tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33393903465703764152024-02-19T02:55:54.213+00:00Colin Gibson BlogColin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-91632318163399088592021-04-18T21:54:00.001+01:002021-04-18T21:54:57.623+01:00<p style="text-align: center;"> <b style="text-align: center;">What Future for
the Church?</b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>A piece written
for Wraysbury News Magazine in Spring 2021<o:p></o:p></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZ8Z2Bm1kDdw00zmcKQXhXMqJCuDrZ61EuoJ-PJ3-VB_f387gqtjqw3wNy97s_px9IvsqD_wTWIzpkK9pslOupzNfGBOS0y75BO4ZEjaBL_W_9tNUSXPWtT4trVvK3FpeFNZzDBfnhv0/s2048/St+M+Canaan+29+Nov+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZ8Z2Bm1kDdw00zmcKQXhXMqJCuDrZ61EuoJ-PJ3-VB_f387gqtjqw3wNy97s_px9IvsqD_wTWIzpkK9pslOupzNfGBOS0y75BO4ZEjaBL_W_9tNUSXPWtT4trVvK3FpeFNZzDBfnhv0/s320/St+M+Canaan+29+Nov+2017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>St Michael's Church Horton: people before buildings?</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Hopefully the woes of 2020-21 will mostly be over by the
time this is published and life will have returned to some kind of normality.
As I write the Prime Minister has just announced that the roadmap leading to
these sunny uplands shows that we are still on course. The Percy and the George
should be opening in a week’s time for those who are happy to eat and drink
outside. But what is the Church going to be like in these new conditions? Will
there even be a Church? And how might it be different?</p><p class="MsoNormal">One of the things that changed during the various lockdowns
is that very much content went on line. It was a challenging experience. We had
to learn how to Zoom, to livestream, to upload and download, and to become
YouTube Creators! Virtual Church went out on Facebook and WhatsApp, and our
clever members bravely ventured into the digital world and picked up dozens of
new skills.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With all this came questions though. Are we still the Church
if we are not meeting and worshipping together? For me there is a qualified
yes. The feeling grew strongly on me, that the same God who is present with me
on one side of the computer screen is also present with my sister or brother on
the other side. The risen Lord Jesus is now in heaven and is not bound by the
restrictions of time and space. All times and places – and people - are before
Him, even under lockdown, in the great NOW of eternity.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For that reason I was open to celebrating communion over the
internet, that is, I bless bread and wine at my end and people then share it
with me using their own bread and wine at the other end. This was controversial.
I was told to expect to face a disciplinary measure and that my theology was out
because communion can only be valid if the people are physically gathered in
the presence of the consecrating priest. However I believe that it is the Lord
who is the host at His table, not the vicar: that it is He who consecrates
bread and wine; that to focus only on material factors undermines participation
in the heavenly life of Jesus and the spiritual sharing that is our joyful
inheritance. Of course I would far rather that we could all meet and share communion
together – but the question is what to do when this has been banned. I felt it
was cruel to deny God’s people the comfort of His sacrament when they most
needed it, and when I learned that people were just doing it anyway, were
taking bread and wine together with the Bishop in the online communion put on
by our Diocese itself, I applauded their good sense and got on with it.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The powers that be in the Church of England tell us that
digital Church is here to stay, even when in-person church resumes. We are
discovering new members online, people who turn up on digital services who we
don’t see in our physical services. We also always have people who would love
to be with us in church but can’t, because they have become frail or are
unwell, or not able to drive any more, because they are away on business a lot
or need to give 24-hour care to a family member. So we will go on connecting
with people into the future, using whatever means are available, including
digital ones. However there are all sorts of things to be worked through, for
example: what is the quality of discipleship when we can engage simply by
“liking” a post, or watching a video for a couple of minutes or even leaving it
playing while we make a cup of tea? How do we foster a corporate identity with
people we don’t physically meet? And what becomes of the Church of England’s parish
system when we have viewers from the Midlands, Yorkshire, Scandinavia, Canada,
the USA…? And how can clergy, already in many cases struggling with multiple
churches, find the time and energy to take on an additional virtual church as
well? When we give time to nurturing our digital congregation, how can it not
be at the cost of reducing the time available to our physical parishioners? But
for now we are just very grateful that technology has given the means to
communicate with people at all…</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As a vicar it is impossible not to be aware of the terrible
human cost of the pandemic. There have been many funerals, some of them of
people whose lives and contributions to our community are celebrated elsewhere
in this issue. Not a few have been a great shock to the families concerned
because those who died appeared to be in the pink of good health. It has been
tragic to become aware of these sudden shocking bereavements, of people not
allowed to visit a dying parent because of the restrictions, of deeply grieving
people who have been excluded from funeral services because of strict
limitations on attendance. For what it is worth your local churches have been
labouring in prayer for those who are struggling with such heavy burdens. Good
Friday has been especially poignant for me this year as we have considered
afresh the sufferings of Jesus, the Man of Sorrows, going through the terrible
suffering which was the cost of His loving identification with us. If you have
ever asked, “Where is God in all this?” - start here.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2020/21 was also really hard on those planning to be married.
Long cherished plans had to be abandoned as weddings were either banned
altogether or restricted to tiny numbers – who wants to celebrate what should
be the best day of their life with just a handful of others present? Some faced
the heartbreak of repeated postponements as hoped for relaxations of the rules
did not materialise, others lost their incomes to Covid and had to cancel
altogether. It was awful. At the present moment couples are cautiously starting
to re-book. Let’s hope we have a summer of joyful weddings in store.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But the more we have missed each other, the gladder we have
been to come back together and meet once more in person. Our churches finally
resumed Sunday worship before Easter. Although our instincts were to shout from
the rooftops that we are back in business at last, we had to keep a low profile
because we were still under restrictions on numbers and we didn’t want to find
ourselves forced to turn people away. We had to book in, wear masks, keep
social distance, forego wine in communion, and perhaps the most missed, no
congregational singing (though we were allowed a choir of up to three, who
really lifted our hearts.) It’s all been worth it for the sheer happiness of
being together again.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So if the church were to learn anything from these
disturbing times, I hope it would be to become a more people-centred,
open-hearted and compassionate Church, more aware and more supportive of one
another in our struggles. This is surely what the Lord who came to share our
flesh and blood, our joys and our sufferings, wants for us. Perhaps we lose
sight of His goals when we are preoccupied with our busy programmes, our
committees, our overstressed and anxious lives. Perhaps it takes a pandemic to
make us stop and ask ourselves what is it that truly matters. “Love God and
love your neighbour,” said Jesus.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To this end I share with you the following notice, which I
found pinned up in a church in a little country village in Hampshire, back in
distant times when holidays were still allowed:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><b>This Church</b> is Dedicated
to the Kingship of Jesus Christ.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Jesus is the Head</b>, not the
Bishop, not the Vicar, not the Church Council or the people – but Jesus Christ.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>All are very welcome</b>
through the doors of His house. When you come, forgive the human weaknesses of
the people you will find here: it is Jesus Christ who waits to greet you.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Especially welcome</b> are the
little children, the sick, the lonely, the unloved, the weak, the confused, the
overstressed, the hurting, the worried, the anxious, the abandoned, those whose
friendships and marriages have broken, those who are searching for more
meaning, and those who cannot understand these difficult times. This is your
home. Christ awaits your coming.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Also welcome</b> are the
proud, the arrogant, the cynical, the critical and the egocentric, those who
are independent, those who are strong and feel they need no help. Don’t kid
yourself, your home is here also - you must admit it eventually!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>We will not ask</b> for your
money. We will not give you a job to do. We will not ask you to hold a coffee
morning to raise funds. We will not ask you to restore a building.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>We will meet with Jesus Christ</b>
and worship God together. We will meet each other’s needs and learn to
understand each other. We will shed the burden of all the pretence in our lives
and take the risk of being humble and vulnerable.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That’s the kind of Church I would like to belong to.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKiMt2Li1HWnD6uB7Di9-GSdPrQ0ZRxingBO5LP8aI4MYYRMe4RpyjpaeOAq8KGVr14mXGJisK9-VW8FFca41ihT_N1Om3TEVTXQYlua52d3qLXqPvTqDWweLlfAirmm82CSXBopHc9vw/s3304/St+A+people+Harvest+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="3304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKiMt2Li1HWnD6uB7Di9-GSdPrQ0ZRxingBO5LP8aI4MYYRMe4RpyjpaeOAq8KGVr14mXGJisK9-VW8FFca41ihT_N1Om3TEVTXQYlua52d3qLXqPvTqDWweLlfAirmm82CSXBopHc9vw/s320/St+A+people+Harvest+2019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>St Andrew's Church Wraysbury: people before buildings?</i></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-56068203759545480572021-04-12T21:56:00.000+01:002021-04-12T21:56:14.272+01:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTV1ecKAUnV7JlbOYpAHBlQPTUFYCHdw2uk-gMVjp_IoJZpgGL9Ws-IF-JTluT6VywxhC36RZIT8Axn8dLTUrTQOEGCp4xA-bVXMsO1_xcc_W8SwKw4MJm_Bap_6HfMwi2PX-ECvthUE/s300/HRH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTV1ecKAUnV7JlbOYpAHBlQPTUFYCHdw2uk-gMVjp_IoJZpgGL9Ws-IF-JTluT6VywxhC36RZIT8Axn8dLTUrTQOEGCp4xA-bVXMsO1_xcc_W8SwKw4MJm_Bap_6HfMwi2PX-ECvthUE/s0/HRH.jpg" /></a></div><br /> Here is a summary of the address given at St Michael's on Sunday 11 April by Vicar Colin: <p></p><p>The Duke of Edinburgh was a force for stability in a time of unprecedented change. Her Majesty Queen ELizabeth ascended the throne before I was born, they’ve always been there, through the loss of Empire, joining the EU and leaving it again, through the industrial, post-industrial, nuclear, electronic and digital ages. It feels like one of the last reassuring marker posts has gone. Everything else has altered in ways inconceivable…</p><p>Prince of Denmark and of Greece, married into a family whose roots are German, Philip was a European. Whatever we may think of the EU as an organisation, Philip reminds us that British identity is connected to our neighbours. As Christians we belong to something much bigger than either the UK or the EU, stretching back 2,000 years and forward into eternity, and embracing billions of people all round the world. Brexit may be arguable on administrative or economic grounds but it can never be defended on the basis of fear or hatred of our neighbours.</p><p>Prince Philip was pushing the cause for the environment long before it was fashionable or even widely acknowledged, for example in his decades long presidency of the World Wildlife Fund. Here’s a quote from him about nature and God: “If God is in nature, nature itself becomes divine, and from that point it becomes reasonable to argue that reverence for God and nature implies a responsibility not to harm it, not just for our own selfish interests, but also as a duty to the Creator.”</p><p>My daughter is one of thousands of proud holders of the Duke of Edinburgh award. Prince Philip created this and other schemes such as the playing fields initiative because he believed in young people, their energy, creativity and ability to rise to a challenge, and demanded that they be given opportunities to shine.