lurchersontheedge

Final topic before we enter into the Christmas period

biblical readings – heaven and hell

theological reflection – heaven and hell

We have had fun working with this material.

I will reflect further later in the week.

After an action-packed week, focussing on the first of our Last Things: Death; we turn this week to Judgement.

I am attaching our three pieces of study material.

For information; St Michael and All Angels, Bartley Green is a largely working class congregation; who are discovering how to do theology together; and sometimes allow the Vicar to use big words; as long as he explains them.

biblical readings

images of judgement

theological reflection

At St Michael and All Angels, Bartley Green; we are exploring the Four Last Things during Advent 2011.

The Four Last Things are Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell. These have been topics for meditation and study for Christians from both East and West for generations.

This morning we began with ‘Death’. As well as the sermon, on the news letter; we had the following questions that members of the congregation are encouraged to engage with during the week (I am ever hopeful)

Questions for the pew sheet

1. Death is a negative subject for many people; why do you think that is the case? In other countries, death is a public event; shared by the whole community; in the UK, we tend to hide things away.
2. We pray in our services as part of the Lord’s Prayer, ‘your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth; as it is in heaven’. What do you mean when you are praying that part of the prayer?
3. What does it mean for Christians to have hope?

On Tuesday evenings and Thursday lunchtimes we will meet in small groups to look at the topic for the week.

I am “publishing” the material here, in the hope that others might find it of use.

We will begin with the case studies, move to New Testament readings and then funeral poems.

I offer them here so that others might be able to join in.

case studies

new testament readings

funeral poems

This is the handout we will be using in Church this evening to explore this wonderful piece of work that will be central to our thoughts over the next 12 months.

Introducing the Gospel of Mark

I realise that I am not supposed to say this, but I wonder whether or not at times those of us who are clergy or ministers actually can turn ministry into a form of idolatry.

I know stand back in horror. But could it be that for some of us ministry becomes more important than the one we are supposed to be serving? The problem is ministry can be a despotic deity, demanding everything.

Many moons ago, I worked as an Evangelist for the London City Mission. One of my colleagues, David (now also an Anglican priest) talked about how for him one of the hardest lessons to learn was that preaching could be an idol. I think, given that I was only 19 at the time, I dismissed this. However, now when a child waves a cheery ‘hello Rev Kev’ as he or she goes past; I realise that any form of ministry can become more important than the gospel, or even of God.

Now, I know on one level the ‘hello’ is evidence of the good work I am doing in schools, and when teenagers call out ‘Rev Kev’ then that is a far better alternative than just being ignored. I realise when having done a good funeral, people say ‘vicar, if there were more like you, we would come to church’ is just having done a good job. But there is part of me that draws far too much self-esteem from such things than I should.

Ministry can be a two-eyed monster; and if we are not careful. No, let me rephrase this; if I am not careful it could become an idol that takes the place of my God.

The saddest bit of all is that would mean I would be robbing myself of the possibility of being fully alive.

There, I knew it would be a hard thing to say…

In the Name of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.

The Parable of the wise and foolish virgins, or
bridesmaids told by Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel could at first glance be mistaken
for some important advice about being prepared. Jesus therefore becomes an
antecedent of Baden-Powell’s whose motto has shaped the lives of many a former cub
scout; even the vicar, who on occasion wishes he had taken the motto more
seriously at times. In a week that has seen the rebirth of the bob a job week
that might seem appropriate. Being prepared is important and not to be belittled.
To take this though as the thrust of the parable is to grasp only part of what
Jesus was trying to convey.

It has sometimes been seen not only as an exemplar
of preparedness; but also of about prudence in economic affairs – I jest not –
and again given the worldwide economic uncertainty that would seem particularly
apposite.

However, whilst I believe Jesus had much to say
about the management of financial affairs; again this would be a partial
understanding rather than perhaps a fuller one.

The Parable is meant to describe the Kingdom of
Heaven, which you will recall is Matthew’s term for the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom in the teaching of Jesus is not to be seen as a specific place; that is to say like the United Kingdom; nor is it a political entity, in terms of party politics; although the Gospel has particular political things to say that sometimes bring it into tension with the kingdoms of this world. Christianity is an earthy religion: it has to be, since it is firmly rooted in God becoming human.

You cannot get more earthy than a wedding: they are
so easy to get wrong. This is why there is an enduring popularity with the film Four Weddings and a Funeral, with Rowan Atkinson’s portrayal of the bumbling vicar bringing a smile to our faces. Middle Eastern weddings, according to the anthropologists have changed little in pattern from the time of Jesus to the present day.

