Eternal Echoes

Do the little things....

Tomorrow is St Davids day, David or Dewi is patron Saint of Wales, in his last sermon he exhorted his followers to be faithful in the "little things"... Saying;

"Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed. Do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us.' 'Do the little thing's "

Dewi is sometimes known, in Welsh, as 'Dewi Ddyfrwr' (David the Water Drinker) and, indeed, water was an important part of his life - he is said to have drunk nothing else. Sometimes, as a self-imposed penance, he would stand up to his neck in a lake of cold water, reciting Scripture. Little wonder, then, that some authors have seen Dewi as an early Puritan! Milestones in Dewi's life were said to have been marked by the appearance of streams or springs - this and other stories that grew up around him although they are almost impossible to verify indicate the affection and respect of the people who told them.

He founded a monastery at Glyn Rhosyn (Rose Vale) on the banks of the small river Alun where the cathedral city of St. David stands today. The monastic brotherhood that Dewi founded was very strict, the brothers having to work very hard besides praying and celebrating masses. They had to get up very early in the morning for prayers and afterwards work very hard to help maintain life at the monastery, cultivating the land and even pulling the plough. Many crafts were followed - beekeeping, in particular, was very important. The monks had to keep themselves fed as well as the many pilgrims and travellers who needed lodgings. They also had to feed and clothe the poor and needy in their neighbourhood.

Perhaps the most well-known story regarding Dewi's life is said to have taken place at the Synod of Llanddewi Brefi. They were to decide whether Dewi was to be Archbishop. A great crowd gathered at the synod, and when Dewi stood up to speak, one of the congregation shouted, 'We won't be able to see or hear him'. At that instant the ground rose till everyone could see and hear Dewi. Unsurprisingly, it was decided, very shortly afterwards, that Dewi would be the Archbishop.He is often pictured on a hill with a white dove on his shoulder.

At his death in 589, the monastery is said to have been filled with angels as Christ received his soul.

"Do the little things" has been an inspiration to many, attention to detail is something we can all do, and it is through the little things and attention to them that door ways to bigger things and opportunities open.

Today I took a little step, it was my first day back at Peterborough project, I did not sleep well last night, but decided to go in anyway, knowing that this group would understand if I needed to leave. Janet had prepared worship celebrating St David, and focusing on spiritual  refreshment. It was quiet and beautiful and just what I needed to ease me back into the group.

This prayer was followed by an invitation to listen to the Adagio from Mozart's Clarinet Concerto:

Leader: Lord, You alone can supply our deepest needs; you alone can satisfy and fulfil, Come Holy Spirit of God, Come and fill us to overflowing,

All: Remind yourself that to God you are very precious, well-known and well-loved. He knows your needs- even those which you may not be aware of. Imagine yourself as a pilgrim, footsore and weary. God provides for you with His refreshing living water.

The music followed and gave time and space to each of us to connect with and receive from God, as I have said it was truly beautiful.

Simple prayers with plenty of silences followed, and as we sang to finish everyone lapsed into silence again....

In the little things, this little thing simple and profound ministered to me today, and I was grateful.......I did smile though for the portion of the prayers that fell to me to read was this:

"For those actively involved in ministry, that they may be given space and time to receive your refreshment...

Hmmm I'm sure God also has a sense of humour!!!

God showing off

evening sky Febuary 07
Originally uploaded by Sallys journey.

It has been a horrible dreary day, rain and nastiness- but this evening God smiled- and showed His/ Her glory in the skies.

Missional Values

Mission/ Vision statement from Thad's Church; posted by Clyde

Mission

To bring the love of Jesus to the lives of people in positive, practical and transformative ways

Vision

A community of all kinds of people committed to living the love-spreading, difference-making life that Jesus calls us to lead

Values

We live love-spreading, difference-making lives
We are called to be blessers not cursers
We will be courageous enough to engage God’s work and act
We are building the kingdom, not a church
We are hospitable, safe and accessible
We believe that there is no such thing as scaring or bullying people into heaven
We believe you can’t practise God’s love alone
We lead by serving
We know that love is reflected in love
We are Monday-Saturday followers of Jesus, who worship on Sunday

Sounds good to me- any thoughts....

Hat tip to Turbulent Cleric

My only question would be about inclusivity- though you might say hey this looks like a pretty inclusive place- I am talking about inclusive language when it comes to talking about God- are they open to exploring ways God is addressed/ named- how far does the box stretch, and where are the boundaries?

