Three Phone Calls: The day my Dad died

Posted on July 23, 2020 by 1urcher

On the day, my dad died, there were three phone calls amongst many others

The first was at 10:30. I made it from the office of Latymer Christian Fellowship to home. Dad was terminally ill. I knew that. I spoke to my younger brother. Sibling words were exchanged. Words that in the moment were meant and the day after meant little were spoken. I knew I would not make it. Ladbroke Grove to St Pancras would be thirty minutes, and then the trains. I sat in worship. Victor spoke. I had no clue what he was saying, even though he was a skilled expositor. I spoke to my minister, should I stay or should I go. He advised me to stay. At least that is what my memory banks now tell me. ‘Are you coming?’. The train would have got in just after three, and then there would have been the bus. I did not go. I regretted it then. I regret it now. I would have been late, but at least I would have tried.

He was a good man, said someone on his housing estate a couple of days before his funeral. Too right, he was a good man. There was an old Pentecost chorus that I sang in my brief sojourn in the Elim Church in Southey Green. It goes something like this: ‘when God looks at me, he sees not what I used to be, but He sees Jesus’. Theologically, that is true. But in some ways, the best of me is from my parents. My dad’s deep melancholy brown eyes. His moist eyes as he emotionally engaged with people.

I remember the moistness of his eyes when he was made redundant. I was 16. Maggie did it. Well that is both true and not true. Sheffield was decimated with unemployment. He coped at first by going inward (that is me), and then he went outwards: art and walking. I still have one of his painting of the cooling towers that are not there any more near Meadowhall. No one should be thrown on the scrap heap.

I had been home the weekend before. We had had a family meal. Dad had sent me back to London with Jennifer. We had been married only two years. She was a House Officer working incredibly long hours. Dad cared about that. He loved her.

At about 1pm, I phoned home. Doris answered. She was a family friend. Everyone had gone to hospital. Dad had been taken in. I could not get there now. The Fellowship were in the park having a picnic. It was a warm day in July. It was suddenly cold. It would not be long now, I thought. 12 weeks earlier, I had sat with him on that hospital bed. The consultant came round. A few years before this he had had half a lung removed. His recovery had been great. The consultant explained that the cancer had returned, and Dad would have 12 weeks. That is what he had. Dad asked me to tell Mum, who was yet to arrive at the hospital. A trainee chaplain came round and asked how my Dad was doing. Dad replied with a smile, ‘I am dying’. He was a believer; he was so confident about going to be with his Lord. I wonder whether I will be as confident when my time comes.

I tell my Mum. She is devastated. I get the train back to London to listen to a professor speak at the graduate seminar I am part of. I had not completed my PhD then. Dad wanted me to go back. He loved education. He loved me unconditionally. I have no idea what the professor talked about. Dad did not get the opportunity to study as I had done.

Just after four I ring home again. Mum answered. Dad died at three in the afternoon as his vicar read the words of the Nunc Dimittis which begins ‘Lord, now let your servant depart in peace’. Apparently, someone told my Dad that I was there before he died. I so wanted to be. Death is not nothing at all, despite the poem that is read at funerals. It is evil. It is the great destroyer. He died peacefully, as Mum released him. The vicar was a decent, hardworking man. Dad would have been devastated with how the local church abandoned my mum in the years that followed.

He was a good, brave man. The difference between him and me. I fear my own shadow at times. He was not. Sheffield steel was embedded in his soul. That is my prayer for the day that I will have a transplant.

George Ellis: I miss you. We will meet again. Of that, I am sure.

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Homily. Homili Trinity/Y Drindod 6

Posted on July 22, 2020 by 1urcher

Trinity/Y Drindod 6

Rhannodd yr Apostol Paul bobl rhwng y rhai a gweldodd bod “yng Nghrist” a’r rhai nad oeddent. Roedd y rhai oedd “yng Nghrist” yn feibion ​​(a merched) mabwysiedig i Dduw. Roedd hyn yn bosibl, i Paul, oherwydd bywyd, marwolaeth ac atgyfodiad Iesu. Felly i Paul; Iesu oedd y gonglfaen yr adeiladwyd popeth arall arni.

The Apostle Paul divided people between those who saw as being “in Christ” and those who were not. Those who were “in Christ” were adopted sons (and daughters) of God. This was possible, for Paul, because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Therefore for Paul; Jesus was the cornerstone on which everything else was built.

Mae’n rhoi bywyd i ni, yn ôl Paul, ein bod ni’n cael ein mabwysiadu i deulu Duw. Fel pobl Gristnogol mae gennym yr hawl i alw Duw yn Dad. Mae Paul yn defnyddio’r gair Aramaeg, ‘Abba’, sydd ychydig yn fwy agos atoch yn ei ddefnydd. Mae bron yn gyfwerth â ‘Daddy’. Os ewch i’r Dwyrain Canol neu dreulio peth amser yn y DU yn gwrando ar blant Iddewig neu Fwslimaidd, byddwch yn clywed ‘Abba’ neu ‘Abbi’ wrth i blant alw allan at eu tadau. I Paul, mae ein perthynas â Duw, fel Cristnogion, i fod i adlewyrchu hyn ar brydiau.

It is life-giving for us, according to Paul, that we are adopted into the family of God. As Christian people we have the right to call God, Father. Paul uses the Aramaic word, ‘Abba’, which is slightly more intimate in its use. It is almost equivalent to ‘Daddy’. If you go to the Middle East or spend some time in the UK listening to Jewish or Muslim children, you will hear the shrieks of ‘Abba’ or ‘Abbi’ as children call out to their fathers. For Paul, our relationship with God, as Christians, is meant at times to reflect this.

Yn y llythyr at yr eglwys yn Rhufain, lle mae’r Apostol yn nodi cyfuchliniau cred Gristnogol aeddfed. Yn y llythyr hwn, mae’n dadlau bod y credadun Cristnogol trwy Iesu Grist yn berson newydd. Mae hi neu ef, fel credwr, i fod i gael ei newid yn sylfaenol. Un canlyniad i’r trawsnewidiad hwnnw yw bod y Cristion yn etifedd. Mae mabwysiadu yn gwneud hynny. Mae’n broses sy’n rhoi hawliau cyfreithiol penodol i’r plentyn. Mae hyn yn bwysig i Paul oherwydd ei fod yn ceisio yn ei weinidogaeth sefydlu’r ffaith y gallai Cenhedloedd gael eu cynnwys fel dilynwyr Iesu, y Meseia Iddewig, fel Cenhedloedd. P’un a allai rhywun nad oedd yn Iddewig fod yn un o ddilynwyr y Meseia ai peidio oedd y ddadl fwyaf bywiog ym mlynyddoedd cynnar yr Eglwys Gristnogol. Felly, mae’r Apostol yn dadlau bod Duw yn mabwysiadu pob Cristion; ni yw’r cyd-etifeddion gyda Iesu, ein Harglwydd.

In the letter to the church at Rome, where the Apostle is setting out the contours of a mature Christian belief. In this letter, he argues that the Christian believer is through Jesus Christ a new person. She or he, as a believer, is meant to be fundamentally changed. One result of that transformation is that the Christian is an heir. Adoption does that. It is a process that confers legally certain rights upon the child. This is important for Paul because he was seeking in his ministry to establish the fact that Gentiles could be included as followers of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, as Gentiles. Whether or not someone who was not Jewish could be a follower of the Messiah was the liveliest debate in the early years of the Christian Church. Thus, the Apostle contends that all Christians are adopted by God; we are the co-heirs with Jesus, our Lord.

Byddwch yn falch o wybod nad yw bywyd Cristnogol wedi’i gyfyngu i eiriau trafodiad cyfreithiol i Paul yn unig, mae’n antur wych. Mae ‘yr holl greadigaeth’ yn datgan yr Apostol, ‘yn aros gyda hiraeth eiddgar’ i’r ddrama ddwyfol gael ei dadorchuddio. Mae llawer ohonom, rwy’n disgwyl, yn cael trafferth gyda’r ddelweddaeth hon neu’n gallu diswyddo Paul fel rhy zealous. Pe bai Paul yn perthyn i’n Ardal Weinidogaeth, byddem wrth ein bodd, ond efallai y bydd ambell ochenaid o ryddhad pe bai’n mynd i un o’r eglwysi eraill. Ac eto, mae’r ffydd Gristnogol i fod i newid popeth, gan ddechrau gyda ni.

You will be pleased to know that for Paul the Christian life is not merely confined to the words of a legal transaction, it is a great adventure. ‘All creation’ declares the Apostle, ‘waits with eager longing’ for the divine drama to be unveiled. Many of us, I expect, struggle with this imagery or can dismiss Paul as a zealot. If Paul belonged to our Ministry Area, we would be delighted, but there may be a few sighs of relief if he went to one of the other churches. Yet, the Christian faith is meant to change everything, beginning with us.

