sings: What about the man? What about the crying man ?What about Abraham ? What about death again ? Do we give a damn?
The answer, I think, is that in his own unique way, he did.

In and out of University

Good morning.
It’s been an equally bad week for new graduates and prospective students this week.

As unemployment levels continue to rise thousands of students who have just finished finals are seriously struggling to find their first serious job.
Whilst figures suggest that record numbers of young people are seeking fewer places at universities and colleges and so it’s a double whammy of bad news for these young people.

Of all the people affected by the economic downturn, it’s this fresh batch of young people for whom we should feel particularly concerned.

Many of those graduating have significant loans and debts, they have newly found knowledge and skills for a non existent work place and, in many cases, no hope of making that first, bold move towards independence as they have no choice but to move back home with their parents.

Those wanting a place at university and not succeeding because of a shortage of places quite simply have very few places to go.

This demoralising and depressing landscape for many of our young people should be a key priority not only for our politicians but for all of us working in communities up and down the country.
My own two children are currently at university and you can sense not only their hopes and aspirations for the future being affected – you can also see them and their friends asking deep and meaningful questions about the future.

Father's Day

The other day I had a conversation with my 21 year old daughter. “Speak soon then,” I said to her. “Well we’ll speak on Sunday because it’s Father’s Day,” she said in a wonderfully innocent way.
The cynic in me was completely disarmed. I was unwittingly reassured that the marketing nonsense of greetings cards, cheap bottles of supermarket whisky and boxed DVD sets isn’t really what Father’s Day is all about. Her reassurance of a simple phone call tomorrow gave me a temporary selfish glow that I hadn’t got being a father completely wrong.
This week I heard about a new film called the evolution of dad. Based around a series of interviews with fathers, it suggests that men have travelled a long way towards parity with women when it comes to parenthood, earning potential and forward planning. Such equality may be anathema in some countries and frowned on in others but in Britain and the United States the father’s role within the context of the family has changed and is changing.
All of this means a fundamental reassessment of the role of men and women in British society from an anthropological and sociological point of view. But I want to argue that it doesn’t fundamentally change anything theologically.
The spiritual notion of Fatherhood in the Christian tradition is rooted in the concept of God himself. If the Old Testament is a fascinating concoction of how the father deals with his erring creation, the New Testament brings the notion of fatherhood to a new level.
Many modern theologians have argued that God is as much mother as he is father. I am happy to consider that as long as it in no way diminishes the impressive explanations of Jesus throughout his ministry as to how God as Father introduces us to vulnerability and openness; to responsibility and love.
Vulnerability - because a Father can only go so far in directing his children: the rest is up to them:
Openness – because true Fatherhood seems to be rooted in the notions of honesty and giving direction without control or condition
Responsibility because, well what is being a parent, if it’s not ultimately being responsible?
And Love – because love is where it starts, and also where it ends.
These notions of Fatherhood are both my experience as a Christian and my aim as a dad. They are not always easy to achieve.
If ministry has taught me anything, it has underlined the diversity of human relationships right across the social spectrum. Some are wonderful. Others found wanting. Whilst many people are truly happy, others sense only failure and rejection. And how such relationships are, partly conditions the type of person we become.
Devoid of tacky cards and exorbitant gifts, Father’s Day is a true opportunity, first, to think of yourself as someone’s child and especially this weekend, for all who are fathers, not to take for granted the unique, and they are unique, opportunities which the gift of fatherhood brings.

Thought for The Day 20th June

The North Korean national football team have qualified for the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa. Only 6 sides have guaranteed their place so far (England still need at least a point) and North Korea’s early success is already causing their autocratic regime several major headaches.

The players will be heavily controlled; few fans from North Korea will be able to support their team and there is even a question as to whether or not the matches will be televised. No home fans. No TV. It will be down to Twitter then.

Watching the other qualifying match in that group this week – Iran against Saudi Arabia – the green arm bands on the wrists of some Iranian players in support of democracy back home- were more important than the result of the game.

Sport frequently manages to provide an arena for international dilemmas to be seen in the cold light of day. It’s often the case: one tournament – different continents, many nations – but what a varied backdrop is provided by the lives and experiences of each of the participating teams.

Indeed, the qualification of North Korea highlights how absolutely different life can be for people taking part in exactly the same event. Contrast the reality of life of, say, a North Korean defender with the puffed up somewhat ridiculous extremes of some European and South American footballers also taking part. It’s the parallel universe syndrome: how can that be? We are here, and so are they, but perception through participation is staggeringly different?

