Watching, waiting and wondering

Three more sleeps until Christmas. Advent is almost at an end. Over the next couple of days preparations will be made, journeys will be undertaken and gifts will be wrapped. All will be made ready - let Christmas begin.


As we prepare, we join Mary and Joseph in anticipation of a new beginning. The birth of a child brings many changes. Life will never be the same again.

At Christmas there is a heightened sense of not just new beginnings but also of endings. We look back over the past year and remember. It is the season for joy but these last days of waiting can bring sorrow and anxiety.

We continue to watch, to wait and to wonder.

Hospitality and hope

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. (Micah 5:2)

Bethlehem is at the centre of the Christmas story. Although not much of a place it was here that Jesus was welcomed into the world. In Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph were offered hospitality by a hard pressed innkeeper. And on that night hope came into the world in a new and special way.

Over the Christmas period churches open their doors in welcome. Many offer hospitality in the form of meals and mince pies. The nativity story will be told through carols and readings. Jesus will be worshipped as light and hope for the world.

Most local churches will, like the little town of Bethlehem, know themselves to be small and insignificant. The hospitality they offer will, like that of the innkeeper, seem inadequate. Despite all this, hope will once again be born into the world as the birth of the Holy Child is celebrated.

Christmas trees and nativities

Baptists in Bridgwater have been busy with trees and nativity scenes of late. Three trees and a knitted nativity set at church, one of each in the shop window and a final tree in the Methodist Church Christmas Tree Festival.

Our Baptist ancestors might not have approved. The mix of sacred and secular that defines our modern Christmas can be hard to handle for people of faith.

A Toy and Nativity service at the Methodist Church yesterday brought the elements together in a special way. Surrounded by trees, Baptists, Methodists and visitors shared together in a service including a nativity play. Children and adults together told the story of the coming of the Christ Child. Presents were left to be passed on to children in our town for whom this Christmas might otherwise be bleak.

For me, the contradictions and tensions of Christmas melt away like the snow that almost arrived yesterday. The next two weeks will be full of community, caring and sharing as together we celebrate God's gift in Jesus.

Window dressing

The Christmas Window is now up. Thanks to Biddiscombes for this annual opportunity and to all who contributed items to the display.

Our theme is peace. Doves were made by our CAMEO and Make It On A Monday groups to grace the display.

Last Sunday, the first in Advent, we prayed for peace in our troubled times. Everyone at the service wrote their hopes for peace on a paper dove. These are hanging on the prayer tree at the front of the window.

Take a look at the window if you can.  And pray with us for peace in our world, our land, our homes and our lives.

Be prepared

Day four of Advent. The pockets of my Advent calendar have so far contained a potato peeler, a set of mini glitter pens and some chocolates. Two essential items for preparing for Christmas and one little treat.

At this time of year there is much to do as we make our way towards Christmas Day. Meals are prepared and shared with those nearby. Cards are written to update friends and family that we may not see so often. Sharing is very much a part of Christmas.

As we prepare for our own celebrations Crisis and other charities working with the homeless are gearing up to offer a litte cheer to those with nothing to share and nowhere to go. Food banks will support those in need locally and communities will give generously.

Sharing, caring and preparing go hand in hand at this time of year.

The people who walked in darkness have a seen a great light

Or, more accurately, a great many tiny LED lights. In readiness for the many Christmas events that will take place at church in the next month the Christmas lights are now up. Our grand Victorian building has been transformed and as darkness fell yesterday we turned off the main lights to see the full effect. It was a magical moment.



Earlier in the day at school we had talked about Jesus coming into the world to bring light. The choir sang a song about kindness and we thought about the ways can be tiny lights in the darkness of our small world.

A lovely thought as we move into Advent. The world could do with more kindness.

Advent reflections

Advent begins on Friday. Time to dust off the decorations, write the cards and prepare for Christmas. Time too to give some thought to what lies at the heart of it all - the birth of the Christ Child bringing light into the darkness.

We watch and wait.

The space in between

Sitting in the space in between the sadness of Good Friday and the celebration of Easter Sunday, Easter Saturday always seems like a day in search of a purpose. Few churches mark it.

Easter weekend in the secular world is a time for short breaks, DIY projects and gardening. Traffic chaos on the roads here in the South West is a feature of this and every other bank holiday weekend. Our neighbour is busy building a patio. Gardens are being made ready for the arrival of bedding plants and the sowing of seeds. For those in full time work the long weekend is a wonderful opportunity to get on top of household jobs.