</p><p>Prince Philip was of course a war hero, serving in the Royal Navy throughout WW2 and decorated several times over not for who he was but for what he did. Perhaps it was from the Navy that he got his famous - how to describe it? Directness? Bluntness? Brusqueness? Crustiness? He always called things as he saw them. Many people loved him for his honesty. He could never be one of those who says one thing while thinking another.</p><p>As she herself testifies, Prince Philip gave unstinting loyalty to Her Majesty the Queen. Selflessly and dutifully he put her needs and concerns, and those of her heavy calling, ahead of his own. This must have been far from easy for a man of vigorous action. In serving her he was also serving his country of which she is the Head of State. He supported many hundreds of organisations because he believed that someone with his privileges should use them to make a difference.</p><p>What about the Prince’s personal faith? We don’t know. He was of a generation that was reticent about such things – perhaps too reticent as our silence has allowed the nation to slip into a spiritual and moral vacuum. But we do know that he never demurred from the Queen’s radiant personal Christian faith which is so evident in her Christmas broadcasts and that his personal book collection contains hundreds on the subject of religion. See the third paragraph above for the spiritual values undergirding his high regard for the natural world.</p><p>Our reading today, chosen for us by the Church authorities, was “I am the Bread of Life” from John Chapter 6, where Jesus calls people to share with him in eternal life through faith in him. We come to this sad day of national loss shortly after the commemoration of the world-changing events of the first Good Friday and Easter, when Jesus suffered the pangs of death for us and then arose to open the gateway to life forever. So it is in Jesus’ name that we commend to God with thanksgiving our thoughts and memories of our beloved Prince. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.</p>Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-63384188544398539252021-04-07T20:24:00.000+01:002021-04-07T20:24:24.583+01:00<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJpKr_U7ExHNZcMj_gMmcUS1rcEYe7S3XE30sIaEIFCOYVhHaFF1YHM-RS-FP34jJ8c1BSkQNC0bqMTgRw_zwP5or1WbNcO5c21Hqb0ePIUbIvK9tsJzAmmnfVffklczi-QBS1nOIEXg/s1454/Rembrandt+Easter+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJpKr_U7ExHNZcMj_gMmcUS1rcEYe7S3XE30sIaEIFCOYVhHaFF1YHM-RS-FP34jJ8c1BSkQNC0bqMTgRw_zwP5or1WbNcO5c21Hqb0ePIUbIvK9tsJzAmmnfVffklczi-QBS1nOIEXg/s320/Rembrandt+Easter+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b> Easter Reflection: Rembrandt</b><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">This Rembrandt is from the Queen’s collection at Buckingham Palace. Here is Mary in the very act of realisation – it really isn’t the gardener! Her hands are still getting ready to anoint a dead body. Her face, full of shock, awe and wonder realises she is in fact dealing with a live Jesus – very much alive! There’s her little pot of spices to anoint him on one side of her, and there’s the reason why it is completely unnecessary on the other. A shaft of dawn light from the left illuminates Jesus in his glorious white robe, but it also illuminates Mary’s face, lit up with this new dawn!</p><p style="text-align: left;">In the cave there are the two angels from the story, sprawled a little nonchalantly over the grave where so recently the body of Jesus lay so very still and dead. One of them raises his eyes in the time honoured gesture that says, “She’s got it at last!”</p><p style="text-align: left;">The picture uses Rembrandt’s favourite chiaroscuro technique, literally lightdark. So many of his paintings have deep pools of darkness so areas of light stand out much more strongly by contrast. Here we have a dark cave contrasting with a bright Easter dawn. A great big pillar separates the two and splits the picture in half: darkness on one side, light on the other. Jesus is the bridge between the two, standing in the light and turned towards it. He is the way out of darkness into light: he is the Resurrection and the Life.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Also caught in the morning sun are the gleaming towers of Jerusalem. But is this a more than earthly splendour? Is this actually the New Jerusalem? For the New Jerusalem is God’s goal and destiny for us, through the resurrection of his Son.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In the picture, Jesus has actually dressed up as the gardener Mary mistakes him for. He has the hat, the pruning knife tucked into his belt, and the spade of a gardener. He’s relaxed, hand on hip, as he says the single word that changes everything – “Mary!” Rembrandt’s portrayed this holiest of moments as a sort of practical joke! And just possibly the resurrection is the most wonderful cosmic joke: a joke surely on us. All our strivings, ambitions, anxieties, achievements, wealth, self-importance, pride and glory, suddenly swallowed up by overwhelming life and joy! Could we really have taken our doings so very seriously? We tied ourselves up with all these irrelevant things, but now they are as gloriously useless as Mary’s pot of burial spices. Here is the life we were really meant for in all its fulness! And our own futile efforts to achieve it completely by-passed.</p><p style="text-align: left;">And finally there’s the gaze of Mary into Jesus’ eyes, and his into hers. The relationship between Mary and Jesus cuts diagonally across that huge dividing line down the middle of the picture. It is our relationship with Jesus, or His with us, that brings us out of darkness into marvellous light.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p><br /></p>Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-49498006152699957192021-04-07T20:05:00.001+01:002021-04-07T20:05:05.087+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYA7HWhmoFGhzEBtycpAzYjsWvteGDyr1RwhJ-XS64gwZyM49VMQSPW7KwhUV1aLAGPm2pYMEyBVdAghvBbfVSBTngbe98v6wUem6b_e-REqUD81nfQVerqLgq93Twp5YqsVlgJXkF5U/s1649/giotto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1294" data-original-width="1649" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYA7HWhmoFGhzEBtycpAzYjsWvteGDyr1RwhJ-XS64gwZyM49VMQSPW7KwhUV1aLAGPm2pYMEyBVdAghvBbfVSBTngbe98v6wUem6b_e-REqUD81nfQVerqLgq93Twp5YqsVlgJXkF5U/s320/giotto.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Reflection 3: Giotto – Lamentation<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>The last in a series of three reflections from St Andrew's Church Wraysbury on Good Friday 2021</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -18pt;">It’s dark again! This
time because it’s evening. There’s been an unseemly rush to dispose of the
bodies of Jesus and the two criminals crucified with him before sunset, which
marks the start of the new day in Hebrew chronology. The next day would be the
Passover Sabbath, the holiest of days, which could not be profaned by touching
a dead body.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Tenderly holding Jesus’
feet we find Mary Magdalene again, as she was found at the feet of Jesus only
days before when she anointed them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">All around are the other
disciples. Some are saints and have haloes, others are just ordinary people who
love Jesus and want to be near Him even in death. Look how the women in
particular take his hands in theirs, cradle his head, gaze incredulously into
His unseeing eyes wondering how it could even be possible that the Lord of life
could have died. Every face is contorted with grief at that particular stage
where you just can’t believe it could possibly have happened… <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This is a picture
for everyone who has ever been bereaved, telling us with enormous eloquence
that God understands, He has been there, for God too is present grieving over
His Beloved Son.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The angels above
them, with their contorted faces and postures are grieving too. There is a sort
of paroxysm going on following the death of Jesus which affects the whole cosmos,
human, natural and divine. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">For nature too is
grieving. Look at this bleak, lifeless, almost formless landscape. It calls to
mind the beginning of Genesis when it tells us the earth was “waste and void.”
This is highly significant for it indicates that the pattern of Jesus’ time since
he entered Jerusalem a few days before has been following the way of the
Creator of Genesis. He enters Jerusalem on the first day and sets about the
work of ministry, as God does the work of creation over five days. On the sixth
day God creates humanity: on the sixth day Jesus the Son of Man is destroyed.
On the seventh day God the Creator rests, and thus calls into being Shabbat: on
Shabbat Jesus rests in the tomb, his terrible work completed. But after that
rest, Jesus rises and with him the world is re-created.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The rockiness of
the landscape also calls to mind the rocky cave where the body of Jesus spend
that epoch-changing Shabbat.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Finally, there
are two more figures, bottom left, in green and white, with their backs turned
towards us. Their positioning is odd because they block our full view of Jesus.
They are like actors who upstage the main action by standing in the wrong place.
They are ordinary people, they have no haloes… What are they doing there? Surely
they are there because they represent us. In them, Giotto invites us to come
and be part of this picture, to sit with Jesus and grieve, to share in the
experience of His death - so that we may also share in His coming resurrection.</span></p>Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-8477586908338427692021-04-07T17:26:00.000+01:002021-04-07T17:26:08.996+01:00<p style="text-align: center;"> <b style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXBV_VqejYqeixWHTE-P1u-8AP0p5vdhCoDVdKAGRzyjc3Ans0gr74JO3PdsEHeM9bM9-SWiQnI0NRXjIuambL9va7CKqsoe2tCorrR3nxVo7oYw9RwxAzpktgFxeEdN0hlrRQDqXGzuo/s529/grunewald.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="529" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXBV_VqejYqeixWHTE-P1u-8AP0p5vdhCoDVdKAGRzyjc3Ans0gr74JO3PdsEHeM9bM9-SWiQnI0NRXjIuambL9va7CKqsoe2tCorrR3nxVo7oYw9RwxAzpktgFxeEdN0hlrRQDqXGzuo/s320/grunewald.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Reflection 2: Grünewald – Isenheim altar piece<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><i style="text-align: center;">This is the second of three reflections used at St Andrew’s Church Wraysbury on Good Friday 2021</i></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It’s dark again! This
is because of the Gospel writers’ statement that “At the sixth hour darkness
came over the whole land.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">So who are these
various figures standing around? They are not the mob of Bosch’s painting, nor
the Roman soldiers and the Pharisees of the Gospel accounts. Even the two
thieves crucified with Jesus have been stripped out. Grünewald wants us to
focus firstly and fundamentally on Jesus himself, and then on just a handful
of figures in the way they react to his crucifixion.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">On the left is Mary
Magdalen, always identifiable in Christian iconography by her beautiful flowing
golden hair – a prostitute redeemed by Jesus. By her side is an alabaster jar,
a reminder of the costly ointment she poured on Jesus’ feet just a few days
before: but also of the jar of spices she would later bring to anoint Jesus’
body on the day of resurrection. She gazes despairingly into the stricken face
of Jesus…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Mary the mother
of Jesus is uncharacteristically dressed in white – she is normally shown in a
blue robe. Is this a shroud she is wearing? She identifies deeply with Jesus in
his suffering and death. As Simeon prophesied long before when she brought
Jesus as a baby to be dedicated in the Temple, “And a sword shall pierce your own
heart also.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Tenderly cradling
Mary is John the beloved disciple. This is in reference to the words of Jesus
from the cross, thinking not of himself but of other, in the same way that he
says, “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing,” so he also
says to John, “Behold your mother,” and to Mary, “Behold your son.” Among the
many other meanings of the cross is the message that we should show compassion to
one another as God shows compassion in Christ to us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">On the right is
John the Baptist. What’s he doing here? He’s supposed to have been beheaded
perhaps a year before. Grünewald knows this and shows John in red, for the
blood of the martyrs. It’s because John prophesied, saying of Jesus, “behold
the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” And there is a lamb by
John’s feet. There is blood coming from its side and falling into a chalice –
the blood of Christ shed for us. John is there to remind us that the cross is
the fulfilment of prophecies such as Isaiah 53 or Psalm 22, and also the fulfilment
of the Passover Feast with the central act of the slaughtered lamb and its saving
blood from Exodus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It is Jesus himself
though who is absolutely central. He is larger than the other characters and
totally dominates the picture. This is a desperately confrontational painting.
