To finish our reflections from the congregation and members of Frodsham Methodist Church that have been published during 2020, a poem written at the time of the First World War by American poet Alfred Joyce Kilmer, but perhaps especially suitable for Christmas this year. Led by a star, a golden star, Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918) Thank you to all those who have written and submitted reflections this year. They have been so helpful in sustaining us spiritually and bringing us together as a Church family during this difficult year.
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What links one of the most rousing Christmas carols, the leader of Methodist movement Charles Wesley and instigator of the European printing revolution Johannes Gutenberg? ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ has an intriguing history…
Charlotte Hoare, Special Collections Librarian at the John Ryland's Library, Manchester takes a look on the Methodist Church blog. This week we do not have a reflection as such. A theme that has been so important this year because of so many factors, not least Black Lives Matter and the COVID-19 crisis, has been having an understanding of others and respect for equality and diversity in our communities and churches. The Methodist Church in Britain has published an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit, and part of this is a section on unconscious bias. Below is that resource provided for anyone who may want to begin to explore this theme in their own lives in a little more detail. This resource is designed for group study, but is also useful for people thinking alone. But first, a prayer written by Will Morrey: O God, Creator of all peoples, grant us your strength of love that we may live with a vulnerable openness to each other, which welcomes our diversity and difference as your gifts. Amen. When the world around us seems to be clothed in darkness, disease and despair, when things seem lost, lifeless, hopeless, it can be hard to imagine and declare that God is with us and will remain a living help and presence for us. It can be hard to believe how the news of Jesus, “of love come down at Christmas” and that this Lord Jesus “will come again”, can be a reality in the diseased, disillusioned, left behind communities, very hard, and, without God, without faith in God, impossible to imagine and believe.
Advent is the season to take note of this, for Advent is intended to be a time in which we are invited to return ourselves back to God, urged to allow ourselves to be reminded that our God is an active ever faithful, remaining loving presence in the world, and for us to wait, watch and pray in expectancy of sight of this. Being reminded of this can encourage us to pray for new eyes to see Him and meet with Him so we can see more clearly our need and His world’s needs and proceed onwards with a willingness to faithfully nurture the signs of love and renewal and with hopefulness in times be they familiar or unfamiliar, light or dark, whether it be winter or spring. Let us then wait and see - expectantly believing. Jill Jenkin's poem with vivid images of winter expresses much of this hope and faith. Winter Waiting Last leaves drift down now, trees standing bare along the skyline, each branch etched clear against the winter light. On the dark fields the furrows turn to bare backed ridges whitened hard by the frost. Yet deep within this sullen soil new life already waits for birth released to life by the returning spring Regenerating God, harrow our hearts till we become the opened ground in which spirit’s seeds take root and grow. John Clarke Some text and the poem taken from the Methodist Diaconal Order Paper, December 2019 When we meet together for worship, whether in church or online, we sing, we pray, we hear words from the scriptures and often listen to a sermon or reflection that helps us to understand more about the life of faith. We also join together in reciting the Lord’s Prayer, or the “Our Father” as it’s referred to in some Christian traditions and woe betide the preacher if they forget to include this familiar part of the service. In days gone by I would often go to lead worship at Norley Zion Methodist Church, now a small residential property near to Hatchmere Lake. On the pulpit desk the words of the Lord’s Prayer were printed in gothic script, presumably as an aide memoire for the preacher. Yet every time I tried to follow the words as I led the congregation in prayer, I ended up making a mistake and the whole thing would fall apart. The words had become so familiar and the reciting of them so automatic that trying to follow the words was just hopeless! After the First World War, the Christian leaders of the world were ashamed by the failure of the Church to prevent war and the shameless way in which some churches almost helped to glorify the war once it had started. As a result a worldwide movement known as “Life and Work” planned a meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, to draw the church leaders of the world together to work for justice and peace. In a planning meeting held in 1920 there was great tension amongst the delegates. The French declared that they would not be able to participate in the conference unless the German delegates first confessed the war guilt of Germany, something which the German delegates were unwilling to do. The whole conference was in danger of collapse. Then the Moderator of the Waldensian Church of Italy addressed the conference. He explained how he had lost a son in the war but was trying hard to maintain a spirit of Christian charity towards representatives from the formerly