Rob Marshall

Derby Evening Telegraph 05/11 Derby Synod

2011-11-05T20:48:00.001Z

DOZENS of Church of England leaders will be in Derby today to discuss whether women should be allowed to become bishops.

It will be one of the most important meetings that the Derby Diocesan Synod has had in recent times.

Bishops, clergy and laity will gather at St Alkmund's Church, Kedleston Road, to debate and vote on legislation by the church's national assembly, the General Synod, aimed at allowing women to become bishops in the Church of England.

Members of the Derby synod will also discuss funding and church schools.

Rob Marshall, spokesman for The Diocese of Derby, said: "For as long as I can remember, it's one of the most exciting agendas for the diocese, it includes education, ministry and finance."

More than 30 out of 43 diocesan synods have already voted. The Diocese of Lincoln is also holding a vote today.

The critical number of 23 votes in favour of female bishops has already been exceeded and the measure will return to the General Synod next summer for a final vote.

If approved, it will be sent to parliament for approval and Royal Assent.

The earliest likely date for a woman bishop to be appointed would be 2014.

After voting on the main motion today, synod members will be asked to vote on another motion aimed at providing those who cannot accept the creation of women bishops with greater provision in the Anglican Church.

Synod members will also look at the draft budget for funding the work of the Church of England in Derbyshire over next year.

And they will discuss how Church of England schools should respond to changes taking place in education since the coalition Government has come into power.

Mr Marshall said: "Church of England schools are one of the church's greatest achievements over many decades, and not least in Derbyshire.

"It's not just about educating church-goers but about creating a sense of community in an interfaith context."

The Bishop of Derby, Dr Alastair Redfern, will give a presidential address at the event. He is expected to speak on the recent visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury and to look ahead to 2012.

Diocese of Derby - Remembrance Video

2011-11-04T07:32:00.002Z

Really pleased with Remembrance Video

We put a lot of effort into this - and it was really good to get some veterans interviewed: take a look

The Church of England’s Diocese of Derby has produced a specially commissioned video involving ex-servicemen, local Royal British Legion officials, parish clergy and the Bishop of Derby to acknowledge a new generation of people taking up interest in the commemoration of Remembrance Day (11 November) and Remembrance Sunday (13 November).

The video is produced by 33rpm public relations.

In the ten minute video, broadcast from today on www.derby.anglican.org, the Bishop of Derby, Dr Alastair Redfern says: “As we approach Remembrance Sunday it’s very moving and exciting to see so many young people involved in the poppy collections and making an effort to remember. Derbyshire is strong in its uniformed organisations for young people and it’s very hopeful for our country that they are involved in this remembrance moment. You can almost see it being handed on to a new generation.”

One of his clergy, Revd Alicia Petty, Rector All Saints, Sawley says in the film that the nub of remembrance is the notion of sacrifice: “Along with many other churches across the country, we will be holding a Remembrance Service that will include veterans and members of the serving forces. Then we will process out to our local memorial where the rest of the community gather and the traffic stops and, together, we remember. It is really important for us to do that because not only are people still dying for good but there are people who are left behind and all of us need to gather and remember the sacrifices that have been made. Remembrance is more than just one Sunday in a year.”

In a moving contribution from Ex-Serviceman Ken Holton, who served in the Second World War, he explains: “I joined the Royal Navy as a boy in January 1941. Remembrance Sunday to me is something I remember with real feeling because so many of my comrades failed to return from patrol. Each patrol you came back and one of the submarines had been sunk and your comrades were gone. I like to remember all those who failed to return from their patrols, it’s very moving. People seem to do more now, they want to remember, especially the younger generation, I’ve found they want to be part of remembrance.”

Fred Lamb (Ex-REME) says: “We don’t get Government backing [for our Poppy Appeal], we rely on the public to subscribe on Poppy Day and, when you consider the conflicts we have had since the Second World War, this will give extra help to the [Royal British] Legion who will supplement the welfare of the ex-service personnel.”

Where have I been?

2011-04-03T14:24:00.001+01:00

I know

very sorry!

Promise to do better.

My last two thought for the days on BBC Radio 4 are available on the

www.bbc.co.uk/religion site.

Rob

Humanism and Pentecostalism

2011-02-13T08:13:00.001Z

Book Choice
Oxford University Press have been producing an imaginative series of condensed very short introductions to what can only be described as an “interesting” series of subject for several years now. Each book is pocket sized – it will fit easily into a lap top bag and weighs practically nothing – but these books really are brilliant for basic reference purposes. Two of the most recent titles in the series are Pentecostalism – by William K Kay and Humanism by Stephen Law.
Humanism, as opposed to secularism [two terms too infrequently confused in these days of perceived attacks on religion] is a pertinent topical subject. Law, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London, provides us with an excellent introduction and further reading section as well as setting the debate about humanism firmly in an historical context. He looks also at arguments against the existence of God and what kind of moral code humanists are happy with. There are interesting chapters on humanist ceremonies (those awful funerals which are not funerals in a rite of passage kind of way) and a consideration of religious education and humanism.
But it is the chapter on humanism and secularism which I find the most interesting. “Secular societies developed in large measure because people recognized that there are dangers in allying states with religions.” Law believes that religious people should not seek extra favors of the state citing for example the point that when airlines ban their staff from wearing any type of jewelry, which also includes religious symbols. So this is a fascinating pocket guide packed with useful information.
Less important but still interesting for the light that it throws on Pentecostalism is William Kay’s book of the same title. Understanding how Pentecostalism was critically important to 20th century Christian expression is at the heart of this book and, as such, that contribution is only really now being appreciated.
The Chronology is fascinating. It shows that whilst events relating to the rise and rise of Pentecostalism were unfolding- their impact on other churches and society at large were broadly unappreciated at the time.
Rob Marshall

Happy New Year

2011-01-03T09:27:00.002Z

Very honoured to be asked to do Thought for the Day on Radio 4 on New Year's day.

here's a link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/thought/

Visit to the Holy Land

2010-12-13T06:57:00.000Z

Address given at St Mary Abbots, London
Sunday 12th December
“You who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
Isaiah 5.20
1. I am just back from a 10 day visit to the Middle East; based in Israel we toured the borders of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon as well as visiting the Palestinian Authority Area.
2. In this season of Advent we look to the great themes of
Bethlehem
Peace
Coming again of Jesus

3. George Mitchell returns this week to the region to try to restart the peace process all over again.
Israel/Palestinians/US/EU have all issued statements appealing to both sides to keep on talking.

4. Peace between Israel and the Palestinians – massive piece in the world peace jigsaw
5. Key issues:
The right of the Palestinians to have autonomous area with all resources
The removal of several Israeli settlements on Palestinian land
6. To understand the complexity of the area it is worth looking at three towns which feature in Christianity to remind ourselves of how the land is complicated.
Nazareth: relatively peaceful/Israeli Arabs/sees few problems
Bethlehem: separated by the horrendous wall: monument to human failure
Jerusalem: divided between East (Arab) and West (Jewish)
7. Amos Oz: “We are talking not about guilt and penitence but about concluding a sensible agreement between two parties with no love lost between them.”
8. What we learn, of course, that the history of Israel is consistent with the kind of issues we are facing today – t’was ever thus.
A quest for God’s peace in a hostile world
Jesus wept over the City and prayed that God’s Kingdom would come
9. Bernard Lewis – in his new book Faith & Power writes:
“With steadfastness and patience, it may now be possible at last to bring both justice and freedom to the long tormented peoples of the Middle East.”
“You who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
Isaiah 5.20
Don’t use semantics to cloud the real questions facing the Middle East.