Putting that taking part in an event into the context of life back home is even more challenging in a repressed society if sport provides only a fleeting glimpse of equality and that level playing field– it is but a mirage, a temporary reprieve from the oppression and injustice to which participants must then return.

The communications revolution, as we have seen this week in various parts of the world, gives dictators fewer places to hide. This is an age of opinion, update and messaging. And it is all of our responsibilities to believe that sharing and openness might ease the path to freedom; that our perception and experience of life need not be so different even at the same event.

Who is to say what is right? Who can define what real freedom is? All we know is that human beings crave the opportunity to be free to believe that they have the ability to make choices.

Having faith in any such ability means believing sometimes in that which is not tangible: St Augustine of Hippo said that faith is to believe what you do not yet see:” but if you have such faith and persist – he goes on – one day you will see what you believe.

31st Mat Feast of Pentecost

PENTECOST

Collect after Ascension: “Leave us not comfortless”
Common Worship Liturgy – underlines the expectancy of God giving us the opposite of being without comfort – the Holy Spirit then comes upon the Church.

BIBLE
The Spirit of God & the Holy Spirit – to be found throughout the books of the Bible
Hebrew texts: the spirit is often a sign of God’s presence: antithesis of what is wrong with the world.
Greek texts: the Spirit of God becomes the gift of Jesus: emergence of Trinitarian theology

THEOLOGY
Ever since Acts 2 – the church has wrestled to understand the interaction between the Holy Spirit and the Church and the Holy Spirit and the believer:
1) General agreement: a new way of life: a new philosophy
Sarx v spirit

2) General agreement: a new language – one of the most common words in Acts
Apostles spoke in a spiritual language which went beyond local dialects
Commonly interpreted now as speaking in tongues
What emerges thro Early Fathers is a universal language of the Spirit
LOVE JOY PEACE – part of the new way of life.

3) General agreement: a new channel for all our energy
We are all different
We are all unique
One good at one thing: one good at another
“There are varieties of gifts – but the same spirit.”

FH Chase calls the events of Pentecost – “the sunlight of a new day”
Darkness overcome
The light which the spirit brings illuminates the first church
NEW WAY OF LIFE; NEW LANGUAGE; NEW CHANNEL FOR OUR ENERGY

Mark
Synoptic
Gospel - not a biography
Preocuppied with Kingdom

Discipleship

The Son of God as flesh.
D E Nineham demonstrated that Jesus was in fact the eternal word of God become flesh"

The Son of God brings freedom
James D. G Dunn"A New Christian Perspective"Mark is where Jesus is seen as a teacher aim - to bring liberty

The Son of God brings New Life
Gerald O'Mahony : praying St Mark
The actual accounts of the resurrection are limited
"There are built into the text of the gospel dozens of indications that the gospel was written in the light of Jesus's resurrection."

St Mary Abbots Sunday After Easter

St Mary Abbots

Romans 4.13-25

The putting of the resurrection firmly into context.

This is a chapter on the question - what is faith? and in which the power of the resurrection is celebrated.

Points about Paul here:

he has a deep knowledge of the life of the patriarchs

the nature of the promise is of land and of descendants

the nature of faith
faith in God as creator
faith in the promiseof hsi glory

this faith = "reckoned to him as righteousness"

where God wants us to be

Backdrop v25
"It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus Our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification."

God has made us a promise

Our faith is a response to God's righteousness

Our new life is rooted in God's purposes.

Thought for the Day R4 17th April

TFTD
18th April 2009
Rob Marshall
Good morning
Picking the music for your own funeral might not be at the top of your weekend list of priorities. But a survey of funeral directors this week showed that, apart from in Scotland, more people now choose pop songs than traditional hymns. Frank Sinatra’s My Way is, apparently, still the favourite.

It is an amazing privilege to officiate at a someone’s funeral. There are many that stick in my mind because of their originality – their sense of compassion, great humour, faith and thanksgiving. One thing is for sure – no two funerals are ever the same!

And that includes the music. In recent months I’ve officiated at funerals where You Raise Me Up, Unforgettable or Alleluia have been played alongside Abide With Me and The Lord's My Shepherd.

Rites of passage are changing with the times. Church remains a popular venue for Christian weddings and funerals. But the way we plan for such occasions and our expectations of them, obviously shifts with each generation.

Thomas Mann said that "A man's dying is more the survivors’ affair than his own", underlining the point that funerals are as much for those left behind as for the deceased. Indeed, the readings, hymns, poems, songs and tributes are comfort-offering human necessities, rooted in the psychological need for a moment of fond farewell, saying goodbye and closure.

