Eternal Echoes

Sermon Blogging: Luke 13: 31-35. Friends, enemies, a symphony and a calling…

With friends like that who needs enemies? A well warn question, usually used in a rhetorical manner when we are describing folk who seem to take great delight in bringing us bad news, folk we keep an eye on because although they may smile when we meet them, they are just as likely to stab us in the back….

 

Perhaps that is how it was with the Pharisee’s when the approached Jesus with a warning about Herod, you can almost hear their glee: “Get away from here if you want to live! Herod Antipas wants to kill you!”

 

Let’s put the story into context; Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, he has declared his purpose to his disciples, and although they are still confused and not a little perplexed by his words they are with him. as he pressed on.

 

Just before this passage we hear Jesus explaining how the way of God is not easy, that many will try and fail to find their way into the kingdom of heaven, that those who thought they’d got it all figured out will end up on the outside and yet many would come, from the north, the south, the east and the west to take their places in the kingdom!

 

Those who thought they were in would end up on the outside and others, those who were considered outcasts would end up on the inside! Jesus taught the crowds that; “Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then.”

 

No wonder the Pharisees were upset! No wonder they hurried to warn, or was it to threaten, Jesus of Herod’s intent!

 

Herod Antipas, the puppet king, pandering to the priests with his riches, he is only in power because the Romans have placed him there, they recognised his father as an effective thug, and this is a case of like father like son! It was his father Herod the Great, who had built the massive extension to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and like his father Herod Antipas himself undertook many building projects. Symbols of power and wealth, for a man whose wealth and power were all at the mercy of Rome! A man who had already beheaded John, and feared that Jesus might be John raised from the dead….

 

Jesus responds: ““Go tell that fox that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish my purpose.”

 

Echoes back to the true authority in the temple, to the boy Jesus who was found at the age of 12 on the third day in the temple teaching and debating with the religious teachers when “All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.” Echoes forward to the resurrection itself when on the third day he was raised from death to life…

 

If this were a symphony, we would have just heard a crescendo:

 

Go tell Herod this says Jesus; “I will accomplish my purpose!”

 

What follows is almost like a break in pace in a symphony, we have heard marvelous crescendo, a drum roll as Jesus tells the Pharisees that his purpose will be fulfilled. That he must proceed on his way, then a single horn sounds a sombre note: “For it wouldn’t do for a prophet of God to be killed except in Jerusalem!” And the first part of the movement comes to an end….

 

Quietly a single violin picks up the melody in a minor key: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me…”

 

 

This is a lament; if you listen carefully you can hear Jesus heart breaking, as he likens himself to a mother hen, how often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings…

 

A gentle, but powerful image, for mother hens are fiercely protective, instances have been recorded of hens found after farm fires, scorched and blackened yet sheltering live chicks beneath their wings…

 

Jesus is speaking of his fierce love for Jerusalem, for Israel, a love that has been accepted by some, and rejected by others. He knows of the trials to come, how the city will be destroyed, its people killed or scattered…

 

So how does this apply to us today?

 

Jesus love for his people is as strong and real today as it was then; we are his people just as the people of Israel are his people in this passage. Our identity as Christians is in Christ, just as the nation of Israel’s identity has been historically in God. We called and blessed by God to be a blessing to others, called to bear his light (as we heard in the Psalm) to the world, to draw people in from the north, the south, the east and the west. To focus outward and not in upon ourselves….

 

This is the way of Christ, to draw people to himself, to show them a better way of living, a way free from selfish ambition and gain.

 

Herod was interested in himself and in order to survive allowed himself to be dictated to by Rome, likewise the Pharisees, they allowed injustice to reign, often becoming oppressors themselves. They wanted Israel for Israel, not Israel called to bless the world…

 

We need to hear Jesus lament over us afresh, we must allow its melody to break our hearts open so that we can respond to him. We must hear his desire to protect and love his people, his desire to draw them to himself, to teach them that they are loved.

 

That love if we will dare to receive it will eventually propel us outwards, we will be sent as Christ’s ambassadors to a hurting world; a world where our actions, our lifestyles and even our votes count, for we have been blessed to be a blessing to others…

How do we bless others? Surely our everyday choices are important, what we buy, and where we travel, whether we are willing to go the extra mile for others or whether we are more interested in our own bank accounts and personal security. Do we vote according to our moral conscience or our personal comfort? Do we live for ourselves of for others?