hostile nations, who had deprived him of his family. He then invited everyone present to pray together and the conference joined in the Lord’s Prayer. When they reached the line “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us”, the Moderator made the conference pause and lay particular emphasis upon the words. By helping fellow Christians to re-discover the spirit of forgiveness, the Italian Moderator saved the conference and with it the beginnings of the ecumenical movement, which has become such a strong worldwide Christian influence today. As we join in saying this family prayer, in whatever setting we find ourselves, may we take time to consider the words, understand their meaning and commit ourselves afresh to that kingdom of God of which we are called to be a part. Remembering that God’s kingdom, power and glory are for ever and ever. Amen. Listen to the Lord’s Prayer, sung by Frodsham Methodist Church Cloud Choir, accompanied by Andrew Ellams. Andrew Ellams This is the title of a 76 page book written by Walter Brueggemann and published by Paternoster earlier this year. The book begins with two quotes:
Our little systems have their day; They have their day and cease to be; They are but broken lights of thee And thou, O Lord, art more than they. Tennyson, “In Memoriam A.H.H.” I don’t see it as an act of God; I see it as something no one saw coming. Donald J. Trump, March 19, 2020 And it concludes with this prayer: A Thou Who Hears! We prefer our worship of you should be upbeat. We like it that the church is “the happiest place in town.” We take our glimpse or your promised kingdom as a venue where never is heard a discouraging word! But then ….. reality!! like suffering and death, like pandemic and virus, like loss unimaginable! That reality breaks our happy illusion of a fairy-tale life in the first world, and we are left with stone cold fear and bottomless need. So we cry out with urgent imperative: Hear, help, save!! We cry out along with the whole company of people of faith who have cried out. We cry out, because our cry, since the lips of the slaves in Egypt, is our most elemental word back to you, our creator. We cry out, not in despair, but in confidence that you hear. You are the one, the only one, who can turn sorrow to joy, mourning to dancing, weeping to laughter. So now God who hears, helps and saves, hear, act, and make new! Give us courage and patience; end the virus; let us be rich in soul and poor in things, ordered for neighbourliness, generous with goods, free of fear, but mostly: end the virus! We pray this in the name of Jesus who defeated the powers of death overcame the forces of evil, ended the unbearable vexation of leprosy for some, and became the Lord of the Dance. the dance of wellbeing, gladness and peace. So we pray, so we trust, so we hope … in you! Amen The book itself contains a number of biblical reflections and prayers for a time of loss and uncertainty as we have now. John Clark In our reflection this week, we are thinking about what it means to be a Methodist and to live life intentionally as a Methodist. Helle Sewell from the Darlington Methodist District interviews The Rev'd. Dr. Roger Walton. Roger has been a chair of district and president of the Methodist Conference. Roger is also a widely published author and former director of the Wesley Study Centre, Durham. In this video, Roger talks about a Methodist Way of Life: And here is another resource, a seminar from the Yorkshire District, where these ideas are discussed in more detail: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’ I’m sure those words from the prophet Isaiah are familiar to you. They form the first verse of probably one of the first chorus type songs that was sung in many churches some thirty of forty years ago now. How lovely, how beautiful, upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news. If you read from earlier in the chapter then you hear Isaiah describe a besieged city breathlessly awaiting the outcome of a decisive conflict. If the news is victory then they are delivered, if the news is defeat then all is lost. Suddenly on a distant hill a runner is seen. What is the news? As he comes nearer it can be seen that he is waving a victory palm and not so much running as dancing. Our Lord has won, let the cheerful celebration begin. The anticipated victorious return of God in power to his people is about to be realized. And here in chapter 52 and verse 7 God’s good news messengers are honoured, for “How lovely on the mountains is the feet of him who brings good news. Who announces peace and brings good news of happiness. Who announces salvation and says to Zion, Your God reigns.” Isaiah speaks of peace. Isn’t that something we think about today isn’t that something we still long for today? Some years ago now, I made a special effort to go to the cinema. I was working in Ipswich at the time and the film “The Iron Lady” had just been released. It was the story of the rise to power of Margaret Thatcher and I was keen to go and see it. It was like a trip back through history, but more worryingly a history that I can vividly remember. There is a section of the film that tells the story of the Falklands Conflict and I got particularly excited at this scene because it shows the requisitioned cruise liners the Canberra and the SS Uganda coming back into Southampton Dock in August of 1982. The reason I was excited by this was that I was actually on that dockside when the ships returned. In the film there is news footage from the day taken from the ship looking across into the crowd. I’ve since scanned the DVD closely but can’t pick myself out in the crowd! Seeing that film again