Reflections on Psalm 91- Revival, personal and corporate....

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When I dwell in the shelter of the most high,

And rest in the shadow of the almighty

I can say in confidence,

You are my refuge, and stronghold,

My God in whom I trust.

For you will deliver me through life’s complex maze

And from fear of the future,

You will cover me with your feathers,

And under your wings I will find safety.

Your faithfulness is a loving shield around me,

Keeping me safe

I need not fear the terrors of the night,

nor the challenges the day brings

For you are with me

And though others may fall and fail

You will help me to stand firm.

For I dwell in your shelter,

And rest in your shadow.

I woke again this morning with the words of the Taize Chant "Within our darkest night" going through my head, and I realise that I need daily to ask God to kindle that flame of love within me, the flame that has grown dim, this was on my mind as I read Psalm 91 this morning, I personalised it above because I recognise my need to re-state my faith and trust in God, to allow the Holy Spirit to guide and direct me....sounds silly? But I realise how easy it is to plough ahead in my own strength, trusting in my own understanding and forgetting who's hands I have placed myself in.

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Dave Warnock posts on his desire to see revival- and our need for it- he writes about Daniel Roland's and about his own desire to get away from "heavy shepherding patterns/ formula's for revival, emphasising grace:

"Revival came when Daniel Roland's moving on from strict moral teaching to a real experience of God's grace. If we want revival then we need to be praying for such real experiences. It seems to me that God's grace is absolutely where we have to start."

Read more from Dave here.

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I was also challenged yesterday by a BBC report on Church attendance, focusing on the growth of "Black/ African congregations in London, whist it is not reflected in this article the news report yesterday seemed to be playing on the emotional vs. cerebral approach, stating that the growing churches (mostly Pentecostal) were more emotionally charged than many mainstream  Churches, with their "head based religion.".

Whilst I agree with their general assessment and see this as a cause for rejoicing I wonder how we can bring the two together, for we need to be thinking and praying people, a people who are willing to tackle the tough questions whilst trusting in God, a people who are not stuck in a rut, but willing to move with and in the Spirit, yet able to give a reasoned response to questions about the hope that we have.

I suspect many of these growing churches are filled with thinking people, and I agree that the cerebral only approach that has caused Western Churches to stagnate needs a good shake up- we need to remember and receive the love and grace of God that S/He so longs to pour out upon us. We need also to step away as Dave so ably points out from legalistic bonds created by a church focused on power and not on love. Yet on the other hand we need to embrace the power of God working in and through us by the Holy Spirit.

We need to learn again to be in this world yet not of it, active participators in the Kingdom of God- yet without being drawn into narrow and small minded views, repentance and recognition of  these long held views is being actively pointed out and encouraged by folk like John Smulo who has pioneered a site with the interesting title of Christians Confess, don't go there looking for steamy stories, rather you will find heartfelt apologies for narrow and hard-hearted attitudes from members of many branches of the Christian Community.

Gods people live in places of tension and gaps, of activity- speaking out against injustice, and resting- in God and trusting in His/ Her love power and grace to equip and sustain us ....

Lets be doers of the true word; listening to its heart, and not our own interpretations, let us be worshippers of God in and through all of our actions not just in Church, let us enter into out place in Her/ His-story....

Enter our darkness Spirit of light and truth,

Shake us up,

stir our faith

challenge our complacency,

set our hearts ablaze with love for you,

challenge us to action

challenge us to love....

Peacemakers in a world of tensions.

Lovers of you and one another.

Lovers of all you have made,

seekers of your image in the darkest places, in the desert places...

Enter our darkness Spirit of light and truth,

Shake us up,

stir our faith

challenge our complacency,

set our hearts ablaze with love for you.

We might do well to hear and respond to the words of John in Revelation:

“I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be false. ^ I also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for the sake of my name, and that you have not grown weary. ^But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. ^ Remember then from what you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lamp-stand from its place, unless you repent."

Rev 2:2-5 The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version.

Our love should be for God, for all od Gods people ( and that means all), and for this beautiful Creation we inhabit- even when we struggle to see the beauty....

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Do you remember your first love? When God first opened your eyes to the truth and wonder that surrounds you? Do you long to live in that again? I know I do!

Slavery in the UK

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has released a new report called Contemporary slavery in the UK. If you're doing stuff as part of Stop the Traffik, this certainly brings the issue home in terms of the UK situation.
The press release with basic info is here.
There's a page with the key findings here
or you can buy the report or download a copy from the JRF shop here.