Jesus calls us to another way of living. He has given himself for us, and he asks that we now give ourselves to him…

As a church this might mean changing our ways, looking out into out communities and seeking to serve them, it might mean welcoming the stranger, the foreigner, and the outcast. It might mean giving up things that are precious to us, it might be an uncomfortable, discomforting adventure, but it will lead to life if we dare to dwell under the protection of his wings, and then lead others to do the same...

Friday Five- Winter Olympics edition

Songbird at Revgals says; It's been two weeks of snow, or not enough snow, of heartbreak before the action even began, of snowboards and skis and skates, of joy and sorrow. At our house, we've stayed up too late, and we don't even watch sports any other time! 

1) Which of the Winter Olympic sports is your favorite to watch?

I enjoy watching all of them, but have particularly enjoyed watching the snowboarding for the sheer energy and vitality of it! I have also enjoyed the ice dance, it can be so beautiful, if only...sighs...

2) Some of the uniforms have attracted attention this year, such as the US Snowboarders' pseudo-flannel shirts 

and the Norwegian Curling team's -- ahem -- pants. 

Who do you think had the best-looking uniforms?

Honest answer, haven't taken that much notice. I enjoy the ice dance costumes, although some have been odd! And some simply controversial, and I understand the critisism!

 

3) And Curling. Really? What's up with that?

Love it, though it is a bit like carpet bowls on ice!

4) Define Nordic Combined. Don't look it up. Take a guess if you must. 

(There will be a prize for the best answer, but be aware, this is a judged sport.)

Nordic combined is a speed knitting event, the competitors are taken to an outdoor location as close to resembling Norway as possible where they have to remover  their boots and socks, they are then presented with knitting needles and a good thick yarn ( each one representative of their country’s colours in some way). First is the speed cast on, with 5 points for the winner, 3 for second and two for third. No points are awarded to the others. These points convert to second advantages in the next stage…    

The competitors are then blindfolded;  the combined difficulty of cold feet and no sight is what makes the event exciting!   The buzzer goes and the real knitting begins, the first competitor to complete a sock wins, the sock must be completed within the specified standard. Because of the extreme nature of this event only the Gold, silver and bronze competitors are allowed to finish, boots and socks are then returned to all and further inspections of progress will decide the lower placings.  

This is not an event for the faint hearted, and months of barefoot training is required!

  5) If you could be a Winter Olympics Champion just by wishing for it, which sport would you choose for winning your Gold Medal?

Well until this week I'd have said ice dance, but I like the idea of getting on a snowboard... ah to dream!

Dreaming big..developing a vision for two rural churches

Church A:

Has a small and mostly elderly congregation, they are faithful and committed and they long to see something happen but they fear they may have to close their building and join with another church nearby. Every week day their school room is used by a Dance School, the Dance School have put in a new floor and helped with the cost of re-wiring the building.

The building itself is in need of some repair but there is a reasonable kitchen, and room for new toilet facilities to be installed. The sanctuary area has wonderful acoustics and is large and light, the organ is a good one and it has been well maintained, the seating is traditional dark wood pews. There is a large vestry, and a choir loft.

The dream:

As there is a thriving Anglican Church in the village offering family worship and using a multi-media approach we need to do something different. It would be easy to shut up shop and move down the road to join the Anglican Church, but that would put the Dance School out of business, and they have contributed so much to the church over the last few years....

So I want to dream big; how about an Arts Center, we could take out the pews and purchase more flexible seating, that way the space could be used to exhibit the work of local artists ( and there are a good number), and for concerts or plays. We could convert the existing vestry into a side Chapel, a reflective prayer space that would be open everyday. We could serve coffee and tea to the parents of the Dance School children and also to those coming to view the exhibitions. We could create a smaller worship space with the opportunity to expand it if and when the time came.

We are situated close to major motorways and a railway station so there is easy access to the Chapel, people come to the area for a fine dining restaurant and to travel from a nearby city for a local shopping experience! There is potential for something very special here. Yes we would need to improve access to the main doors by extending the current wheel chair ramp, and there would be a lot of other work to be done, but it is possible... IF we dare to dream!

"Yea, we know that thou rejoicest
o'er each work of thine;
thou didst ears and hands and voices
for thy praise design;
craftsman's art and music's measure
for thy pleasure
all combine."