Jesus and his agony are right in our faces, demanding to know how we will
respond to such graphic suffering. It is personal, it matters what we decided
about him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Jesus’ body is twisted
in the throes of his last agony. His skin pocked with the savage marks created
by scourging with Roman whips, which had pieces of metal embedded in their
thongs to inflict maximum pain. Take a look in close up. His mouth sags open, his
head is hanging down in utter exhaustion. Unlike the polite tricklings of some
artists, there is much blood, from head, hands, side and feet. And just look at
those hands, cruelly contorted, beseeching the darkness. Here is the cruellest
crown of thorns in any depiction of the cross.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This then is
crucified servant of Isaiah 53, who was “marred and disfigured beyond human
likeness…” This is the agony of Psalm 22 - “I can count all my bones… they
pierced my hands and feet…” – in which Jesus cries, “My God, my God, why have
you forsaken me?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Grünewald has
portrayed Jesus as the one who has spent himself utterly for you, who has given
everything in love until nothing is left. Now how are you going to respond to
him?<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-34519848581984803102021-04-07T16:25:00.002+01:002021-04-18T21:24:40.649+01:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTtgBhzY6lg_0Eq4ast-5R9_xF4i3iG40fYs-w7bkPynwr72BPpVj_7SLKr7sYl1PwR5xwJjpO4IFEohsYz00oXlAS8TYq6xlC_GVVximcSR_sKHjWR1wkumBNLsUfAyYuW7qXOE1Bgw/s1335/bosch.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTtgBhzY6lg_0Eq4ast-5R9_xF4i3iG40fYs-w7bkPynwr72BPpVj_7SLKr7sYl1PwR5xwJjpO4IFEohsYz00oXlAS8TYq6xlC_GVVximcSR_sKHjWR1wkumBNLsUfAyYuW7qXOE1Bgw/s320/bosch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b> </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b>Reflection 1: Hieronymous Bosch – Jesus carrying the cross</b></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>This is the first of three reflections used at St Andrew’s Church Wraysbury on Good Friday 2021</i></p><p>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Darkness! Bosch’s background is inky black, a reflection on the darkness of the cross, spiritual as well as physical.</p><p>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Faces! Every kind of face, but with a few exceptions, most of them twisted to reflect moral deformity of various kinds: cruel, arrogant, sneering, angry, malicious, pompous, hypocritical, greedy, fearful, snarling, gloating faces. Are these possibly the seven deadly sins? Are they possibly us – those for whom Christ died? For Jesus is being led out to die, not for the righteous, but for sinners…</p><p>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The face of Jesus is right in the middle. At first he seems just one among the seething hubbub, lost in this dark eddy of humanity. But then look at his expression, so different: Patient, humble, submitted to the task He must carry out, calm in the midst of rage. </p><p>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Jesus’ face is picked out by the beam of the cross, a great diagonal scything through the mob. Somehow a light seems to be shining along it, gently illuminating his serene expression. The cross that brings such darkness to Him will nonetheless bring light to us.</p><p>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Simon of Cyrene is above and behind Jesus, his hand and chin lifted in the act of taking up the cross. Cyrene was in Libya, and as an African Bosch as depicted him as a black man. Jesus commanded His followers to take up their cross – the first person literally to do this was black. </p><p>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Two other black faces either side of Jesus may be Simon’s sons, Alexander and Rufus, who are named in Mark’s Gospel. The reason for naming them must be that they were known to Mark’s readers. Bosch is referring to the eye witness dimension of the Gospel’s account.</p><p>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>St Veronica is positioned bottom left – you can see she is holding a cloth with yet another face printed on it. This is the legend that Veronica saw Jesus stumble as he was carrying the cross and came to him to wipe his bleeding and sweating face. The image of Jesus' face then miraculously appeared on the cloth she used. Though not described in the Gospels, the story echoes a Gospel truth, that we are all called to bear the image of Christ, to grow into his likeness, and that we cannot do so unless we walk in the way of His cross. Bosch indicates this by showing her face in the same posture and with the same calm, inward expression as Jesus’ face: and a similar light falls on her face as his.</p><p>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The two thieves crucified with Jesus are shown at bottom right and top right. Both are being taunted, one snarls back at his tormentors, but the one at top right is grey with fear at the ordeal he is to undergo. He becomes the penitent thief, the one who turns to Jesus at the last extremity: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom:” “Today you will be with me in prardise.”</p><div><br /></div>Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-23513245434700224642020-04-07T15:43:00.003+01:002020-04-07T15:43:37.357+01:00The second best coat… a story for Palm Sunday<br />
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We’ll call him Fred, because he wore such nice threads…<br />
<br />
Fred lived in times when all garments had to be made individually from material woven by hand. There were no power looms or production lines in those days, so fine clothes were very expensive! Business was good so Fred was comfortably off. As a result, besides his workaday cloak, and his previous best robe he’d been married in some years ago, Fred had been able to splash out on a truly splendid robe for special occasions. He was keeping it for major family events and the holy feasts of Succoth and Passover. Better look after it Fred! It’s Passover any day now - you’ll want to look your best!<br />
<br />
And now he’d heard that the King was coming to town! “What can I do to honour the King?” thought Fred. “I’m certainly going to put my best robe on! Maybe he’ll notice me among all the crowds.” So he fetched the robe from its moth proof chest and set off up the Mount of Olives, which seemed the likely route the King would arrive by.<br />
<br />
Fred’s puffing a bit now. The Mount of Olives is very steep and very high – high enough to block off the morning sun with its heavy brow. As he gets higher, Fred sees a strange golden haze over the summit, almost as if heaven was leaning close, haloing the hilltop. “They do say this King has strange powers,” muses Fred. “I wonder what he’ll do? I do hope he sees me.” And his excitement grows…<br />
<br />
Then he starts to hear strange sounds. Is it thunder rumbling? A stampede? Cheering, singing, shouting, clapping? And suddenly Fred is high enough for the sun to stare over the hill, dazzling him – but he’s just able to make out a vast horde of swirling figures, the source of course of all the noise, everyone yelling at once. And all the romping and dancing and running is stirring up a huge cloud of dust, glittering with the gold of the sun. So that was the halo.<br />
<br />
And there in the middle of everything, a smiling point of peace among the frantic eddying of the people, perched incongruously on a donkey – surely that can only be the King himself? He’s the one they’re shouting for. And they’re not just cheering, they’re doing something too… putting branches in front of the donkey?<br />
<br />
Not just branches! With a stab of alarm, Fred realises that they are taking off their cloaks and laying them down for the King to ride over. “Surely not! Surely the King can’t want people to ruin their robes like this? I mean the dust! The trampling! What if the donkey leaves a mess? Not that anyone here’s got a robe half as good as mine, but if the King knew about it he wouldn’t ask me to do it – would he? It would be irresponsible!”<br />
<br />
And at that moment, Fred comes to a decision. He runs home to fetch his second best robe. “It’s still pretty decent, years of life left in it. The King’s bound to be happy with that!”<br />
<br />
But by the time Fred gets back in his second best robe, the crowd has gone, the King has passed on. Fred has missed the moment when he weeps over Jerusalem, when the crowd surges into the Temple, when they all disperse, looking for the next excitement.<br />
<br />
And a few days later, when Fred learns that the King has been rejected and condemned and executed, does he think, “What a sensible thing that I went back for my second best robe! Saved me from being taken in by that rabble – look at the trouble they are in now?”<br />
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Or later still, when he hears the extraordinary rumours that the King has trounced death and come back, does he stop to imagine what might have been? What if he had laid down his very best for the King?Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-90604189432201460732019-05-20T19:41:00.002+01:002019-05-20T19:41:38.000+01:00English Values<br />
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<i>This is the sermon I preached on Saturday 18 May 2019 at a special service for the Society of St George. The service was held at St Andrew's Wraysbury because their founder, Howard Ruff, lived in Wraysbury and is buried in our churchyard. People were kind enough to say they found my talk helpful, so here it is...</i><br />
<br />
I was recently in Winchester for the first time. Winchester is the capital city of Alfred the Great. What a man! If any one individual has earned the right to be considered the founder of our nation, it's Alfred. He was<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>a warrior leader who turned back the Viking invasion<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>a lawgiver creating the bedrock of our legal system today<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>the founder of the British Navy<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>a man tested by setbacks and adversity<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>a devout Christian who had the Bible translated into Anglo-Saxon<br />
<br />
Sadly though Alfred would never have made it on to the Great British Bake Off! But what a legacy - a profoundly Christian legacy which set the course for our country for the next 1,000 years. There have been many ups and downs and social upheavals along the way. The industrial revolution for example took millions off the land of their birth and enslaved them to machines, creating the underclass so graphically portrayed in the novels of Charles Dickens. For far too long we profited from the wickedness of the slave trade.<br />
<br />
But again and again reformers dedicated to that Christian legacy rose up, for example The Earl of Shaftesbury who stopped children being sent down mines, Josephine Butler who ended child prostitution on the streets of Victorian London, or William Wilberforce who campaigned all his life, and finally succeeded, in outlawing slavery. They were motivated by their passionate Christian faith. If you don't know who these amazing people were, Google them! Find out – they are part of your heritage.<br />
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The roots of English culture are constantly to be found in our day to day language. When we describe a decent person as "the salt of the earth," when we tell a shy person not to "hide their light under a bushel," when we advise someone to "turn the other cheek" or "go the extra mile," when we refuse to "cast our pearls before swine" and watch out for "wolves in sheep's clothing" or throw doubt on an impractical scheme as "building on sand" we are quoting from one single passage from the Bible – the Sermon on the Mount, preached by Jesus. There are literally thousands more in other parts of the Bible. It's the Bible that forms the bedrock of those English values.<br />
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So many of the things that underlie our society's assumptions come from the Bible. Our espousal of tolerance – "live and let live" is the English motto! – comes from the command of Jesus not to judge others. The value we set on individuality comes from the Bible's teaching that every human being is made in the image of God. Our championing of the underdog, our love of freedom, our dislike of hypocrisy and our sense of fair play are all drawn from Biblical values… Or they were.<br />
<br />
When the government decided that British Values should be taught in schools they produced a list: toleration and respect for others, democracy and the rule of law, all good stuff but no mention whatsoever of two thousand years of Christianity in this country. In other words they cut off English values at the base. They wanted to enjoy the fruits of English values while destroying their roots in the Bible and in the lives of the countless inspirational people who were motivated by its life-transforming power. Because without the support of a transcendent narrative, values have no staying power to sustain us. They are simply a matter of people's opinions or even of fashion. And who is to say that one person's opinion is any better than another's?<br />
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The dropping of Christianity from our educational system in my view marks the point at which government committed itself to a secularising programme. Yet this secularisation of our value system has a very high cost. That cost is largely paid by the younger generation. We have unprecedented levels of family breakdown, in spite of research that shows that every measurable outcome for the children of broken homes is worse than for those who stay together. I feel scared as a parent and grandparent by the huge and rising levels of self-harm among young people, the terrifying rate of suicide among young men in particular, by twitter storms full of rage and hate, sometimes perversely whipped up in the name of tolerance, by our obsessions with our body image, with what we eat, with how many people like or follow us.<br />