But other things happen at faith funerals where ritual almost demands a parallel need for poignancy and reflection. I certainly find that people need this too.

In the Christian service, the acts of commendation and committal are very moving and certainly best left free only for the sound of silence and meditation. These glorious words are used: “The days of man are but as grass: he flourishes like the flower of the field and when the wind goes over it, it is gone; and it’s place will know it no more; but the merciful goodness of the Lord lasts forever”. The meaning of life in death and of what lies ahead becomes the focus. People find great comfort in this moment for faith.

Most funerals are a creative ritual combination. Of remembering, faith & celebration potently mixed with moving on and commendation. And this flexible blending of the formal with the informal allows the creation of deeply spiritual space, where there is plenty of room for tears and laughter. Dignity and thanksgiving can go hand in hand.

Modern rites of passage are immersed in our particular culture whilst always looking faithfully beyond it.

Post Easter Reflections

Gregory of Nyssa

Gregory of Nyssa (c 335 – after 394) was a Christian bishop and saint. He was a younger brother of Basil the Great and a good friend of Gregory Nazianzus. His significance has long been recognized in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Roman Catholic branches of Christianity. Some historians identify Theosebia the deaconess as his wife, others hold that she, like Macrina the Younger, was also a sister of Gregory and Basil. Gregory along with his brother Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus are known as the Cappadocian Fathers. They attempted to establish Christian philosophy as superior to Greek philosophy.

“Paul (in I Corinthians 15) shows that the person not believing in the resurrection of the dead does not admit of Christ's Resurrection. Through the web of mutual connections there comes the inevitable conclusion -"If there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ risen. If Christ has not risen, our faith in him is vain" [1 Cor 15.16]. If the proposition is true, namely that Christ is risen from the dead, then it is necessarily true that this connection spoken of is true, that there is a resurrection of the dead. For by a particular demonstration the universal is presented at the same time. On the contrary, if anyone says the universal is false, that is, the resurrection of the dead, neither is the truth found in an individual example, that is, Christ's Resurrection from the dead.

Paul therefore compels the Corinthians by syllogisms to accept his teaching on the Resurrection. From it he claims that if the Resurrection does not exist, its universal confirmation is concluded. For with a specific proof the general principle is also revealed. And, on the contrary, if anyone were to say that the general principle is false (that there is a resurrection of the dead), then neither would the specific be found true (that Christ was raised from the dead). Paul adds to this fact that as all have died in Adam, all will be restored to life in Christ. Clearly does Paul here reveal the mystery of the Resurrection. Anyone who looks at what results from the Resurrection readily sees its consequence, that is, the goal for which all men hope and for which they direct their prayers”.

Post Easter Reflections

St John Chrysostom

Saint John Chrysostom (c. 347–407, Greek: Ιωάννης ο Χρυσόστομος), archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic sensibilities. After his death (or, according to some sources, during his life) he was given the Greek surname chrysostomos, meaning "golden mouthed", rendered in English as Chrysostom.

“For St Paul is always establishing the credibility of the Resurrection from Christ, and especially now. For if our body be a member of Christ, and Christ be risen, the body also shall surely follow the Head.

“Through his power.” For since he had asserted a thing disbelieved and not to be apprehended by reasonings, he hath left entirely to His incomprehensible power the circumstances of Christ’s own Resurrection, producing this too as no small demonstration against them. And concerning the Resurrection of Christ he did not insert this: for he did not say, “And God shall also raise up the Lord;”—for the thing was past and gone;—but how? “And God both raised up the Lord;” nor was there need of any proof. But concerning our resurrection, since it has not yet come to pass, he spoke not thus, but how? “And will raise up us also through His power:” by the reliance to be placed on the power of the Worker, he stops the mouths of the gainsayers.

Further: if he ascribe unto the Father the Resurrection of Christ, let not this at all disturb thee. For not as though Christ were powerless, hath he put this down, for He it is Himself who saith, (S. John ii. 19.) “Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up:” and again, (S. John x. 18.) “I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again.” And Luke also in the Acts says, (c. i. 3.) “To whom also He shewed Himself alive.” Wherefore then does Paul so speak? Because both the acts of the Son are imputed unto the Father, and the Father’s unto the Son. For He saith, (S. John v. 19.) “Whatsoever things He doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner.”

And very opportunely he here made mention of the Resurrection, keeping down by those hopes the tyranny of gluttonous desire; and all but saying, Thou hast eaten, hast drunk to excess: and what is the result? Nothing, save only destruction. Thou hast been conjoined unto Christ; and what is the result? A great and marvellous thing: the future Resurrection, that glorious one, and transcending all utterance!”