In all probability, it was much the same for Jesus' disciples on the first Easter Saturday. It was the Jewish Sabbath, a day for being with family and meeting with others of the faith but for non Jews it was just a normal day as it is for most in contemporary Britain. The disciples had scattered following Jesus' death and presumably most went home to keep the Sabbath. It must have been a crushingly difficult day.

However we pass the space between Good Friday and Easter Day we do so looking forward in hope. Tomorrow our churches will ring with alleluias as we proclaim the good news that "Christ is Risen!" Many will come to church on this day who rarely make it to other services. Some will have returned to family and will celebrate with them. It will be a joyous occasion.

An Easter Prayer

When everything was dark and it seemed that the sun would never shine again,

your love broke through.

Your love was too strong, too wide, too deep for death to hold.

The sparks cast by your love dance and spread and burst forth with resurrection light.

Gracious God, we praise you for the light of new life made possible through Jesus.
We praise you for the light of new life that shone on the first witnesses of resurrection.
We praise you for the light of new life that continues to shine in our hearts today.

We pray that the Easter light of life, hope and joy, will live in us each day;
and that we will be bearers of that light into the lives of others.

Amen.

(Revd Michaela Youngson, Superintendent Minister of the Ealing Trinity Circuit)

Palms of Victory

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. In what is for us the final week of Lent, Jesus began the journey that would lead him to his death on Good Friday. The contrast between the joyful celebration of Palm Sunday and the despair of Good Friday is a stark one.

In later Christian tradition the palm branch became a symbol of the martyrs. Picking up ancient imagery of the palm branch as a symbol of victory / peace / triumph / eternal life, martyrs were often portrayed bearing a palm branch as a symbol of the victory of the spirit over the flesh.

Palms of victory, a hymn more popular in the country music world than in churches, draws on that tradition. With lyrics inspired by John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress the writer describes the journey of a Wayworn Traveller to his final spiritual victory. Struggling through life the weary traveller looks to the time when Deliverance will come!

This week we have once again been reminded of the horrors inflicted on many in our world. Syrians have endured both a chemical incident and US shelling to add to the misery of the long running civil war. In Stockholm a lorry was driven into a department store killing and wounding civilians. Deliverance from the violence of this world seems but a distant hope as we approach Easter this year.

How long, O Lord, how long?

The Boat Races and a bomb

Boat Races between Oxford and Cambridge have taken place on the Thames since 1829.

An annual event since 1865, yesterday's race was the 163rd in the series. But the race almost didn't happen. On Saturday a passing sailor reported seeing a WW2 bomb near the start point. The situation was resolved early on Sunday morning and the race went ahead. 

A national tradition with a long history, this annual competition between teams from the England's two top universities has held the public imagination. There have been changes - since 2015 The Boat Race has become The Boat Races. Television coverage, sponsorship and the addition of the women's race to the main event have altered the shape but not the main focus of the competition. Adaptability to an ever changing context has ensured the longevity of this very British annual event.

When it comes to religious belief, change and adaptability are equally important but are often controversial. In our time, the Christian Church has struggled to accept both the ministry of women and changing views on marriage. In first century Palestine, Jewish religious leaders were concerned to ensure the keeping of the Sabbath and adherence to The Law. Their inability to see beyond these external marks of faith to what lies behind was the main point of conflict with Jesus.

Christians in today's secular west face similar challenges to the Jews of Jesus' time. Traditions that developed in a context where a single religion was central to national identity are no longer fit for purpose.

Like the WW2 bomb removed from the Thames yesterday perhaps some relics of the past

should be removed to prevent damage to the faith that lies behind.

April showers

Spring flowers

According to the Met Office, spring began either on March 1 or March 20. Days are getting longer and, thanks to British Summer Time, evenings are now lighter. The moving forward of the clocks at the weekend brought with it the usual debate surrounding the pros and cons of the annual change from Greenwich Mean Time. This year the leisure industry weighed in suggesting that theme parks and other attractions would benefit from year round BST. Scottish farmers were not impressed.

This curious debate seemed sharper this year set as it is against the growing tension between the Prime Minister and the First minister of Scotland. As the formal process of Britain's withdrawal from the European Union gets underway no doubt other long submerged differences will resurface much as the BST question does each year. We watch and wait.