Church B:

Set in the middle of the village Church B is modern, it has a car-park and a large area of grass at the front and to the side of it. It had been rather run down and neglected, but over the last year a new sign has been installed and some of the issues with the outside facings and paintwork have been tackled. Inside the building is in reasonable shape ( although it needs redecorating), and a new video projection system and screen have been installed. The seating is already flexible and a number of groups use the hall. The congregation is of a reasonable size and they need a vision.

Problems with young people hanging around the building at night and causing damage have caused the congregation to think about fencing off part of the grounds, but there is also a desire to reach out to these young folk and their families.

The dream:

To develop the land which is currently bare and fairly unattractive; to put the fence up creating a safe area for the mums and tots group to go out in the summer months. To provide seating in that area and perhaps to develop a multi sensory area within it using sympathetic and safe shrubs.

Along with this to develop the larger area of land in the front of the building, it is currently used by folk in the summer for lunchtime picnics, but there are no tables or bins and litter is a constant problem, this could be done in conjunction with the local council, and it would mean that we could offer outdoor seating at the coffee mornings in the summer.

In addition to this we could purchase an entertainment license that would allow us to show films and have a weekly film club (the nearest cinema complex is 15 miles away and expense would mean that some local families would find it prohibitive)...

Yes there are risks involved, but this dream is outward focused, and it is possible...IF we dare to dream...

"⁴ This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵ "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶ Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. ⁷ Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." (Jeremiah 29: 5-7)

I have explored the theme of exile before, and really believe that many churches lack confidence because they find themselves in a strange land, Christendom has gone, and they are faced with uncertainty. That uncertainty can have different effects, we can focus inwards and become more and more depressed and hopeless, or we can dare to hope and to dream, and to believe that God has not finished with us yet. If we take the risk and all comes to nothing at least we have dared to believe, and who knows we may have found new life in ourselves, spirited and free. But if we focus inwards and give up we will die anyway, spiritless and despondent...

We must dare to dream!

"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." (Acts 2: 17)

Signs/ Sounds of the kingdom....

I have just been into a local Primary School to lead an assembly, when I arrived I was told that it was National Sing Up Day and so I had to think on my feet quite quickly to change my story. When I had finished each class presented their song, a song they had been rehearsing the previous week, and then the whole school sang together. The morning was finished off by a song composed (musics and lyrics) by the music teacher all about Fair-trade fortnight. The children sang of the goodness of fair-trade food, and the way that choosing to purchase it could bring a little bit of heaven into the lives of those who so often go without.

Both the song and the children were an inspiration, real signs of light and life in the world, I have invited them to come and sing their song to my Church Council because I am trying to persuade the church to become fair-trade registered. I am very grateful that the teacher accepted, so next the Church Council will be set a little earlier and we are in for a treat!

I believe that there are signs of life and light all over the world, and that we need not only  to acknowledge and celebrate these signs, but also to accept that we have something to learn from them. I am reminded that Jesus often did this, he often told folk that they were not far from the kingdom of God, and often challenged the religious establishment to wake up and smell the roses, because the truth was that somehow they had wandered a considerable distance from it! Nothing much has changed it seems!

I am grateful for my experience this morning, not just because I heard that song, but also because I was privileged to be out in the community witnessing something beautiful as the children lifted their voices in song!

On being Church and needing confidence...

I have taken to asking folk at Church Council "how they feel about being church?", it is interesting that each time they respond as if the word being were not in my question, and they start to tell me about Sunday mornings. One group are particularly community focused and do a lot of work in their local area, but they don't see that as being church, nor do they consider it a witness.

It leaves me wondering whether I am wrong in expecting them to own their identity as a part of the body of Christ and see that being Christian is integral to who they are, and it is not just about Sunday. More than anything I sense a need to encourage prayer, prayer for themselves and for their community, for what struck me most about the Gospel reading last Sunday was not the temptations and tests that Jesus underwent, but that he left the desert in the power of the Spirit.

As we go through lent, following Jesus journey to the cross we must also remember that we are people of the resurrection, and I fear that we all too often forget that. There are times when I really struggle to pray, times when I try to carry on in my own strength, and I am sure that the Holy Spirit weeps over us when we do. Scripture tells us that the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express, and Jesus tells us that he set his face towards Jerusalem precisely in order that the Spirit might come:

 ¹⁵"If you love me, you will obey what I command. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— ¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. ¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (John 14: 15-18)

My prayer as I continue to walk through Lent then is that I might learn afresh what it is to live and move in the power of the Holy Spirit, that my prayer life might be invigorated and that I might be changed, for I want to encourage others to see themselves as God sees them, to know what it is to be church beyond Sunday, and to know that God is with them.