Mae’r antur fawr y mae Paul yn siarad amdani wedi’i gwreiddio yn Iesu Grist. Mae marwolaeth ac atgyfodiad Iesu nid yn unig yn gonglfaen i’r gred Gristnogol, ond yn garreg gyffwrdd ar gyfer newid yn y byd. Wrth i ni baratoi i fynd yn ôl i mewn i adeiladau eglwysig, pa mor betrus bynnag, mae’n anodd credu y gall llond llaw, neu sawl llond llaw, o bobl newid fod yn stiwardiaid newid o’r fath. Ond mae Cristnogion ar hyd y canrifoedd wedi credu’r gwirionedd syml hwn: mae Crist yn ein caru ni, wedi marw droson ni, ac wedi ein newid ni – ac yn ein galw i weithio mewn partneriaeth ag ef i newid y byd.

The great adventure that Paul speaks of is rooted in Jesus Christ. The death and resurrection of Jesus is not only the corner stone for Christian belief, but the touchstone for change in the world. As we prepare to go back into church buildings, however tentatively, it is hard to believe that a handful, or several handfuls, of people can change be such stewards of change. But Christians throughout the centuries have believed this simple truth: Christ loves us, died for us, and has changed us – and calls us to work in partnership with him to change the world.

Pa newid yr hoffech chi ei weld yn y byd, yr eglwys a chi’ch hun?

What change would you like to see in the world, church and yourself?

Cwestiynau

1. Mae Paul yn siarad am y greadigaeth. Pa gamau personol ydych chi’n eu cymryd i ddiogelu’r amgylchedd?

2. Pa gamau all yr eglwysi yn Bro Eleth eu cymryd?

Gweithgaredd

Meddyliwch am yr hyn rydych chi wedi’i ddysgu am Dduw yn yr amser cloi hwn, ac efallai ffonio rhywun i roi gwybod iddyn nhw.

Questions

  1. Paul speaks about creation. What personal steps do you take to protect the environment?
  2. What steps can the churches in Bro Eleth take?

Activity

Think about what you have learned about God in this lockdown time, and maybe phone someone to let them know.

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Mair (Mary Magdalen)

Posted on July 22, 2020 by 1urcher

Roedd Mair Magdalen yn un o’r cyntaf i ddilyn Iesu. Roedd hi’n un o’r disgyblion oedd agosaf ato. Roedd gan Iesu fwy o ddisgyblion na’r Deuddeg yn unig. Casglodd Iesu ddynion a menywod, hen ac ifanc o’i gwmpas. Heb os, roedd gan Mary Magdalen enw da. Mae rhywfaint o’r hyn sy’n cael ei ddweud amdani yn ddamcaniaethol. Yr hyn sydd heb amheuaeth yw hyn: roedd hi ymhlith y tystion cyntaf i’r atgyfodiad, ac efallai’r cyntaf i gwrdd â’r Iesu atgyfodedig.

Mary Magdalene was one of the first to follow Jesus. She was one of the disciples who was closest to him. Jesus had more disciples than just the Twelve. Jesus gathered men and women, young and old around him. Undoubtedly, Mary Magdalen had a certain reputation. Some of what is said about her is conjecture. What is without doubt is this: she was amongst the first witnesses to the resurrection, and perhaps the first to meet the risen Jesus.

Roedd hi wrth y groes wrth i Iesu farw. Gwyliodd Mair gorff toredig ei ffrind yn cael ei roi ym meddrod Joseff ac aeth ar ddiwrnod cyntaf yr wythnos i’r beddrod i eneinio corff ei ffrind hi. Pan gyrhaeddodd y beddrod, mae hi’n darganfod bod y garreg wedi’i rholio i ffwrdd, a’r beddrod yn wag. Nid yw corff Iesu yno.

She was by the cross as Jesus died. Mary watched the broken body of her friend be placed in the tomb of Joseph and went on the first day of the week to the tomb to anoint her friend’s body. When she got to the tomb, she finds that the stone is rolled away, and the tomb is empty. The body of Jesus is not there.

Mae awdur y Bedwaredd Efengyl yn rhoi Mair wrth y beddrod ei hun. Yno, gan wylo, mae hi’n gweld dieithryn. Mae Mary o’r farn bod y person o’i blaen yn ddieithryn ac yn gofyn ai ef yw’r garddwr. Wrth gwrs y gwnaeth hi. Roedd Iesu wedi marw. Ni fyddai Iesu yn sefyll o’i blaen. Peiriant creulon ac effeithlon oedd byddin y Rhufeiniaid. Pan groeshoeliwyd rhywun, bu farw; ac ni ddaeth dynion marw yn ôl yn fyw.

The writer of the Fourth Gospel has Mary by the tomb herself. There, while weeping, she sees a stranger. Mary believes the person in front of her is a stranger and asks whether he is the gardener. Of course, she did. Jesus was dead. Jesus would not be stood in front of her. The Roman army was a brutal and efficient machine. When someone was crucified, they died; and dead men did not come back to life.

Mae Mair yn cydnabod Iesu pan fydd hi’n clywed ei henw. ‘Mary’. Rwy’n dychmygu y byddai wedi bod yn swn hyfryd i’w glywed. Mae Mary yn ymateb, ‘Rabbi’ – ‘Athro’. Gelwir pob Cristion yn bersonol gan Grist sy’n dweud ein henw. mae hynny’n anhygoel, er yn frawychus weithiau.

Mary recognises Jesus when she hears her name. ‘Mary’. I imagine that it would have been a beautiful sound to hear. Mary replies, ‘Rabbi’ – ‘Teacher’. Each Christian is called personally by Christ who says our name. that is amazing, although sometimes frightening.

Anfonir Mair. Anfonir apostol. Gelwir Mair yn ‘apostol i’r Apostolion’. Anfonir pob Cristion i rannu’r newyddion da. Roedd yr Apostolion, Pedr ac Ioan, Andrew, a Iago ac ati yn meddwl ei bod hi’n troelli edafedd. Nid oeddent yn credu hynny. Ni chredid Mair, ond ni wnaeth hynny ddim llai o apostol. Yn yr un modd, nid oes rhaid i bobl ein credu, er mwyn inni fod yn ffyddlon

Mary is sent. An apostle is sent. Mary is called ‘the apostle to the Apostles’. Each Christians is sent to share the good news. The Apostles, Peter and John, Andrew, and James etc thought she was spinning a yarn. They did not believe her. Mary was not believed, but that did not make her any less of an apostle. Similarly, we do not have to be believed for us to faithfully share the message.

Heb os, cafodd Mair ei thrawsnewid gan ei chyfarfyddiad â Iesu. Ni fydd llawer ohonom yn cael cyfarfod gyda Iesu fel y gwnaeth hi. Serch hynny, mae Duw yn ein galw ni am ei fod yn ein caru ni. Beth mae Duw wedi galw arnoch chi i’w wneud, a phwy mae Duw wedi gofyn ichi siarad â nhw?

Mary was undoubtedly transformed by her encounter with Jesus. Many of us will not have a meeting with Jesus like she did. Nevertheless, God calls us because he loves us. What has God called you to do, and who has God asked you to speak to?

Gweddïwch drosof wrth imi rannu’r newyddion da, a gweddïaf drosoch, gan eich bod hefyd yn gwneud yr un peth.

Pray for me as I share the good news, and I will pray for you, as you also do the same.

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Church Confident or Closing? The Coronavirus Lessons for the Church in Wales

Posted on July 21, 2020 by 1urcher

There is so much that is good about this book, offered to us at time when public worship in buildings has ceased, but a plethora of worship that is visible is taking place in Wales, as well as around the world, in homes as well as on-line or with a mixture of both. The author (Ian Rees) is to be commended for bringing out this book so quickly, although I might imagine much of it had been wrestled with by the author both alone and with others over many years. Indeed, he admits as much himself, when he notes that some of the thoughts in this book were obvious before the advent of the coronavirus (14).

 It is a timely challenge for us to reassess the number of buildings that we have as a Church in Wales throughout our nation, as well as a lament over the general poverty of our prayer and inability to root ourselves in the dynamic of the biblical story. These are things I will return too later.

However, I would suggest that the book did not need the coronavirus to be written nor are its conclusions specific to the Welsh Anglican Church. This may of course because Wales is experienced differently from place to place, I am surprised that the author does not really address the issue of language and culture. On Anglesey, with many first-language Welsh speakers, you cannot talk about effective ministry without engaging with y iaith Cymraeg.

The Church in Wales, as lockdown restrictions ease, is not closing, but perhaps it is not yet as confident as it might be. It has too many buildings, or perhaps it has too many buildings in the wrong place, at least for the old way of doing church within a static community. Buildings can now be surrounded by fields and livestock rather than by people. Rees is correct, I think, to argue that the closure of buildings should be taken away from the local worshipping community, but on reflection, I want to say that such communities should be part of the process. In many places, church buildings are part of the landscape pointing in one sense eloquently to years gone by when the Christian story shaped the contours of Wales. they are loved as places of pilgrimage, where people come to remember their loved ones, but their reason for being is forgotten, thus Rees is ‘spot-on’ to suggest that Anglican Christians in Wales no longer are familiar with the overarching story of the Bible. This is a failure of those of us who serve in ministry, as well as those who have ministered before us. How many clergy confidently share the gospel.