At a Palestinian wedding, a bridegroom would party
with his friends and family during the day, and come often late into the night to collect his bride. It was the duty of the bridesmaids to be ready to meet him; and was a cause, and still is, of social disgrace if they do not greet him. The disgrace is interestingly enough on the bridegroom; rather than the bridesmaids. By their failure to understand what was expected, the bridesmaids brought disgrace on the bridegroom. It is interesting to understand why there would be such a severe reaction from the groom: ‘I do not know you’ following not only a breach in etiquette, but in relationship.

This Parable, along with other Parables, is sometimes called a Parable of Judgement.

I would like us to hold that thought as we move to our OT reading for the day. Amos is a prophet who is a very fierce social critic. Sometimes, I think, we get the impression that the prophets are people who always were speaking of the future and whose eyes were always fixed on the hereafter rather than in the present. This would be to do all of the prophets a profound disservice; even if it would make their message more comfortable and easier on our ears.

Amos, however, is someone who knew how to grab his
hearers’ attention. In our small passage for this morning; he proclaims: ‘woe to you who desire the Day of the Lord’. This is perhaps the first time this term ‘Day of the Lord’ appears within the canon of Scripture. Now we could fall immediately into the trap of thinking that Amos is saying ‘woe to you if you desire the end of the world and God to put everything right’, which would be a very odd thing to say (presumably). The Day of the Lord though was not the end of the world; but rather an anticipated day of celebration when Israel as a nation-state could celebrate victory over her enemies; almost akin to Independence Day for the citizens of America or Bastille Day for the republic of France. This particular prophet is not afraid in this context that the great anticipated celebration would bring gloom rather than joy. The reason for this for Amos was obvious, whilst the people of God could claim to be pious they did not practice justice. Let us be clear that Israel’s God judges their lack of morality so severely that the prophets puts it like this; God cannot stand their worship; what they offer to God. This is interesting: I wonder whether we stop and think what God thinks of the worship we offer? There are two things we might like to take from this; (1) God might not like (very English way of putting things) our insular worship or activities which ignore the needs of those around us and (2) morality is not confined for the writers of the Scriptures to private deeds, but to public acts. As I have said many times; there is no such thing as a private Christian faith. This why the Church can and does have something to say not only about private conduct; but about the sometimes immoral ways in which wealth is distributed within society. For the prophet, Amos; God would judge.

Judgement can therefore be seen as something happening in the present. This might lead us back to assuming that the foolish bridesmaids were simply unprepared.

Whilst in our tradition; judgement can be about the present; it could also about the kingdom that is coming. Paul writes to the Thessalonians who were concerned about what would happen to those Christians who had died before Jesus returned. For Paul the Day of the Lord then was, for the believer, an anticipated future hope.

So, back to the Gospel:  what is the judgement occurring when the
bridesmaids are shut out? Is it occurring now or later?

The answer is relatively simple. When Jesus talked of the Kingdom; he was offering a way of life; asking those who would follow him to live their lives according to different values and be subject to God’s wise, just and gentle rule. The bridesmaids, all had a particular task to do, and some were in breach of relationship with the bridegroom.

God sets before us a choice: if we do not listen; God will eventually close the door.

Uncomfortable words: but God is not always as comfortable as we have sometimes made him.

In the Name of God: creator, redeemer and sustainer.

I guess I will not be alone amongst the plethora of priests all around the globe helping people celebrate all soulstide over the coming days. I have never been sure how to strike the correct tone or poise for this commemorative period. On the one hand, we will help scores of folks remember their loved ones. On the other, I will be trying to make sense of the communion of saints.

I have been helped slightly over the last few days. The first was by a visit to our very beautiful Rowantree Cottage, which is near Annan. We keep some old photos there. I was able to remember the departed, from my Dad to an old cat, by looking at the photos; as well as remember those who are still alive, who I have lost touch with, from Ben Squires, who was my Best Man many years ago to people who were there at my ordination just over 10 years ago. As I stood in front of the fireplace looking at the photos, I was there with the people I was remembering, whether remembering that extraordinary day in June 1993, when Ben and I were woken at 5:30am in the morning by Jennifer’s aunt to see if we were okay or of actually seeing my Dad in photos that were taken before I was born. It was as if I was there, although rationally I could not have been. I did this all in silence, apart from the occasional whoops of delight.

The second was yesterday evening at the Craft Club, when I was looking at photos again, designing cards for the Christmas bazaar. As I looked at extraordinary photos, I was there; but in company with others. There was something interesting about sharing scenes with those who had not been there physically.

I am not sure why this all helps me with the communion of saints. It just seems to suggest that the gap between those we do not see any longer, either separated by circumstance or death, can be very thin indeed.

My job is to celebrate this over the coming holy days

A dear friend passed away, slipped away, went to be with the Lord, died yesterday. We had not really been in touch very much over the last few years, but when we were; we were good. My friend was an evangelist and an, ever so confident, follower of Jesus.

We did postgraduate study together and therefore we knew each other very well indeed in areas of Ancient Jewish Literature. I read the tributes made to him on various social networking sites; admired them, and then wondered what people might say about me.