As I live and work amongst folk in rural communities I am becoming more and more convinced that our main problem is not dwindling numbers but lack of confidence, somehow we don't believe that God is interested in us. Instead we believe that we are small and insignificant, and the world is no longer interested in the Gospel. The result is that begin to apologise for our existence rather than listen to Jesus words;

"On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you!" (John 14:19)

We need to re-discover the truth that God has not given up on his church yet, nor has he ceased to be interested in us, we need only to look beyond our shores to see that that is true, and that the church is alive and vibrant AND GROWING!

I sense that we need to begin to tell our personal stories of faith again, to encourage one another, and to pray together; Sunday morning is NOT enough, but all too often it is all we offer, and so we are starving our spirits and sapping our energies!

So I wonder, does anyone else share my experience with rural congregations?

How should we be addressing the loss in confidence in both God and who we are called to be?

I feel that I cannot constantly ask people to do more until their vision and confidence is restored, and so perhaps again I need to take a leaf out of Eugene Peterson's book, and determine to work upon my confidence in God in order that I can encourage others. He says:

I want to cultivate my relationship with God. I want all of my life to be intimate - sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously - with the God who made, directs and loves me. And I want to waken others to the nature and centrality of prayer. I want to be a person in the community to whom others can come without hesitation, without wondering if it is appropriate, to get direction in prayer and praying. I want to do the original work of being in deepening conversation with the God who reveals himself to me and addresses me by name. I don't want to dispense mimeographed hand-outs that describe God's business; I want to witness out of my own experience. I don't want to live as a parasite on the first hand spiritual life of others, but to be personally involved with all my senses, tasting and seeing that the Lord is good.*

O Lord hear my prayer....

Come Holy Spirit...

* Eugene Peterson: The Contemplative Pastor

a high calling

I am a citizen of heaven,

and this is my calling,

to dwell in  light,

and to take that light

to the darkness,

to descend

to the broken

hurting, burnt-out

places,

places I once

called home..

I am a citizen of heaven,

and when I need reminding

I ascend, in prayer

and contemplation

to be filled

with light

again…

I am a citizen of heaven,

called to be

an ambassador

for Christ.

Called to descend

because I ascend,

and my journey

takes me

ever upwards,

ever downwards…

…ever onwards

ever up,

ever down,

ever on...

 

Picture and Inspiration by Dave Perry

Time out.....

I have had a busy weekend, with Joanne (daughter), Christopher (son) and Ness (son's girlfriend) all visiting, and then a full day yesterday with three services and a funeral visit. A quick glance at my calender reveals that this week will be no less hectic, I have to be out every evening and have several things in the diary during the day plus a weekend Away Day finalise....

This is not the ideal way to return to work after being off sick, but it is what it is and short of rescheduling everything again there is not too much I can do about it, so I have just gone through my diary and put in hours of intentional stillness; that stillness might mean sitting with a book, it might be watching the Winter Olympics on the T.V., it might mean doing absolutely nothing, but it is there!

On top of that whilst I was ill I developed the habit of going to bed reasonably early, so I did just that last night and have determined not to feel guilty about the fact that I slept until 8:00am, and that I am only just getting into the day at 9:00am...

How easily we feel guilty, or is it perhaps as Eugene Peterson suggests that we are vain;

" Pastors," he says, "become busy for two reasons; both are ignoble.

I am busy because I am vain. I want to appear important. Significant. What better way than to be busy?The incredible hours, the crowded schedule, and the heavy demands on my time are proof to myself- and to all who will notice- that I am important."

or

Because I am Lazy; because I indolently allow others to decide what I will do instead of resolutely deciding myself....

...it takes effort to refuse, and besides there is always the danger that the refusal will be interpreted as a rebuff, a betrayal of religion, and a calloused disregard for people in need."*

I find that people expect me to be busy, and that they expect to be able to design my calender for me, the most telling and probably the most manipulative way in which others try to control my calender is by telling me that Minister Y used to to ******* all the time, and that Minister X, never said no to anyone!