Ian Rees’ book though is a hopeful one. He holds out the possibility that the Welsh Anglican Church has a future. It does if it embraces change and is willing to re-embrace the mission that God has given to it, which is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus afresh in every generation.

Church confident and closing deserves careful reading, and I will be re-read, dialogue, challenge and be challenged by its contents in the months that lie ahead.

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Homily. Homili. Third Sunday after Trinity

Posted on July 10, 2020 by 1urcher

Homily. Trinity 3

Romans is one of the finest theological letters ever written. Before you switch off, for Paul you cannot do good theology without incredible pastoral work. Indeed, the opposite applies, we cannot offer effective Christian pastoral work without good theological thinking. Discuss. We could take three or four hours over this. Paul is writing to the church at Rome, which was multi-ethnic, at least bilingual, as well as a setting that the Apostle had not yet been. Paul wanted to go so that he could strengthen their faith by his teaching and care for them. He was a pastor-theologian with a vision for bringing Christianity to the whole world.

The letter was also written towards the latter part of Paul’s ministry; and he wanted to set out what as Christians, the church at Rome needed to believe. When you hear this passage, you will hear lots of talks about slavery, which makes in topical particularly considering our current context. As you hear these words, it is good to remember first that the Empire depended on slavery to exist, and that the earliest Christian communities were revolutionary in their attitude to ethnicity, gender, and social status. The earliest Christian baptismal formula is rooted in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. It was like an unexploded bomb that waited generations for its implications to explode. Whether you were Jewish or not, female, or male, a freeman or a slave: all were one in Christ. If you want a compelling example of this, then the letter of Philemon, which is the only example we have of Paul writing to an individual deals explicitly with the issue of slavery.

However, Paul in Romans is not addressing the issue of slavery to another human, but of slavery to sin, which is another unfashionable topic. I am not sure when most preachers speak about sin, apart from offering God’s forgiveness. For the Apostle, sin is not just individual wrongdoing but is something that keeps human being enslaved. However, for Paul, there is good news, the death and resurrection of Jesus destroy the power of sin and indeed, of death. This is why I have said in the past that for Paul, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus are the focal point of history, and whether or not to embrace Jesus as the Christ is the most important question in the universe. Paul’s theology is interconnected with how you live. It is impossible for him to have thinking in one corner and practice is another. They are intertwined.

Paul calls himself regularly a slave of Christ, and in this passage, he suggests that the Christian is not a slave to sin, but a slave to righteousness, a slave to Christ. This is language we are for the most part unfamiliar with and most of us will want to reject it. I was given a book yesterday by an anonymous benefactor. It is one I have read many times before and is called ‘The Cost of Discipleship’ by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran Pastor in Nazi Germany. He was executed by the regime for his part in the attempt to assassinate Hitler. For him, the invitation to discipleship was the invitation to give up all that he had.

This is the kind of radical discipleship that the Apostle is speaking about. Christians have been transferred as it were from being in the team captained by sin and into one captained by righteousness. This required an absolute re-thinking in head, heart and mind. This transaction was done not because of anything we can do, but solely by Christ’s work on the cross and in his resurrection. Christians live a life shaped by grace rather than law. Such a thought should make us explode with joy.

This sounds like a lot of theory. Sadly, some of us have never spent time getting to grips with it. My son is learning to drive. He would have taken his test by now had not the pandemic intervened. He has had two tests to take: theory and practical. We would not want a learner driver on the road unless they had spent some time reading the Highway Code. We sometimes as Christians appear to believe we can get by without reading the Scriptures and joining in its invitation to be part of the story. Similarly. We are more confident with a new driver when they have gained greater experience of driving and dealing with the myriad of different issues faced in driving. That only is gained by applying the theory.

So, in light of the fact you are not a slave to sin and have been rescued by Jesus, how do you apply that to your lives? Please take some time to wrestle with this question throughout the week. As church buildings come a little closer to reopening, one of the key questions is this: what type of communities do we now want to be? I have been reading and re-reading a book by a priest in Swansea exploring what the lessons of covid-19 might be for the church. One of his fundamental conclusions is this: we cannot return as if nothing has happened. This is an incredible challenge to us; and one I intend to facilitate us embracing.

Questions

  1. Why would Paul use the image of Christians being slaves to Christ? What image would you use?
  • In what way is the story of Jesus hopeful in our current context?

Activity

Spend 5-10 minutes extra this week in silent prayer as you reflect on the gifts God has given to you.

Homili. Y Drindod 3

Rhufeiniaid yw un o’r llythyrau diwinyddol gorau a ysgrifennwyd erioed. Cyn i chi ddiffodd, i Paul ni allwch wneud diwinyddiaeth dda heb waith bugeiliol anhygoel. Yn wir, mae’r gwrthwyneb yn berthnasol, ni allwn gynnig gwaith bugeiliol Cristnogol effeithiol heb feddwl diwinyddol da. Trafodwch. Gallem gymryd tair neu bedair awr dros hyn. Mae Paul yn ysgrifennu at yr eglwys yn Rhufain, a oedd yn aml-ethnig, yn ddwyieithog o leiaf, yn ogystal â lleoliad nad oedd yr Apostol wedi bod ymweliad eto. Roedd Paul eisiau mynd er mwyn iddo allu cryfhau eu ffydd trwy ei ddysgeidiaeth a gofalu amdanyn nhw. Roedd yn weinidog-ddiwinydd gyda gweledigaeth ar gyfer dod â Christnogaeth i’r byd i gyd.

Ysgrifennwyd y llythyr hefyd tuag at ran olaf gweinidogaeth Paul; ac roedd am nodi beth oedd angen i’r eglwys yn Rhufain gredu fel Cristnogion. Pan glywch y darn hwn, byddwch yn clywed llawer o sgyrsiau am gaethwasiaeth, sy’n ystyried yn amserol yn arbennig ystyried ein cyd-destun cyfredol. Wrth ichi glywed y geiriau hyn, mae’n dda cofio yn gyntaf bod yr Ymerodraeth yn dibynnu ar gaethwasiaeth i fodoli, a bod y cymunedau Cristnogol cynharaf yn chwyldroadol yn eu hagwedd tuag at ethnigrwydd, rhyw a statws cymdeithasol. Mae’r fformiwla bedydd Gristnogol gynharaf wedi’i gwreiddio yn llythyr Paul at y Galatiaid. Roedd fel bom heb ffrwydro a arhosodd genedlaethau am ei oblygiadau i ffrwydro. P’un a oeddech chi’n Iddewig ai peidio, yn fenyw, neu’n wryw, yn rhyddfreiniwr neu’n gaethwas: roedd pob un yn un yng Nghrist. Os ydych chi eisiau enghraifft gymhellol o hyn, yna mae llythyr Philemon, sef yr unig enghraifft sydd gennym o Paul yn ysgrifennu at unigolyn yn delio’n benodol â mater caethwasiaeth.

Fodd bynnag, nid yw Paul yn y Rhufeiniaid yn mynd i’r afael â mater caethwasiaeth i ddyn arall, ond caethwasiaeth i bechod, sy’n bwnc anffasiynol arall. Nid wyf yn siŵr a fydd y mwyafrif o bregethwyr yn siarad am bechod, ar wahân i gynnig maddeuant Duw. I’r Apostol, nid camwedd unigol yn unig yw pechod ond mae’n rhywbeth sy’n cadw bodau dynol yn gaeth. Fodd bynnag, i Paul, mae newyddion da, mae marwolaeth ac atgyfodiad Iesu yn dinistrio pŵer pechod ac yn wir, marwolaeth. Dyma pam yr wyf wedi dweud yn y gorffennol mai bywyd, marwolaeth ac atgyfodiad Iesu yw canolbwynt hanes i Paul, ac ai Iesu fel y Crist yw’r cwestiwn pwysicaf yn y bydysawd. Mae diwinyddiaeth Paul yn rhyng-gysylltiedig â sut rydych chi’n byw. Mae’n amhosibl iddo feddwl mewn un cornel ac mae ymarfer yn un arall. Maent yn cydblethu.

Mae Paul yn galw ei hun yn gaethwas i Grist yn rheolaidd, ac yn y darn hwn, mae’n awgrymu nad yw’r Cristion yn gaethwas i bechod, ond yn gaethwas i gyfiawnder, yn gaethwas i Grist. Dyma iaith yr ydym yn anghyfarwydd â hi ar y cyfan a bydd y mwyafrif ohonom am ei gwrthod. Cefais lyfr ddoe gan gymwynaswr anhysbys. Mae’n un yr wyf wedi’i darllen lawer gwaith o’r blaen ac fe’i gelwir yn ‘The Cost of Discipleship’ gan Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Roedd Bonhoeffer yn Weinidog Lutheraidd yn yr Almaen Natsïaidd. Cafodd ei ddienyddio gan y drefn am ei ran yn yr ymgais i lofruddio Hitler. Iddo ef, y gwahoddiad i ddisgyblaeth oedd y gwahoddiad i ildio popeth a oedd ganddo.