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Has the absence of a framework of values left our young people in a position where they no longer value themselves? Is secularism actually bad for you? Can you keep on telling people that we are just animals in a random universe, that there is no point looking for meaning and purpose in our lives, without destroying their soul? How can we say every child matters when we have no ultimate basis for saying anything matters?<br />
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You see our values don't come out of a vacuum, they arise from a narrative: that God the Creator of all made us in His image, to share His glory, because God loves us; that we messed up really badly and filled his world with greed and hate and hypocrisy and violence and all the other things so depressingly familiar to us from our daily news; but that God loves us so much that He was even ready to die on a cross to restore us to sanity and to Himself. The meaning of this narrative is that every human being is of infinite value to God, and from this value all other values spring. That is the story I believe our nation needs to hear all over again if it is to find any kind of moral compass, and I am pessimistic about our future if we don't. And that is the story I will tell until my dying day. Amen.<br />
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<i>The statue of Alfred the Great in Winchester</i></div>
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Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-394095330252733612018-11-12T21:50:00.000+00:002018-11-12T21:50:17.330+00:001917Here is the presentation I gave about the Great War in 1917 - part of a series of talks on the individual years of the war given at Wraysbury Village Hall on 11 November 2018 in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Armistice. I felt very proud to reference my grandfather Albert Taylor and the birth of the nation of Finland, my wife's home country.<br />
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">1 9 1 7</span></i></b></div>
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<img alt="Image result for soviet flag" src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" 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101 years ago girl power broke out on the streets of St Petersburg, the Russian Imperial capital! It was International Women's Day – 8 March*. 90,000 female workers walked out of their factories and marched through the streets, shouting "Bread!", "Down with the autocracy!" and "Stop the War!" What on earth had lit such a fire in their hearts?<br />
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Three years of all out warfare is what. The men had all left the fields to go to the front so there was famine! Vast sums of money had gone into arms and equipment, so there was poverty! And husbands and fathers were being killed or horrifically injured, so there was rage! The war to end all wars was about to claim its biggest casualty, Imperial Russia itself.<br />
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Over the past few years Czar Nicholas II had tried to reform the country to meet the growing demand for change, but it was too little, too late. He had assumed control of the Russian war effort and now was held to blame for the carnage. Under the pressure of war the country was breaking up and spinning out of his control. On 15 March* the Czar abdicated.<br />
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The new Republic decided to continue the war. But blood was in the water and already the sharks were gathering. On 16 April* Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, having been allowed freedom of travel across Germany, entered Russia and campaigned for his revolutionary ideology. On 7 November* the Bolsheviks overthrew the government. Lenin began to impose that totalitarian control that would hold Russia in its iron grip for over 70 years.<br />
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While Russia was descending into mayhem a high-ranking officer of the Czar's Imperial Guard returned from a diplomatic tour of the Far East. Although his name – Mannerheim – was German and his first language was Swedish, he was a proud Finn. He had been deeply influenced by the Finnish nationalist revival inspired by Sibelius' Finlandia and publication of the ancient Finnish epic Kalevala. When he saw anarchy on the streets of Russia Mannerheim at once grasped that if the freedom of Finland was ever to be more than a daydream he must act now! He hurried home to Finland, which under his leadership boldly declared independence on 6 December 1917. Out of the fire of war a new nation was born. And I'm glad it was, because if it hadn't happened I would never have met my lovely wife Elisa who is from Finland.<br />
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So the Russian war effort faltered. Eventually peace was sought in negotiations that began on 22 December. A great hope arose for the Germans! No longer did they need to fight on two fronts. With Russia out of the way they transferred huge volumes of troops and resources from East to West, against Britain and France. Surely victory was in their grasp?<br />
*all dates follow western rather than Russian calendar – hence the October Revolution takes place in November.<br />
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<img alt="Image result for Mannerheim" 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" 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Back on the Western front, stalemate in the trenches had gone on for three blood-soaked years. In 1917 many attempts were made to break out and get the war moving once again using new or improving technologies and tactics.<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Tanks – first introduced by the British in 1916 but important developments were to come in 1917 as we shall see…<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Aerial war: Orville and Wilbur Wright had made the first powered flight in 1903 and strategists were not slow to develop the military potential! Initially balloons and aeroplanes were used for battlefield observation. Pilots soon started carrying pistols to loose off at enemy aircraft. Then they were equipped with machine guns either for shooting down enemy flyers or for strafing troops on the ground. Bombs were dropped into trenches.<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The iconic aircraft of the First World War came on stream in 1917. There was the allied Sopwith Camel, the Red Baron's Fokker Triplane, the workmanlike Allied SE5 and the elegant German Fokker Albatross… It was murder up there with squadrons of fighters roving the skies seeking to machine gun you to pieces. The average life expectancy of a Royal Flying Corps pilot in the spring of 1917 was a mere 6 weeks.<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>from 1915 German Zeppelins had been dropping bombs on the UK. For the first time in warfare civilians, not soldiers, were directly in the firing line. On 13 June 1917 came the first raid by gigantic Gotha bombers on London (two earlier attacks had been diverted to other targets). In a horrible foretaste of the Blitz, 162 people were killed in that single raid, including 18 children at a primary school in Poplar.<br />
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<img alt="Image result for gotha bomber" 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" /></div>
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In spite of these new technologies, 1917 brought the battle that perhaps more than any other has come to symbolise the absolute futility, the sickening waste of young lives and the heedless destruction meted out for the sake of a few yards of mud that epitomises the First World War. I refer to the Battle of Passchendaele.<br />
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The other name for the Passchendaele campaign is the third battle of Ypres. Yes we have indeed been here before. In spite of two previous massive battles in the same area in which both sides slaughtered each other to a standstill, no lessons appear to have been learned.<br />
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It all began spectacularly at the Messines Ridge. Around a million pounds of high explosive had been buried deep beneath the Ridge. At 10 past 3 on the morning of 7 June it was detonated in an explosion that was felt on this side of the English Channel. It was the largest man-made explosion before the coming of nuclear weapons. Major–General Charles Hartington commented, "Gentlemen, I do not know whether we shall change history tomorrow, but we shall certainly alter the geography." They certainly did! About 10,000 German troops were killed outright, buried or blown to scraps. There was a relatively easy victory as the Allied armies surged forward into this new moonscape.<br />
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But the impetus slowed down. The worst rains in 40 years, combined with the constant churning of shell fire, turned the soil to the consistency of soup. Both armies floundered hopelessly through attacks and counter attacks, losing casualties as much to drowning in mud as to the relentless pounding of shot and shell. Advances bogged down, supplies could not be delivered, morale plummeted. It was the same endless inconclusive wrestling for a few yards of swamp that had been going on since 1914.<br />
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British casualties were thought to be between quarter of a million and four hundred thousand, German about the same. True, the British broke through one of the German defensive lines – but two more remained beyond it. They never got to the strategic rail junction that was one of their prime objectives, nor did they break through to the Belgian coast, which was the other.<br />
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The German armies now began to be reinforced by troops withdrawn from the Russian front, while the Allies had to send troops away to Italy. The Italians (who were on our side at the time) had been decisively defeated at the battle of Caparetto on 24 October. In the Spring of 2018 German armies were to surge forward and the meagre Allied gains of Passchendaele were swept away like straws in a gale. In his memoirs Prime Minister Lloyd George wrote: "Passchendaele was indeed one of the greatest disasters of the war ... No soldier of any intelligence now defends this senseless campaign…"<br />
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<img alt="Image result for Lawrence of Arabia" 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" /></div>
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Now for some glamour among the gloom of the Western Front: Lawrence of Arabia! By 1917 the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire (which had sided with Germany) was in full swing. In a dashing campaign involving much sudden appearing out of the desert and rapid melting away again, Lawrence blew up bridges, roads and trains and conquered Aqaba. His daring campaign led ultimately to a complete re-drawing of the map of the Middle East, incidentally creating many of the tensions that still plague the area today… But there just isn't time. Watch the film! Back to Flanders and the Battle of Cambrai.<br />
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<img alt="Image result for Mk IV tanks" 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" 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Cambrai displayed one of the first uses of tanks in a mass attack. On 20 November at 6.30am 437 tanks from the Tank Corps lumbered forward from the British lines. It must have been a terrifying sight! Yet maximum speed was 4mph and conditions were truly awful. Shells hitting their armour were deafening, field of view was extremely limited and there was no outlet for exhaust fumes, so the crews got groggier and groggier from carbon monoxide poisoning. On the first day 65 tanks were destroyed by artillery fire, 71 broke down and 43 were ditched. Nonetheless the attack broke through towards their objective, the Hindenberg line. Church bells were rung in England in celebration!<br />
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But there followed a massive German counter-attack in which virtually all British gains were lost. And now we come to the reason why I especially want to cover this battle. My grandfather Albert Taylor took part. He joined up at 16, lying as so many did about his age – but nobody cared enough to check. As German counter attacks broke through small bodies of British troops were hurled forward, sacrifice parties aimed at slowing down the enemy so others could escape. My grandad Albert, 16 years old, was in one of those sacrifice parties. Of the one hundred plus who were thrown forward in his group, only he and one other survived. He was taken prisoner and transported to Germany where he was given the number 181, or "ein hundred ein and ockshish" as he recalled it.<br />
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Conditions were terrible. The German population was starving owing to the British blockade. There wasn't much left over to feed PoWs. Fortunately for grandad Albert, they were desperate for farm workers, so he was sent out to the fields. Here his upbringing in rural Norfolk came to the rescue. His family were desperately poor farm labourers and he had learned how to scrounge and scavenge his way to survival – the odd turnip here and cabbage leaf there… Eventually he escaped. Hiding by day, moving by night, he made his way towards Holland, where he was interned for the rest of the war. Holland being neutral refused to repatriate combatants. His parents did not even know he was alive until 100 years ago today when the war ended.<br />
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On 1 March 1917 an extraordinary telegram was published in the American press. The telegram had been intercepted by the British and decoded in the greatest triumph of espionage in the entire war. It had been sent by a German Diplomat called Zimmerman. It addressed to their embassy in Mexico. It treacherously incited the Mexicans to join in with Germany and promised them the US states of Texas, Arizona and New Mexico if they did!<br />
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The American public went livid! On 6 April 1917 America declared war on Germany. By 26 June the first US troops landed on mainland Europe to take part in the war. From that day more and more soldiers, weapons and resources flowed in a steady tide across the Atlantic. German gains from the Eastern front and in Italy proved too little to counter this massive reinforcement. It was undoubtedly the vast industrial, financial and human resources of the USA that would bring ultimate victory on 11 November 1918. In an industrial-age war the side that had the most factories would win.<br />