A Case of Exploding Mangoes: Mohammed Hanif

2010-11-26T11:25:00.002Z

I decided not, in the end, to put this first novel for Hanif on the book club reading list for the Book Club I run.

It is a very readable, fast moving and humorous novel and it is well written.

It is an attempt to answer the question as to why a Hercules C130 aircraft carrying Pakistan's military dictator, General Zia ul Haq, crashed without explanation.

Weaving a series of plots and stories which, at times become confusing and occasionally difficult to follow - the novel is a good introduction to this part of the world.

It's a good book for the train or the bus - and leaves you asking a lot of questions about humanity and humour.

Update

2010-11-22T22:59:00.002Z

It's been a great few weeks.

Busy at work, enjoying lots of parish events - and spending lots of time with friends as well.

Saw Stephen today and we did some filming together in Derbyshire.

Attending Derby Diocesan annual conference after preaching at the Feast of Christ the King last night.

Bishop Michael Ramsey on The Transfiguration

2010-11-08T15:33:00.001Z

This is a transcript of a conversation I had with Bishop Michael Ramsey whilst a student in Durham in 1982.

We discussed The Transfiguration of Jesus and it was captured on an old tape.

Here is a transcript of

Michael Ramsey on the Transfiguration.

RM: The Feast of the Transfiguration is not given the prominence it deserves in the Church of England is it?

MR: It is not in our Church of England but the Eastern Orthodox Church makes a great deal of it. It is one of their three or four top feasts. And the Church of Rome makes more of it by keeping it in Lent on one of the Sundays in Lent as does our new ASB. It is a good place for the Transfiguration on the way towards the Passion.

RM: What about the theories of Bultmann and Boobyer and Riesenfeld?

MR: Bultmann’s idea that the Transfiguration is a misplaced resurrection account can, I think, be discounted altogether.

Boobyer’s idea that the Transfiguration is a prefiguration of the Parousia is true. In a sense, any visible manifestation of glory would be a forecast of the Parousia.

Riesenfeld’s view is too definitive and speculative to be convincing.

RM: What about your book, Bishop?

MR: Thinking on it now I am struck by the difference between Mark’s presentation and Luke’s presentation. I do not think that Mark’s Gospel gives us a kind a biographical narrative of the Lord’s mission. Mark’s Gospel is a set of episodes or pericopes but sometimes there are links and Mark’s narrative is linked with what has gone before by those words ‘after six days’.

That links the narrative with the prediction of the passion and links them in such a way that I think the Transfiguration narrative says ‘Yes in spite of the forthcoming passion Jesus is in glory’. Jesus is in glory with perhaps the thought that this is a prefiguring of the glory which he predicted after the Passion.

RM: What about the divine voice and the cloud:

MR: Here I think the presence of Moses and Elijah is a sign according to traditions of the time and the reappearance of these figures means that the Day of the Lord is here on the earth.

The cloud I read as a sign of the divine presence: it is the cloud of the presence and it’s just that the disciples are overwhelmed with the sense of God’s presence. God is here. God is here. God is here. Stop talking God is here. Especially as St Peter has been making some rather unprofitable remarks. The cloud says to him ‘Stop talking God is here’.
The voice proclaims the sonship. I think that the point is that at the baptism the voice has proclaimed the sonship to Jesus himself according to Mark. Now the voice the sonship through the disciples. It tells them God’ son has unique authority and they have to listen to him.

RM: Where in the OT do you think the words of the voice come from?

MR: Well I don’t know that the words need to come from anywhere. The point is that Jesus is proclaimed to be Son. It’s the Son language that we get in Psalm 2 but I don’t think that it need come from anywhere. It’s just a testimony to the sonship in its own right.

There is no need for everything to come from anywhere. These parallels merely indicate that it’s rather meaningful language

RM: What about other references to sonship in Mark?

MR: I agree. I think the stories of the baptism and the transfiguration have a kind of structural place. I don’t think that the narrative is consecutive. But there is a string of pericope and there are certain pericope which come with a certain kind of bang.

Baptism – Son. Transfiguration – Son. Crucifixion – Son.

The novelty being that it is in his death that the sonship is supremely revealed. I don’t think that Mark’s Transfiguration story specifically links it with the death apart from simply the note ‘after six days’. It is the Jesus who is going to die that is proclaimed the son.

In the artistry of Mark there is a son theme in which the Baptism, Transfiguration and Calvary are all kind of stages.

RM: What elements do Matthew and Luke add?

MR: In Matthew I see, first of all, just a little making explicit of the Old Testament imagery. For instance, Matthew says his face shone as the sun. That’s a contrast between the brief reflected glory of the face of Moses and the sort of authentic glory in the face of Jesus. I think that the contrast is there. Another point in Matthew is the shining cloud. That identifies it more explicitly with the cloud of the presence. Then there is just this difference. In Matthew it’s the voice that makes them afraid and Jesus bids them not to fear. I don’t know that there is very much significance in this but it’s just a way of bringing out the luminous character of the event a bit.

In Luke, the word Transfiguration is avoided and the word Glory is explicitly brought in.

‘Transfiguration’ is avoided maybe simply because Luke thinks he can say it as well by bringing in the word ‘doxa’. Some commentators have said that Luke was avoiding what might sound like a pagan kind of word. That is possible. I think the point is that Luke makes the same point as the others. He does not have ‘transfigured’ he has doxa’ and that links it with a doxa theme which we have in Luke.

In Luke the key point is that they spoke of the ‘exodus’. This means not just the death but all that follows. The going forth to glory. And I link it with Luke in the post resurrection episode. Jesus says “Behold did not the Chris suffer these things and enter into his glory”. I think that with the exodus. Luke sees the Transfiguration in terms of a theme of Jesus is moving from suffering to glory. The glory being already anticipated. In a kind of way, Mark links it with the theme of his Gospel by direct link with ‘after six days’ and by the term ‘son’ which as we have seen comes at these very significant terms. Luke links it with his story rather more with his theme of the movement of Jesus through death to glory.

Luke brings this out dramatically. He sets his face towards Jerusalem. He is aware of his movement towards Jerusalem.

Mark is rather ‘Here is Jesus’ manifested as the Son and particularly manifested in the Son in his death. Luke is rather the movement of a story in which the Transfiguration is an episode in the movement.

RM: What about the relationship between the Kingdom and the Transfiguration?

MR: The reference to ‘here’ is more explicit in Matthew than in the other two. Mark 9.1 says there are some standing ‘here’.

RM: What about Boobyer?

MR: I think the point in my mind is simply that a theme of Mark is that after the Passion the Son of Man will be seen in glory. No more and no less than that. I don’t think that it is necessary to find a specific explanation for the story because I think that the motifs of the story – of Jesus in glory and of Jesus the Son are sufficient. It doesn’t require any particular imagery to explain it. In a sort of way Booyber is making rather a fuss of it.

Boobyer treats it all as Parousia picture. I am saying that it is not only a foretaste. I am saying that the glory will be here. I would say that. It’s a bit difficult to be absolutely precise. I am just assumed that law and prophecy are witnessing to fulfillment.
Have I just been sermonising nicely.