Dyma’r math o ddisgyblaeth radical y mae’r Apostol yn siarad amdani. Mae Cristnogion wedi cael eu trosglwyddo o un tîm i’r llall. Roedd hyn yn gofyn am ail-feddwl llwyr yn y pen, y galon a’r meddwl. Gwnaethpwyd y trafodiad hwn nid oherwydd unrhyw beth y gallwn ei wneud, ond dim ond trwy waith Crist ar y groes ac yn ei atgyfodiad. Mae Cristnogion yn byw bywyd sydd wedi’i lunio gan ras yn hytrach na’r gyfraith. Dylai meddwl o’r fath wneud inni ffrwydro â llawenydd.

Mae hyn yn swnio fel llawer o theori. Yn anffodus, nid yw rhai ohonom erioed wedi treulio amser yn mynd i’r afael ag ef. Mae fy mab yn dysgu gyrru. Byddai wedi sefyll ei brawf erbyn hyn oni bai bod y pandemig wedi ymyrryd. Mae wedi cael dau brawf i’w basio: theori ac ymarferol. Ni fyddem eisiau gyrrwr sy’n dysgu ar y ffordd oni bai ei fod wedi treulio peth amser yn darllen Cod y Briffordd. Mae’n ymddangos ein bod ni fel Cristnogion weithiau’n credu y gallwn ni fynd heibio heb ddarllen yr Ysgrythurau ac ymuno yn ei wahoddiad i fod yn rhan o’r stori. Yn yr un modd, rydym yn fwy hyderus gyda gyrrwr newydd pan fyddant wedi ennill mwy o brofiad o yrru ac ymdrin â’r llu o wahanol faterion a wynebir wrth yrru. Enillir hynny yn unig trwy gymhwyso’r theori.

Felly, yng ngoleuni’r ffaith nad ydych chi’n gaethwas i bechod ac wedi cael eich achub gan Iesu, sut ydych chi’n cymhwyso hynny i’ch bywydau? Cymerwch ychydig o amser i ymgodymu â’r cwestiwn hwn trwy gydol yr wythnos. Wrth i adeiladau eglwys ddod ychydig yn agosach at ailagor, un o’r cwestiynau allweddol yw hyn: pa fath o gymunedau rydyn ni nawr eisiau bod? Rwyf wedi bod yn darllen ac yn ailddarllen llyfr gan offeiriad yn Abertawe yn archwilio beth allai gwersi covid-19 fod i’r eglwys. Un o’i gasgliadau sylfaenol yw hyn: ni allwn ddychwelyd fel pe na bai dim wedi digwydd. Mae hon yn her anhygoel i ni; ac un yr wyf yn bwriadu ein hwyluso i gofleidio.

Cwestiynau

1. Pam fyddai Paul yn defnyddio’r ddelwedd o Gristnogion yn gaethweision i Grist? Pa ddelwedd fyddech chi’n ei defnyddio?

2. Ym mha ffordd mae stori Iesu yn obeithiol yn ein cyd-destun presennol?

Gweithgaredd

Treuliwch 5-10 munud yn ychwanegol yr wythnos hon mewn gweddi dawel wrth i chi fyfyrio ar yr anrhegion y mae Duw wedi’u rhoi i chi.

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Homily. Fourth Sunday after Trinity

Posted on July 10, 2020 by 1urcher

The Fourth Sunday after Trinity

The invitation of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel to come to him and rest are extraordinarily attractive, especially with the offer of rest. There has been something about the lockdown that has been quite tiring at times.

Jesus spoke into a different and yet similar context to our own. It was different because the land in which Jesus lived was occupied by Imperial Rome, and daily life was dictated by the oppressor. The economy of Palestine was dependent on farming, and had suffered several famines in the years that mark the turning of BC and AD. It is tempting to therefore to think that when Jesus offers rest from the burdens, they are carrying that he is talking about the physical, mental, and spiritual results of such political and economic oppression. That would partially be correct.

Jesus is also referring to a spiritual oppression. This is a dimension that we often, even as Christians, to forget. The Spiritual, political, physical, emotional, and economic aspects of life cannot, of course, be compartmentalised. Life is never as neat and tidy as that.

Jesus asks people to come to him and to take his yoke. A yoke (to remind us) was the device put on the shoulders of oxen so that they would plough a field in a straight line. Thus, a yoke is in a sense constraining, but the yoke eases the burden of the plough that the oxen are pulling by being put on correctly and in its design. Jesus is saying that the way of life he offers is one where there are shared expectations and common goals.

Earlier in our reading, Jesus is comparing his generations attitudes to both himself and to John the Baptist. In many ways, you cannot have two figures of greater contrast. John was born into a priestly family that of Zechariah and Elizabeth. News of his birth was received with great joy. There would have been great expectations for him as well, which probably would not have involved dressing in camel skins, eating honey and locusts. His cousin, Jesus was not born into a priestly family, and the announcement of his birth was not received well by all. John was forthright in his call for repentance to tax collectors, the occupying Roman forces, and religious leaders alike. He also was not afraid to call out what he saw as the moral failings of those in political power. John was comfortable in his (camel) skin. He knew who he was and what he was called to do. Remember we get the word ‘vocation’ from the words ‘voice’ and ‘calling’. John is portrayed by the gospel writers as the voice who cries out: prepare the way of the Lord. John was a herald or ambassador. John announced Jesus to the world.

John might have had the reputation of being a Wildman in the desert, Jesus was perceived being a friend of undesirables. John pointed to Jesus, declaring with great clarity that he must have less attention and Jesus have more. Jesus called people to follow him offering them a pattern for living which he acknowledged that not all people would understand.

The way of Jesus was not the way of the world. Many Jews had a particular view of the Messiah who would come in and throw the Romans out. Jesus was not that kind of Messiah. There had been whispers in the Old Testament about a different sort of king. Zephaniah wrote, ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey’. Obviously, we think of Palm Sunday when we hear these words, but the image of the humble one is a template that shaped Jesus’ life.

This did not make him a pushover or any less strident that the Baptist at times. It is hard to think of words on the lips of John that could not have been said by his cousin. Just as John was secure in his vocation, Jesus knew his own calling. He calls us to wear his yoke, because Jesus was comfortable wearing the yoke of his Father. The yoke that Jesus wore took him to cross, tasting and experiencing death, and bursting out of the grave. Jesus changed the world; and invites us to join with him in transforming the world.

The question we face as we emerge out of the chrysalis of lockdown. The word chrysalis is important, it presumes that something rather than nothing has happened. I have learnt and re-learnt how to spend time in prayer and tried to become more attentive to the stories found in the holy scriptures. As a minister, I have found more time to pray for those in my congregations than before. I have listened to their stories, laughed, and despaired as I have done so. As chapels and churches take steps to re-opening, I hope such things will not disappear. In the lockdown, I have realised that I had created an idol of myself as the ‘busy priest’. It is not that I have not been busy, but how that is has been redefined. Instead of the treadmill of meetings about the mundane and the important, there has been time to read, pray and breathe. I have discovered that in not being cluttered that I can be ‘me’, like the butterfly I can fly.

Jesus does not offer the equivalent of self-confidence course, instead he asks us to join with him on the path of discipleship. That will at times be risky. It will always involve reaching out to others with the good news. We cannot avoid that as we hear the whisper of Jesus once again: ‘follow me!’

Questions

  1. What have you learned about God during the lockdown?
  • What would you like to take about what you have learnt into the life of the church as we emerge from lockdown?

Activity

Pray for the headteachers and staff of our schools: Thomas Jones, Penysarn, Rhosybol, Moelfre, Llannerchymedd and Amlwch.

Y Drindod 4

Mae gwahoddiad Iesu yn Efengyl Mathew i ddod ato a gorffwys yn hynod ddeniadol, yn enwedig gyda’r cynnig o orffwys. Bu rhywbeth am y cloi i lawr sydd wedi bod yn eithaf blinedig ar brydiau.

Siaradodd Iesu i gyd-destun gwahanol ond eto’n debyg i’n un ni. Roedd yn wahanol oherwydd bod y tir yr oedd Iesu’n byw ynddo wedi’i feddiannu gan Imperial Rome, a bywyd beunyddiol yn cael ei bennu gan y gormeswr. Roedd economi Palestina yn ddibynnol ar ffermio, ac wedi dioddef sawl newyn yn y blynyddoedd sy’n nodi troad BC ac OC. Mae’n demtasiwn meddwl felly pan fydd Iesu’n cynnig gorffwys o’r beichiau, maen nhw’n cario ei fod yn siarad am ganlyniadau corfforol, meddyliol ac ysbrydol gormes wleidyddol ac economaidd o’r fath. Byddai hynny’n rhannol gywir.

