Friday, 28 August 2009
Thursday, 23 July 2009
Psalms!
"To show forth thy loving kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night"
Psalm 92:2
A card that I have just recieved had this verse on the front for me in encapsulates how our relationship with God should transform us. The frequent recitation of the Psalms in the Daily Offices reminds us of the emotions that we can all at times feel in our relationships both with God and one another. Sometimes there is the joy of the Lord and sometimes despair too. Whatever emotion grabs us let us hope we have the faith to journey expectantly.
Psalm 92:2
A card that I have just recieved had this verse on the front for me in encapsulates how our relationship with God should transform us. The frequent recitation of the Psalms in the Daily Offices reminds us of the emotions that we can all at times feel in our relationships both with God and one another. Sometimes there is the joy of the Lord and sometimes despair too. Whatever emotion grabs us let us hope we have the faith to journey expectantly.
Saturday, 4 July 2009
From everywhere else except this valley!
Having been taken ill on a random Tuesday in June with amazingly high blood pressure the botton number was 139 (no joke!) I have been invalided out since. So some time was spend going through my diary and just cutting everything out. I went on the retreat I was supposed to lead and just spend the time in my room asleep.
It seemed from this experience that I had two choices. I could carry on overeating, drinking and generally self neglecting or I could do something about it. Fortunately I have chosen the later which I hope will mean a more healthy and happier long term future. But the time off has given me an opportunity to think a little more deeply between what is the essential priestly minstry that God has called me too and how effectively I am to live it out. Being out of my unusual context for a while with none of the badges of office no clerical collar, no eucharistic presidency it gave me the first major break of any significance since my ordination to the priesthood some four years ago. Realsing if I was ever to feel any better it was better to get away rather than hide in the vicarage I packed my rucksack and headed off. During my leave I have had the good fortune to attend some truly magnificent worship at St Bride's Liverpool. This reflected the nature of the whole community as being a priestly body with far less emphasis on the man or woman at the front. There was informality discussion and an opportunity for everyone to take part. This made me think further of how radically the worship and the role of facilitating and enabling that need to change in my present ministerial context for real growth to occur both inside and outside the church, to have real inclusive worship and real collaborative ministry rather than just think changing the rite from the Book of Common Prayer (1984) to the 2004 new rite is somehow radical. In fact the way it was done was rather like rearranging the chairs on the deck of the titanic in fact it just as well be 1662 for all the sense it would make to newcomers. So there is a challenge and a challenge indeed but one that is worth embracing as the alternative is spiritually death probably for me first and then the rest of the church after.
Anyway there is a while yet before my return but it is good to have a chance to reflect on some of the issues that preoccupy at the moment!
It seemed from this experience that I had two choices. I could carry on overeating, drinking and generally self neglecting or I could do something about it. Fortunately I have chosen the later which I hope will mean a more healthy and happier long term future. But the time off has given me an opportunity to think a little more deeply between what is the essential priestly minstry that God has called me too and how effectively I am to live it out. Being out of my unusual context for a while with none of the badges of office no clerical collar, no eucharistic presidency it gave me the first major break of any significance since my ordination to the priesthood some four years ago. Realsing if I was ever to feel any better it was better to get away rather than hide in the vicarage I packed my rucksack and headed off. During my leave I have had the good fortune to attend some truly magnificent worship at St Bride's Liverpool. This reflected the nature of the whole community as being a priestly body with far less emphasis on the man or woman at the front. There was informality discussion and an opportunity for everyone to take part. This made me think further of how radically the worship and the role of facilitating and enabling that need to change in my present ministerial context for real growth to occur both inside and outside the church, to have real inclusive worship and real collaborative ministry rather than just think changing the rite from the Book of Common Prayer (1984) to the 2004 new rite is somehow radical. In fact the way it was done was rather like rearranging the chairs on the deck of the titanic in fact it just as well be 1662 for all the sense it would make to newcomers. So there is a challenge and a challenge indeed but one that is worth embracing as the alternative is spiritually death probably for me first and then the rest of the church after.
Anyway there is a while yet before my return but it is good to have a chance to reflect on some of the issues that preoccupy at the moment!
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Let God be God!
The very best and utmost attainment in this life is to remain still and let God act and speak in thee. Meister Eckhart
Friday, 29 May 2009
The last comment (follow your own advice!!)
Well I really set myself up! I now need to follow my own advice and get back to blogging more often. So if anyone still follows this I am back and hope to be posting a lot more often in future.
Friday, 23 January 2009
Time where does it go?
Sifting through this blog I realised I haven't posted since Advent! Where does all the time go? I have recently been rereading Following the Silence - A Contemplative Journey by Georgina Alexander. In this she writes about grappling with her relationship with God and how at various times in her life this became increasingly difficult. Amongst all the busyness and business of being a Parish Priest it is all too easy too lose sight of what priestly ministry is about. I pray that as I am journeying towards lent I may rediscover some opportunity of spending more time quietly in God's prescence.
Friday, 5 December 2008
Advent
Advent is always a time to think about new beginnings but at times it can at least feel like the same old, same old. Preparations etc have meant that so far there has not been much time for reading, writing and further reflection but the cancellation of a wedding interview this morning has meant that a suprise gap has arisen. Having just finished writing a sermon entitled Crying in the Wilderness it can seem that as a Church and christian community it is at times all we seem to do. Sometimes however God challenges us to hand it over to him and humbles us in order for us to be truly exhalted. Each working day in the Parish we meet for Morning Prayer, they may be only a few of us, but in our simple way we bear witness to our dependence on God and our need to meet him. We use a simple order from the Scottish Episcopal Church it has much to commend it a wonderful starting point on which to begin the day.
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