Hat tip to Tim Abbott for this

Into the unknown... a reflection on Foundation Training

reflections 3
Originally uploaded by Sally's journey.

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly minded,
for with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
our full homage to demand.

I don't know if like me you ever get words/ music stuck in your head that just won't go away, if you do you'll understand the draw and the power they have. I love this Hymn, but right now simply can't get the first line out of my head.....

I chose this particular photograph to go with it as it shows footprints heading out across the Wash into the evening ( Snett Beach is the only West facing Beach on the East Coast - honestly- go look at a map!!!)....as I have been pondering why these two particular things resonate with me I suspect it has something to do with my current journey...

Heading into the unknown can be a frightening experience, and yet I have been doing that for the last two years, that fact really struck me yesterday, as did the sense of isolation and loneliness even though I am surrounded by other people most of the time.

Methodist Foundation training is an interesting time, the Church has said, yes we think you may be a suitable candidate for Ordination, but we want you to undergo two years of training, and study where you explore your vocation, where you reflect both personally and theologically on what that means....

I had not understood how much of a desert experience this has been for me, I am training with an ecumenical course the majority of whom are Anglicans, who unless they do something totally outlandish have had their call affirmed by the Church. I have not, I am still being sifted and tested. This year I have submitted my Candidating Papers, last week I saw the Connexional psychologist, next month I have interviews at District level, and the month after that (providing District approve me)  I move on to the National Selection Panel.

My future is still uncertain, I entered into a time of waiting without really appreciating that it was a time of waiting, now I recognise that fact I feel more settled and comfortable with the process.

I am not sure how much this has been because of the ecumenical nature of my particular training institution, and wonder whether my two fellow Foundation Students  (Anne and Sarah) feel the same way?

I think that is why the Taize Chant "Within our darkest night", resonated so much with me last night......and I pray Come Holy Spirit, kindle the flame, in the darkness, in the silence, and never let it die away..... as yet full affirmation of my call is absent, and unless I can come to terms with and embrace that absence I am lost....I have been lost... It is in many ways a wilderness experience....

The Absence

It is this great absence

that is like a presence, that compels

me to address it without hope

of a reply. It is a room I enter

from which someone has just

gone, the vestibule for the arrival

of one who has not yet come.

I modernise the anachronism

of my language, but he is no more here

than before. Genes and molecules

have no more power to call

him up than the incense of the Hebrews

at their altars. My equations fail

as my words do. What resource have I

other than the emptiness without him of my whole

being, a vacuum he may not abhor?- (R.S. Thomas)

I place myself into your hands O Go, and am finally able to say, whatever- for all will be well....

Thin Places...

winterwalksentt02 001
Originally uploaded by Sally's journey.

I found two thin places today- places where it seemed that heaven was touching earth, at Snettisham Beach, there was an amazing sunset, rays of light reaching down and touching the water, the water and mud reflecting the glory of the sky- quite simply stunning, and so empty and quiet...it was a really special place!                                                                    

Anyone who reads this blog regularly will know how special beaches are to me, but this afternoons sunset was one of those truly breath taking scenes that make you wonder how anyone can question the existence of God.

The second thin place was Ely Cathedral- it was my second visit to Ely Cathedral this week I am finding the relative anonymity that Cathedral worship offers to be helpful at the moment. Tonight there was a Taize service in the Lady Chapel. it was very moving and well led by the choir who provided wonderful harmonies. I was particularly touched by the meditations...and one of the Chants:

Within our darkest night, you kindle the fire that never dies away, never dies away,   Within our darkest night.....

While we sang candles were lit and the light passed from one to the other, we sang this through at least 8 times, and for me there was a sense of a flame of faith and passion being rekindled...

a broken reed he will not break, a smouldering wick he will not snuff out!

Our God is compassionate and gracious, and will not test us beyond what we can endure....

I think a key for me in all of this has been allowing myself the time to do things that will be healing, both the walk and the service were healing times... and I am learning that I must allow God to refresh my soul, for I cannot give out from emptiness, and I had been running on empty for too long!

We didn't sing this tonight- but the candles being lit capture a sense of the service:

transformation...

This next year will bring many changes and I am worrying over the practicalities; I need to believe that if this is indeed the right way that things will fall into place, that all will be well...yet I know that sometimes all there is for it is to let go of current securities and to trust God.