Living side by side with those of varied backgrounds and beliefs was no easier two thousand years ago than it is today.  The Roman Empire was resented by the Jewish religious elite and the general population alike. Roman governors were fearful of uprisings in the Province of Judea and acted swiftly to suppress potential ringleaders. Judea's king was concerned only with clinging to his position which was at best precarious.

Jesus posed a threat to both the religious leaders and the civil authorities of his day. His ability to draw together and inspire ordinary people was a problem for the Romans. His unwillingness to conform to the expectations of the Pharisees and Priests was alarming. He was executed by the Roman state at the instigation of Jewish religious leaders because he had the potential to upset the status quo.

Then, as now, fear and uncertain times bring out the worst in us all.

The week that was

Wednesday 22nd March was anything but just another day for a group of Bridgwater children. With great excitement students and staff at St John and St Francis school set off for London to visit the Houses of Parliament. Having been in school for an assembly just after they left the news of an incident at Westminster sparked immediate concern. I spent the rest of the day checking the school website and watching news coverage. It was a relief the next morning to hear that the children had arrived back late in the evening.

The attack on Westminster came on the day after the death of Martin McGuinness had been announced. McGuinness' funeral took place yesterday as the investigation into Wednesday's attack gathered speed. Tributes to the one time IRA commander who became Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland noted both his contribution to the peace process and his violent past.  A reminder that the willingness of some individuals to kill and destroy in the name of a cause is no new phenomenon.

The sad fact is that much of the hate and violence in our world is rooted in a distorted religious perspective. From the Crusades to the present day activities of the so called Islamic State religious conflict has been a depressing fact. Wherever there are strongly held beliefs it seems there are always those who will use force to make their point.

Wednesday's terror attack shocked the nation. Ordinary people found themselves caught up in a situation beyond their control. Many offered all they could in the way of support to those around them. The emergency services handled devastating injuries with professionalism and compassion.

Finding themselves locked down in the House of Commons the children of St John and St Francis School sang hymns while their parents joined staff at the school to wait for news. As they waited food, drink and support were offered by the Salvation Army. Here at least hate and fear did not win the day.

The saint and the shamrock

May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Ancient Irish Blessing

All things Irish have been to the fore these past few days. St Patrick's Day celebrations on Friday included parades both on the Emerald Isle and across the globe. Patrick is apparently one of the most popular saints worldwide. This may have something to do with the fact that St Patrick's Day usually falls in Lent. Since the early 17th century his Feast Day has been an opportunity to take a welcome break from the Lenten fast. Twenty first century publicans and chefs owe a debt of gratitude to this fifth century saint.

Patrick was an Englishman. At the age of sixteen he was captured by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland where he stayed for six years tending sheep.  During those years his Christian faith grew and when he finally got home he trained to become a priest. He eventually returned to Ireland as a missionary and died there in 461AD. According to tradition, Patrick used the shamrock to explain the doctrine of the Trinity to the pagan Irish.

Shamrocks are still much in evidence on St Patrick's Day as since the eighteenth century the shamrock has been become something of a national symbol. Saturday saw Ireland deny England a Grand Slam victory in the Six Nations tournament. Rugby fans will no doubt know the logo of the Irish Rugby Football Union - a shamrock and a rugby ball. Ireland's national team draws players from both Ulster and Eire; where other symbols are controversial the shamrock is an emblem that all can accept.

Did Patrick really use the shamrock to explain the mystery of the Trinity? We'll never know but the unifying nature of this national symbol in sport, where tribalism is so often the order of the day, is an interesting footnote to his story.

Compassionate generosity

Japonica, Somerset

A glorious morning here in the south west. The sun is shining, garden trees and shrubs are flowering. Spring, with the promise of new life, is here. From where I sit it is easy to speak of the glory of creation and the generosity of God in surrounding us with such beauty.

Not so for the 16 million people in danger of starvation in East Africa. Their experience of drought and famine is closer to the wilderness experience of Jesus that we recall during Lent. As women boil up leaves in the hope of providing their children with something to fill their stomachs I am reminded of the devil's suggestion that Jesus turn stones to bread to feed himself.

Yesterday the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launched an appeal for funds to help reduce the scale and the severity of the crisis affecting four countries - South Sudan, Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. The enormity of this crisis is hard to comprehend; the task of meeting the need seems as impossible as turning stones into bread.