I have noticed that the order is reversed in some Gospels. Elijah is given priority in Mark but I am not sure about it.

RM: What about Peter?

MR: Well Peter was the spokesman and Peter often is the spokesman in Mark’s Gospel and elsewhere. It depends on what one’s outlook is. We can say that from the beginning a strong tradition that Peter used to always make comments or you can say that there was an ideology about Peter in the early Church that produced these stories.

There was in the Church a tradition of dialogue between Peter and Jesus and we have specimens of dialogue between the two.

RM: What about historicity?

MR: if this Transfiguration notion were known to be a prominent notion in the Early Church then it’s something that you might expect to get written up in the Gospel tradition. But it does not seem to have been a dominant theme. There is only 2 Peter to go on and that’s very late.

If Jesus is Son there is something unique in the tradition. The content of Peter’s confession is something unique. The claim of Jesus to be inaugurating the Kingdom of God is unique. The claim of Jesus that through his death the kingdom of God is unique. It’s something unique, not isolation, but it is amongst a series of unique concepts. Are these concepts derived from the mission of Jesus or are they imported into the mission of Jesus either by oral tradition or by editing?

RM: What about the concentration of motifs?

MR: The fact that there is such a concentration of motifs can make it a little suspicious.

The Transfiguration is not a parable, it’s not a miracle, and it’s a bit of both in a funny kind of way. It’s supernatural and literal. The motifs on offer are simple motifs. Prophecy is being fulfilled. Jesus is Son. Jesus is in glory – a glimpse of the glory that is going to be. Meanwhile there is going to be the suffering.

In Mark the important context is the Baptism, Peter’s Confession and the Passion.
Luke gives it much more of a context as editor and biographer.

The turning point in all of the Gospels is Peter’s confession. The transfiguration just gives it more of a dramatic headline.

In all the traditions from Caesarea Philippi, it’s known that the Passion is coming, it is predicted and the Transfiguration is a bit more an interpretation of the Passion. I think that the turning point has already happened. Jesus has already begun the journey towards his death.

RM: And the Exodus imagery of the OT?

MR: I think that it’s possible that there may be an exodus motif there already in the tradition. Luke is not inventing it, it was probably there already. The motif was there already in Matthew in the tradition. Matthew makes it explicit.

Whether we would have realised that if we had only Mark’s story I am not sure.

RM: What is the message of the Transfiguration?

MR: Well the message of the Transfiguration is this. That Jesus, on his way to death, is in glory. And what is in glory is the mission of Jesus to die. And the message for us is that glory, now and in the future, is not apart from the vocation to suffer and die. And that is something that the disciples did not realise at the time but came to be realised in the concept of the Transfiguration of suffering which we do find in Christianity and in the New Testament in so many ways. John’s account of the Passion is one instance. The treatment of suffering by Peter in I Peter is another instance; in St Paul there is a good deal about suffering transfigured. I think that the transfiguring of suffering is a great Christian theme that appears on a number of ways in the New Testament.

I don’t think that it consciously related to the Transfiguration story but I think for us Christians, the Transfiguration is a great focusing of the theme of suffering aglow in the mission of Jesus and suffering and glory in the Christian life.

We rightly use the Transfiguration as the sort of Festival of a great Christian theme without necessarily saying that there is a plausible connection.

I think there is a good deal of Transfiguration theme in the New Testament which makes it more significant.

I think it’s a theme in its own right. It’s linked with the passion. It has very little relation to the resurrection as such. That’s why it’s very unlikely to be misplaced resurrection story.

The book was published in 1949 – over thirty years ago. My recollect on that the story appealed to me as a piece of biblical study that had been rather neglected and also that the theme appealed to me very strongly as an aspect of the Christian life.

I [preach about it very often but I use it more often than not. I use it on clergy retreats which I do from time to time. I go on using it. It has become a spiritual theme.

Rob Marshall London 2010

Thought for the Day cancelled

2010-11-05T20:56:00.002Z

A bit of a first tonight.

I was due to present Thought for the Day on the Today programme tomorrow but due to the BBC strike the slot has been cancelled.

So - a bit of extra time I didn't know I was going to have!

A good week

2010-11-05T20:53:00.003Z

It's a been a good week this week.

Having led a training course for recently ordained clergy in Chesterfield on Tuesday it was on to a Conference on Addiction in central Leeds on Wednesday.

Back into London to face a tube strike on Wednesday night and then a couple of days catching up in London but making super progress!

Alan Sugar :What you see is what you get

2010-11-05T20:43:00.003Z

I didn't know what to expect when I bought a copy of Sugar's autobiography in Oban to read at the end of a disrupted pilgrimage.

But this is one of the best, honest and fast moving personal stories which I have read for a very long time.

You can hear Lord Sugar speaking every word. We hear of the humble beginnings, his frustration and being employed rather than working for himself; and then of the formidable and quite remarkable rise of his small electronics empire into Amstrad and all that follows.

"You can't buy entrepreneurial juice" Sugar keeps on saying: you either have it or you don't. That is classic Sugar throughout this book.

But apart from the rise and rise of his Empire there are two other stories which dominate this narrative. The first is his buying of Spurs Football Club. The shocking revelations of the pain and frustration at being involved in the commercial world of football makes you wonder why anyone would ever want to get involved in the first place?

The other is the advent of The Apprentice. The way Sugar tells this story - with such honesty (again) and clarity - you realise that he never expected the programme to change his life in the way that it did and also gain some insight into the magical editing job which is done on the programme to ensure that it turns out as good as it does.

Other bits of Sugar wisdom include "I'd discovered that as soon as any new business idea is born, up springs the competition" and his less than sympathetic description of a Daily Mail journalist: "a pathetic loser who does nothing in life other than engage in spiteful sniping to cover his own lack of achievement."

I strongly recommend this book. It's a great read and, whilst I might have had reservations about Alan Sugar prior to reading it - I finished the book with a sense of gratitude that I had taken time out to read it in the first place.

Thought for the Day 30th November

2010-11-01T17:01:00.001Z

Copyright is with the BBC )www.bbc.co.uk/religion)

For better or worse, the clocks go back tonight and the darkness is about to get deeper. The Celtic Festival of Samhain was celebrated about now. It marked the end of summer and the official start of winter. The arrival of short days and long nights represented that moment in creation when the boundary between this world and the next was said to be at its thinnest. So the evil spirits, which could easily transfer from one world to another had to be fended off by lighting fires, eating special foods, dressing up. The Celts had faith that the light would persist.

The link between Halloween and Samhain seems obvious, though the actual name Halloween seems to have derived from a corruption of the Scottish festival of “All Hallows Eve”. And that’s because Christians also use this time of the year to celebrate All Saints and All Souls. The great saints of the church are commemorated followed by those all those souls whose example is a source of inspiration to us.

I personally have no problem with Halloween. It’s now a 21st century heavily marketised campaign about the battle between light and darkness. What’s wrong, particularly in teaching our children, that we look for protection from darkness with a longing that the light always shines through; that truth and justice might always overcome the ways of evil?

But it’s back to that that Celtic notion of now being the thinnest time between this world and the next which intrigues me most. Of all spiritual questions – what happens next? – where does this life lead us? – are amongst the most prevalent when I talk to people about faith.