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<img alt="Image result for usa flag" 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" 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Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-42347500803644337282018-10-29T10:05:00.000+00:002018-10-29T10:05:04.539+00:00<b>Bible Sunday</b><br />
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Yesterday (Sunday 28 October) was Bible Sunday. Many Christians have a dysfunctional relationship with the Bible so I thought it would be good to put the gist of yesterday's sermon online. I hope it helps!<br />
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<b>How can we understand the Bible correctly?</b><br />
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There are all sorts of weird and wonderful interpretations of the Bible out there! Lots of weird beliefs have come about because people focus on a few difficult to understand sentences and then twisted the obvious bits round to fit the strange bits. Jehovah's Witnesses and blood transfusions are a good example. Other people tie themselves in knots when they treat the Bible as if it were a scientific textbook – but is that what God intended?<br />
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So how are we going to avoid falling into the same trap? We need a big picture so that the more peculiar bits can be fitted into place. Here are four key things to look for when reading the Bible.<br />
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<b>1. God's instruction manual</b> – or, as one preacher calls it, Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Our Creator God loves us, knows what's best for us and tells us what works and what to avoid. Both Old and New Testaments contain lots of this material, like the 10 commandments in the OT and the Sermon on the Mount in the NT.<br />
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<b>2. A handbook of salvation</b> – the trouble with God's instructions is that the human race finds it so very difficult to keep them! We all let God, ourselves and each other down on a regular basis. The Bible calls our tendency to foul every-thing up "sin." This is a big problem for our relationship with a God, who unlike us is holy and loving all the way through. But because God loves us He still reaches out to us. The Bible tells the story of God's rescue mission, foreshadowed in various ways in the Old Testament but really coming into its own when Jesus arrives. Then it tells us what we have to do to receive Jesus for ourselves.<br />
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<b>3. A portrait of Jesus</b> – hang on a minute! I get that the Gospels are about Jesus but what about the Old Testament? But the Gospel writers keep quoting the OT and saying, "actually, this is about Jesus." Jesus Himself did this in today's Gospel Reading from John chapter 5. So think about Jesus being crucified at Passover time, then read the story of Passover from the Old Testament. Or read Isaiah's words about the sufferings of the Messiah in chapter 53 of his great prophecy and compare them with what happened to Jesus. Or look at Psalm 22 and compare it with the Cross…<br />
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<b>4. A stimulus to faith</b> – God doesn't want us to read the Bible, think "how interesting," and just walk away. He wants to provoke a reaction! He wants us to listen as He speaks to us personally through the Bible, to learn to trust Him in good times and bad through the stories of other people who have followed Him. He wants us to respond to what His Son did for us by acting on His words, coming to the cross and above all putting our faith in Jesus.<br />
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If you stick with these four principles you will get lots out of reading the Bible and you will avoid some of the wackier speculations that are floating around out there. Get yourself a clear easy to follow modern version!<br />
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Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-83873973340329932432018-01-23T13:05:00.000+00:002018-01-23T13:05:14.860+00:00Drastic Plastic<br />
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In Blue Planet II, David Attenborough recently showed us the horrific amount of plastic waste that is destroying our oceans...<br />
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Here's one very simple thing we can do to reduce the amount of plastic we produce: ban the sale of those ridiculously elongated plastic containers. You know the ones - most of our gels, shampoos, household sprays and cleaning fluids come in them. Simple, chunky shapes have a much better surface area to volume ratio and therefore use a lot less plastic for the same quantity of fluid. And they don't fall over all the time!<br />
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It's all about marketing. Those distorted shapes look bigger on the shelves and try to kid us that we are getting more product for our money than we really are. One thing we can do as shoppers is refuse to buy the more obvious monstrosities. That alone would make a drastic difference to the amount of rubbish going into landfill and choking up our oceans.Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-14237129719660449792017-12-31T15:35:00.001+00:002017-12-31T15:35:05.158+00:00Review of 2017<br />
Colin's sermon 31 Dec 2017<br />
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Donald Trump tweeted a lot in 2017 – but I won't go into that because we've all had quite enough of that already. I also won't go into North Korea's obsession with nuking other countries because its just too terrifying.<br />
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We've also had a bellyful of Brexit. I suspect that somewhere in the deepest pit of hell some fiend in the department of ironic punishments came up with an idea: "So they want Brexit do they? We'll give 'em Brexit – till it's coming out of their ears!"<br />
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Terrorism was the dominating news story early in the year:<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Bombing at a pop concert in Manchester arena. The artist giving the concert, Ariana Grande, has a huge following among young girls whom she encourages to be confident and strong. Sadly the result was that most of the victims were teenagers with all their lives before them.<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hire cars were driven into crowds on Westminster Bridge and later London Bridge, followed by men running amok with knives, randomly killing innocent people.<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>These wicked acts can only be described as utterly depraved. However the actions of the police and emergency services covered them with glory as they responded with great promptness and effectiveness.<br />
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But more people were killed through neglect, incompetence, penny pinching and indifference in the next disaster – the Grenfell flats fire. Seventy one people died very horribly. Unbelievably there was no ladder tall enough in the Greater London area for the fire service to get to the source of the fire, people fleeing the disaster by the tower's only staircase were ordered back into the building, there were no sprinklers, and the cladding (which should have been fireproofed if it hadn't cost a little more) actually caught fire and spread the blaze rapidly to the inaccessible upper floors. Grenfell was a death-trap and so are hundreds of other similar towers up and down the country. It is widely thought that Kensington Council weren’t bothered because it was social housing for people who in their view perhaps didn't matter very much.<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>But they mattered to God! Church workers were very quickly on the scene offering comfort and support. Churches threw open their doors to provide emergency accommodation for those who were so traumatically made homeless.<br />
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I promised not to mention Brexit, didn't I? But this was the year when Teresa May asked the country to increase her majority. She wanted a stronger hand in dealing with those crafty Eurocrats! Pride comes before a fall, as the Good Book says. We all know how that election went. "Not another one!" Large numbers of seats were lost to the Labour party even though Jeremy Corbyn had been relentlessly portrayed as unelectable. Interestingly the young turned out in force to vote for him because they saw the election as an opportunity to tell the older generation that they don't like the kind of future we are forging for them… mountainous debts… short term low paid jobs… crippling housing costs…<br />
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More politics – Tim Farron was hounded and hounded on one particular issue until he was forced to resign as leader of the liberal democrats. He commented that it was no longer possible in today's Britain for a Christian to lead a political party. That is an indictment of a so called liberal society where everyone is tolerated – except the people we don't want to tolerate. Sadly those unwanted people are more and more – guess who - the Christians.<br />
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More bad news for the Church came when 2017 polls on UK social attitudes showed that fewer and fewer people identify as Christians while more and more identify as "no religion." I wonder where this loss of the shared values which have formed the roots of our culture for hundreds of years is going to take us. I have a very bad feeling about this.<br />
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But I think the biggest story of 2017 is the one that began with Harvey Weinstein. More and more revelations came out from women he had harassed and exploited. As this powerful man fled for cover there seemed to come a once in a generation change. All over the world women rose up and said they had had enough. The Me Too campaign showed that the number of women who have faced sexual ordeals at the hands of evil minded men is outrageously high. The wave of anger reached our own Parliament and toppled men who had assumed that power gave them an entitlement to women's compliance. Christians can only welcome this. Christian prohibitions on adultery and lust were always about protecting people from exploitation and when we threw off those restrictions in the 1960s and 70s we took a dangerous gamble – and lost.<br />
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I'm going to finish this survey with 3 items of Good News:-<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Prince Harry got engaged to Megan: Megan is to be baptised and confirmed in the Christian faith before the wedding and is taking it very seriously<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Raqqa has fallen and with it the IS goal of creating a caliphate in the area they believed God had indicated to them. They will of course resurface elsewhere but their primary objective is lost and God did not help them as their wicked and depraved leaders had promised them. The world should rejoice over this setback for the enemies of humanity.<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In spite of all the Brexit doom and gloom the British stock market ended the year on an all time high! How did that happen?<br />
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But finally, as Christians, how do we respond to all this? What kind of disciples do we have to be to cope with this confusing and sometimes frightening world? Here are four options:<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Be Courageous! Have faith! There are good news stories in there as well as bad. God is still in charge. Stand up for what you believe in. It's not enough to sit in the pew and keep quiet, Christianity will vanish from our land if we do that. Our society needs to hear from us because it is falling to pieces without us!<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Don't respond with anger to a hate-filled world, or you will become like them. As the Bible says, "render no-one evil for evil, but overcome evil with good."<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Model Unity. The picture of 2017 is of a deeply divided society: women against men, old against young, haves against have nots, Muslims being made out to be terrorists, Christians being made out to be bigots, in the frenzy poured out on social media. We can show the world something different: Men and women, old and young, rich and poor, black and white, we are one in Christ. Let's love one another!<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Put compassion into action. The actions of those Christians who came out and cared for people who'd lost everything in the Grenfell disaster spoke more loudly than words. We can do that, not only when there's an emergency but by being there for people in the slow disasters of loneliness, bereavement, illness and poverty.<br />
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Yes folks, it's Bishop Steven's challenges to us all over again. Are we prepared to me more Contemplative? Compassionate? Courageous? More Christ-like? Are you up for the challenge in 2018?<br />
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Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-13648727328573291292017-08-21T13:08:00.000+01:002017-08-21T13:08:53.180+01:00Equality, Diversity and Spirituality<br />
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Equality is one of the great buzz words of our time. No inequalities must be allowed, whether of gender, sexuality or ethnicity: no distinction of creed, colour or class, no ageism or isms of any other kind.<br />
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Yet we are manifestly not equal by any measurable objective standard. Some of us are tall and athletic, others sadly less so. Some of us are great musicians, others cloth-eared. Some are fabulous with figures and awesome with admin – regrettably I'm not one of those! Some are creative, some are practical, some are charismatic high-fliers, some are plodders who get there in the end. Some who are ferociously intelligent academically may be really dense emotionally…<br />
