Cross from Anvil Pottery/St Beuno's

 

On my recent visit to St Beuno's in North Wales for a (brief) silent retreat, I bought the cross pictured as a reminder of my times at St Beuno's, but also as a pointer to the journey ahead,

Anvil Pottery is relatively close to St Beuno's, situated in the village of Llanrhaeadr in the Vale of Clwyd. It was fitting to buy something that was made nearby, and a reminder of what we each can do. That links very much to my thinking and reflecting at St Beuno's around what God calls me (and each one of us) to do.

The Celtic style of the Cross speaks to me of mission and pilgrimage as I consider the implications of where God is now calling me to be and what God is calling me to do. In very many ways that is daunting, but I can have confidence because God does not call us to go on our own, but rather walks the road with us.

That's an encouraging thought as we enter a new year. 

I am currently reading Nigel Tranter's novel about the life of Columba (simply titled 'Columba'), and that, too, is a good reminder of the struggles and joys as we take the opportunity to do what God asks of us. Columba found that it led him places that he had not expected and that he did not want, but, as he also discovered, God's places are always places of blessing.

Letters from Father Christmas

I have just read J R R Tolkien's Letters from Father Christmas, a delightful and imaginative set of letters which he, 'as Father Christmas', wrote to his children over a period of just over twenty years. The first letter was penned in 1920 when the eldest child was just 3, and continued through the childhoods of the three other children.

He recounts the adventures of Father Nicholas Christmas and his associates, often enhancing what he is saying with drawings of the events taking place at the North Pole.

It was a great reminder of what we might call the 'magic' of Christmas, and of the different customs and traditions that can emerge in families. We always do this ....  

It is sometimes said, and with good reason, that we risk overwhelming Christmas with all sorts of secular and commercial matters that have little to do with its essence. 

However, I always like to remember the immensity of what we are celebrating when we say Emmanuel - God-with-us. I don't think we can do too much to celebrate Christmas. The birth of a baby at Bethlehem has had such a massive impact on the life of this world. It deserves a big cellebration, a very big celebration. There is so much mystery in the fact that, as the carol puts it, 'Love came down at Christmas.'

What Are You Doing For Christmas?

 Reflection offered at the 'midnight' service for Sawston Free Church via Zoom - acknowledging a variety of sources which I have 'lost')

What are you doing for Christmas?  That question has somewhat different connotations this year; and, indeed, some of us might well have answered it differently, just a few weeks, or even days, ago.  Christmas is looking different.  Boris has been accused by many of cancelling Christmas.  Well, I am prepared to accuse him of quite a lot, but not of that.  Because Christmas is not cancelled,  Christmas is difficult.  Christmas is different.  But – unto us a child is born!  The light has come.  The Chrismas message of peace and love is alive and well.  Christmas is happening.  And, though the answers may not be easy, or we would expect or hope, we still, even at this late moment, might, as it were, ask of each other: what are you doing for Christmas?  Or, perhaps, what does Christmas mean to you?  How does Christmas fit this strange landscape in which we find ourselves?

But think of the questions Mary and Joseph might have faced.  When’s the baby due?  Where are you going?  Where are you going to stay?

2021 is census year in Britain.  It is due on March 21^st.  But, fortunately, we don’t all have to go back to our burthplace in order to be counted, as appears to have been the case for Mary and Joseph.  At least, they had to go to Joseph’s birthplace.  And so they got caught up in what must have been a somewhat amazing population movement and it’s hardly surprising that, when they got there, they couldn’t find anywhere to stay.  And that’s how they came to be in a stable – so the story goes.

In many ways, it’s a quite incredible story.  Surely someone would have taken pity on Joseph and his heavily pregnant wife.  Surely there was a room somewhere for someone in this situation.  But then the story is incredible – that God should come to earth and share our human experience – but that’s what Christmas is all about.

It all seems quite remote from things like reindeer and tinsel, mince pies and balloons.  So many things have been built on across the years.  And that’s fine.  Traditions grow and develop.  It’s fine so long as we remember the essential Christmas message – that God came to earth in human form and so demonstrated his amazing love for us. 