Next week, the British Museum presents a new exhibition featuring the 3000 year old Egyptian Book of the Dead. It is evidence that even a thousand years before the Incarnation people were asking exactly the same type of questions and trying to influence where they and their loved ones would end up: The Exhibition will show that questions should as “What happens in the afterlife? What can I hope for? Why am I afraid?” have always been part of the mystery of life and death for every human person.

When St John writes in his Prologue that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it, he underlines that much of Jesus’s teaching deals exactly with these kinds of questions. Faith is interpreted as a pathway through all the periods of doubt and darkness which affect every human spirit. Faith is not a way round them.

At this thin spiritual time of the year when the religious and secular join together in waging war on all that is evil – it is to those very saints and souls who have gone before us that we look: they are more than a source of encouragement and example.

All Saints and All Souls

2010-11-01T16:52:00.004Z

It's been another one of those weekends. Busy but rewarding.

Saturday, I presented BBC Thought for the Day. Former Chancellor Norman Lamont was in the Green Room before the broadcast and we chatted about various things. Evan Davies and Justin Webb give the Saturday Today programme a good feel. Evan is particularly relaxed with ad libs before and after set pieces.

So I wondered how he would link an informative piece on Druids with my "Thought" on Pagan festivals of increasing darkness and the Christian understanding of All Saints and All Souls? It went well in the end.

Had a good weekend of cooking and relaxing along with a busy morning at St Mary Abbots. Preached at a service marking the Battle of Britain ending on 31st October 70years ago.

One of the highlights of the week was Nani's amazing goal for Manchester United v Tottenham. One of the lowest points of the week was the X factor. Cowell has ruined this programme with his sycophantic comments to Cheryl Cole. Thank the Lord for DM.

Schools are back today so I did the St James Senior Boys School Assembly in Ashford today and the celebrated Mass for All Saints.

Relaxing evening with family before heading off to Derby tonight.

My Review of Scorched at Old Vic Tunnels

2010-09-13T22:28:00.002+01:00

http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/4792

Ground Zero

2010-09-13T22:22:00.001+01:00

My article in the Derby Evening Telegraph

http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/derby-evening-telegraph/mi_8020/is_20100911/faith-files-rob-marshall-ground/ai_n55182912/

Egyptian Surprise

2010-09-07T21:13:00.002+01:00

Apparently, the National Museum in Dublin is saying that the discovery of Egyptian papyrus in the 1200 year old cover of a book of Psalms have raised questions about traditional understanding of the rise of Christianity in Ireland!

Madrid Airport and Iberia Airlines

2010-09-07T09:23:00.002+01:00

Just back from a late summer break in Madrid and surprised at how shocking the level of customer service has descended to in Sapin generally.

Madrid International Airport looks stunning. It is beautifully presented and great on the eye.

But as a functional, practical traveller-friendly airport it is astonisingly ineffecient.

Arriving in Terminal 4C on a British Airways flight the journey to baggage control involved as very long walk, up and down lifts and escalators and then a train ride to the main terminal 4. Then - with about 20 luggage carousels idle all flights' baggage was arriving on the same conveyer belt. We waited 40 minutes for our baggage (no wonder most travellers had carried the most ridiculously large hand luggage into the cabin which BA had allowed) and left for the Metro 65 minutes after touching down.

The return flight on Iberia started with an inability to check in online because it was a BA booking - despite it all being part of the One World Alliance. So no seats together when we arrived at the airport.

Once again - queues for the bag drop were ridiculous with tens of desks unpersonned.

Then - and I am really sorry to read blog after blog about the terrible experience of flying Iberia - the shockingly cramped economy seats - really no space for my legs at all - followed by the trolley bar with drinks starting at £2 for water and up to £10 for a sandwich and drink.

Would I use Madrid Airport if I had a choice? No if I could help it.
And Iberia? Never again.

Madrid itself - despite the journey there and back - was smashing!

Sheffield Filming

2010-09-01T05:54:00.000+01:00

Spent the day yesterday filming a sequence of You Tube type film pieces with Steven Croft as Bishop of Sheffield.

Steven has written the 2011 Lent Book and this series of short films to camera will elucidate some of the theme which Steven has written about.

So we went to various venues across South Yorkshire to record the various shots.

It was the first day of the autumn season yesterday with lots more media activity and enquiries across the client range.

Took the train back to London from Sheffield. East Midlands trains showed their crass incompentence once again by getting us to "change train sets" at Derby on the "through train" to London. When the train pulled into Derby the platform staff were not ready for the steady procession of heavily laden passengers including many elderly who stood on the platform for several minutes waiting for them to open the new train set. Only, they decided, let's take half of it to London empty and keep it locked - presumably to avoid cleaning it in London. So -two sets attached together with only one open. The poor train manager struggled to find enough words for "apologise".

Last night it was a question of getting ready for a long weekend with friends in Spain to bring a lovely summer to a close.

There's a chill in the air in the morning and at night - but this was one of the best days weather wise for quite some time! Lovely.

Guardian article on Pope's media team

2010-08-30T08:45:00.002+01:00

This is an interesting article in today's Guardian on whether or not the Pope's media team are up to the challenge.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/aug/30/pope-benedict-media-team-britain

Thought for the Day

2010-08-30T08:28:00.001+01:00

Just finished another series of Thought for the Day on Saturday's in August
www.bbc.co.uk/religion

Bank Holiday Monday

2010-08-30T08:26:00.000+01:00

I have nno idea where the time has gone. So much for keeping up to date with this more regularly. At least the itention is there!

It has been a really busy summer. A great holiday in the US followed by the week in Durham celebrating Celtic Christianity in the north east (a really super group this year).

Then - throughout August - I have been pretty much the priest on duty at St Mary Abbots on the High Street in W8 as colleagues have been away.

The past week, however, has been tough.

My mother's younger brother David died suddently in France and I had to hop to a small town near Poitiers to take his funeral. My first bi-lingual funeral in France and it was a very interesting and moving occasion.

Then news that Martin Warner - one of my closest friends and the new Bishop of Whitby - has been in hospital for tests following a heart attack whilst in Florence. Martin - get well soon!! We were all rooting for you.

It's the Notting Hill Carnival today - and it's one of those days when to be at the heart of things isn't always the easiest option!

So - more blogging in the autumn!!

Trinity Sunday

2010-05-31T08:51:00.002+01:00

What Kind of God do you believe in?

Summary of a sermon preached at St Mary Abbots, Kensington on Sunday 30th May 2010

Trinity Sunday.

Epistle was Romans 5.1-5

The questions: what kind of a God do you believe in ? – is increasingly asked.
What’s more, it is an increasingly difficult question to answer.

The context in which the question is asked includes:
 General rise in secularism
 A defensive mindset for Christianity in general
 Pluralism – lack of basic Christian identity
 The great science v Christianity debate
 We are still too inward looking as a church.

The Trinity is about going back to basics:

When we say “I believe in one God”, which we will shortly in the Creed – what are we saying?

St Paul in this passage from Romans – reminds us that one of the easiest starting points for answering the question – what kind of God do you believe in? – is

God the Father
God the Son
God the Holy Spirit

Through God the Father – love is revealed

Through Jesus the Son – peace is offered

All because the Holy Spirit has been poured out for us.

We say the Creed now as an act of rededication in the God in whom we believe – three in one and one in three.