suddenly reminded me of what it felt like on that day. There was much rejoicing and cheering and there were crowds on the dockside and people were shouting and the brass bands were playing, but in all that I was reminded of the cost of that peace, of the people who had not returned, who had been prepared to lay down even their own life for freedom and for peace. How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, proclaiming peace. “Premier say peace in our time”. That was the headline on the Daily Sketch on the 1st of October 1938. There was a picture of Neville Chamberlain, waving his famous piece of paper and the subheading in the article was “never go to war again.” Of course that was not to be the truth. You know peace is not just a desirable objective for a country it’s something that has to be shared across the whole world. In the very first verses of the very first chapter of the very first book of our bible we hear of a creative God, a God who made the world. Do you remember what God said of his world as he created it? It was a world that was “perfect in every way”. A world of beauty and peace is something which God still wants for his world, but something which man constantly rebels against. “How lovely”, said Isaiah, “on the mountains are the feet of him, who brings good news. Proclaiming peace, announcing news of happiness, our God reigns.” Discover that peace of God which passes all understanding for yourself and share it with those around you, for that’s how we change the world. The Mersey Wave Choir, Runcorn Community Choir and Georgian Singers, perform Our God Reigns: Andrew Ellams When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. - S. Matthew 5:12 The above from S. Matthew's gospel is taken from what must be the most famous sermon ever preached (and maybe one of the longest!), just start the phrase “the sermon on the…” and most people would be able to finish it for you. The Sermon on the Mount is contained in Matthew 5, 6 and 7, takes place soon after Jesus is baptised by John, and is the longest continuous dialogue from Jesus in scripture. The Beatitudes is one of the most widely quoted parts of this. Some see it as a sort of eight steps to being a successful Christian. Do these things and you will be all right! So this is certainly one aspect we could choose to focus on. But there is something else, not just what we must do to be a good Christian, but who this message is most directed towards. Whilst there are eight beatitudes here, St. Augustine of Hippo started a tradition of treating the eighth as a restatement of the first, as both conditions come with the same reward: “theirs is the kingdom of heaven” being particularly addressed to those who are “poor in spirit” and who are “persecuted for righteousness’ sake”. In the artwork A sermon for our ancestors (2006), Laura James draws on Ethiopian Christian traditions in both the style of the work and also in depicting Jesus as black, surrounded by black followers. Rebekah Eklund, Associate Professor of Theology at Loyola University, Maryland, USA, says this: In each scene, those receiving Christ’s blessings are African men and women at various stages of their enslavement, with the exception of a white man (‘the merciful’) who conceals two slaves under a blanket in the bottom of his boat. Of all the individual Beatitude scenes, the largest appears just above the central section; those who mourn witness a lynching while two white men observe with folded arms. [1] Entitling the work A sermon for our ancestors, James points clearly both to the persecution of slaves in the past, but also to their descendants who are still treated differently today. Those who suffered and are suffering are the blessed; those who provide the suffering or stand by and watch, theirs is a different story. A hymn that we often sing at Epiphany, Brightest and best, penned by Malpas-born Reginald Heber ends with the line Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor. Reginald Heber and Laura James both follow Jesus in the Beatitudes in making a clear link between those who suffer and the Kingdom of God. And these are the people we remembered on Sunday, All Saints’ Day. Those who, despite their suffering or difficult situation, have shown us how to live a life of faith. Let us remember them and think what their example tells us about how we should be saints in our own day. Matthew [1] The Visual Commentary on Scripture, 'Black is Blessed', https://thevcs.org/blessed/black-blessed, accessed 26.10.2020. The National Methodist Choir of Great Britain last month released their recording of O Lord, the Clouds are Gathering. The production, featuring Graham Kendrick, the MAYC (Methodist Association of Youth Clubs) Orchestra & Singers and OneSound was recorded for Peace Sunday. A beautiful piece of music, may it inspire you during these days. ‘Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father’ (STF51)