Mae Iesu hefyd yn cyfeirio at ormes ysbrydol. Mae hwn yn ddimensiwn yr ydym yn aml, hyd yn oed fel Cristnogion, yn ei anghofio. Wrth gwrs, ni ellir rhannu’r agweddau ysbrydol, gwleidyddol, corfforol, emosiynol ac economaidd ar fywyd. Nid yw bywyd byth mor dwt a thaclus â hynny.

Mae Iesu’n gofyn i bobl ddod ato a chymryd ei iau. Yoke (i’n hatgoffa) oedd y ddyfais a roddwyd ar ysgwyddau ychen fel y byddent yn aredig cae mewn llinell syth. Felly, mae iau yn cyfyngu ar un ystyr, ond mae’r iau yn lleddfu baich yr aradr y mae’r ychen yn ei dynnu trwy gael ei rhoi arni’n gywir ac yn ei dyluniad. Mae Iesu’n dweud bod y ffordd o fyw y mae’n ei chynnig yn un lle mae disgwyliadau a rennir a nodau cyffredin.

Yn gynharach yn ein darlleniad, mae Iesu’n cymharu agweddau ei genedlaethau tuag ato’i hun ac ag Ioan Fedyddiwr. Mewn sawl ffordd, ni allwch gael dau ffigur o wrthgyferbyniad mwy. Ganwyd John i deulu offeiriadol teulu Sechareia ac Elizabeth. Derbyniwyd newyddion am ei eni gyda llawenydd mawr. Byddai disgwyliadau mawr wedi bod iddo hefyd, na fyddai, yn ôl pob tebyg, wedi golygu gwisgo mewn crwyn camel, bwyta mêl a locustiaid. Ni anwyd ei gefnder, Iesu i deulu offeiriadol, ac ni dderbyniodd pawb y cyhoeddiad am ei eni. Roedd John yn llwyr yn ei alwad am edifeirwch i gasglwyr trethi, y lluoedd Rhufeinig oedd yn meddiannu, ac arweinwyr crefyddol fel ei gilydd. Nid oedd arno chwaith ofn galw allan yr hyn a welai fel methiannau moesol y rhai mewn grym gwleidyddol. Roedd John yn gyffyrddus yn ei groen (camel). Roedd yn gwybod pwy ydoedd a beth y galwyd arno i’w wneud. Cofiwch ein bod yn cael y gair ‘galwedigaeth’ o’r geiriau ‘llais’ a ‘galw’. Mae Ioan yn cael ei bortreadu gan ysgrifenwyr yr efengyl fel y llais sy’n gweiddi: paratowch ffordd yr Arglwydd. Roedd John yn herodraeth neu’n llysgennad. Cyhoeddodd Ioan Iesu i’r byd.

Efallai fod gan John yr enw da o fod yn ddyn gwyllt yn yr anialwch, roedd Iesu’n cael ei ystyried yn ffrind i bethau annymunol. Tynnodd Ioan sylw at Iesu, gan ddatgan yn eglur iawn bod yn rhaid iddo gael llai o sylw a bod gan Iesu fwy. Galwodd Iesu ar bobl i’w ddilyn gan gynnig patrwm byw iddynt, a chydnabu na fyddai pawb yn ei ddeall.

Nid ffordd yr Iesu oedd ffordd Iesu. Roedd gan lawer o Iddewon farn benodol am y Meseia a fyddai’n dod i mewn ac yn taflu’r Rhufeiniaid allan. Nid Iesu oedd y math hwnnw o Feseia. Roedd sibrydion wedi bod yn yr Hen Destament am fath gwahanol o frenin. Ysgrifennodd Seffaneia, ‘Llawenhewch yn fawr, O ferch Seion! Gwaeddwch yn uchel, O ferch Jerwsalem! Wele, daw eich brenin atoch; buddugoliaethus a buddugol yw ef, yn ostyngedig ac yn marchogaeth ar asyn, ar ebol, ebol asyn ’. Yn amlwg, rydyn ni’n meddwl am Sul y Blodau pan glywn y geiriau hyn, ond mae delwedd yr un ostyngedig yn dempled a luniodd fywyd Iesu ’.

Nid oedd hyn yn ei wneud yn wthio nac yn llai ystyfnig na’r Bedyddiwr ar brydiau. Mae’n anodd meddwl am eiriau ar wefusau Ioan na allai ei gefnder fod wedi dweud hynny. Yn union fel yr oedd Ioan yn ddiogel yn ei alwedigaeth, roedd Iesu’n gwybod ei alwad ei hun. Mae’n ein galw ni i wisgo ei iau, oherwydd roedd Iesu’n gyffyrddus yn gwisgo iau ei Dad. Aeth yr iau a wisgodd Iesu ag ef i groesi, blasu a phrofi marwolaeth, a byrstio allan o’r bedd. Newidiodd Iesu’r byd; ac yn ein gwahodd i ymuno ag ef i drawsnewid y byd.

Y cwestiwn sy’n ein hwynebu wrth i ni ddod allan o’r chrysalis o gloi i lawr. Mae’r gair chrysalis yn bwysig, mae’n rhagdybio bod rhywbeth yn hytrach na dim wedi digwydd. Rwyf wedi dysgu ac ailddysgu sut i dreulio amser mewn gweddi a cheisio dod yn fwy sylwgar i’r straeon a geir yn yr ysgrythurau sanctaidd. Fel gweinidog, rwyf wedi dod o hyd i fwy o amser i weddïo dros y rhai yn fy nghynulleidfaoedd nag o’r blaen. Rwyf wedi gwrando ar eu straeon, chwerthin, a digalonni wrth imi wneud hynny. Wrth i gapeli ac eglwysi gymryd camau i ailagor, gobeithio na fydd pethau o’r fath yn diflannu. Yn y cyfnod cloi, rwyf wedi sylweddoli fy mod wedi creu eilun ohonof fy hun fel yr ‘offeiriad prysur’. Nid fy mod i ddim wedi bod yn brysur, ond mae sut mae hynny wedi cael ei ailddiffinio. Yn lle melin draed cyfarfodydd am y cyffredin a’r pwysig, bu amser i ddarllen, gweddïo ac anadlu. Rwyf wedi darganfod, wrth beidio â bod yn anniben, y gallaf fod yn ‘fi’, fel y glöyn byw y gallaf ei hedfan.

Nid yw Iesu’n cynnig cwrs cyfwerth â hunanhyder, yn lle hynny mae’n gofyn inni ymuno ag ef ar lwybr disgyblaeth. Bydd hynny’n beryglus ar brydiau. Bydd bob amser yn golygu estyn allan at eraill gyda’r newyddion da. Ni allwn osgoi hynny wrth inni glywed sibrwd Iesu unwaith eto: ‘dilyn fi!’

Cwestiynau

1. Beth ydych chi wedi’i ddysgu am Dduw yn ystod y cyfnod cloi?

2. Beth hoffech chi ei gymryd ynglŷn â’r hyn rydych chi wedi’i ddysgu ym mywyd yr eglwys wrth i ni ddod allan o gloi i lawr?

Gweithgaredd

Gweddïwch dros benaethiaid a staff ein hysgolion: Thomas Jones, Penysarn, Rhosybol, Moelfre, Llannerchymedd ac Amlwch.

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Stori

Posted on June 11, 2020 by 1urcher

Yn ystod y cloi i lawr, rwyf wedi dilyn Cwrs Ysgrifennu Creadigol Cymreig. Mae’n debyg bod yna lawer o gamgymeriadau. Ond mae wedi bod yn hwyl. Mae hyn yn rhan un o dri-During the lockdown, I have followed a Welsh Creative Writing Course. There are probably a lot of mistakes. But it’s been fun. This is part one of three

Act Un

Ar ymyl yr ystafell roedd cadair freichiau. Roedd wedi mwynhau dyddiau gwell. Yn y gadair eisteddai hen ddyn. Roedd y sbectol smudged yn clwydo ar ymyl ei drwyn. Roedd ei lygaid yn frown dwfn. Roedd gan ei wyneb lawer o linellau, creithiau o lawenydd a phoen. Ochneidiodd Gwynn wrth iddo sefyll i fyny. Roedd yn anodd symud nawr heb boen. Symudodd i wneud paned. Roedd gwên fach. Cofiodd Gwyn. Roedd ganddo boced hud o hyd.

Trodd Gwynn y tap ymlaen yn araf. Roedd y dŵr wedi dripio i’r tegell. Mae’r tapau’n wyrdd rhydlyd.
llusgodd Gwynn ei hunain ar draws i roi’r tegell ymlaen, gan fflicio’r switsh yn ofalus. Gwnaeth Gwynn bopeth yn ofalus. Roedd yn rhaid iddo.

Roedd y gegin wedi gweld dyddiau gwell. Roedd y ffenestr wedi cracio. Yn y bore, gwelodd Gwynn olau’r haul yn cyffwrdd â’r crac, a’r golau’n dawnsio. Roedd y ffenestr wedi cracio o hyd. Roedd y bwrdd yn llychlyd. Ni eisteddodd neb arno mwyach.