Eurovision

2010-05-30T07:19:00.000+01:00

For goodness sake - someone get us out of this.

I watched it last night out of sheer curiosity that anything this bad can really be taken seriously.

And, from and island with great musical traditions, how can the UK year after year produce such a load of tosh?

A Eurovision song has eurovision components and our songs just don't have them?

Last?

It's a joke.

We should really get out.

(By the way, i heard the German song in Austria last week and because I like Lily Allen - I also like this one!)

Cycle Hire Scheme London

2010-05-28T11:37:00.003+01:00

Just heard a great interview with Ken Livingstone and Transport for London on LBC about the upcoming Cycle Hire Scheme for London.

First, I think it's a brilliant idea and will almost certainly have a go.

But the implications of implementing such a scheme are enormous - as the interview suggested.

There were lost of contrasts which the Parisien scheme where they learnt to theri cost how man people walked up to Monmartre and then took a bike down - so there were never any bikes at the top of the hill.

The bikes are also so well designed that they are not really worthg stealing at all.

It's going to be a good scheme to watch unfold.

The Shipping News Annie Proulx

2010-05-27T11:07:00.001+01:00

Just ploughed through Annie Proulx's major classic (I believe that is the right phrase for it now) The Shipping News.

Our church book club is studying it in July and I read it whilst in Austria.

You can smell the cold air of Newfoundland and the dominance of fish and boats throughout its pages.

Quoyle, played in the movie based on this novel by Kevin Spacey, takes a job on a local newspaper and what I will always remember about this book is one of the opening chapters where the essence of writing a good news story are laid out to the new journalistic recruit.

It's so good - you could use it in any media training seminar.

This is a good beach read if you don't mind the thought of cod pies and lobster salads.

It;s the story of triumph over endurance, difficult children, the power of the sea - and ultimately - the power of the written word.

Rediscovering Austria

2010-05-21T09:02:00.000+01:00

After the Oberammergau Passion Play we moved swiftly into Austria for 5 days of exploration and relaxation.

We arrived in Strobl - a quaint little village not far from Salzburg sitting on the edge of a fresh water lake and surrounding by mountains.

Unfortunately, as news of 26 degrees in London permeates our rain drenched boots - the conistent lack of sunshine, dank winter-like wet ness and the swirling mists on the mountains disguise the true beauty of this extraordinary country.

Austria is stunningly beautiful. So well kept. The air is special and the water fresh.

The food is tasty - if heavy for this time of year - and the beer excellent.

Austria is a place to chill: to reconnect; to find nature.

I'll be back.

Oberammergau Passion Play 2010

2010-05-17T06:54:00.000+01:00

The 2010 Oberammergau Passion Play opened this week and it was both an immense privilege and an exercise in endurance to sit through the magnificent efforts of the villagers.

Since 1633, every ten years, the community in this superb village have produced a vivid portrayal of Jesus’ last days – though modern efforts are predictably more commercial, organized and glossy than in previous generations.

The weather for the opening in the “open air” stadium on Saturday was foul – freezing cold driving winds for almost 7 hours in pretty upright seats with hardly any leg room could be regarded as a penance. But by Sunday the clouds had cleared and the cold was nothing a thick blanket couldn’t deal with.

Over 1000 local residents take part in the drama. They play on stage, sing, have a place in the orchestra or work behind the scenes.

Many of the local men look distinctly middle eastern because they have grown their hair and beards.

What works at Oberammergau is the sense of space – the context of the passion – the doves and camels and horses and sheep – all adding to the sense of harsh reality.

And the actual scene of crucifixion is also very moving – with atmospheric lighting.

My main reservations about the overall experience concerns first, the pace of the production and then the theological interpretation applied to the blending of the four Gospel accounts. The portrayal of Judas and Pilate needs a lot of discussion. Someone should start a blog on this.

The production is very slow: it has no movement. Instead the principal characters and chorus saunter on and off as if there is no concern other than to get to the next scene. Only rarely does an actor show some sense of light and shade in movement and the choreography of the chorus which introduces each tableaux and act needs urgent revision. It is soporific.

I think it is because that it is delivered in German throughout the almost 7 hours that an English ear starts to raise pertinent questions about some of the important dialogue.

“What is Mary going on about?,” I found myself asking in the 6th hour as the Mother of our Lord had huge chunks of dialogue to deliver at the point of crucifixion: “It’s him. It is my son. It is my Jesus. Ah, I see you this way, led to death like a criminal between criminals. Lord, why have you hidden yourself in the clouds; no prayer pierce them. You have turned him into scum and garbage among the nations.”

This kind of made up dialogue with no biblical precedent eventually starts getting to even the most liberal of theologians as the seat becomes more uncomfortable and the wind howls around your legs.

But let’s be positive. A passion play almost fully booked between May and October attracting 4000 people every performance from all over the world is a great thing – a massive boost to our post Christian culture.

Each and every one of those taking part do their utmost to depict the eternal truth of the life of Jesus.

It just could be a bit tighter and move with a bit more vivacity. But I’ve been to Oberammergau and I will always remember the experience for many different reasons.

Oberammergau 2010 Day One

2010-05-16T10:02:00.000+01:00

Saturday

A simple journey from London Heathrow via Lufthansa to Munich Airport. Greeted locally and then we took a top notch coach from the airport to the Village where the clouds were heavy and the rain pouring. It was cold too as the clouds continued their firm grip on the pointed hills which surround this quaint fairytale-like village.

We were driven to local guest houses where arranagements to eat and relax were in place along with our waiting tickets for the Passion play which opens tonight (press night) and which will show to the general public (us) for the first time tomorrow (Sunday).

My home for two nights was to be the Christine Magold appartments in Kleppergasse. Can't be more central than this. Mr Magold, or at least I think it was him, was washing the car with a jet wash in the garden despite the heavy rain and Magold Junior was keen to welcome us.

The room is excellent - clean, well appointed and - wait for it - very warm.

There was time for some relaxation, evening prayer and then as super dinner of carrot and ginger soup;, salmon with rice and fresh fruit salad swilled down with two glasses of strong German white wine.

10pm and bed already? I'm ~~afraid~~ so. It's raining and it's the PassionPlay tomorrow.

Manchester United give up the Premiership

2010-05-09T17:31:00.002+01:00

So Chelsea have won: what a shame!

Dads

2010-04-24T12:10:00.000+01:00

This has been a week that will remain with me probably for the rest of my life.

Dad has been ill. Very poorly. As the eldest of five siblings I have felt proud of the way in which each of his sons and daughters have rallied round together as our dad's health went first from bad to worse but, as I write today, has improved for the time being.

Dad has not seen a doctor for decades. Typically northern, shy and stubborn - every ailment would always heal itself. he is quite deaf - lame and had had stomach problems for some time.

And then, a week last Monday - it all happened. Liz, my sister, forced dad to visit the doctor, he was admitted to hospital with a moment's thought and, after a week of test after a test a touch and go operation followed on Wednesday night during which some of us I think feared the worse.

But dad is still here. Parched. Fed up. Not happy. Those postponed and put off visits to the doctor have caught up with him with a vengeance. The surgery should have cured what was wrong. The challenge now is to build up his strength and his weight to something like it was before. And it's going to be a long haul.