This is a hymn that was popularised by Billy Graham who used it frequently on his international crusades. I have memories of singing this hymn at the Anfield crusade in 1984. ‘New every morning is the love’ (STF137) This is a hymn that was sung frequently in school assemblies when I was a young lad and I liked it best. The writers of the hymns, Thomas Chisholm and John Keble, both found their initial inspiration from the words in Lamentations chapter 3, verses 22 and 23, “Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassion never fails. They are new every morning; Great is your faithfulness.” Both hymns have words beautifully phrased, give reassurance, and bring memories of times long past. John Clarke Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with thee; thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; as thou hast been thou for ever wilt be: Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest, sun, moon and stars in their courses above, join with all nature in manifold witness to thy great faithfulness, mercy and love: Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! Thomas O. Chisholm (Singing the Faith 51) New every morning is the love our wakening and uprising prove; through sleep and darkness safely brought, restored to life, and power, and thought. New mercies, each returning day hover around us while we pray; new perils past, new sins forgiven, new thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven. Old friends, old scenes, will lovelier be, as more of heaven in each we see; some softening gleam of love and prayer shall dawn on every cross and care. The trivial round, the common task, will furnish all we ought to ask; room to deny ourselves, a road to bring us daily nearer God. Prepare us, Lord, in your dear love for perfect rest with you above; and help us, this and every day, to live more nearly as we pray. John Keble (Singing the Faith 137) A prayer for the month of October, written and read by The Rev'd. Richard Teal, President of the Methodist Conference: The church small group hosted by Naomi Emison has been meeting fortnightly on Zoom. We were discussing a book by the American theologian Walter Brueggemann entitled Reality, Grief, Hope. In it, he examines the crisis for the people of Israel which was the fall of Jerusalem. His thesis is that the cataclysmic event was brought about in part by the elitism, sense of entitlement and disregard for the poor and disadvantaged that characterized those in power. He maintains that the role of the prophets and the Psalmists was to make them face up to the reality of their situation, to grieve for what they had lost, and then offer them a new way of living and hope for the future. Brueggemann then goes on to draw parallels between the fall of Jerusalem and the crisis in American life that was 9/11. The book, written in 2014, was not an easy read, but much of what he said resonated with me in the situation in which we find ourselves today. The Covid-19 crisis has rocked not just our nation but the whole world. It has shown up the injustices of our society, the vulnerability of whole sectors, the huge rift between rich and poor. Our daily lives have changed beyond recognition and we mourn for what used to be. And yet there have been shafts of light in the bleakness: the real sense of solidarity as we all ‘did our bit’ to protect the NHS; the devotion to duty of those working to provide essential services or to care for others; the neighbourliness of the Thursday night ‘clap for carers’; the random acts of kindness as people baked cakes, shopped for neighbours, phoned people up when they couldn’t visit. As we open up to something a little more normal, but still get frustrated by the continued restrictions, are we in danger of losing all that? And where is the Christian church in all this? As I’ve been pondering these questions the last few days, the words of Graham Kendrick’s lovely hymn ‘Beauty for brokenness’ have kept coming into mind. I’ve always loved this hymn, and although it was written in the early 1990s it still has much to say to us today. It speaks of the brokenness and despair of many people; of homelessness and unemployment; of inequality and injustice; of warfare and violence; of environmental degradation. And as an antidote to all that it offers beauty, hope, light, salvation and the love of God. Beauty for brokenness, hope for despair – surely that, through prayer, proclamation and action, is what the church has to offer to the world? Beauty for brokenness, hope for despair, Lord, in your suffering world this is our prayer. Bread for the children, justice, joy, peace, sunrise to sunset, your kingdom increase! Shelter for fragile lives, cures for their ills, work for all people, trade for their skills; land for the dispossessed, rights for the weak, voices to plead the cause of those who can't speak. God of the poor, friend of the weak, give us compassion we pray: melt our cold hearts, let tears fall like rain; come, change our love from a spark to a flame. Refuge from cruel wars, havens from fear, cities for sanctuary, freedoms to share. Peace to the killing-fields, scorched earth to green, Christ for the bitterness, his cross for the pain. Rest for the ravaged earth, oceans and streams plundered and poisoned -- our future, our dreams. Lord, end our madness, carelessness, greed; make us content with the things that we need. Refrain Lighten our darkness, breathe on this flame until your justice burns brightly again; until the nations learn of your ways, seek your salvation and bring you their praise. Refrain Graham Kendrick (Singing the Faith 693) Elizabeth Holmes As the weather changes and the season turns from summer to autumn, this prayer of acceptance may be of help to us:
Eternal One who circles the seasons with ease, teach me about Earth’s natural cycle of turning from one season to another. Remind me often of how she opens herself to the dying and rising rotations, the coming and going of each of the four seasons. Open me today to the teachings of the season of autumn. When I accept only the beautiful and reject the tattered, torn parts of who I am, when I treat things that are falling apart as my enemies, walk me among the dying leaves; let them tell me about their power to energise Earth’s soil by their decomposition and their formation of enriching humus. When I fear the loss of my youthfulness and refuse to accept the reality of ageing, turn my face to the brilliant colours of autumn trees; open my spirit to the mellow resonance of autumn sunsets and the beauty of the changing land. When I refuse to wait with the mystery of the unknown; when I struggle to keep control rather than to let life evolve, wrap me in the darkening days of autumn and encourage me to wait patiently for clarity and vision as I live with uncertainty and insecurity. When I grow tired of using my own harvest of gifts to benefit others, take me to the autumn fields where Earth shares the bounty of summer and allows her lands to surrender their abundance. When I resist efforts to warm a relationship that has been damaged by my coldness, let me feel the first hard freeze of autumn’s breath and see the death it brings to greening, growing things. When I neglect to care for myself and become totally absorbed in life’s hurried pace, give me courage to slow down as I see how Earth slows down and allows her soil to rest in silent, fallow space. When I fight the changes of unwanted, unsought events and struggle to keep things just as they are instead of letting go, place me on the wings of traveling birds flying south, willing to leave their nests of comfort as they journey to another destination. When I fail to say “thank you” and see only what is not, instead of what is, lead me to gather all the big and little aspects of my life that have blessed me with comfort, hope, love, inner healing, strength, and courage. Maker of the Seasons, thank you for all that autumn teaches me. Change my focus so that I see not only what I am leaving behind, but also the harvest and the plenitude that my life holds. May my heart grow freer and my life more peaceful as I resonate with, and respond to, the many teachings this season offers to me. This prayer is taken from The Circle of Life: The Heart’s Journey Through the Seasons by Joyce Rupp and Macrina Wiederkehr. As Wendell Berry wrote, 'the summer ends, and it is time to face another way.' John Clarke I found this very simple prayer, which sums up all my thoughts into one small verse.
How hard can it be to do what these words describe, day in day out, and adhere to all these words? Surely this is an easy task? It seems not, in reality we often lose sight of this. What a wonder Jesus was. To follow in his footsteps is a big ask in this world of bitterness, revenge and suffering, but as Christians, we “plod on” and try our best to do the right thing, and help others. Sometimes the mountain seems too high to climb, and we beat ourselves up for doing things wrong. But it is OK to make mistakes, as God has shown by his Grace and Forgiveness to all. There are many Biblical characters that made mistakes…and came good!! Look at the Apostle Paul, who we have been following in our online Sunday services. Before He was Paul, he was Saul, intent in persecuting the followers of Jesus, but he saw through God, that Jesus is the way, the truth and the light. Peter, who denied ever knowing Jesus, but was so remorseful afterwards, and preached the word of God until his death. Following in Jesus’ footsteps helps ground us, so we stop and think about our actions. Are we helpful and forgiving to others? Do we love our neighbour like ourselves? If we make a mistake, let's pray, and reboot, regain our relationship with God! God wants us to live by the simple things that mean a lot, a kind word, a listening ear, a thought for others. These are all neighbourly tasks which are doable in our everyday life, and there are many scriptures which reveal how God wants us to live. Galatians 5:22 (ESV) says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness." Gail Molyneaux The American media personality, model and businesswoman Kylie Jenner recently posted on social media, “Can you guys please recommend books that made you cry?”, to which Saransh Garg replied, “Data Structures and Algorithms in Java, (2nd Edition)”! Perhaps over the summer you’ve had the opportunity to read a good book. It may have been one you’d been waiting to read for a long time, a book recommended by a friend or something that caught your eye over the top of your mask in a shop! We all love a good story. The Christian faith is a collection of stories passed down from generation to generation, either through word of mouth and experience or written manuscripts, books and letters. The Gospel writers Matthew, Mark, Luke and John tell us the stories of Jesus, his life, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension to the Father. Although John acknowledges that his account was a mere snapshot, when he says, “There are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they would all be written, I suppose that even the world itself wouldn’t have room for the books that would be written.” (John 21 verse 25, WEB) The Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus (37-100AD) also wrote about Jesus when he said, “About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Christ.” We hear those stories of Jesus and we re-tell them ourselves to family, friends, maybe even sometimes to strangers, so that together we share in the good news of Jesus Christ, realise that he was no ordinary man, learn more about what faith in him can mean and understand his promises to us and for our generation. So next time you are asked to recommend a good book, why not recommend “the” good book. By the way has anyone read “Data Structures and Algorithms in Java, (2nd Edition)”? Listen to “Thy Word”, from the musical Greater than Gold, by Roger Jones. Andrew Ellams There are those who have both written and spoken, saying if there is a god, why is god so cruel? Why does he demand so much of us?