But I am not Minister X, nor am I Minister Y, I don't have the gifts and talents nor the vision that they had, but I do have gifts and talents of my own, and I need time in prayer and meditation if I want to develop a real vision for this place, not only that but I need to encourage others to do the same if we are to develop a vision together. To quote Peterson again;

 

"How can I lead people into a quiet place beside still waters if I am in perpetual motion? How can I persuade a person to live by faith and not by works if I have to juggle my schedule to make everything fit into place?"*

So please excuse me for I am taking some time out, time out to reflect and to pray, time out to be, time out to listen, because I have three Church Councils this week and I don't want them to be filled with a load of hot air!

* Eugene Peterson: The Contemplative Pastor

Who is he, who are we? Sermon bloggin. Luke 4: 1-13

 

The gospel reading this week is a familiar one, Jesus driven into the desert faces forty days of fasting- then come the tests!

It might help to remember that this account is immediately preceded in the gospel by the account of his baptism, that he submitted himself to a baptism in water, the sign of repentance and change is not insignificant. All through his life amongst us Jesus made choices, many of them took him away from a life of ease and comfort, through baptism he was signalling a choice, the time had come, he had to begin revealing himself to the people of Israel.

Then the glorious moment when the heavens open, light fills the skies, the Holy Spirit descends as a dove upon Jesus and God speaks:

 "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

Almost as if God were revealing Jesus true identity to Jesus, reminding him perhaps

 "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

And then the pace changes, Jesus finds himself led ( some translators render this driven) by the very same Spirit, the Spirit whose glory surrounded him, into the deserts wild places. Here he stayed for forty days and forty nights…

The tests came, each one preceded by the words;

If you are the Son of God;

First testing Jesus reliance upon and trust in God; If you are the Son of God change these stones to bread…

Jesus overcomes the tester; it is written he says, that man does not live by bread alone, affirming his trust he is stating that "It takes more than bread to really live.”

Then offering Jesus a partnership the tester says: If you are the Son of God join with me and I will give you authority over all of these kingdoms…

Again Jesus overcomes the tester; it is written he says; "Worship the Lord your God and only the Lord your God.”

Finally, and perhaps the ultimate test, prove yourself the tester sneers If you are the Son of God Then throw yourself from the temple; his angels will surely protect you!

Jesus has no need to prove himself, nor does he need to test God, again he quotes Scripture:

“YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'"

With each test he affirms to himself and to the reader that he is the Son of God, finally the tempter leaves him, and the scriptures tell us that he returns to Galilee, powerful in the Spirit.

So did Jesus know who he was when he entered the desert, many scholars suggest that he did not know the fullness of what he was called to, but now that the time was right, and he was ready it was to be revealed to him;

"You are my Son whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

Could it be that by being tested in the fire of the desert, Jesus began to realise the depths of who he was and what he was called to?

Could it be that testing provided him with the confidence he needed to step out on the mission he was called to, revealing God, not just for Israel but for the whole world.

We are certainly told that he left the desert in the power of the Holy Spirit; scripture records that; “Jesus returned to Galilee powerful in the Spirit. News that he was back spread through the countryside. He taught in their meeting places to everyone's acclaim and pleasure!”

Perhaps then the greatest gift that lent offers is an opportunity to discover who we are in Christ, often people give things up during lent, but I rather like the thinking of The Rt Rev Bill Hewitt who is The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, he has called Kirk members to: “find ways of being better Christians, rather than avoiding things such as chocolate, alcohol or cigarettes during Lent.”

His call is to a practical discipleship; Christian people, he suggests, should not be motivated by financial gain or by living hedonistic celebrity lifestyles, but instead by serving others.

“No one can fail to see the devastating effect the selfish pursuit of money has had in the financial sector and beyond. The 40 days of fasting and prayer before Easter represent the time Jesus spent in the desert overcoming the temptations to use power in the pursuit of wealth, fame and popularity,"

Jesus overcame the tests by focusing on Scripture and through prayer and fasting, his focus was upon the mission of God and not himself, he was tested, he fasted, and he overcame, and he calls us to follow him. He calls us to place our focus on God through him and to intentionally turn away from those temptations and tests that will beset us.