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The fact is that on a secular, materialistic worldview we just can't be equal. A very few of us are Albert Einsteins or Usain Bolts or Nelson Mandelas, and how wonderful for the human race that we can produce such extraordinary people. But the rest of us, in the slow lane – in what verifiable sense are we their equal?<br />
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In fact we can only have genuine equality by abandoning secular materialism. If we are measured by the outward things which are the only things secularism can judge us by, our physical and mental talents, equality is obviously an impossibility. It is a massive self-deception to believe in equality if we are going to hang on to the materialist world view that denies it.<br />
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Our longing that all humans should be equal therefore directs us to a different world view. It is because we are equally beloved of God that we are equal. The God who created us and who in Christ laid down His life for us all is the bedrock for human equality. However strong, talented, rich, beautiful or charming we are, God will never love us more than He loves our neighbour who has none of these things; and however poor, broken, sad or boring their lives may be, He will never love them less. God has already loved both them and us to the uttermost.<br />
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And the great thing about our spiritual understanding of equality is that it makes room for diversity as well. So often societies of both left and right have sought equality through the suppression of difference: "don't let anyone stand out, they might become a threat! Stick 'em all in uniform and make them all the same!"<br />
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A classic example of this is the recent BBC documentary <i>No More Boys and Girls</i>. It's true that stereotyping is no fun at all for those being stereotyped. It may seriously limit their potential. However the response of the programme displays a deplorable poverty in our understanding of equality. We can only be equal if we are all the same. So we are asked to suppress diversity in the name of equality - no more boys and girls.<br />
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But how we dare we say that people who are not the same as us are not our equals? Beneath this attitude lurks the very opposite assumption, that is, the inequality of all people who are not the same as one another. How weird that in trying to make us all the same, secularism actually undermines our equality. And the suppression of difference is too high a price – it is our variety that enables our creativity.<br />
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So instead of turning to sameness we must accept difference on the grounds that all, however diverse, are equally valued. Once again we find ourselves directed to the world of values and away from the poverty of the materialist view. People are valuable because God loves us and identifies with us. And if God loves us with all our differences, it doesn't matter that I'm not Stephen Hawking or George Clooney. God loves me as I am, and He is working out His own plans for the things that make me uniquely me.<br />
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So Hooray for equality! Hooray for diversity! and Hooray for the spirituality that is the only ground in which either can flourish for long.<br />
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Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-42237088247485923792017-06-15T10:15:00.000+01:002017-06-15T10:15:07.850+01:00<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tim Farron has been hounded out of office basically because he is a Christian. What kind of liberal and democratic society are we? For shame!</span>Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-28784995349432437052017-01-05T22:19:00.000+00:002017-01-05T22:24:44.707+00:00Please see below for the text of my letter published in the Times on Tuesday 27 December 2016. Basically it's a response to Matthew Parris's Comment column in which he says that he likes the Christian story and acknowledges it has brought huge benefits to the human race but pity it's a load of cobblers. The Times decided to publish this on Christmas Eve - great timing there.<br />
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Anyway I decided I couldn't let it pass and wrote the following:<br />
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<i>Sir, I suppose I should thank Matthew Parris for being kind to us woolly-minded Christians and our sweet story (Comment, 24 December). However it really does matter whether that story is true or not. The manger at Bethlehem marks the dividing line between two radically opposed visions of humanity. In one, we are objects of and vehicles for the divine love. We are all therefore of infinite value, glorious destiny and enormous potential. In the other, we are no more than other animals, here by accident in a random universe in which it is pointless to seek the meaning of our own lives or of anything else. However compromised it has become over the centuries, it was the first vision that gave us the Renaissance and inspired most of our great thinkers, artists, writers and humanitarians. Our abandonment of it is likely to lead to a new dark ages.</i><br />
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Hope you enjoyed that. Someone wrote to the Times later to say that I am wrong about the Renaissance because it really came from Greek sources which were re-discovered through contact with the Islamic world. However this simplistic secularising view covers the "how" of the Renaissance but not the "why". It overlooks the influence of Christian scholars like Erasmus, the personal faith of leading lights such as Michelangelo and Raphael, and above all the massive degree to which the whole thing was sponsored by the Church. Why did the new learning lead to a cultural transformation in the West and not in Islam? Because the West was ready to receive it. The Christian view that we are made in God's image and are objects of His love is what inspired humanism - it's actually part of our Christian heritage and a great shame that secularists have stolen the word. The vision they have brought to us, as I argue in my letter, actually degrades the value of human beings and is not worthy of the term humanist.<br />
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<i>Michelangelo's David</i></div>
Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-10093455326373678442016-12-07T21:37:00.000+00:002016-12-07T21:37:28.877+00:00I am so incensed by the Home Office's refusal to let three Christian clergy from Iraq visit this country that I have written to the Home Secretary to complain. They had been invited to attend the opening of an Orthodox cathedral in London. Prince Charles was expecting them! Here's what I put in my letter:<br />
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Dear Home Secretary<br />
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Iraqi Archbishops refused visas to visit the UK<br />
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I am deeply offended that the Home Office recently refused visas to three archbishops from Iraq who had been invited to visit the UK. At a time when Christianity is being systematically eliminated from the Middle East this action can only be taken as a rejection of those who desperately need our support. As a fellow Christian I feel ashamed of the negative treatment the UK has meted out to my persecuted brothers.<br />
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Please can the Home Office review its decision, issue an apology to the archbishops and invite them to come and tell their story in this country. Or is it the Government's aim to suppress the news of what is being done to Christians in the Middle East?<br />
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Yours faithfully etc<br />
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Do you agree with me? The why don't you tell the Government what you think?<br />
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Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-53106023542128257042016-06-30T19:27:00.000+01:002016-06-30T19:27:05.962+01:00Bigger than the EU?<br />
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My two little congregations include loved and valued members from lots of back-grounds: Brazilian, Fijian, Finnish, German, Italian, Nigerian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, South African and Zimbabwean. I hope I haven't missed anyone out – and yes, Brits are welcome too! That's not bad two small to medium villages. It's like a foretaste of Heaven, which the Bible describes as containing "a vast multitude, drawn from every tribe and language and people and nation."<br />
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So we belong to something that's much bigger than England, Britain, the EU or for that matter any nation or empire that's ever been. They are things but of a moment whereas the Church stretches back two thousand years and forwards for all eternity. That is why Christians cannot take a narrowly nationalistic view of life: our citizenship is in heaven and extends to all who follow Christ – currently some two and a half billion people.<br />
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There are many valid reasons why people might be unhappy with the EU as an institution: lack of accountability, too much bureaucracy, trade barriers against the Third World and the like. But one reason that can never be acceptable is fear and hatred of those who are different from us. Fear and hatred are simply not worthy of our glorious Lord and Saviour, who calls us all to belong to His great family and makes us one in His Spirit. Let us therefore continue to love one another, welcome the stranger and take our stand for the Gospel of Mercy and the King of Love.<br />
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Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-27514634247806126252016-06-06T10:44:00.000+01:002016-06-06T10:44:17.062+01:00Go to Church and live longer?<br />
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Research published last month found that regular churchgoers were 33 per less likely to die during the 16 year study period than those who never attended. Frequent attenders also showed significantly lower risk of cancer (21% improvement) and cardiovascular disease (27% improvement). Even those who only go sporadically had improved survival rates compared to those who never do. Even when issues like smoking were factored out the improvements remained the same across the board. More details on for example www.cnn.com/2016/05/16/health/religion-lifespan-health<br />
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The study followed the lives of 74,534 American nurses, all women. So what of men? Well there are other studies out there which show that the effect is less marked, but still significant for men. But all these studies seem to be American. I googled churchgoers live longer research and couldn't find a single British study on the net. I wonder why our epidemiologists don't think it's worth investigating…<br />
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What about reasons why this should be so? Here's some possibilities:<br />
o<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>being part of a supportive community?<br />
o<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>taking part in communal singing (which has independently been shown to reduce stress and boost health)?<br />
o<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>clean living – less drugs, tobacco and alcohol?<br />
o<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>believing that your life has value and purpose?<br />
o<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>finding peace of mind?<br />
o<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>trusting that you are loved – by God and others?<br />
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What do you think?<br />
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Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-80265781046984386822015-08-07T13:59:00.000+01:002015-08-07T13:59:09.101+01:00<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.8pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Reasons
for believing (3)</span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I believe in God because Jesus is His Son</span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I am convinced that the character of Jesus is not
fictional. There is no-one anywhere in literature who even begins to compare
with him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">It is very difficult even for a Shakespeare or a
Tolstoy to create a good character who is not bland. This is because we find it
hard to conceive of goodness except as an absence of character flaws – but
these same flaws are what make people interesting to us and enable us to
identify with them. But Jesus is someone who is good all the way through, and
yet the most disturbing, commanding, inspiring and magnetic person in all human
writing. Bland? Jesus?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">One very unusual feature of Jesus' character is the
way he unites in himself traits that to us seem opposites. What I mean is this.
A visionary person may not always be the most practical, down to earth person
you could meet, whereas that same hands-on person may be contemptuous of those
whose heads are in the clouds. A man on a mission may find it hard to be a
people-centred person, whereas a compassionate and understanding person will
find it too challenging to push on with their goals in the face of opposition
from others. A highly charismatic leader will find it difficult to get down to
the level of washing others' feet, but a meek and humble person is unlikely
even to aspire to leadership. And holy and righteous people are not often prone
to seeking out the company of sinners.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">So how does Jesus manage to unite in himself what
seem to us such opposites? We all have the weaknesses that go with our
strengths, so much so that they may seem to be their necessary counterparts. So
if gentleness is our strength, firmness is our weakness. If words are our strength,
silence is our weakness. If tasks are our strength, people are our weakness.
