It has been a mixed up day today, first I had to deal with a little of my own neurosis ...self criticism gone mad is not a useful trait to nurture! Having climbed that mountain I paused for a while to take in the view of life and ministry as I see it at the moment.... not helped by the specter of Methodist Stationing forms to be filled in next week..... these will then be placed in the hands of the Connexional Officers who will in turn determine where I will go for the next few years... thankfully I trust that they will seek God's wisdom in prayer!
I have managed to make a reasonable start on an MA assignment for the Christian Worship and Human Community module and this is giving me a lot of food for thought. I am looking at how the church responds to a community in grief and how the response is offered pastorally, liturgically and ritually, and how these elements interweave with one another. Mostly bereavement is held as a personal and private issue and the needs of family and friends form the framework for our approach. Sometimes however we find that a death or disaster impacts the community as a whole and a broader approach is necessary, it is this broader approach that I am considering whilst recognising the intensely personal center that such events spring from. I personally find this to be a challenging issue and hope to learn and grow through my reflection and writing.
The day ended in dealing with some complex pastoral issues...sometimes I think that church would be great without people.... oh wait..... ;-)
Having said that I cannot escape this call and I don't want to, the stuff of life is often messy and God's people are far from perfect but through it all God's grace flows and overflows, bringing life to our deserts!
Desert blooms