I am sure that none of us would deny that we are faced with tests and temptations every day, adverts flood through our television screens, through our letter boxes and via e-mail, all enticing us to buy the latest product be it a special and improved tea bag or computer we are being groomed by the media to be consumers.

Our clothes, cars and even diets say a lot about us we are told; the question is does our identity lie in what we buy?

The challenge of lent encourages us to switch our focus to God, to seek his kingdom first, to dare to follow Jesus example and to stand up to the tests of temptation, to look into the mirror and to ask ourselves the questions:

“IF we are children of God, then how should we live in this world?”

“IF we believe that Jesus loves us as he says he does, as he has shown that he does, then how should we respond?”

“IF we say that we have responded to Jesus call to follow him then where is the evidence of that in our lives.

Writing for the Methodist Church’s Open to God section this week Revd David Deeks says:

“The way we behave and speak are the marks of discipleship,” he suggests that there is a way forward for us; “there is a constructive way forward. The spirit of God's son today urges the rich and well-fed people of the world to act as responsible human beings. They must give priority to the long-term changes which will address widespread famine.

God's son - Jesus – caught in the midst of testing and temptation offers us a wider vision. "One does not live by bread alone" he says. There is more to life than barely staying alive. It is possible to dream about a world of justice and joy, where poor people have decent lives to lead, imaginations to feed and gifts to deploy for the good of their neighbours. The rich and powerful - that includes most of us in the developed world - must help to develop everywhere good families and healthy communities where people care for each other, share generously, act with justice and seek God. But under no circumstances must they renege on their top priority - to feed the world's hungry.”

Jesus turned down the opportunity to turn stones to bread, to provide the momentary miracle, and although he did produce a miracle with bread and fish at another time in another place, he chose more often the personal compassionate touch, and he calls us to turn our eyes to him, that we might like him, be powerful in the Spirit, so that we might do the same.

Lenten Friday Five

Sophia over at Revgals offers this Friday Five:


Each year you give us this joyful season when we prepare to celebrate the Paschal Mystery with mind and heart renewed. You give us a spirit of loving reverence for you, our [Mother]/Father, and of willing service to our neighbor. As we recall the great events that gave us new life in Christ, you bring the image of your Son to perfection within us.... (First Preface for Lent, Roman Missal)

1. Did you celebrate Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday this year? Any memories of memorable celebrations past?

I didn't, this year I helped my eldest daughter move home and so my Shrove Tuesday meal was the last resort of the desperate- a McDonald's! Usually though we make pancakes and celebrate in some way. My memory of Mardi Gras is from time in Houston where one of my neighbours was from Louisiana, we celebrated in style and colour!

2. How about Ash Wednesday, past and/or present? 

I really appreciate the beginning of Lent, the way it challenges us to slow down, I would normally attend an imposition of ashes service, and was due to lead and preside this year, but circumstances conspired against me so I stayed home and marked the day quietly.

3. Does your denomination or congregation celebrate "this joyful season"? Any special emphases or practices to share?

Yes we have special ecumenical meeting throughout lent and also special services each week around the Circuit here, these are both local customs, on the whole Methodism is not "big" on seasons, but I think that is changing and we are borrowing from others and deepening our practice.

4. Do you have a personal plan of give-ups, take-ons, special ministries, and/or a special focus for your own spiritual growth between now and Easter?

I am trying to follow a Lenten practice of reading and prayer through Lent, and reading the Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent Book, Our sound is our wound by Lucy Winkett. I would like to fast but medically this is not a good idea, so I intend to eat simply with intentional thanksgiving.

5. What is your dream for the image of Christ coming to perfection in you, the church, the world? How can we support you in prayer?

Jesus said it all: Love one another as I have loved you; my dream is that the church would rise with the confidence of Christ- knowing who he was and where he was going, and in love to take up a towel and start washing feet, with tears where necessary. There is too much fighting, to much bickering over small points. We need to be disciples in the way of love!

Bonus: Song, prayer, picture, etc. that sums up your feelings about this liturgical springtime. 

Ultimately it is all about resurrection; so I offer you this by Chris Rice:

Love's touch

… love will

reach in

even to

this heart,

offering flesh

to be torn

a heart

to be broken…(again)

 

….love will

reach in

to touch this heart,

and then the next,

the next,

the next….

 

the next…

 

…until loves touch

awakens a response,

and surfaces

broken and bleeding,

yet triumphant…

Image and inspiration  by Dave Perry