Yet somehow Jesus seems to combine them in one complete and coherent
personality, to have just the strengths without their downsides. It is as if he
is humanity as we were meant to be, all that is best about us fused into one
majestic whole. I wonder if this is what Jesus meant when he referred to
himself as <i>the</i> <i>Son of Man</i>? Is he someone who represents
everything that we could be, if only we could achieve our full potential?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> But I want to go beyond even this. Is he more
than a very special and unusual person? to argue that <i>I believe in God
because Jesus is His Son</i> is to assert that at least some things that
are unique about God are also true of Jesus. I don't mean immortality, because
he died, or omnipresence, because he lived at one time and in one place, or
omnipotence or omniscience – all these he surrendered when he embraced our
humanity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I certainly mean the holiness of God. Jesus has a
very powerful kind of holiness which does not consist of cutting himself off
from the world, the flesh and the devil. Instead he is there for tax
collectors, prostitutes, people in meltdown, sinners and lepers, not shunning
their uncleanness to avoid being contaminated but, by embracing those enslaved
to it, making them clean.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I also mean the freedom of God. Jesus has this
tremendous ability to be himself and to fulfil his mission no matter what
pressures are put upon him. For example he's on his way to rescue the daughter
of a pillar of the local community when a woman in the huge crowd that has
gathered touches him. Instantly he focuses on that one person who has reached
out to him – as though the crowd and the synagogue rulers and the desperate
situation and even his own disciples pressurising him to keep going are simply
not there. Finally he discovers her: and it as if he has all the time in the
world for her healing and affirmation. At last he reaches the house of the
dying girl only to find the funeral has already started. He kicks everyone out
– can you even imagine what it takes to disrupt a funeral like this? Then
having restored the little girl to life he calmly tells the completely
mind-boggled family to give her something to eat! It really isn't the miracle
that is so astonishing here, it's the absolute freedom of Jesus to be himself.
The bare-faced cheek of him! Well, all right, the miracle is a bit astonishing
too...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">But above all when I assert that Jesus uniquely
displays characteristics of God in human form I mean the love of God. The key
insight of Christian spirituality is <i>God is Love</i>. It is doubtful if
this insight could have come about without Jesus, as a reflection on what his
life says about who God is. But it carries a huge weight with it. If "I
believe in God because Jesus is His Son," then Jesus has to be nothing
less than God incarnate: and God incarnate in Christian talk means Love
incarnate. Can Jesus' life and character stand up to this scrutiny?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">To do this we have to re-set our parameters for
what "love" means. Most of us would like God to offer us grandad love
– giving us whatever we want on demand, turning a blind eye to all our foibles,
making sure everybody gets to heaven (except for those who obviously deserve to
burn, like Nazis and paedophiles). I think we all know that this sort of love,
this sort of God, isn't good enough. In the spoiled West we give him a job
description – to make sure nothing bad ever happens to anyone – and by and
large we've sacked him for sleeping on the job. If he is so cuddly he's not
going to mind anyway when we reject him, is he? So he will get us to paradise
however rude we are to him – won't he?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">But what if the Divine Love is not like that at
all? What if our image of God is in fact an idol, a projection of our own
consumerist desires? Surely anyone who is grown up, who has actually tried to
love another human being, or has looked for more than a few minutes at the
world around them, knows that grandad god is pure fantasy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">What Jesus gives us instead is the Cross. This is love
so fierce it will dare any suffering, so powerful it will overcome every
obstacle, so broad that it embraces everyone without exception, so
uncompromising that it demands everything. Here at last is love that is worthy
to be linked to the name of God – deeper, wilder, purer and more passionate
than anything we could imagine. Again and again we see this love in the Gospel
stories of Jesus: overwhelmed with compassion at the needs of outcasts, deeply
angry with our hardness of heart that cast them out in the first place,
demanding that we leave everything to follow him, shouting with joy over the
tears of the Prodigal. Here is the length and breadth and height and depth
of the love of God in a form that lives a human life with us. I believe in God
because I believe that Jesus is his Son.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">But Colin! We expected a proper argument here, with
facts! This is subjective, it's opinion, it's literary! Where is your hard
evidence?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Well actually there is plenty of evidence to look
at, but that needs a new post, of a different character to this one. I hope to
get on to it soon – watch this space. All I really want you to do as I round
this post off is to read about Jesus for yourself. Try Mark. It's the shortest
Gospel, you could do it in not much more than an hour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">And as you read, ask yourself a few questions:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">What kind of person is Jesus?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Is there anyone else in history like him?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Is there anyone in fiction like him?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">How can he be so like us, yet so different from us?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Is this what love incarnate looks like?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Who is this man?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">But be warned. If your answer to that last question
is yes, there are implications. Divine Love means eternal love. Jesus is still
around. He's real. He will want to be part of your life, and that won't happen
without you being changed by him. In the end, I believe that Jesus is God's Son
because he came into my life and changed it utterly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-65365723645739192072015-07-04T19:27:00.000+01:002015-07-04T19:27:20.650+01:00<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<b>Last Hurrah for the Magna Carta (at least until 2115?)</b></div>
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A Wraysbury resident has already produced some comic verses on the Magna Carta, in't style o' Stanley Holloway's "T' Lion and Albert." So I never did anything with my own little poem, which is a take off of Kipling's "The Reeds at Runnymede." You probably haven't missed much, and if you are averse to verse, look away now! But here it is anyway...</div>
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<b>At Wraysbury!</b></div>
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At Runnymede, at Runnymede,<br />What say the reeds at Runnymede?<br />Now listen closely, lend an ear –<br />those reeds have changed their tune, I fear,<br />since Kipling's day – "It was not here,<br />But <i>Wraysbury!</i>"</div>
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At Ankerwycke, at Ankerwycke,<br />What says the yew at Ankerwycke?<br />For lying reeds will bend and sway<br />with every breeze that blows their way,<br />But steadfast stands our yew today:<br />And she's stood here two thousand years<br />and more, and witnessed angry peers<br />Confront King John with his worst fears –<br />At<u> <i>Wraysbury!</i></u></div>
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At Wraysbury, at Wraysbury,<br />For here it was at Wraysbury.<br />So let us pay no longer heed<br />to reedy tales of Runnymede,<br />for here was curbed a monarch's greed.<br />Here a stout band of English knights<br />with jumped up Johnnie in their sights<br />Won for the world immortal rights -<br />At <i><b><u>Wraysbury!</u></b></i></div>
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Now Rudyard Kipling, you've a line<br />(I own I think it rather fine)<br />Where John is grimly forced to sign<br />At Runnymede.<br />O Rudyard! At your ruddy error<br />We scream with rage, we faint with terror:<br />Our shaken senses from us steal:<br />We pinch ourselves – can this be real?<br />Hear our indignant chairman squeal,<br />"John did not SIGN! He used his SEAL!"<br />At <b><i><u>WRAYSBURY!</u></i></b></div>
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O Mr Kipling! Goodness sakes!<br />Your work is riddled with mistakes.<br />You should have stuck to making cakes…</div>
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<i>image from BBC "your paintings" via Google Images UK</i></div>
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Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-10056731972577375482015-06-02T12:38:00.000+01:002015-06-02T12:38:21.710+01:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">Flower Festival at St Andrew's - Distinguished Guests</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Just wanted to let everyone know that we have some distinguished guests coming to the St Andrew's Flower Festival. Please come along and welcome them!</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Adam Afriyie our MP is expected to come and see us on Friday 5th at approximately 3.00pm.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Richard Ashworth our MEP is also expecting to come on Sunday 7 June at about 12.30pm.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Don't miss the unveiling of our amazing commemorative wall hanging by Lord and Lady Tunnicliffe at 2.30pm on Saturday 6 June.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The flower Festival is being put on this weekend 5-7 June - please see "Events" on St Andrew's Facebook page for more info. </span></div>
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Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-80756860497793891402015-04-26T22:24:00.000+01:002015-04-26T22:24:42.808+01:00Today (Sunday 26 April) is Vocations Sunday, a reminder that God calls all his people to fulfil various roles that glorify him and bless others. These roles might be in your home as a parent or child, brother or sister; in the workplace through the job that you do and the way that you do it; in your neighbourhood through the way you treat others; or in the church in a variety of different ways.<br />
<br />
On Saturday I led a reflection at a Vocations Breakfast, an event for people seeking God further for his calling in their lives. Here it is for you to think about - hope you find it helpful.<br />
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<b>A letter from Jesus<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">2 Corinthians 3:1-6 (NIV)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">3 </span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Are we beginning to commend
ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of
recommendation to you or from you? </span></i><b><i><sup><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">2 </span></sup></i></b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">You yourselves are our
letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. </span></i><b><i><sup><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">3 </span></sup></i></b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">You show that you are a
letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with
the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets
of human hearts.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><i><sup><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">4 </span></sup></i></b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Such confidence we
have through Christ before God. </span></i><b><i><sup><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">5 </span></sup></i></b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Not that we are competent
in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes
from God. </span></i><b><i><sup><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">6 </span></sup></i></b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">He has made us competent as
ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the
letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Today's
reading describes us as a living letter, written on human hearts (v.3), known
and read by everybody (v.2). How can we be a letter from Jesus more
effectively? 3 ways:-<br />
<br />
<em><b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1. be a love letter.</span></b></em><br />
• above all the message of Jesus is a message of love: "God so loved the
world..." If people don't see God's love in us then we are not an
authentic letter from Jesus because we are not conveying his message.<br />
• My biggest mistakes in ministry have been when I've become too absorbed in
tasks and not given enough time to people. If people can't see God's love in us
we have lost the plot. But it's so easy when you sit down in front of your to
do list.<br />
• So let's see people who come to us not as interruptions but as messengers
from God, reminding us to re-prioritise. The rotas and timetables and agendas
and meetings and reports and returns are not the most important things. People
need to know you love them!<br />
• Not only that, but if we are not a love letter, nobody will want to read us.