Roedd yn well ganddo fwyta o flaen y teledu, yn eistedd yn y gadair freichiau flinedig.

Roedd angen paentio’r gegin, meddyliodd Gwynn. Yn sydyn dywedodd yn uchel, ‘mae angen ail-baentio’r tŷ’. Roedd wedi synnu at sŵn ei lais. Prin y clywodd ei hun erioed. Nid oedd unrhyw un i siarad ag ef, dim ond yn ei freuddwydion.

Ef oedd ceidwad y breuddwydion.

Mae’n agor y cwpwrdd, yn ofalus. Gwelodd ei lygaid y ffotograffau ar du mewn y cwpwrdd. Goleuwyd ei wyneb â gwên, yn fyr. Roedd y lluniau wedi blino. Roedden nhw’n hen. ‘Fel fi!’, Ochneidiodd Gwynn.

Diffoddodd y tegell wrth i Gwynn gipio’r mwg o’r cwpwrdd. Roedd y mwg wedi gweld dyddiau gwell. Fel y ffenestr, roedd crac ynddo. Enw’r mwg oedd ‘Taid’. Nid oedd golau haul i ddawnsio gyda’r crac hwn, dim ond ei atgofion.

Aeth Gwynn â’i goffi drwodd i’r ystafell fyw ac eistedd yn ei gadair. Wrth ymyl y gadair roedd bwrdd. Ar y bwrdd roedd ei ffôn. Ni ganodd erioed, ac ni ddefnyddiodd ef erioed. Nid oedd yn siŵr a allai gofio’r rhif. Roedd llyfrau ar y bwrdd hefyd, ac albwm o luniau, na edrychodd arno erioed.

Roedd Gwyn yn gwisgo’r un siwmper siarcol â ddoe, crys-t coch a throwsus du. Roedd poced ei drowsus yn felyn. Roedd poced felen ar bob un o’i drowsusau.

Cyrhaeddodd am yr albwm a’i agor. Roedd pob un o’r ffotograffau mewn du a gwyn. Roedd rhai o plentyndod, eraill o weithgareddau pan oedd y bachgen yn ifanc. Wrth i Gwyn fflicio hyd y diwedd, gorffwysodd ei lygaid ar lun o ferch. Sibrydodd ‘Mair Ann’. Caeodd y llyfr a’i roi i lawr. Meddyliodd ‘Mair Ann’ Gwynn wrtho’i hun. Roedd y cyfan mor bell yn ôl. Roedd y ffotograff yn unlliw, ond mae ei atgofion yn fyw. Roedd hi’n gwisgo ffrog siarcol. Roedd y ffrog wedi gweld dyddiau gwell. Ar y ffrog roedd poced felen.

Safodd Gwynn ar ei draed a theimlo’n ofalus am ei boced felen. Gwnaeth Gwynn bopeth yn ofalus. Roedd yn rhaid iddo.
Yn araf dadsyniodd Gwynn ei boced hud. Wrth iddo agor y boced, dechreuodd yr ystafell yr eisteddodd ynddi ddiflannu.

Yn ystod y cloi i lawr, rwyf wedi dilyn Cwrs Ysgrifennu Creadigol Cymreig. Mae’n debyg bod yna lawer o gamgymeriadau. Ond mae wedi bod yn hwyl. Mae hyn yn rhan un o dri-During the lockdown, I have followed a Welsh Creative Writing Course. There are probably a lot of mistakes. But it’s been fun. This is part one of three

With thanks to Mared Lewis

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Still healing after all this time: a response to the Church Times about the Church in Wales

Posted on May 15, 2020 by 1urcher

In one sense, I cannot argue with the experiences of the former Assistant Bishop of Llandaff’s views of the Church in Wales. They are found here: https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2020/15-may/features/features/church-in-wales-still-bleeding-after-all-this-time?fbclid=IwAR0DerE2PUEn4iMPIdi1tSU7q0aL1gyO1nSBiM9E1DDrWi8fUyEZ7hzVe0k. They are his. However I am sure that Bishop David Wilbourne’s Wales is not mine. This could be because much of what I know of Wales and the Church in Wales is from the viewpoint of Anglesey and through the Diocese of Bangor.

I would agree with the Bishop that disestablishment and disendowment of the Church was not done always in a kind or constructive way. However, that said, apart from having shared Yorkshire roots, Bishop David and I agree on very little when it comes to how we have experienced the Welsh Church. I think this is because he has misread Wales and the place of the Church in Wales within it.

In his article, he writes:

Apart from ever-faithful Roman Catholics, she (the Church in Wales) is the only Church still standing in most communities, now that Nonconformists have run out of wind.

Both Church and Chapel attendance has declined consistently for a considerable period, and chapel and church buildings have closed. Chapels have not ceased to be, and in many places in Wales, people on the fringes of faith look to the Chapel rather than Church in the first instance, if they look anywhere. To suggest that this is not the case is quite simply wrong.

Bishop David is right that episcopacy is exercised differently in Wales. With in general smaller diocese numerically, a Bishop can know his or her clergy with ease. Here in Bangor, I know I am prayed for by my Bishop and that he knows the names of my wife and son. When I was at my mother’s deathbed, he called to assure me of his prayers. If anything at times, Bishops and Clergy in Wales however are treated more deferentially across the border.

Wales is a wounded place, and her Church’s genius has been not to shy away from the wound, but be in the wound, to be as Christ to the wound

Bishop David is correct to write the above words, but what he fails to appreciate is that colonialism has caused the wound. Wales is not a mini-England existing in a time that England has moved on from. Wales is a proud nation in its own right. The Bishop goes on to comment, emphasising the fact that he sees Wales through English eyes

I adored the strangeness. Ministry was local, resourced by faithful parish priests, mingling with their flock. 

One of the problems he and I face in being English priests in Wales is that we forget we have moved to another country, that was is strange is because we have crossed into another culture; one that is different and distinct. It is no stranger than customs I have experienced in Cumbria or Birmingham. Of greater importance is how we describe such difference. The Bishop sounds like a colonialist in his description of Wales. It does not matter for the moment whether or not that was his intention, and, I rather suspect not. We, English, have form when it comes to colonialism and we need to listen and learn before we speak.

The Church in Wales has its faults. It is not all it could be. The changes it is making and will continue to make (now in the light of the challenges of covid-19) will be welcomed by some and embraced by others. It does stand with a people that have been exploited, as do our friends and colleagues from the Chapels and the RC churches. The creation of Ministry and Mission Areas has been done so that the Church in Wales can minister more effectively to a nation in the 21st Century. Some of the decisions have been pragmatic, but some have been intensely missional. Wales is not what it was, but then neither is any other nation.

Wales has since devolution become increasingly self-confident and secure in its own identities. It is proud of its language and history. The First Minister in standing up for Wales and setting a different course to England in the current covid-19 crisis may represent a seismic shift in Welsh understandings.

The Church in Wales has reason to be proud as well as to admit its failure. It sometimes as hung on to its mother’s apron strings, but this is not to do with fees and offerings, but because it is part of Wales, and is learning to adjust to life outside of England’s shadow.

The Bishop writes

Wales is a very distinct place, embracing lock-out rather than lockdown suspiciously enthusiastically. The Archbishop’s PA once told a caller that our boss was out of the country, which seemed a bit of a fib, since he was actually playing golf in Gloucester.

Herein lies the heart of the article’s problem. Gloucester is in a different country. That needs to acknowledged.

Coming to Wales has made me a better, more confident priest. I love being here, learning its language and our histories. The Church in Wales is still healing by being alongside its people. Long may that continue.

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Homily for Fourth Sunday of Easter. Bilingual

Posted on May 3, 2020 by 1urcher

The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Acts 2. 42-47 Psalm 23, 1 Peter 2. 19-25 and John 10. 1-10

The second volume of Luke’s work: The Acts of the Apostles starts immediately after Easter with the risen Jesus in a small Christian community in Jerusalem and finishes with communities of believers in most of the principal towns and cities of the Roman Empire. Those communities were for the most part meeting in private: praying, reading the Scriptures and breaking bread in homes where people gathered. Christian communities have over past generations met is sacred places and ordinary spaces. Wherever we have met the fact that worship has been offered has made them to a certain extent holy. Some Christians have talked about Christians being in exile during this time of global pandemic. I am not convinced. We are not meeting in public because it is not safe to do so at present. This is not because, at least in Europe, we are fearful of persecution, but by doing so, the virus might be transmitted to the most vulnerable amongst us. No one wants that.