The Holy Spirit has been stirring in me, reminding me what it is to have faith, I have spent too long rushing around, not truly listening, allowing my receptivity and creativity to be drown under and ocean of busyness, Lorna left words of wisdom in a comment yesterday, possibly not in the theological language I would use, but it really resonated with me ( and I appreciate her friendship and honesty):

..."you need to give yourself more time and kick the guilt back to the enemy - or give it fully to Jesus. It's not from God - He gives you all the time you need :)"

The guilt over taking time to recover is not from God, we tend to live in such time conscious ways, diary driven clock watchers, we forget that God transcends time, and sometimes we do better by waiting- indeed we are more productive in active stillness,  than rushing about in a panic.

I wonder if sometimes our rushing is simply a form of hiding from what God is doing, where She is working in our lives, we fill our time with activity lest we should hear the still small voice from within calling us to discover God in unexpected ways and unexpected places...

Sufi mystic Hafiz reminds us that our instinct to flee when we sense God stirring within us is a form of hiding, and that in the hiding we may well miss the blessing:

Love wants to reach out and manhandle us,

Break all our tea-cup talk of God…

The Beloved sometimes wants

To do us a great favour:

Hold us upside down and shake all the nonsense out.

But when we hear

He is in such a “playful drunken mood”

Most everyone I know

Quickly packs their bags,

And hightails it

Out of town.

To speak of God as being in a "playful, drunken mood" may seem irreverent, and shocking, but I like the sense that God calls us out of ourselves, out of our fixed ideas about who he is, to come out, to dance, to play, to move with Him in the unforced rhythms of grace...

Recently I have buried my charismatic side, favouring the mystic, feeling that they cannot dwell together I have suppressed one at the expense of the other. Now I sense the Spirit stirring within me, calling me to an integrated life, where faith and intellect dwell together, where speaking in tongues deepens the mystical experience and bears fruit.....

Branches of certainty were pruned away from my life, and are now producing new growth, but they are no longer branches of certainty- they are growing into a wider place where questions are OK, and doubts are acknowledged... and yet miracles happen and God works and is completely present outside the narrow box I had consigned Him to- and I am discovering Her in completely new ways!

We went out for a meal with friends last night, and John gave me a poem from Brian McLarens- "The Last word and the word after that";

All we know

All we know is but a spark

rising from the blaze of mystery,

a falling star in the dark

descending from a height we cannot see.

In mists that rise from woodland streams,

the way we could fly in childhood dreams,

truth comes in on winds that blow

from beyond the rim of all we know.

I have my doubts about certainty;

it’s not all it’s made out to be

I trust in things I cannot see,

and reach out for the love that’s reaching me…

In mists that rise from woodland streams,

the way we could fly in childhood dreams,

truth comes in on winds that blow

from beyond the rim of all we know.

The secret things remain concealed,

but this good news has been revealed

(and that’s a gift) the rift is healed

there’s a treasure hidden in this field;

In mists that rise from woodland streams,

the way we could fly in childhood dreams,

truth comes in on winds that blow

from beyond the rim of all we know.

Going beyond the rim of all we know, abandoning ourselves to God in this way is challenging and terrifying and yet the call cannot be ignored... letting go of comforts and securities and walking with God into the unknown, where we are called to face and embrace the need to change, to become true partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

God's call to let go and to follow is a call to play- a call to become and a call to freedom of spirit, the Lectionary reading today is about Jesus time of temptation in the desert, led there by the Holy Spirit he faces temptations to power, and significance....he could turn the desert stones into bread and feed the poor .... Israel could become rich simply through his ability to transform things....he could prove himself Gods Son by throwing himself from the heights of the temple- where people would be amazed and receive him as Messiah....he could reject God and embrace power over worldy kingdoms ( Judas and many others would have followed him in an uprising against Rome).....and yet from all of these he turned away- led by the Spirit on a different path....calling those who had eyes to see and ears to hear to a different way of living and being....an inner journey to discovering themselves fully loved by God that would manifest itself outwardly in a new way of living, of being-A way where there would be bread enough for resources would be shared- no need for transformed stones.... a way where world powers would be enablers and not oppressors, a way where signs and wonders of the " showy" variety were not needed for God's word would be heard and recognised.