These questions can be countered by asking another: “Does God demand of us something he is not prepared to do himself”, and then referring to a passage in the Bible such as Paul’s letter to the Philippians Chapter 3 verses 1 to 11. “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” (Philippians2:1-3) This passage reveals for us the breathtaking fact as to what is at the very heart of God and of His greatness. This is the God we are called to believe in and adore and whose light we are to conduct our lives in. May the mind of Christ my Saviour live in me from day to day, by his love and power controlling all I do or say. May the word of God dwell richly in my heart from hour to hour, so that all may see I triumph only through his power. May the peace of God my Father rule my life in everything, that I may be calm to comfort sick and sorrowing. May the love of Jesus fill me, as the waters fill the sea; him exalting, self forgetting -- this is victory. May I run the race before me, strong and brave to face the foe, looking only unto Jesus as I onward go. Katie Barclay Wilkinson (Singing the Faith 504) John Clarke The Republic of Ireland Department of Health launched a YouTube video in March of this year to help people with social distancing. It started by asking the question “How far is 2 metres?” and then went on to provide some helpful hints … … 2 metres = 200 centimetres … or 6 feet 7 inches … about the length of a double bed … or about the arm span of an average adult … or about twice the arm span of an average child I prefer this visual reminder from Coult Decorators at their premises in Aintree, that reminds people to “keep 2 Beetles apart”! Whilst we have become familiar with social distancing in the 21st Century, social-distancing measures date back to at least the 5th Century before the birth of Christ In the book of Leviticus, chapter 13 and verse 46 we read these words in association with someone suffering from plague, “All the days in which the plague is in him he shall be unclean. He is unclean. He shall dwell alone. His dwelling shall be outside of the camp.” In the Gospel of St Luke chapter 17 and verse 12 we read, “As Jesus entered into a certain village, ten men who were lepers met him, who stood at a distance.” Jesus is travelling along the border of Samaria and Galilee when the lepers call out to him, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” “Go and show yourselves to the Priests,” Jesus replies. The lepers go to the priests and are cleansed, but the story doesn’t end there. A single leper, a Samaritan, returns and throws himself at the feet of Jesus to give thanks. Ten lepers are healed and a single one returns. “Weren’t the ten cleansed? But where are the nine?”, asks Jesus, before saying to the one leper, “Get up and go your way. Your faith has healed you.” As humans we struggle with gratitude. We intend to “say thanks” through sending a card, making a phone call, or sending a short e-mail and yet often we forget and the moment is lost. The story of Jesus and the ten lepers reminds us to be thankful, even when we may feel isolated or be in difficult circumstances and, like the one leper who returned, to praise God for his goodness to us, whilst making sure our thankfulness leads to action. Listen to “Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart": Andrew Ellams Jesus Heals a Boy Possessed by an Impure Spirit
When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked. A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” - Mark 9:14-29 Doubt, says the Christian author Os Guinness, “is a state of mind in suspension between faith and unbelief, so that is neither of them wholly and is each only partly. It is faith in two minds.” Selwyn Hughes, Christian counsellor, author of the ‘Every Day With Jesus’ Bible reading notes, in his handbook “Your personal encourage” (CWR 1994) agrees with Guinness, but adds this comment: “The presence of doubt is not the problem, the critical issue is what we do with it when it emerges.” He follows this up with referring next to Mark Chapter 9 verses 14 to 29. This tells us about a man coming to Jesus confessing to Jesus the struggle he had over healing of his son, but there he is, with Jesus, telling him. He has faith enough to go to Jesus. The point to take here is that it is not doubt that destroys faith, but disobedience, the disobedience of failing to go to Jesus, avoiding the light of the world (John 8:12), the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6) The words of the man to Jesus “I do believe help me to overcome my unbelief” contained in this passage are words we can echo when we are caught not only in the slings and arrow of despair and doubt but at all times we have needs beyond our understanding and control. The words of this hymn may be inspiring: What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer! Have we trials and temptations, is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged: take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness: take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and heavy-laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Saviour, still our refuge -- take it to the Lord in prayer! Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer; in his arms he'll take and shield you, you will find a solace there. Joseph Medlicott Scriven, Singing the Faith 531 John Clarke Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 If you are struggling on your own to face challenges, then you need to know that you are not alone. The God of all comfort is with you. Richard Daly in God’s Little Book of Calm Patricia Barnard
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ReflectionsThe reflections here are written by members of our congregation.
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