Mae ail gyfrol gwaith Luc: Actau’r Apostolion yn cychwyn yn syth ar ôl y Pasg gyda’r Iesu atgyfodedig mewn cymuned Gristnogol fach yn Jerwsalem ac yn gorffen gyda chymunedau o gredinwyr yn y rhan fwyaf o brif drefi a dinasoedd yr Ymerodraeth Rufeinig. Roedd y cymunedau hynny ar y cyfan yn cyfarfod yn breifat: gweddïo, darllen yr Ysgrythurau a thorri bara mewn cartrefi lle roedd pobl yn ymgynnull. Mae cymunedau Cristnogol wedi cyfarfod dros genedlaethau’r gorffennol yw lleoedd cysegredig a lleoedd cyffredin. Lle bynnag yr ydym wedi cwrdd â’r ffaith bod addoliad wedi’i gynnig wedi eu gwneud i raddau yn sanctaidd. Mae rhai Cristnogion wedi siarad am Gristnogion yn alltud yn ystod yr amser hwn o bandemig byd-eang. Nid wyf wedi fy argyhoeddi. Nid ydym yn cyfarfod yn gyhoeddus oherwydd nid yw’n ddiogel gwneud hynny ar hyn o bryd. Nid yw hyn oherwydd ein bod, yn Ewrop o leiaf, yn ofni erledigaeth, ond trwy wneud hynny, gallai’r firws gael ei drosglwyddo i’r rhai mwyaf agored i niwed yn ein plith. Nid oes unrhyw un eisiau hynny.

Luke gives an insight into what life was like. One of the hallmarks of the earliest Christian community was of learning. They were committed to the Apostles’ teaching. I imagine they wanted to learn more about Jesus. They learned too about prayer and breaking bread. I imagine for these new Christians they needed to learn a new rhythm or pattern for life.

Mae Luc yn rhoi cipolwg ar sut beth oedd bywyd. Un o nodweddion y gymuned Gristnogol gynharaf oedd dysgu. Roeddent wedi ymrwymo i ddysgeidiaeth yr Apostolion. Rwy’n dychmygu eu bod nhw eisiau dysgu mwy am Iesu. Fe wnaethant ddysgu hefyd am weddi a thorri bara. Rwy’n dychmygu i’r Cristnogion newydd hyn fod angen iddynt ddysgu rhythm neu batrwm newydd ar gyfer bywyd.

Generosity with time and resources was another hallmark of Christian communities. We have evidence from those writing about the time of how these communities went the extra mile to help those in need. These accounts were not written by people who were known to be friendly to Christians. How we live is sometimes the only clear gospel message that people here.

Roedd haelioni gydag amser ac adnoddau yn nodwedd arall o gymunedau Cristnogol. Mae gennym dystiolaeth gan y rhai a ysgrifennodd am yr amser y aeth y cymunedau hyn yr ail filltir i helpu’r rhai mewn angen. Ni ysgrifennwyd y cyfrifon hyn gan bobl y gwyddys eu bod yn gyfeillgar â Christnogion. Weithiau, sut rydyn ni’n byw yw’r unig neges efengyl glir sydd gan bobl yma.

Psalm 23 is a song of confidence and hope. In it, God is depicted as shepherd and host. You will have heard many times before that in ancient Palestine, the shepherd led the sheep from the front. The staff of the shepherd was a sign of authority. The kings of Israel and Judah were sometimes known as shepherds, whether they were good or not so good.  The twenty-third Psalm portrays God as hospitable. In the presence of the shepherd or king, there is (in this Psalm) a place of safety. During this time, perhaps that is what we need God to be: our shepherd and our refuge. I wonder what if our lives were mirror like: what people would see? Would they see Jesus? I hope so. May God bless you richly this week.

Mae Salm 23 yn gân o hyder a gobaith. Ynddo, mae Duw yn cael ei ddarlunio fel bugail a gwesteiwr. Byddwch wedi clywed lawer gwaith cyn hynny ym Mhalestina hynafol, arweiniodd y bugail y defaid o’r tu blaen. Roedd staff y bugail yn arwydd o awdurdod. Weithiau gelwid brenhinoedd Israel a Jwda yn fugeiliaid, p’un a oeddent yn dda ai peidio cystal. Mae’r trydydd Salm ar hugain yn portreadu Duw fel un croesawgar. Ym mhresenoldeb y bugail neu’r brenin, mae (yn y Salm hon) le diogel. Yn ystod yr amser hwn, efallai mai dyna’r hyn y mae angen i Dduw fod: ein bugail a’n lloches. Tybed beth petai ein bywydau yn ddrych: beth fyddai pobl yn ei weld? A fydden nhw’n gweld Iesu? Dwi’n gobeithio. Boed i Dduw eich bendithio’n gyfoethog yr wythnos hon.

Questions

  1. What are the most important parts of Church life?
  • When public worship eventually resumes, what should it be like?

Activity

  1. Think of an act of generosity that you can do for someone this week – and do it.
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Homily for Third Sunday of Easter/Homili ar gyfer Trydydd Sul y Pasg

Posted on April 26, 2020 by 1urcher

The Third Sunday of Easter

Zephaniah 3:14-20, Psalm 116, Acts 2:14a, 36-41 and Luke 24:13-35

The story of the walk to Emmaus is one of the most captivating of the post-Easter stories. It is evening of Easter Day. Two of the wider group of disciples are going to a village about seven miles away from Jerusalem. They are talking through their experiences of the last few weeks. As we might expect, they are disconsolate. Hope is an unbelievably beautiful thing, and as one of them says to the stranger who joins then, ‘we had hoped’. Hope when it is fractured is unbearable.

Our author gives us the name of one of the disciples, Cleopas. The other is left unnamed; perhaps inviting us to be part of the story talking with the, as yet, concealed Jesus on the road.

The disciples would have been talking about the trauma of the events that had happened in holy city. Jesus had been killed. They were trying to make sense of the events that had taken place, seeking to understand and wrestle with them at every level.

All the excitement of the entry into Jerusalem had been snuffed out. One can imagine that their walk would have been heavy both physically and spiritually. Jesus comes alongside them. He first listens to their conversation. That is important, particularly to those who of us who do not naturally listen as much as we should. He then asks about their conversation.

Cleopas tells him all that had happened. He ends by recounting the fact that the tomb was empty. The women had gone to the tomb and returned saying that they had seen angels. The fact that the tomb was empty had been corroborated by others, thus adding to their confusion and disconsolation.

Jesus then interprets the Scriptures to them. The stranger reminds them of the overarching story of the Bible and shows how that story and his own story (the story of Jesus) are wedded together. Jesus interprets the Scriptures to them. He demonstrates that the only way to make sense of what had happened was through the story already contained in the Scriptures. At the heart of our faith is the invitation to join in the story of God.

Jesus still is not recognised. They still do not see him. Luke, our writer, does not say why this is the case. Some have speculated that God prevents them from recognising who is walking with them. Whilst, others have said that the disciples were so traumatised by the events that they were discussing that they would have been unable to see.

The two walkers arrive at their destination and offer hospitality to the stranger. Jesus is their guest, rather than the host. This is not an unimportant point. Sometimes, as Christians we need to partner with those around us, rather than assume that we should lead. Yet, Jesus breaks bread at the table and at that moment they recognise who Jesus is. They then run back to Jerusalem to tell the others that Jesus is alive, confirming the message given by the angels earlier in the day. Of course, by the time they arrive, Jesus has appeared to the apostles, and together they share in earth shattering truth that death has been defeated.

I have said before that in these days of lockdown, I have been rediscovering how to pray. With ten different congregations yet one church family, I try to pray for two congregations specifically each day, as well as the many requests given to me by members of our communities. what are you praying for.

I am hesitant to say much about this current crisis yet. Sometimes it is indeed difficult to understand where God is in it. The two friends walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus are devastated. They are reflecting on their experiences and their reflections lead them nowhere. Sometimes our thoughts on a given situation are unhelpful. Like the two disciples on the road, we are too overwhelmed by them to recognise the stranger who had drawn alongside us.

Experience is a wonderful thing but does not always in and of itself provide answers. Sometimes it does, just not always. Often we need things to be revealed to us. This does not come with an extra little bit of effort. Therefore, Jesus firstly comes alongside them and interprets what has happened. Such thought is necessary, which is one reason I have circulated the booklet on the Psalms as a means of encouraging us to dig deep into the Scriptures. Secondly, he takes the bread and allows himself to be revealed. Neither the digging deep into Scripture nor their own experience gave them the full picture. It is about being willing to give room for God to reveal the bigger picture, including where we might find the divine within it. This giving room might just be creating space to be still and to listen. As I have walked my hounds earlier in the morning, I have heard more and more bird song. I do not imagine it has just appeared. But, as the traffic has ceased and fewer people are around, I have opportunity to hear.

Maybe in this time of isolation, we all have time to refocus on what is important; including within prayer and engaging with the Scriptural story.

The prophet Zephaniah leaves us with a brilliant image of God singing or dancing over us. Zephaniah is clear. God loves us. God holds us. God protects us. May God the Holy Spirit show each one of us how true this is as we journey together yet apart. To appreciate this needs us to understand how our story fits into the overall story of God. Unless, we endeavour to do so, even Zephaniah’s image might seem like a fool’s tale.

Open our eyes, Lord – we want to see Jesus.