Too often we live at surface level, and go so far and no further on the road to transformation- Thomas Merton challenges us that in trying to change ourselves through toil and ardent prayer and effort, we find we fail and fall and stumble again and again in the same places, because we are afraid to let go, afraid to take that extra step of truly placing ourselves into God's hands:

This is where so many Holy people break down.....As soon as they reach the point where they can no longer see the way, no longer guide themselves by their own light, they refuse to go any further...It is in the darkness that we find true liberty . It is in this abandonment that we are made strong. This is the night that empties us.

Only when we dare to allow ourselves to be emptied of our own ego, do we find ourselves becoming the people God is calling forth... Gods great and precious promise lies within us, it is in the letting go that we discover it. For me at the moment that means accepting the unknown path I find myself on- placing my future into God's hands...

Sue Monk Kidd, writes about a picture at a retreat Centre in Carolina, where just inside the door is a picture of the pregnant Madonna, accompanied by these words:

This image represents each person who is trying to birth the "Real Self", the Imago Dei that is taking shape within. For that conception to move to it's fullness we all need time to be quiet, to be reflective, to be centred in our deep places.

We need to learn to abandon ourselves to God and to actively wait, to become whole we need to allow the Spirit to move and to lead us into our own desert places, where we may face our own challenges and temptations, and where in abandonment we can overcome ego to be the people God has called us to be....

This is not instant quick fix spirituality, this is a continual journey both inward and outward, of transformation.....step by step, moment by moment, until one day we will see God face to face and know ourselves changed.

Christ as Holy Wisdom or Holy Silence

Read more about this feminine depiction of Christ here- and here Christ as Holy Wisdom/ Holy Silence; spend some time with it... how does this challenge you?

Does this speak to you of transcendence, or is Christ de-sexed by this image making "him" less than human?

...or does this show another side of Christ?

He held Holy silence before Pilate, and Herod, how much was that enabled by the Holy Spirit, is that what we are seeing here?

Friday Five- Companions on the way

Dante had Virgil as a guide. Before he had younger siblings, my oldest child had an imaginary friend named Patrick. Betsy had Tacy. Laura Ingalls depended on her brindle bulldog, Jack. All of them were companions on the way.

As we take the beginning steps of our journey through Lent, who would we take as a companion? Name five people, real or imaginary, you might like to have with you as guide or guardian or simply good friend.

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Well I am playing this Friday five as if time travel were possible, and am zipping back and forth through time!

1.First stop 11th century Germany! I would love to have Hildegaard Von Bingen as a Spiritual director/ companion through Lent this amazing lady who wrote music, created mandalas and had views on everything from science to sexuality and spirituality has left a legacy of writings (both visionary and theological,) and music that inspire, encourage and challenge us today!

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2.Second stop- further back in time to the 5th century and a visit to St Bridget of Ireland, this amazing lady was famous for her common-sense and most of all for her holiness: in her lifetime she was regarded as a saint. The Abbey she founded at Kildare became one of the most prestigious monasteries in Ireland, famed throughout Christian Europe.She was also a great traveller- no sign of the weaker sex here, she was known for he strength and determination! I am also drawn to her Pagan/ Christian roots- as I am always seeking to build a dialogue between the two communities, and would value her insights!

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3. Moving swiftly forward through time now tot the late 19th- and early-mid 20th century and my third companion would be Amy Carmichael of Dohnavor; another Irish Lady she found her lifelong vocation in India where she was commissioned by the Church of England Zenna Mission. She dedicated much of her life to rescuing young girls who had been sold into temple prostitution. Her life and inspirational writings show a dedicated and determined lady. One of her well known devotional books is "If", it includes these lines:

"If I refuse to be a corn of wheat that falls to the ground and dies ( is separated from all in which it lived before), then I know nothing of Calvary Love"

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4. Moving right up to date, and I would love to be able to meet with and learn from Nicola Slee, both a poet and a feminist theologian whose writings I am getting to know well. Her prayers and poems express a raw honesty that is refreshing and challenging all at once.

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5. And finally without going anywhere I would like to go through Lent with myself, I believe we need to listen to our own souls, and Lent offers us time to reflect and to take stock if we dare.... I want to be awake to the Holy Spirit prompting and stirring in the depths of my being, to be refreshed by living water flowing within me....to be open to change, real transformation, not simply surface scratching stuff!

I have enjoyed this Friday five, and guess in some ways I will have all 5 of my choices to guide and encourage me, through their writings in the case of the first 4, and by my being open to the Holy Spirits promptings and leading as I take time during Lent to read and meditate and pray....just got to sort out my time priorities now.....