The stable and the shepherds remind us that God comes to those who don’t fit in.  The wise men and their gifts remind us that God comes to those who do.  The angels remind us that what is offered is summed up in that tremendous word ‘peace’ – Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.

What are you doing for Christmas?  I’m celebrating the birth of Jesus, born in a stable in Bethlehem, God come to earth to offer love, and joy, and peace.

Godly Play Style Nativity by Zoom

With the current situation we need to continue to adapt. I was leading a Christmas Eve family service by Zoom for Sawston Free Church and so, with the help of Bob Hartman's 'Lion Storyteller Bible' and some Godly Play material, devised a 'sort of'' nativity play, following a Godly Play style - with stable, holy family, shepherd, innkeeper, wise men, angels, a few animals and the 'people of the world' - a reminder that Christmas is still happening.

Emmanuel - God is with us, and how we need all the peace, love, joy, hope and faith that comes with that.

Happy Christmas!

 

Praying with our friends in Vellore

Zoom has some real benefits. I was delighted, today, to be part of a prayer gathering between a group from Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council and a group from the Diocese of Vellore, and to have the opportunity to offer a brief reflection on the conversation we had around the challenges, particularly by way of coronavirus, currently affecting our two communities.

It was interesting to see that, despite the profound differences between the two locations, that there were marked similarities between the issues we have faced and the responses we have made. In India food rations have been sent to the families of pupils at home because of closed schools while in England we have been supporting an increased use of foodbanks. Just one example. We have also both faced the difficulties when churches could not meet for worship.

In responding to the conversation I mentioned that some in the UK have been claiming that Christmas is cancelled, but that is definitely not so. God continues to make a difference in our world. Citing some words of Lesslie Newbigin I suggested we need to remain positive. Newbigin once said: “Mission begins with a kind of explosion of joy. The news that the rejected and crucified Jesus is alive is something that cannot possibly be suppressed. It must be told. Who could be silent about such a fact? The mission of the church in the pages of the New Testament is like the fallout from a vast explosion, a radioactive fallout which is not lethal but life-giving.”

Defining 2020

 

2020 will go down as a year unlike any other, defined by different ways of doing things, a different set of phrases - and immense gratitude to those who did so much to keep life on track. 

One memorable element is undoubtedly the NHS clap. For several weeks we went outside at 8pm on a Thursday to bang drums, pan lids, spoons, whatever - or simply to clap as we applauded the commitment of NHS staff in addressing the Covid challenge.  

Of course, there were many other key workers, supermarket staff, delivery drivers, teachers, etc etc. Where would we have been without them? Where would we be?

A lot has been said of late about Christmas being cancelled. Actually, that's not true; but it is going to be different. But, as we continue with the challenges of these strange times, it remains that case that we can celebrate that, in the words of the carol, 'love came down at Christmas'. Let's do that by finding some specific way, we who are the Body of Christ, to express that love.

Fiesta with God

Nouwen, cited in “Arrivals and Departures” (ed. Ford) says in a quotation from “Gracias”  - “the poor are a eucharistic people, people who know [how] to say thanks to God, to life, to each other. They may not come to Mass, they may not participate in many church celebrations. But in their hearts they are deeply religious because, for them, all of life is a long fiesta with God.”

I am struck by that idea of life as a fiesta with God. That’s how it should be - but how rarely is it the case! I am also struck by the stress on gratitude. That should be our approach to things, but also is too often lacking. So much can be changed by how we approach things.

On Retreat at St Beuno's

 

I just got back yesterday from a few days' silent retreat at St Beuno's Jesuit Spirituality Centre. As always, it was a real gift of space and an important opportunity - at a time of transition - for me to reflect on both what has been and what will be; and I want to stress the importance for us all of making such opportunities on a regular basis. Mostly, I am not able to identify such an amount of time nor go somnewhere so conducive, but snatched moments of reflection are also important.