Questions

  1. How important is Scripture to you?
  • What parts of Scripture are you reading during this current situation?

Activity

  1. Read the opening chapter of Mark’s Gospel – and write down a few notes of what it says to you about Jesus. You can send them to me if you like.

Trydydd Sul y Pasg

Seffaneia 3: 14-20, Salm 116, Actau 2: 14a, 36-41 a Luc 24: 13-35

Mae stori’r daith gerdded i Emmaus yn un o’r straeon mwyaf swynol ar ôl y Pasg. Mae’n nos Sul y Pasg. Mae dau o’r grŵp ehangach o ddisgyblion yn mynd i bentref tua saith milltir i ffwrdd o Jerwsalem. Maent yn siarad am eu profiadau yn ystod yr wythnosau diwethaf. Fel y gallem ddisgwyl, maent yn drist iawn. Mae gobaith yn beth anhygoel o hardd, ac fel y dywed un ohonynt wrth y dieithryn sy’n ymuno bryd hynny, ‘roeddem wedi gobeithio’. Mae gobaith pan fydd wedi torri yn annioddefol.

Mae ein hawdur yn rhoi enw un o’r disgyblion i ni, Cleopas. Mae’r llall yn cael ei adael yn ddienw; efallai yn ein gwahodd i fod yn rhan o’r stori gan siarad â’r Iesu.

Byddai’r disgyblion wedi bod yn siarad am drawma’r digwyddiadau a oedd wedi digwydd yn y ddinas sanctaidd. Roedd Iesu wedi cael ei ladd. Roeddent yn ceisio gwneud synnwyr o’r digwyddiadau a oedd wedi digwydd, gan geisio eu deall ac ymgodymu â nhw ar bob lefel.

Roedd holl gyffro’r mynediad i Jerwsalem wedi’i falu. Gallwch ddychmygu y byddai eu taith gerdded wedi bod yn drwm yn gorfforol ac yn ysbrydol. Daw Iesu ochr yn ochr â nhw. Mae’n gwrando gyntaf ar eu sgwrs. Mae hynny’n bwysig, yn enwedig i’r rhai ohonom nad ydyn ni’n naturiol yn gwrando cymaint ag y dylen ni. Yna mae’n gofyn am eu sgwrs.

Mae Cleopas yn dweud wrtho bopeth a ddigwyddodd. Daw i ben trwy adrodd y ffaith bod y beddrod yn wag. Roedd y menywod wedi mynd i’r bedd a dychwelyd gan ddweud eu bod wedi gweld angylion. Roedd y ffaith bod y beddrod yn wag, yn ychwanegu at eu dryswch a’u dadrithiad.

Yna mae Iesu’n dehongli’r Ysgrythurau iddyn nhw. Mae’r dieithryn yn eu hatgoffa o stori gyffredinol y Beibl ac yn dangos sut mae’r stori honno a’i stori ei hun (stori Iesu) yn briod gyda’i gilydd. Mae Iesu’n dehongli’r Ysgrythurau iddyn nhw. Mae’n dangos mai’r unig ffordd i wneud synnwyr o’r hyn a ddigwyddodd oedd trwy’r stori sydd eisoes wedi’i chynnwys yn yr Ysgrythurau. Wrth wraidd ein ffydd mae’r gwahoddiad i ymuno yn stori Duw.

Nid yw Iesu yn cael ei gydnabod o hyd. Dydyn nhw dal ddim yn ei weld. Nid yw Luc, ein hysgrifennwr, yn dweud pam mae hyn yn wir. Mae rhai wedi dyfalu bod Duw yn eu hatal rhag cydnabod pwy sy’n cerdded gyda nhw. Tra dywedodd eraill fod y disgyblion wedi eu trawmateiddio cymaint gan y digwyddiadau nes iddynt drafod y byddent wedi methu â gweld.

Mae’r ddau gerddwr yn cyrraedd pen eu taith ac yn cynnig lletygarwch i’r dieithryn. Iesu yw eu gwestai, yn hytrach na’r gwesteiwr. Nid yw hwn yn bwynt dibwys. Weithiau, fel Cristnogion mae angen i ni fod yn bartner gyda’r rhai o’n cwmpas, yn hytrach na chymryd yn ganiataol y dylem arwain. Ac eto, mae Iesu’n torri bara wrth y bwrdd ac ar y foment honno maen nhw’n cydnabod pwy yw Iesu. Yna maen nhw’n rhedeg yn ôl i Jerwsalem i ddweud wrth y lleill fod Iesu’n fyw, gan gadarnhau’r neges a roddwyd gan yr angylion yn gynharach yn y dydd. Wrth gwrs, erbyn iddyn nhw gyrraedd, mae Iesu wedi ymddangos i’r apostolion, a gyda’i gilydd maen nhw’n rhannu mewn gwirionedd sy’n chwalu’r ddaear bod marwolaeth wedi’i threchu.

Dw i’n wedi dweud cyn hynny yn y dyddiau hyn o gloi, rwyf wedi bod yn ailddarganfod sut i weddïo. Gyda deg cynulleidfa wahanol eto yn un teulu eglwysig, rwy’n ceisio gweddïo dros ddwy gynulleidfa yn benodol bob dydd, yn ogystal â’r ceisiadau niferus a roddir i mi gan aelodau o’n cymunedau. am beth ydych chi’n gweddïo?

Rwy’n betrusgar dweud llawer am yr argyfwng presennol hwn eto. Weithiau mae’n wir anodd deall lle mae Duw ynddo. Mae’r ddau ffrind sy’n cerdded o Jerwsalem i Emmaus yn ddigalon. Maent yn myfyrio ar eu profiadau ac mae eu myfyrdodau yn eu harwain i unman. Weithiau mae ein meddyliau ar sefyllfa benodol yn ddi-fudd. Fel y ddau ddisgybl ar y ffordd, rydyn ni’n cael ein gorlethu gormod iddyn nhw i gydnabod y dieithryn a oedd wedi tynnu ochr yn ochr â ni.

Mae profiad yn beth rhyfeddol ond nid yw bob amser ynddo’i hun yn darparu atebion. Weithiau mae’n gwneud, dim ond nid bob amser. Yn aml mae angen i bethau gael eu datgelu inni. Nid yw hyn yn dod ag ychydig bach o ymdrech. Felly, mae Iesu yn gyntaf yn dod ochr yn ochr â nhw ac yn dehongli’r hyn sydd wedi digwydd. Mae angen meddwl o’r fath, a dyna un rheswm i mi gylchredeg y llyfryn ar y Salmau fel modd i’n hannog i gloddio’n ddwfn i’r Ysgrythurau. Yn ail, mae’n cymryd y bara ac yn caniatáu iddo gael ei ddatgelu. Ni roddodd y cloddio’n ddwfn i’r Ysgrythur na’u profiad eu hunain y darlun llawn iddynt. Mae’n ymwneud â bod yn barod i roi lle i Dduw ddatgelu’r darlun ehangach, gan gynnwys lle y gallem ddod o hyd i’r dwyfol ynddo. Efallai bod yr ystafell roi hon yn creu lle i fod yn llonydd ac i wrando. Gan fy mod wedi cerdded fy helgwn yn gynharach yn y bore, rwyf wedi clywed mwy a mwy o gân adar. Nid wyf yn dychmygu ei fod newydd ymddangos. Ond, gan fod y traffig wedi dod i ben a llai o bobl o gwmpas, mae gen i gyfle i glywed.

Efallai yn yr amser hwn o unigedd, mae gan bob un ohonom amser i ailffocysu ar yr hyn sy’n bwysig; gan gynnwys o fewn gweddi ac ymgysylltu â’r stori Ysgrythurol.

Mae’r proffwyd Seffaneia yn ein gadael â delwedd wych o Dduw yn canu neu’n dawnsio droson ni. Mae Seffaneia yn glir. Mae Duw yn ein caru ni. Mae Duw yn ein dal ni. Mae Duw yn ein hamddiffyn. Boed i Dduw yr Ysbryd Glân ddangos i bob un ohonom pa mor wir yw hyn wrth i ni deithio gyda’n gilydd eto ar wahân. Er mwyn gwerthfawrogi hyn mae angen i ni ddeall sut mae ein stori yn cyd-fynd â stori gyffredinol Duw. Oni bai ein bod yn ymdrechu i wneud hynny, gallai delwedd Zephaniah hyd yn oed ymddangos fel stori ffwl.

Agorwch ein llygaid, Arglwydd – rydyn ni eisiau gweld Iesu.

Cwestiynau

1. Pa mor bwysig yw’r Ysgrythur i chi?

2. Pa rannau o’r Ysgrythur ydych chi’n eu darllen yn ystod y sefyllfa bresennol hon?

Gweithgaredd

1. Darllenwch bennod agoriadol Efengyl Marc – ac ysgrifennwch ychydig o nodiadau o’r hyn y mae’n ei ddweud wrthych chi am Iesu. Gallwch eu hanfon ataf os dymunwch.

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