Post Easter Reflections

Gregory of Nyssa

Gregory of Nyssa (c 335 – after 394) was a Christian bishop and saint. He was a younger brother of Basil the Great and a good friend of Gregory Nazianzus. His significance has long been recognized in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Roman Catholic branches of Christianity. Some historians identify Theosebia the deaconess as his wife, others hold that she, like Macrina the Younger, was also a sister of Gregory and Basil. Gregory along with his brother Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus are known as the Cappadocian Fathers. They attempted to establish Christian philosophy as superior to Greek philosophy.

“Paul (in I Corinthians 15) shows that the person not believing in the resurrection of the dead does not admit of Christ's Resurrection. Through the web of mutual connections there comes the inevitable conclusion -"If there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ risen. If Christ has not risen, our faith in him is vain" [1 Cor 15.16]. If the proposition is true, namely that Christ is risen from the dead, then it is necessarily true that this connection spoken of is true, that there is a resurrection of the dead. For by a particular demonstration the universal is presented at the same time. On the contrary, if anyone says the universal is false, that is, the resurrection of the dead, neither is the truth found in an individual example, that is, Christ's Resurrection from the dead.

Paul therefore compels the Corinthians by syllogisms to accept his teaching on the Resurrection. From it he claims that if the Resurrection does not exist, its universal confirmation is concluded. For with a specific proof the general principle is also revealed. And, on the contrary, if anyone were to say that the general principle is false (that there is a resurrection of the dead), then neither would the specific be found true (that Christ was raised from the dead). Paul adds to this fact that as all have died in Adam, all will be restored to life in Christ. Clearly does Paul here reveal the mystery of the Resurrection. Anyone who looks at what results from the Resurrection readily sees its consequence, that is, the goal for which all men hope and for which they direct their prayers”.

Post Easter Fathers' reflections

Origen- Commentary of John

Origen assumed the leadership of Alexandria's Catechetical School at the age of only eighteen, after an outbreak of persecution under the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus (146-211) in 203 forced the previous incumbent, Clement, to flee. He was undoubtedly one of the most brilliant of the church fathers and the most prolific of the Christian writers of his time and his six-column arrangement of the Hebrew Old Testament text (known as the Hexapla)[2] was not surpassed for over a thousand years.

Now what the Gospels say is to be regarded in the light of promises of good things; and we must say that the good things the Apostles announce in this Gospel are simply Jesus. one good thing which they are said to announce is the resurrection; but the resurrection is in a manner Jesus, for Jesus says: "I am the resurrection." Jesus preaches to the poor those things which are laid up for the saints, calling them to the divine promises. And the holy Scriptures bear witness to the Gospel announcements made by the Apostles and to that made by our Saviour. David says of the Apostles, perhaps also of the evangelists: "The Lord shall give the word to those that preach with great power; the King of the powers of the beloved;" teaching at the same time that it is not skilfully composed discourse, nor the mode of delivery, nor well practised eloquence that produces conviction, but the communication of divine power.

Hence also Paul says: "I will know not the word that is puffed up, but the power; for the kingdom of God is not in word but in power." And in another passage: "And my word and my preaching were not persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power." To this power Simon and Cleophas bear witness when they say: "Was not our heart burning within us by the way, as he opened to us the Scriptures?" And the Apostles, since the quantity of the power is great which God supplies to the speakers, had great power, according to the word of David: "The Lord will give the word to the preachers with great power." Isaiah too says: "How beautiful are the feet of them that proclaim good tidings;" he sees how beautiful and how opportune was the announcement of the Apostles who walked in Him who said, "I am the way," and praises the feet of those who walk in the intellectual way of Christ Jesus, and through that door go in to God. They announce good tidings, those whose feet are beautiful, namely, Jesus.

Holy Saturday BBC Radio 4 Thought for the Day

Holy Saturday
TFTD
Rob Marshall

Good morning.
One of my most vivid memories of student days in Durham is a series of breakfast conversations I had with Archbishop Michael Ramsey – the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury. Bishop Michael loved the company of university students. He said that we kept his mind alive. And on one Holy Saturday, which is today in the Christian calendar, I remember he and I had a heated debate about how to communicate the reality of the resurrection to an increasingly doubtful generation.

The resurrection is the bringing together of everything anticipated of the Messiah. It is the turning point, the difference. Here is the specific moment when an answer to a centuries-old question about the meaning of life is offered – as St Paul says, once for all. Ramsey insisted that the events of Good Friday only made sense to Jesus' disciples after the resurrection had happened.