One of the joys of St Beuno's is being able to walk in the surrounding countryside, though I am not currently used to the hills. But the other really helpful thing is the opportunity for Biblical reflection and prayer.

God is wherever we are. There is no need to go to north Wales. But how good it is to come to the special place, to find that quieter space, to know that I've got that little bit of time.

Send in the Clowns

I’ve reading ‘Arrivals and Departures’ a collection of Henri Nouwen extracts put together by Michael Ford, reflecting something of Nouwen’s travels and his restless nature. In the mix, there are, inevitably, some really helpful insights. A little piece from ‘Clowning in Rome’ particularly struck me, a powerful reminder that God.s people are not necessarily to be found where we are looking or where we expect.

This little reflection on the circus helps us see that. “Clowns are not in the centre of the events. They appear between the great acts, fumble and fall, and make us smile again after the tensions created by the heroes we came to admire. The clowns don’t have it together, they do not succeed in what they try, they are awkward, out of balance, .. but ... they are on our side. We respond to them not with admiration but with sympathy, not with amazement but with understanding, not with tension but with a smile. Of the virtuosi we say, “How do they do it?” Of the clowns we say, “They are like us.” The clowns remind us with a tear and a smile that we share the same human weaknesses ... “

Yes, God, send in the clowns - we so need them!

Liturgical Procession Mug

 

This Alison Gardiner mug, depicting a liturgical procession, was actually - and appropriately - bought in Norwich Cathedral where I have participated in a number of such processions over the last twelve years, including the farewell service for the last Diocesan Bishop and the welcome service for the current Diocesan Bishop, both Bishop Graham.

It is also one of the two (along with Ely) Cathedrals where I have the priviledge of preaching. At Norwich it was at the annual Carol Service for the emergency services in 2012.

One of the joys of the role I currently hold is the opportunity to be present at (and sometimes participate in) great ecclesiastical occasions as an ecumenical guest. A reminder that we are all part of the one Body of Christ.

Panama Mug

 

Today's mug - well, it's more like a tankard today - comes from Panama and our time there in the early nineties. The design imitates a classic mola design, 'molas' being pictures created using a form of reverse applique by one of the Pamamanian inbdigeneous groups, the Kuna. They are usually extremely colourful, and depict a wide range of subject matter.

The one on the mug is both muted and abstract but, for me, still a reminder of the colour and vibrancy of Panama. It reminds me, too, of the value of art and craft, and how that can speak to us. I have often had on my study wall a mola fish, a reminder of how that is such a significant symbol, and a mola butterfly, which always speaks to me of new and transformed life. And that is so what our faith is about.

Cotteridge Mug

In my last post, in which I served from 1998 to 2008, part of my responsibility was as the URC member of the ministry team at the Cotteridge Church, a Local Ecumenical Partnership of the Church of England, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church.

Today's, in this little series of mugs, is a Cotteridge mug and depicts the church building, situated near to Kings Norton Station in Birmingham.  Like several of the others in this series, it is a strong reminder of partnership.

However, it is also a reminder for me of the importance of being rooted in the community, which was fundamental to the Cotteridge ethos.  The Coffee Bar, open six days a week, was central to the life of the church.  Indeed, I remember being told of the person who wandered into the building after the Sunday service, looking for the normal Coffee Bar service and who, on realising what was happening around them, commented: o, of course it's closed on Sundays; it's a church!
 

Vellore Mug

 

This mug comes from the Diocese of Vellore in the Church of South India. It depicts St John's Church, Fort, Vellore, where I preached on the first Sunday of our summer 2019 visit to Vellore. Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council has a twiunning link with the diocese and the visit was part of the link.

It was thus, as with all such visits, a mark of partnership, but also, for me, a reminder that the church reaches different contexts. We were made extremely welcome and that is, or always should be, a mark of the church. It is quite something to follow a liturgy that has much in common with my usual experience in worship in such a different location. It was a reminder that God does not recognise the boundaries that we frequrently see as so important.

Berlin Christmas Markets Mug

In December 2018 I represented the United Reformed Church at a consultation in Berlin organised by the Presbyterian Church USA. It was a consultation for European and Middle Eastern partners, and proved to be a fascintaing exploration of the challenges of mission in our particular and differing contexts.