He was, I think, a year younger than me, which gives food for thought. It also makes me ask what we think life is for; and whether or not what we focus upon is worth the amount of energy we spend on it.

I am reminded of the film Dead Poet’s Society, where the character Mr Keating has his young group of students look at photos of their predecessors; reminding them that their predecessors had probably already died. “Seize the Day” or “Carpe Diem” is Keating’s motto.

Seek first God’s Kingdom was the mantra of another; and of my now late and much loved friend, “live life well”. Good advice that, and I am determined to follow it.

Much of Parish ministry is to do with bumbling. In August, I blogged particularly in relation to work in schools, but for now, I want to become a little more general; parish ministry per se.

First, I want to be deliberately uncool, and say I am a massive fan of Parish ministry. I think it is one of the gifts of outrageous grace that the Church of England offers to the nation. This does not mean that there are no shortcomings at times, and indeed other models which could be used. But Parish ministry done well should, I would suggest, lead to spiritual growth within a Parish.

A day in the life of this vicar may or may not set out what I mean.

06:20 Out for a walk with the hounds, to Woodgate Valley Country Park – an amazing place, as the sunlight begins to dance over the trees. I meet a bereaved widower. Stand and chat whilst the hounds eat him out of dog biscuits. He always carries dog biscuits, even though he does not have a hound. We have smiled at each other, well sometimes, for 2 years. He knows who I am, and he talks about his late wife.

08:00 Phone call from Head of VA School. Ofsted are in. It is raining. Harvest assembly in school rather than church.

08:45 Take son to the said school, talk to other parents on the way. Greet children. Respond positively, or try to, to every ‘Rev Kev’ type greeting.

09:00 Assembly

10:30 At the local shops, stop and talk to shop keepers about nothing much. I think they like me doing this, because they complain when I just whizz past without so much as a smile. In my training as a curate, my Incumbent said, that a stipend frees you just to look like you are doing nothing.

12:15 Lunch with other clergy

1:30 Meeting with vice-chair of the governing body, we are going to meet an ofsted inspector. Hope you are praying, he says, I say yes; but wonder why he thinks it necessary, being our resident athiest.

2:00 Ofsted interview – I will blog later when results are public

2:30 Back in Bartley Green. Brief funeral follow-up chat with someone on the telephone

3:00 Meeting with the Bishop of Birmingham

4:00 Meeting (another) with council officials and history group about the old church graveyard, and a memorial stone that is to be dedicated in honour of the centenary of Bartley Green becoming part of the city of Birmingham by Bishop Andrew. There are some discussions about an adjacent piece of land, and an ashes garden.

5:00 Fifa 11 wii game…. and entertainment for son, friend, friend’s brother, friend’s sister, and another friend. I greet one of son’s friends with the words ‘peace be upon you’ in Arabic. ‘Are you a muslim?’ he asks. Bumbling can be taken to extremes, one thinks.

7:00 Community Chest money meeting. An interesting hotch potch of people; councillors, police, ward officers, invited members of the public and me.

Of course, other days… might feature… trying to read the Scriptures, responding to an emergency call. It could be lots of playing on the wii or watching a DVD, reading (or not reading) a book, playing with the boy, hounds, dinner with the boss, doing rotas, going to a funeral or baptism visit… standing in the rain… visiting… drinking tea, coffee or something else.

I think bumbling in terms of Parish ministry requires commitment and the ability to be with people. If you are like me, you will need also to create a bubble of bumbling lonesomeness which will innoculate you against being with people most of the time.

Good consistent being there for others cannot help but allow the church to grow and blossom.

I wonder when such an idea might catch on.

Last weekend we hosted, at St Michael and All Angels, Bartley Green, a weekend of teaching on healing, led by Bishop Graham Dow. Bishop Graham was formerly the Bishop of Carlisle and therefore formerly my own Bishop. Those reading this blog entry will probably guess that whilst the Bishop and I agree wholeheartedly that God heals; there are several nuances between us. I did for example want to add the word ‘sometimes’ between ‘God’ and ‘heals’. There were around 40 participants; many of whom were moved and responded well to the weekend. Yesterday morning, at our traditional Parish Eucharist, Bishop Graham spoke (for perhaps a little too long), but around half of the congregation… elderly… young… white…. black…. responded to the offer of prayers for healing.

I have no idea at all what was prayed for, or whether people went away ‘healed’. What seems to be true is this. People responded to the invitation. How many times do people simply not respond because they are not invited? People, in the response, were listened to? How many times when people respond are they not listened to? Being listened to can make someone feel alive again; it is a healing, indeed a salvific experience. People responded because hope was offered? The offer of hope seems to be something central to the mission of the Church, the mission of God.

I think I might try to remember these things.