For many years now I have visited people who are sick and I have spoke to many of my contemporaries who have lost a parent, or both, sometimes with a nodding human acceptance that - well, it's normal, it's what happens.

But when you actually face such a tremendous shift in family love and concern head on - it's quite a sobering moment.

Thanks to everyone for their prayers and support.

Royal Maundy

2010-04-02T07:25:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I helped out at derby Cathedral where HM The Queen distributed the Royal Maundy money at a special service.

84 men and 84 women were honoured to receive these gifts.

Standing so close to The Queen I was reminded at what a truly extraordinary person she is. Her devotion to duty and sense of service really has been an example for many decades now.

To think - she has worked with Prime Ministers from Churchill to Thatcher and indeed Blair and Brown - and she looks amazingly good for her age.

What struck me most yesterday was how much like her mum she is beginning to look.

Britain has a great deal to be thankful for, for this remarkable woman.

St Mary Abbots 21st March 2010

2010-03-22T07:55:00.000Z

The anointing of Jesus as Bethany is a fascinating story.

It is one of those rare events where John seems to have had all 3 synoptics Gospels open in front of him.

Bethany is a small town outside of Jerusalem.

It is 6 days before the Passover.

They are in the home of Lazarus - who "was dead" so that must have been an interesting conversation! Along with Judas - who would betray him. Quite a dinner party.

Mary of Bethany serves.

She pours expensive perfume over the feet of Jesus.

Judas complains - what a waste - you could have kept that for the poor!!

Two key themes

anointing - the preparation of Jesus for what is to happen and for his burial

betrayal - epitomised in the character of Judas.

Passiontide is the constant collision between the pureness of God's love and potentiality towards sin in every human person.

our baptism - the moment at which we too are anointed - links us to this great event.

Where have I been

2010-03-22T07:50:00.000Z

It has been another one of those busy periods but I hope to blog better from today.

I have tried other templates and other forms but what's the point when this is part of your main email activity?

So I will try better: honest!

Herta Muller: The Land of Green Plums

2010-01-26T06:24:00.000Z

This was perhaps the toughest assignment for the book club so far.

We all ploughed through Michael Hoffmann's translation of this grim novel,, set in Romania at the height of Ceausecu's regime.

It is a frightful, grim shocking account of how low humanity can stoop and how miserable life can be

25th January Conversion of St Paul

2010-01-25T06:32:00.000Z

St Mary Abbots

Paul - human, road to Damascus, grit and honesty.

Conversion:
Old Testament doundation:
Covenant
Turn to Me
David - Job

New Testament
John the Baptist/Jesus/Paul

Characteristics of Conversion
repentance
transformation
new life

Conversion as the "foundation of the authentic Christian life"

South Africa - the return

2010-01-25T06:29:00.000Z

I didn't have email access for the latter part of the trip - at least not on a daily basis.

Cape Town proved to be a brilliant destination for the last week of my holiday.

The hotel - at the Waterfront - was a brilliant run place to stay with gorgeous breakfast and a breathtaking view of Table Mountain.

Did the great drive to the southern most tip of Africa - cape point - and visited the wide variety of beaches along the road of the Twelve Apostles.

The food was great and the company was superb.

J's family reunion proved to be much easier than I thought - not least because they had wall to wall English Premier League football on (3 games in all) so watching Manchester United v Burnley in 32 degrees wasn't that bad at all!

I will be back!

11th Jan Zulu Land

2010-01-12T15:59:00.000Z

Great day today.

Starter with an early breakfast before setting off on a great drive to to see new parts of Durban and to spend most of the day in the Zulu live history centre.

We got there in time for lunch and enjoyed an open air meal in 30 degrees.

Ryan decided on the ultimate challenge: eating crocodile meat in a compound of live crocodiles - which proved to be a laugh for everyone - particularly when the guide got two of the crocs to move!!

Then we visited the crocodile park and saw the various stages of croc development from the youngest to the oldest (104 years old).

Then it was time for the snakes- a bit more scary - ending with Zulu culture, dancing and marriage!

A great day all round.

Sunday 10th January

2010-01-10T20:07:00.000Z

Up late for me - and then off to gym for a good work out.

A light lunch of bananas and chocolate before Ryan acted as chauffeur to the Gateway Shopping Centre followed by a fascinating trip via Umhlanga Drive - past the casinos, through town and then back the docks, wilson's wharfe and maiden wharfe road with its record number of railway crossings.

Touring the Bluff was fascinating - seeing the Navy Base and Millionaire's mile.

Evening of toasted sandwiches and south African red wine.

Sat 9th

2010-01-10T20:03:00.000Z

A good night's sleep and breakfast buffet - everything you would wish to eat.

We went then to see the new Durban World Cup Stadium next to the Sun Coast Casino where the famous and rugby stadium and swimming pool also are.

Then, in the afternoon we went to Ushaka - a beach complex with a water wonderland.

In the evening Manchester United grabbed a point against Birmingham whilst our hosts put on a Braai (Barbecue) where lots of meat and food was prepared.

Another good night's sleep.

Friday 8th Jan

2010-01-10T19:59:00.000Z

Arrive in Johannesburg.

What a change in temperatures from -2 in London to +32 here.

Great airport - all upgraded for the World Cup.

South African Airlines found us a seat on the flight to Durban because of the delay.

Landed at `1300 and temperature rose.

Transferred to hosts - very cloudy, warm and refreshing.

Great welcome dinner of home made lasagna and curry.

Early night having missed a night's sleep. But it was great and Africa - well super.

7th Jan Departing London in the Ice

2010-01-10T19:56:00.000Z

J and I began our journey to South Africa and it ends tomorrow in the sun of Johannesburg.

The trip to Heathrow was eventual - hours then to check in and the flight delays increased as the ice and snow gripped the airport.

An Iran Air aircraft slipped off our stand resulting in a 2 hour delay.

But the Virgin 747 800 series took off 2 hours later and I was bound for my first ever visit south of the Equator.

Sorry it's been busy

2010-01-10T19:54:00.000Z

Sorry not to have updated the blog over the past month.

It has been the best Christmas ever. A super build up in Kensington followed by the family Christmas party in Brough.

Then a few great days with Jonathan in Birmingham and London followed by a truely special Christmas in Kensington.

New Year with Carol Ann and friends - what can I say?