The key to grasping this reality is, of course, faith; faith that there is a God and that Easter marks the moment of true resurrection.

That death, rather than being the end of the story of the mystery of creation, is but the beginning.

The ability, or not, to grasp such faith remains the crux - the heart of the matter. As Alan Richardson wrote: “Christian theology has never suggested that the ‘fact’ of Christ’s resurrection could be known apart from faith.” The question for many is how to get hold of such a faith.

It’s a question which I frequently get asked on the tube when wearing my clerical collar. Is there really life after death? It is a question I can understand people asking as the funeral bells tolled this week in hill towns across central Italy. It’s a question I certainly asked again myself on Tuesday as I drove through Doncaster shortly after two young boys were charged with the attempted murder of another two boys; and also after a deeply lovely conversation with a teacher friend of mine in a hospice on Wednesday when we discussed the reality of suffering and the promise of glory. The question of faith is a constant refrain in many people’s lives.

Life is not without doubt. It comes to all of us at times. Life is a profound and fascinating journey offering many insights along the way and it certainly isn’t easy. But for the Christian, waiting today for the new light of Easter at dawn tomorrow, there is real expectation and real hope in the air.

A firm belief in the resurrection is often the culmination of a lifetime of serious and challenging episodes, pointing to a faith which transfigures, changes beyond recognition, all that fear.

A very happy Easter to you all.

Thought for the Day 4th April

TFTD
4th April 2009
Rob Marshall

Good morning.
It’s the Grand National this afternoon. What better way to cast aside all thoughts of diplomacy and summits than to sit back and enjoy this truly amazing spectacle of showmanship and drama.

The day, of course, will not be without controversy. There have already been fatalities amongst the horses at the Aintree Meeting. There are massive concerns in Britain about the level of gambling. Then there’s the size of the fences, the use of the whip and the never ending debate about whether hard bred racehorses actually enjoy hurtling over Beeches Brook.

But, and it might well be simply because we all need distractions from the more serious issues of life, we all love a spectacle, millions of people across the world will tune in and, t’was ever thus.

In Greek and Roman civilisations, similar races took place, though with chariots. Indeed, the earliest account of a horse & chariot race occurs in Homer’s description of the funeral of Patroclus. The crowd were captivated and enthralled. It was about the noise, the battle, the form book being turned upside down - the victor and the vanquished. Such titanic battles have always been the stuff of legend - heroes are made and expectations raised.

I believe any kind of race really needs to be competitive in nature. How ridiculous it is to suggest, as some have, that you can have a race without feeling the need to win.

But even whilst enjoying the spectacle and admitting that winning is always, well better than losing, there remains the basic point – and this is also a simple spiritual allegory of life itself – that it is the taking part and the sharing in the spectacle where most lasting satisfaction is gained.

There is an undercurrent in the Bible, particularly the Old Testament Psalms and the New Testament Epistles, where human life is described as a race (against time) with hurdles to overcome.

And winning or losing – affects us for a short while but we quickly move on - even if we lose this particular heat - we easily regroup for the next. There’s a constant desire to try again.

Each day, each job, each cadence of life is a similar challenge. The race towards the winning post goes on through life.

That’s probably why, despite some genuine concerns, we enjoy the spectacle of the Grand National. As Pierre de Coubertin, said: "The important thing in life is not the victory but the contest; the essential thing is not to have won but to have fought (or to have run) well."

The Prime Minister at St Paul's

I was invited to look after the media at St Paul's cathedral today for a visit prior to the G20 summit.

Here is my report:


Prime Minister Gordon Brown today conceded that the unsupervised globalisation of the financial markets crossed moral as well as national boundaries. Speaking at St Paul’s Cathedral for a pre-G20 debate organised by the St Paul’s Institute, Mr. Brown insisted that “we must (now) reshape our global economic system so that it represents the values we celebrate in our everyday lives.” The debate was chaired by the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres. The Prime Minister was joined on the platform by the Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd. Entitled My Word is my bond? Rebuilding Trust – the G20 and beyond the dialogue offered some clear theological reflection on the current global economic crisis. Members of the public were invited to attend the debate and over 2000 people filled St Paul’s Cathedral. Representatives from many City institutions, charities, universities, colleges and schools were joined by clergy and members of the public. Questions from the audience were put to the panel.
This event was the first in the St Paul's Institute 2009 major programme, Money, Integrity and Wellbeing, which will continue in the autumn with further public debates, services and study days. The British Prime Minister identified four global challenges affecting this generation: “financial instability in a world of global capital flows, environmental degradation in a world of changing energy need, violent extremism in a world of mass communications and increased mobility, and extreme poverty in a world of growing inequalities.” Mr. Brown said that any response could take advantage of shared values and morals: “Now that people can communicate instantaneously across borders, cultures and faiths, I believe we can be confident that across the world we are discovering that there is a shared moral sense. It is a sense strong enough to ensure a constant replenishment of that well of values on which we depend and which must infuse our shared rules.” He called for a change in attitudes and approach: “The certainty is that there is always an alternative to fear of the future; and what conquers fear of the future is faith in the future. On the question of the future of Banking, Mr. Brown said that bankers should act as ethically at work as they do at home: “In our families, we raise our children to work hard and to do their best. We don’t reward them for taking risks that would put them or others in danger. We don’t encourage them to seek short-term gratification at the expense of long-term value.” The Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd said that sometime last September “something cracked” and the reverberations of that economic collapse continue today. The consequences had been palpable and painful in virtually every country in the world. The effects were simultaneously local and global. “The challenge for all governments is to rebuild an economic system in which all can have trust. It means understanding what has gone wrong as well as reaffirming what is still good about our systems. In other words, getting the balance right. “The time has come to restore the balance,” Mr. Rudd told his audience. “There is nothing ennobling about poverty.” Mr. Rudd said that governments had to be active and that it was time for governments to balance individual humanity and the common good. This he said would assist in the “building up of economic trust”. Questions from the audience were then put to the two Prime Ministers and Bishop Chartres chaired the session. Government help to charities, putting money into the banking system, climate change and how to build a moral consensus were amongst the questions put to the panel.Others included the role of children and schools and combating poverty within the global meltdown. A collection was taken at the event for the microfinance charity Five Talents, which provides small loans and business training for the active poor in 10 developing countries. --ends— For more information please contact Hannah Talbot, Press & Communications Officer, St Paul’s Cathedral on 0207 246 8321 or email hannah@stpaulscathedral.org.uk Notes to editors: St Paul’s InstituteSt Paul’s institute is the Cathedral’s forum for contemporary ethics and recaptures the cathedral’s ancient role as a centre of education and public debate. This event is the first in the St Paul’s Institute 2009 major programme, Money, Integrity and Wellbeing, which will continue in the autumn with further public debates, services and study days.Confirmed future speakers include Baroness Julia Neuberger, Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State Douglas Alexander MP, Lord Griffiths and Canon Nicholas Sagovsky. St Paul’s Cathedral St Paul’s is the cathedral church of the diocese of London, which it has served for over 1,400 years. The current building has become a potent symbol of the life of a nation and is also one of the world’s most beautiful buildings. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren in the late seventeenth century, its stones have absorbed the hopes, fears, sorrows and joys of generations and stand as an enduring symbol of our communion with those gone before and those still to come. Each year nearly two million people flock to the Cathedral for services, concerts, debates, educational events, performing arts and sightseeing. All are most welcome. ------------------------------------------------------------------------St Paul's Cathedral. NOTICE & DISCLAIMERThis email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please return it to the sender, delete the email and destroy any copies of it. The information contained in this email are the views of the author and may not necessarily reflect those of the St Paul's Cathedral.------------------------------------------------------------------------ Reply Forward
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Nunc Dimmitis St Mary Abbots Feb 2009

Nunc Dimmitis


Significant moment in Luke 2.22ff

Presentation

Purification

to Jerusalem ch 2

like 1 Sam 1

fulfills the law of Moses (Ex 13.1 and 13.11)

Mother is purified

Simeon
not much known about him
"upright and devout"
Holy Spirit is upon him
"Waiting for the consolation of Israel"

Brief
Personal Prayer
Rooted in the Theology of Isaiah
- the world of darkness pieced by the light of Christ

our eyes have seen
a light to the nations
a light to glory

Christ is presented to us

We now get out to present Christ to the world

Education Sunday St Mary Abbots 070209

Children's Society have published a report this week
A Good Childhood

what do children need in childhood?
what constitutes their happiness?

The Archbishop of Canterbury has joined in the debate

Today is Education Sunday

prayer and reflection
for all those involved in it

pertinent themes:
faith schools
sustainability
virtual world

Things to think about

1.
The success of the Church of England and their work in schools
4700 schools
1 million children

2.
Pray for more teachers
Not enough good head teachers around
Too many re advertisements

3.
Support our local schools in working as governors

4.
As churches we need to support parents
tough time to bring up children in every age

5
Keep a lively interest
Education news is huge
Lots of stories around

Plato - "what is worthwhile or necessary to teach?"