The encouraging news is that response to the appeal has been swift and generous. The Queen has made a personal donation, the government pledged £5 million matching funding and by this morning £12 million had been donated. Feeding the world is beyond the capacity of any single individual but the compassion of millions can make a difference in the most desperate of situations. Donations to the DEC East Africa Appeal can be made online or at any High Street bank.

Jesus challenged the people of his time to show compassion and generosity to anyone in need. Expanding the traditional understanding of the neighbour beyond the natural boundaries of place or race, he asked his followers to show kindness beyond the accepted minimum requirements. In our time, globalisation challenges us to extend our thinking still further. A crisis thousands of miles away is our problem as much as theirs; our response a part of our response to the generosity of God towards us.

Hidden Figures

Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson worked for NASA in the early 1960s. The recent film Hidden Figures tells the story of their contribution to American success in the Space Race. The film, based on a book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly, is an inspiring account of the obstacles faced by these three African-American women in a workplace dominated by white male culture and expectations.

Katherine, Dorothy and Mary were not human rights activists. They were three talented women who had to fight for the right to use their abilities not just to earn a living but also to contribute to their society. Breaking down the barriers that prevent individuals from achieving their potential is not only a matter of fairness, justice and equality. When ideology or prejudice stands in the way of those who simply want to do what they were put here to do everyone loses.

Jesus had little time for the structures and systems of his day. His ministry was characterised by actions and teaching that sought to release individuals, not institutions, to be and do what God intended. Ethnicity and gender were unimportant - a Samaritan (Arab)woman and a Roman (Italian) soldier were no less worthy of his time than members of his own Jewish community. And the religious elite were roundly condemned when their traditions or interpretations of the faith created barriers of any kind.

Hidden Figures is an inspiring film. It is sad to realise that although much has changed in western societies since the 1960s the barriers are still in place. Even sadder is the recognition that the Christian Church is one of the places where inequality remains a fact of life for many. Too often inherited doctrine and church tradition stand in the way of those who want to do what they believe God put them here to do. And we all lose as a result.

Daffodils and St David

National Museum of Wales, Cardiff

Ash Wednesday fell on St David's Day, 1st March, this year. Daffodils were much in evidence in Cardiff both in the city gardens and on the lapels of shop staff. St David was a monk who founded several monasteries. Those who joined him lived a life of austerity and spent their days in hard physical work. Arriving in Cardiff on the day there seemed little to link the Welsh capital with the country's patron saint beyond the two shopping centres that bear his name. I found myself wondering what the man known for his simplicity of life, humility and wisdom would have made of twenty-first century consumerism.

Cardiff is also home to the Doctor Who Experience, a tourist attraction in the regenerated Cardiff Bay area. Visitors take a trip on the Tardis with the Doctor, encountering both Daleks and Weeping Angels, before enjoying an exhibition of costumes and other Who paraphernalia. Love it or hate it, the television series has been a part of British life for over half a century.

The Doctor himself is a curious character. Unpredictable, conflicted, heroic and with a fondness for planet earth, he challenges and often destroys those who threaten the well being of her inhabitants. Death and destruction are inevitable as the Doctor and his companions encounter Cybermen, Daleks and other murderous races intent on domination.

During this first week of Lent Christians recall Jesus' wilderness encounter with evil personified. Tempted to abuse his power for domination rather than redemption, Jesus turned away from the devil and embarked on the road to Calvary. No power struggles, no war, no forced surrender of the enemy. Just one man, God incarnate, who would change the world by dying on a cross.

A twenty-first century Lent

Lent, traditionally a time for reflection and self denial as Christians prepare for Easter, is almost upon us. Based on the forty days and forty nights that Jesus spent in the Wilderness devout people down the centuries have seen this as a time as for spiritual seeking and transcending the physical demands of human existence.

More recently, a movement to give Lent a positive spin has led to the 40 generous acts challenge. The movement began some seven years ago and has spread widely through websites and social media. Although seemingly a long way from the desert experience behind Lent, the challenge encourages individuals to use this time to change both themselves and the world round them for the better.

Whether we choose reflection or action this Lent, the coming six weeks could be an opportunity to see the world in a different way and to find a new focus this spring.

Snowdrops

Despite the current cold spell, snowdrops bring hope that Spring is on the way. New beginnings, a new blog and something ventured for Lent and Easter this year.