It was particularly interesting to be partnerd with Middle Eastern churches who undoubtedly face significant challenges in what is often a troubled context. 

We live in a changed and changing world and it is often difficult to know how to proclaim the Gospel. But it is important to remember that God is so much bigger thsn we are, and has a much bigger picture.

In Berlin we went, one evening, to the Christmas markets, where I got this mug, portraying a bnnch of Berlin schenes, a reminder of the need to offer the light and love of Christ in a very mixed-up world.
 

A Mug from Lindisfarne

Lindisfarne, otherwise known as Holy Island, is another of special (or 'thin') places which has become a place of pilgrimage. In 635 Aidan came from Iona and founded a monastery on Lindisfarne, and so the Christian message has gone out fronm there for centuries.

This mug, which I bought when we holidayed there in 2011, serves as a reminder of our opportunity to explore the island and, as we did so, I reflected on its long Christian history.

It gets me wondering, in all sorts of places, about the saints who have gone before - and I wonder, too, what are the little actions that we can take for God that may have ripples so much greater than we expect or imagine.

 

Traditional Hungarian Design

Today's mug is decorated with a traditional Hungarian design, though bought in Romania when on a church twinning visit, so another reminder of partnership and of international links. The congregants of the Reformed Church in Romania are Hungarian speaking, and of Hungarian origin. In Temesvar/Timisoara, where we visited, they are in an area that has moved from country to country as different nations have gained supremacy. It is also an area that was behind the Iron Curtain (remember that) not so long ago.

The links we developed there are a telling reminder of how things can change, even when we may have thought for years that they won't. I have always found it good to visit and learn from Christians in other situations, and have been fortunate to have a variety of such experiences.

It's an important reminder that God - and the church - doesn't see our boundaries.

 

A Mug from Iona

 

Iona is a special place, one of those locations sometimes described as 'thin'. Of course, we can fully encounter God anyway, but that does not mean that there are not places which seem particularly holy or which have special significance.

A place can become so because of a moment of encounter with God. It might be a great cathedral. It might be the top of a hill. It might be somewhere, like Iona, that has become a place of pilgrimage.

Strangely, despite spending my youth and early adulthood in Scotland, I have only been to Iona once, and that just for the day with my then two small children. It was more than worth it all the same, and I hope to return some day.

The mug I bought on that visit to Iona is a reminder of that day, but also of the important role that pilgrimnage can play in the Christian journey. Whether God calls us to go across the world or just across the street, it's good to respond to that call and discover those special places and experiences that God has lined up for us.

Costa Rican Mug

It was back in the summer of 1991 that my wife and I landed in Costa Rica with a very large suitcase, as we didn't know when, again, we would see anything else that belonged to us. We were about to spend six weeks learning Spanish prior to flying on to Panama where we were going to live for the next (almost) three years.

And then, we ended up back in Costa Rica for a few days, attending the annual Synod of the Methodist Church, which had congregations in both countries, and received this commemorative mug, marking a significant anniverary. It is good to mark significant occasions. 

I wonder which events in your life most deserve a commemorative mug?

Zimbabwean Mug

The psalmist writes in the last phrase of Psalm 23, verse 5 - my cup overflows. As we start Advent, and as a 'sort of' calendar, I thought I'd look around my study and see what some of the things in it might say to me as they remind of things I have done or that mean something to me.

I have a number of mugs and that seemed a good place to start. This particular one, with hand-painted elephants, comes from Zimbabwe, a country I have visited a number of times. It is a reminder of my many friends there and of the places of I have visited and things I have done. It speaks of lively worship, of economic hardship, of deep spirituality, and of a country that has so much potential.

That is a reminder that we all have potential and, with God's help, we can realise it. 

But the mug from Zimbabwe is also a reminder of the struggle to obtain reliable and clean supplies of water, and that there is so much that we take for granted in the UK. 

Let's thank God for all the ways in which our cup overflows.