William Inge
"The aim of education is the knowledge not of fact but of values"

B F Skinner (New Scientist in the 1960's)
"Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten."

Poetry Moment

The TS Elliot Prize for poetry was awarded this week by Poet Laureate Andrew Motion to the youngest ever recipient, 30 year old Jen Hadfield. Her collection of poems, representing her life in Scotland and travels around the world, were widely commended.

It’s perhaps a bit early for her to be in the running to take over from Motion when he steps down as poet laureate later this yea. But there is obvious speculation in the literary world as to who will succeed him.

Motion did a poetry reading in my central London church just after his appointment almost a decade ago. He was in top form that evening. It was a stark reminder to me of how popular poetry still is. The place was packed, people were enchanted; poetry is the most under-rated and unexpected form of personal expression.

Wordsworth, who was also poet laureate, remarked that poetry “is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity”. If we are really honest, most of us will have tried to write a poem at some point in our life. However bad it was, it was probably at a moment when all other forms of expression seemed inappropriate or limiting , whilst a poem allowed us a potent personal representation of how I feel about this or that person or situation, right now, at this minute.
Here is an essential paradox of a constrained literary form providing new depths of freedom of expression.

That’s why the connection between poetry and what I do or don’t believe is so obvious. The struggle to believe, the understand, to love is an essentially personal one shared, along the way, with other human beings. Biblical scholars generally agree that the Hebrew poetry of the Old Testament can generally be divided into two broad categories: the liturgical or cultic poems, written to be said with other people as part of sharing life’s experience and the wisdom poems which are intensely personal and which reflect depth, joy, pain, uncertainty.

I spent quite a bit of time yesterday looking at poems which are so far only published on the internet. And it is quite clear that in an age of blogging, personal opinion, self expression, poetry is an exciting and creative option for us to try to explain how we are feeling and what we believe.

Faith in poetry throughout the centuries is tribute enough to its enduring and sparkling qualities. In these challenging and uncertain times, Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s still urges us towards “That willing suspension of disbelief for the moment which constitutes poetic faith”; and poetic faith knows no bounds despite natural constraints.

Thought for the Day Sat 31st Jan

Thought for the day
31st January 2009
Rob Marshall


Good Morning
Most children find it impossible to imagine a world without broadband. The rise of digital technology has been phenomenal. And this week’s Government report Vision for Digital Britain has set a target of everyone to be connected to broadband before the 2012 Olympics.

The report pulls no punches. Broadband should become the backbone of our economy, important in education and necessary for entertainment. Britain, though, has slipped from 7th to 12th in world ranking for digital technology and so the pressure is on to continue to invest and to develop. To communicate.

The report celebrates all that is good about the new technology: it is generally fast, interactive and involves the sharing of stories (Andy Burnham, the culture minister, calls this “content creation”) at a personal and corporate level. Charles Leadbeatter, writing in the Spectator last year, noted that “our collective capacity for collective memory will make us more productive.” And it’s true, generally speaking, communications in the 21st century are certainly more integrated and dynamic.

Most of my work in the church has been associated with the interaction of modern communications methods and media and how faith and spirituality can find a place in such a shifting landscape.

What I often find, is that whilst people celebrate the impact of the digital revolution and its transforming qualities at home and at work – there is, at the same time, a discernible concern that it can so easily take us over, disrobe us of our humanity and distort our priorities in life.

And I hear this time and time again, speaking to groups across the country – we love the broadband revolution, it is exciting and somehow limitless – but it does leave us “never quite there”, restless. There are some deep questions about how human beings cope spiritually with such a communications revolution.

The corpus of literature in the Old Testament which I grow increasingly fond of and which is very relevant here, is known as wisdom. And in those books there is an overt difference between the grasping and gaining of knowledge and what Proverbs calls “understanding”: “He that hath knowledge spares his words: a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit”

And it’s our sense of understanding, or not, that perhaps feels most left out as the broadband revolution gathers momentum. Searching brings knowledge: but without understanding, all the knowledge in the world, is both transient and without lasting value.