The off to South Africa

Advent Sunday Address at St Mary Abbots

2009-11-29T09:02:00.001Z

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

2009-11-19T20:59:00.001Z

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

Book Review Sadie Jones The Outcast

2009-11-19T20:54:00.000Z

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

2009-11-12T06:55:00.000Z

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

2009-11-12T06:22:00.000Z

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

2009-10-26T07:57:00.000Z

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

2009-10-26T06:37:00.000Z

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

2009-10-03T18:28:00.000+01:00

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

2009-09-26T09:26:00.002+01:00

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

2009-09-26T09:26:00.001+01:00

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

Thought for the Day Sept 19th BBC Radio 4

2009-09-21T08:03:00.001+01:00

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

2009-09-14T11:44:00.000+01:00

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

2009-09-14T11:43:00.000+01:00

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

2009-08-31T17:21:00.000+01:00

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

2009-08-31T17:20:00.000+01:00

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

2009-08-24T09:23:00.000+01:00

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

2009-08-24T09:20:00.000+01:00

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

2009-08-24T06:42:00.000+01:00

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

2009-08-10T08:12:00.000+01:00

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

2009-08-02T17:42:00.000+01:00

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

2009-07-21T06:11:00.001+01:00

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

2009-07-19T22:04:00.000+01:00

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

2009-07-17T17:08:00.000+01:00

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

2009-07-08T20:23:00.001+01:00

"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

2009-07-05T12:44:00.000+01:00

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

2009-06-27T08:25:00.000+01:00

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

2009-06-21T08:58:00.001+01:00

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

2009-06-21T08:57:00.001+01:00

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

2009-06-21T08:55:00.000+01:00

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

2009-05-31T06:19:00.000+01:00

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

2009-04-26T16:11:00.000+01:00

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

2009-04-20T08:07:00.000+01:00

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

2009-04-18T23:40:00.000+01:00

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

2009-04-18T06:15:00.001+01:00

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

2009-04-18T06:14:00.002+01:00

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

2009-04-18T06:14:00.001+01:00

Post Easter Fathers' reflections

2009-04-13T11:27:00.001+01:00

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

2009-04-11T11:33:00.000+01:00

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

2009-04-08T12:40:00.001+01:00

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

2009-04-03T09:49:00.003+01:00

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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Sorry for the lack of copy

2009-04-03T09:49:00.001+01:00

Have been really busy recently.

Back on line now::

Nunc Dimmitis St Mary Abbots Feb 2009

2009-02-08T14:19:00.000Z

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

2009-02-08T14:13:00.000Z

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

2009-02-01T15:14:00.001Z

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

2009-02-01T15:08:00.001Z

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

2009-01-31T05:54:00.000Z

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

2009-01-31T05:53:00.000Z

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

2009-01-30T17:09:00.000Z

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

2009-01-11T19:10:00.000Z

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.

Revelation 1.4-18

2008-11-16T14:10:00.002Z

Back end of the year.

getting ready for the end of one Christian year and the start of the next.

Book of Revelation:

End Time

Promise of Better Things to come

Revelation:

Focus on the Future

Things of the end.

What is God saying?

Advent of Jesus
Incarnation of Jesus
2nd Coming of Jesus

Letter to the 7 churches

God
who is/who was/who is to come

Kingdom - perfected

Suffering - transformed

Glory - fulfilled

"Look! He is coming with the clouds;
every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and so on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.
So it is to be, Amen.

Radio 4 on 15th November

2008-11-16T14:10:00.001Z

TFTD
Saturday 15th November
Rob Marshall

Good Morning
There is plenty of analysis and expectation of this weekend’s G20 summit. The latest economic malaise facing world leaders is a rapidly rising level of unemployment: half a million jobs were lost in the US last week; and in the UK, comparatively, the news is not much better. The steel industry, here in Sheffield, has been badly affected and Virgin Media, with a base in this city, has also announced job losses in the past seven days.

On Monday, a close friend of mine employed in the IT sector working for a financial institution, told me he had faced a stark choice: take voluntary redundancy now or have no choice but to go before Christmas.

The G20 summit will inevitably recognise the need to modernise international financial institutions, to find a way out of an economic hole in which all of us, to some extent or another, now find ourselves.

Economic health & wealth, and the lack of it, are common themes throughout the books of the Bible. Lending money at interest is condemned more than once, but it must have been very common. Jesus, for instance, has a great deal to say about our attitude to money and riches, suggesting that it is a symptom of our attitude to many other things and can betray our weaknesses.

Perhaps influenced by the collapse of the Roman Empire where there seems to have been a tremendous misuse of wealth and where the middle classes were effectively destroyed and left with virtually nothing, the Early Church Fathers recognised that it wasn’t wealth itself which was the problem: as Boniface Ramsey says : "The consensus of the Fathers is that wealth of itself is not a bad thing as long as it is properly used".

It is incumbent upon our elected leaders to work diligently and effectively to restore confidence and a more financially secure future for our children. Sean O'Grady, writing in the Independent this week, suggests that the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and I quote, “seems to believe our economy will soon enjoy the greatest comeback since Lazarus. He adds: He obviously believes in miracles: the world hasn't changed that much.”

Miracles, including economic ones, surely, like any other miracle, require not only faith, but an element of putting right or restoring something that was previously wrong.

John Donne puts it brilliantly: “There is in every miracle a silent chiding of the world, and a tacit reprehension of them who require or who need miracles.”

Surely that is what this weekend’s summit is really all about: recognising errors in the past; accepting responsibility for our challenging situation and world order: and then working towards a kind of restoration which not only needs traditional faith but a certain kind of restored belief.

Politics 091108

2008-11-09T11:14:00.001Z

Every so often a politician makes a speech which merits further and deeper reflection. This week, the Communities Secretary, Hazel Blears, speaking to the Hansard Society, observed: “There is a trend towards politics being seen as a career move rather than a call to public service.” She called for more MP’s from different backgrounds representing wider experiences than just politics. It is certainly true that politicians, previously a pick and mix of industrialists, philanthropists, bankers, and lawyers, emerge more and more from only one career strand: politics. The Minister fears that a lack of breadth and depth, of real life experience for future politicians could be an intrinsic factor in the culture of cynicism and pessimism which is often associated with contemporary British political life. Their decisions as members of Parliament, she said, should reflect the realities people face. I speak here with some experience myself, though in another area of public service – that of ordained ministry. If I had my time over again, perhaps I might not have taken a fast track to be an ordained priest of the Church of England at the youngest possible age of 24. Since then I have witnessed the enormous wisdom of some of my fellow priests who came much later into full time ministry after careers in other disciplines including the police force, banking, education and yes, paradoxically, even politics. That’s not, of course, to doubt what I discerned as a clear vocation: it is more a question of timing and experience to ensure the mix is right. The link between vocation and public service needs to be re-examined as a consequence of contemporary subtle changes affecting career structures and an increasing number of highly specialised jobs with a clearly non vocational label. This involves a partnership with our universities and colleges which are increasingly offering very focused, some might say, narrow, career focused degree course which don’t always provide basic skills and understanding about everyday life. Drawing our attention to the truly vocational nature of some careers will hopefully attract a wider diversity of people to posts which are clearly aimed at helping the whole of society – politics is just one; what about nursing, teaching, and of course, and I would include, the priesthood also. The Communities Secretary deserves praise for raising an important issue about politics as a vocation – rather than a way purely to success and career progression.
Leo Tolstoy is clear where the emphasis lies in the simple difference between a job or a career and a vocation because the latter is about the whole human experience and our encounter with our neighbor: “The vocation of every man and every woman is to serve other people.”