Miracle of the Hudson River

It's not very often that the word miracle is used in the media so much as it has been in the past 24 hours. But what many have termed "the miracle on the Hudson River" has meant that the word has been on many people's lips.
A miracle is generally regarded as the astonishment and amazement created by an unusual or inexplicable event. Albert Einstein argued that "There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle."
Miracles don't have to be connected to religion nor, as CS Lewis reminds us, do they need to go against the laws of nature. Many things we see on a day to day basis, the birth of a child for instance, have, from our human standpoint, miraculous qualities. They are truly wonderful.
But, from time to time, a combination of circumstances brings about something as astonishing as the survival of everyone on board that aircraft. And something so special, extraordinary - a remarkable sequence of events such as this - touches an emotion and provokes a response - regardless of how cynical we might be the rest of the time.
Even at the level of - how would I have responded if I'd been in that situation - we are faced with challenging questions about what is important to us and the bigger picture of our lives.
The Jewish and Christian faiths are based on a fair few miracles of various types which have provoked debate over the centuries - not just on the grounds of historicity and theology - but also because of the effect they had, and have, on people of faith and no faith.
Astonishment and amazement is also often, in the books of the Bible, accompanied by fear and insecurity because such events - natural or divinely provoked - have a similar knock-on effect. There is the need to reflect and ponder the consequences of what has taken place.
I have always preferred the word "sign" to "miracle". And "this is a sign to us" is common parlance amongst lots of people for whom such miracles have some deeper but unknown meaning. And I personally believe that miracles have always been reminders that we live in a fragile and surprising world, where events simply do not always turn out as we thought that they would.
Whether or not one adopts faith as part of a rationale for dealing with "miracles" - that's a personal decision.
But all of us, this morning, can only reflect and ponder on the miracle of the Hudson River and the extraordinary stories that are now being told.
copyright 2009 BBC

Recent Radio 4 TFTD - Recession

So it's official. Today is the first full day when we actually know that we are in recession. Not that yesterday's Office of National Statistics data would have come as a surprise to anyone who has lost their job, can't sell their home, if they still have one, or is simply feeling an almighty pinch. But now, at least, it's official.
The question is: how do we respond? Across Europe - in places as far afield as Bulgaria, Latvia, Hungary, Greece and Iceland - people have taken to the streets. Social unrest and rioting are causing concern to European leaders.
But in Britain, which has a tradition of a stiff upper lip and often proving that it is stronger when in the midst of a crisis, we are only just beginning to seriously reflect on how long this recession might be, to what depths it will plunge us and what we are going to do about it.
Any kind of depression or loss, whether individual or shared, inevitably consists of a series of distinct phases or stages. The five classic stages of bereavement, for instance, are denial & isolation, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. And you can see how with this recession we have already, or are currently, in the process of going through some of these.
But the acceptance stage will be the most challenging, and then the resolve to do something about it.
The French Jesuit, Jean Nicholas Grou, suggests that spiritual resistance is as important as physical or mental resolve. He wrote: "the chief pang of most trails is not so much the actual suffering itself as our own spirit of resistance to it."
The communities to which Paul wrote many of his letters in the first century were all obviously buffeted by the constant struggle to get the balance right between earthly riches and possessions and the need to be free to be the kind of people God wanted them to be. There is parable after parable about this in the Gospels too.
A resistance to earthly tribulations is rooted in our constant ability to resurrect our spirits out of depression (or recession) and to look for new opportunities to be positive and creative. This is the challenge of these times for everyone of us: asking what is really important, getting a real perspective on things.
Such confidence and positive creativity isn't going to be easy. It's about faith, in many things, rather than doubt. As Julian of Norwich's famous refrain underlines - what is wrong and sinful in the world is worrying and challenging, "but all shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well."
Her reassurance is a challenge to the human spirit in these uncertain times.
copyright 2009 BBC

The French Strikes

The manner in which the UK media patronise the French never ceases to surprise me.

OK, so the people have taken to the streets to protest against the polics of Nicholas Sarkozy.

But the media have latched onto the President's "worrying out loud" and the fondness of the French for the upheaval.

"The French guillotined the king," said NS before adding "a symbollic measure is enough to make the country turn upside down."

Cath up and St Mary Abbots 9th Jan 2009

It has been a very busy time over Advent and Christmas with clients and parish taking up a lot time.

Like most people - I was quite ill with the winter flu virus over the winter but am now back at the gym and feeling better.

Have hosted South African friends Alan and Maria for the past 3 weeks and now fully back at work.

St Mary Abbots
Matins
9th January 2009

Baptism Sunday

Johannine teaching on John the Baptist

Lamb of God - title introduced:

various explanations given by commentators

- first - Isaiah 53 - the suffering servant
-takes away the sins of the woel
baptism with the spirit

-secondly, Passover Lamb
celebrates the notion of exodus and deliverance

Barnabas Lindars writes: " we conclude that the title is based on Isaiah 53 interpreted in the light of the passover sacrifice."

Baptim - reveals the truth of the incarnation

initiates the notion of Jesus as Messiah

is the first sign that sin will be dealt with.