BBC Radio 4 Saturday 8th November

2008-11-09T11:13:00.000Z

Good Morning
There is something wonderful and special about childlikeness. Those of us who are parents, never quite forget those magical moments of growth and development in our children, marvelling at their growing up; their innocence, honesty, trust and love. That’s why the interview on this programme yesterday about how more than 4000 children aged 5 and under were suspended from Nursery School in England last year, really got to me. All of us bear some responsibility. The children we are raising inevitably reflect the kind of society we live in. Some of the stories emerging from the statistics are profoundly shocking: children aged 4 and under being suspended for bullying, assault, consistent bad language and even sexual misdemeanors. And whilst everyone wants to have their say; few seem to have an obvious solution. I feel most of all for the teachers: Whilst legislation does allow them to take action, they can only do so if such action, and I quote , "constitutes a proportionate punishment in the circumstances of the case." Who is to judge this? Teachers' representatives can produce many examples of where such action has led not only to suspension but even to the complete loss of a teaching career. One of the most simple things Jesus did in his whole ministry, when trying to get his message across to cynical, doubting, miserable adults was to take a child out of the crowd and to make them recognise the wonderful qualities of childhood. "Look," he said, and I paraphrase, " remember the qualities of this child when you consider the great dilemmas of life and faith and never forget what childlikeness means. Quite a lot of my ministry is taken up with working with children at primary level. And whilst most of those children might never fall into the statistical mire of suspensions and expulsions – the thought that any child might miss out on the joy and loveliness of childlikeness is very regrettable. The first step towards a solution obviously begins with parents. Good parenting demands honesty and realism – a long term as well as a short term view, particularly if our children are not behaving well. Headteachers and teachers need more support. The primary classroom is ideally a place of love, respect and learning; of courtesy and childlikeness. It’s too easy to have a facile view of childhood and to ignore the challenges and opportunities given to everyone, and I mean everyone, who has any influence whatsoever on the development and nurture of children. To celebrate childlikeness is to create an environment of love, acceptance and responsibility, where we simply, and with an uncluttered realism, help children to be children.

Taste & Decency

2008-11-02T18:22:00.000Z

A cab driver, delivering me to record a programme for Radio 2 this week asked me, what I, as a Vicar thought of what had been going on. "You know, he said, about Jonathan Ross and all that? Well, I started to say, it's complicated, until I soon realised that I was onto a loser when it comes to popular perceptions.

This has been a tough week for the BBC. What started as an infantile, crass and totally childish prank has resulted in a minor earthquake in broadcasting terms, the ramifications of which will be felt for quite some time.

Russell Brand, quickly realising the consequences of his part as presenter in the now infamous broadcast, consequently resigned from his programme and issued what I thought was an intelligent and exemplary apology. He said sorry and he seemed to mean it.

Jonathan Ross, who has been a controversial figure both inside and outside of the BBC ever since I can remember, will undoubtedly have a lot to reflect on this weekend. I doubt whether he would ever do anything like this again.

Sociologists and Psychologists could have a field day studying the response of the nation to events as they unfolded. Everyone had a vew.

The escalation of puerile humour, irreverent comedy, gratuitous swearing and the emergence of a cheap and disrespectful element within elements of society, is the responsibility of all us who are parents, teachers, politicians and even churches.

The "Am I bovvered" culture cannot be laughed at, and many of us do laugh at it sometimes, without accepting a consequent reduction in respect and courtesy towards other people.

Whilst holding firm to my own faith, I totally respect those who have no faith - even if I continue to be surprised, at how they often concur with the Christian doctrine of the connection between love and respect: for faith demands that our love of a Higher Being is rooted in a basic respect for our neighbour and in the giving of them space to be themselves.

I love a lot of modern comedy and much of the material is sound and ulighting. But if there is one lesson to be learned from the events of this week, it is surely that there are boundaries beyond which we should not trespass when it comes to the culminative effect our actions might have on another human beings. There are limits- the essence of what we mean by taste and decency.

Help For Heros

2008-11-02T18:21:00.000Z

It’s been another great week to pay tribute to the heroism and bravery of our armed forces. Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher received the George Cross at Buckingham Palace “for an act of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger”. On the same day crowds lined the streets of Colchester to see the 2nd battalion of the Parachute Regiment honor 15 of their own killed in Afghanistan in the past six months.

In the same spirit, troops returning home from overseas tours of duty have been marching in various towns in recent months, welcomed home by local communities; the Fusiliers had a freedom parade in Birmingham. And this week the Chancellor agreed to waive VAT on a specially recorded single for the Help the Heroes charity which is being snapped up by many younger people.

Such public recognition and appreciation of the bravery and courage of these men and women is not new – but it has certainly been transformed and re-energized to a quite considerable degree over the past year. And to that extent, people seem to have heeded the call of the Royal British Legion which last year called for the public to have a renewed covenant with our armed forces. That is certainly well on the way to being achieved.

Today, in the Christian Calendar, is All Saints Day. The Church remembers all those great saints of the Church - men and women who have also shown extraordinary courage, often in the face of great human evil and sinfulness, to pursue a path of faith and peace against all the odds: a faith in the goodness of human nature and ultimately in the love of God.

Evelyn Underhill suggests that All Saints Day is about sharing in the attributes of courage and conviction because we are members of the same human family: she writes: “ we ought all to be a little bit like them; to have a sort of family likeness and to share the family point of view.”

Between All Saints Day and Remembrance Day, there is every opportunity for reflection and thanksgiving on the virtues of amazing courage, deep faith and the kind of family likeness that we as human beings can celebrate.

Radio 4 Nov 1st

2008-11-01T06:27:00.001Z

Sorry about the gap:
Been a bit busy!

TFTD
Saturday 1st November 2008: Rob Marshall

Good Morning
It's pretty certain that American churches will be offering prayers during this weekend of All Saints and All Souls for a right result in next week's Presidential election.

After a decade away, I've just returned from my first visit to the United States. Watching the election campaign on the domestic media gives you an altogether different insight into the hopes and expectations of the nation.

The wall to wall coverage of Obama and McCain reveals a serious, profoundly concerned electorate, reflecting many different cultures and issues.

What I noticed most of all, on all sides of the political spectrum, is a strong desire to move on. It’s almost tangible. The economic downturn is, of course, harshly felt. But the perception that America is no longer loved abroad as, perhaps, it once was - clearly affects the national psyche.

The importance, for better or worse, of religion in American national life continues to attract analysis and debate.

Jason Bivins, in his recently published book Religion of Fear, suggests that Americans are preoccupied with the role of religion in public life and argues that the religious right has transformed American politics and culture. Whilst in New York theological reflection on domestic issues was never far from lively conversations after church.

I’ve always personally found going to church in America very different to going to church in Britain. Generally speaking, there seems to be a greater level of commitment to Church as a way of life by a much larger proportion of the population.

The Bible, as a textbook for living, is often and easily quoted with a disconcerting kind of confidence. And even if that’s off putting for some of us, you can't knock the way they put faith into action - because they take the Gospel message very seriously and they get out and help others. A lot of social activity and adult education is offered by many different churches. They’re also huge providers of social care and health provision to the very poor.

Since September 11th we all know that the world has become an increasingly tense, distrusting, polarized and somewhat more aggressive place to live. Many ethnic groups feel vulnerable and victimized. Faith boundaries have become more defensive and, therefore, insecure.

Religion has been an integral, almost organic, part of this campaign so far, rather than a campaigning platform for either of the candidates.

But whichever of them is victorious next week – they have an enormous job to do to unite Americans of all faiths and none, and to make the most of what is good about religion in America.

St Mary Abbots 12th October: Systematic Thought

2008-10-13T07:55:00.000+01:00

1 John 3.1-15

Trying to explain how it call works.

Classic systematic theology

We are God's children now

Sin in its proper context
Good/Jesus
Eveil/Devil

Love one another.

Then, a few nuances!

Revelation - the most common verb here - (read it again!)

Sin
Linked to title Son of God
in destroying the works of the devil

Love
commandment
from the beginning
not popular in the world
love-life
hatred-death