People are fed up of reading of a church that is judgmental, stuffy, that
fudges everything, hypocritical and inward-looking. People are crying out for
an authentic spirituality: for Christians, that means love.<br />
• Above all, give people time - a precious gift in an over busy age - as Jesus
did.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i> Prayer – What kind
of letter am I, Lord?<br />
</i></b><br />
<em><b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2. be human</span></b></em><br />
• God's ultimate communication was not through the prophets or written laws. It
was through a human being - "the Word became flesh and dwelt among
us." Jesus was not afraid to be vulnerable - hungry, thirsty, tired,
angry, sad, happy, suffering, tempted - and nor should we.<br />
• Our humanity is therefore not an obstruction to God's work in our lives, but
the very vehicle and living channel of it - because that's how it was for
Jesus. Our humanity is God's gift!<br />
• Christian testimony is not "look at me, I'm perfect!" - that's the
testimony of the Pharisees. Christian testimony says, "I mess up, I'm
fallen - but I have somebody with me who keeps on picking me up"<br />
• So don't keep up a front! People aren't helped by that. They feel, "I
can't live up to that" and they go away discouraged. That's the letter
that kills, v.6.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i> Prayer
– Am I prepared to let my humanity show, Lord?<br />
</i></b><br />
<em><b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3. hand written</span></b></em><b><i><br />
</i></b>• No word processors for Paul! everything was written by hand. In the
same way, we, God's letter to the world, need to have His fingerprints all over
us.<br />
• The Holy Spirit's role is absolutely essential - v.3: vital to keep the
channel of communication with God wide open! Even the apostle Paul couldn't do
it on his own, v.5: how much less can we. We simply must have the Spirit for
this ministry, v.6.<br />
• The Spirit should be writing the story of our lives, shaping our attitudes,
outlook, values, vision, relationships... Footballers have ghost writers to
help them tell their story and we need a Holy Ghost writer to work with us on
the story of our lives.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Prayer – Do I have your fingerprints all over me, Lord?<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-65654857619780636972015-04-20T22:02:00.001+01:002015-04-20T22:02:56.801+01:00<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Reasons for believing (2)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So we've already looked at two of
the classic arguments for the existence of God in the last post. We found the
argument from degree weak, and along the way we demolished the ontological
argument as a mere word game: but we also found a much stronger case for the
argument from intelligibility. Now we turn to Thomas Aquinas' other three
arguments, the First Cause, the Unmoved Mover, and the argument from
contingency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I take the view that these are
pretty much the same argument, which can be summed up in one of them, the First
Cause argument. Everything that happens in the universe is caused by something
else which happened before it. That something else was in turn caused by
earlier events, and so on. But can the sequence go on ad infinitum? Only if
things that have already happened can be caused by things that have not yet
happened can there be a never ending circle of cause and effect. As this is not
possible there must be a First Cause, which set everything else in motion. This
we call God. Or so Thomas Aquinas asserts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I think the argument from motion to
a First Mover is basically identical, it's just that the cause and its results
are both movements. The same is true with the contingency argument, that every
being owes its existence to other beings and is therefore contingent upon them,
until we get back to an original being who starts everything off, who is
therefore not contingent but has absolute being. "Contingent" here
basically means caused by something else, so again we are dealing with very
much the same argument. So I'm going to stick with the First Cause argument and
leave you to do more thinking about the others if you reckon I'm selling you
short.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The First Cause has received
massive support from the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe. Let's
not forget that this theory means not merely that all the matter and energy in
the universe started with one unbelievably huge explosion, but that absolutely
everything about our universe also started in the same event. In other words there
was nowhere for the universe to exist before the Big Bang, because there were
no dimensions until it happened – there was nowhere for there to be anything and
there was nowhere for there to be nothing either. Nor was there any time for
anything to happen in, because time was also created by that same Big Bang.
There were no laws of nature, because it was the Big Bang that brought those laws
of nature into existence and forms their starting point. In fact the Big Bang
itself contradicts those laws of nature – those of the conservation of energy
and matter to begin with. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This brings us very directly to
Aquinas' point, that a literally supernatural explanation is required by such
an event – supernatural in the very direct sense of being outside all the laws
of nature that apply to our universe. Naturally this is a source of deep
embarrassment to the contemporary scientific community (though not to their
pioneering predecessors, as we saw last time). Anyway the hunt is on to find
some kind of extranatural cause that is not Supernatural in older senses of the
word. Here's what I make of the journey so far. I hope I am right in believing
there have been three main contenders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">1. We can locate our supernature in
an anomaly, or what Stephen Hawking termed "a singularity" in <i>A Brief History of Time</i>. Unfortunately I
am not a genius mathematician so I can't claim to follow all the amazing maths
involved. But I will admit to being suspicious of the term. Isn't
"singularity" just another way of saying "one-off?" When we
say something is caused by "a singularity," aren't we in fact saying
we don't know how it's caused? In other words we don't really know (and don't
really have to explain?) what might go on in there. We do know that
singularities exist though because they occur in black holes. What if there was
a previous universe that was all sucked down into a supermassive black hole, so
huge and dense that everything except gravity was destroyed? What if it all the
energy thus compressed into an infinitesimally small point then exploded as the
Big Bang?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This view doesn't seem to be as fashionable as it was
in 1988 and I am not completely sure of the reasons for this. Here's what I
suspect. The Big Bang on this model presupposes a Big Crunch from a previous
universe – that all the matter and energy in the system is sucked into various
black holes which are then sucked into each other by the sheer power of their
gravity to form the supermassive one that has to explode. However our own
universe is not going to end this way. According to more recent maths there is
not enough mass in the universe to counteract the velocity at which it is
expanding. Matter and energy will become ever more thinly spread and the
universe will die of attenuation - with a whimper, not a bang. That means there
would have to be a radical discontinuity between our universe and the one that
went before because the laws of nature governing the two are different. That
means that we need a further supernature in addition the previous universe
which is capable of spontaneously generating new laws of nature. The Big Crunch
therefore fails to give a complete account of the origins of the universe. Some
other entity needs to be factored in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">2. As an alternative we are offered
a massive fluctuation in the quantum field. Apparently quantum mechanics allows
us to consider a vacuum not as truly empty but as a space where electrons and
positrons may spontaneously emerge and immediately cancel each other out. All
we need then is for an awful lot of these to appear simultaneously in the same
time and space – whatever that is supposed to mean in a quantum context – and
to do so without cancelling each other out, and we have our big bang. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Again I don't have the physics to deal with this
properly and would love to have someone who knows their stuff running through it
with me. If only my old mate Roger from uni was here! However it seems to me as
a non-specialist that there are lots of big questions here. I do get that there
is a degree to which very small particles are not "there" in the
Newtonian / Einsteinian universe which is so essential to our own existence -
at some level they act more like fields of energy than bits of matter, so we
can't predict exactly where they are and where they will be next. This isn't
the same, is it, as saying there is this unbelievably energetic quantum field
extending beyond our own universe? We haven't of course observed quantum fields
from outside our own universe because we can't do so. All the observations that
have been made of quantum particles and forces have been carried out inside the
universe. So it's difficult to say what hat we are pulling this particular
rabbit out of. Nor do I think we can have much of a meaningful idea of the
behaviour of such a field. Let's just hope and pray though that it is not often
given to massive random fluctuations of the sort described, or the life of our
universe would be totally chaotic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">3. Thirdly we can go back to the
multiverse to provide our First Cause. In some way new universes keep bubbling
out of a primeval cosmic soup which is the multiverse, or sum total of all
universes. Nearly every bubble is ephemeral and pops because its natural laws
are unsustainable, but once in a while, by a trillion trillionth of a chance, a
viable universe is formed and ours happens to be the holder of this golden
ticket. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">However in <i>Reasons
for Believing(1)</i> I took the view that this scheme, with its multiplication
of millions of invisible and unverifiable entities, has a fabricated look about
it. It fails the test known as Occam's Razor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Let's put these three cosmologies
together and ask what they do have in common. All of them try to bypass the
First Cause argument by asserting that there was something there before the Big
Bang. It doesn't really matter too much whether it's a previous universe that
went down the plughole of a Big Crunch, or a highly energetic and turbulent
quantum field, or a multiverse which has the interesting property of
spontaneously generating new universes. The point is that we have something
pre-existent which dispenses with the need for any kind of Creator. I am
reminded of the work of Fred Hoyle, who came up with the Steady State theory of
the universe before the Big Bang was conclusively demonstrated. As an atheist,
Prof Hoyle hated the implication that Big Bang might be held to amount to an
act of creation. He therefore asserted that the universe (as we know) is
expanding and that new matter and energy emerge spontaneously into existence to
fill the gaps. Thus the universe could be eternal and self-sufficient and do
without a creator. That this is completely contrary to what we know of the laws
of nature so far did not deter him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">All the above look like ways to
bring back the Steady State, but on a new level. Since we can't avoid the Big
Bang, let's put something else in "before" it, so the universe can
keep going without a beginning – a quantum field or a Big Crunch or a
multiverse or whatever. But even then, can we succeed in finally exorcising the
Creator from His own? No we can't. Because, at the risk of repeating the
child's embarrassing question, "Who made God then?" the issue of
origins still follows us into these new hypothetical spaces. Where did that
vast quantum field, or that multiverse, or the universe that crunched, arise
from? Did they have a beginning? These ingenious cosmologies fail to answer
Aquinas' question: since everything we see is the product of cause and effect,
was there a First Cause?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And even if they could answer the
question, would we have then have got round God? Or would we find we were
merely describing His immense handiwork, as Newton and Copernicus and Kepler
and all the others famously thought? That the multiverse or the quantum field
or extinct previous universes were also the products of a vast Imagination?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Only one more hurdle to clear, I
promise, as this edition of <i>Reasons for
Believing</i> nears its exhausted end. This is the assertion by Richard Dawkins
that a Creator Being cannot be the explanation for the origins of the universe
because it is not a proper explanation. A proper explanation, says Prof
Dawkins, must simplify the thing being explained. Now it seems that God as
Creator must be, not simpler, but greater and more complex than the universe He
is alleged to have created. God cannot therefore be a proper explanation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I hope you agree with me that this
argument is deeply flawed. In fact we constantly accept explanations that are
more complex than the thing being explained. The explanation for a joint stool
is that a carpenter, a far more complex entity, made it to sit on. In case that
metaphor seems unfairly to sneak in creation by a personal being, there are
others. The aurora borealis was presumed by early scientists (once we got past
the magic stage) to be the result of emanations from the poles of the earth. In
time a far larger and grander account was accepted, that in fact it is storms
in an object 333,000 times more massive than the earth, hurling matter
93,000,000 miles through space, that interact with our magnetic field and cause
the aurora. The more complex explanation turns out to be the true one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">If we follow Dawkins' logic
through, that every cause must be simpler than its effect, we end up with a
strange inversion of Aquinas. Eventually as we trace the increasing simplifications
further and further back through the chain of cause and effect, phenomenon and
explanation, we can only end up at zero. The ultimate explanation turns out to
be… that there can be no explanations, no causes, and no reasons. And so we'll
have to start thinking about how something came out of nothing all over again.
Then we'll have to accept that Dawkins has led us down a wrong turning that doesn't
lead anywhere. All he has succeeded in demonstrating is the incorrigible
reductionism of his own mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2bpi-CoA9bKShEqgT_bWcCDmBMOj_hE2-fcl9nNzcMgeNu6q2AYrUWehpiN2KD9AxrXrHIUQSGMDegkw-hw_-AAWtDwLRDxe9Im-PlIaZRTaROAn0uhx6CMVqun35rmnh-sHp1n-9w4/s1600/dawkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2bpi-CoA9bKShEqgT_bWcCDmBMOj_hE2-fcl9nNzcMgeNu6q2AYrUWehpiN2KD9AxrXrHIUQSGMDegkw-hw_-AAWtDwLRDxe9Im-PlIaZRTaROAn0uhx6CMVqun35rmnh-sHp1n-9w4/s1600/dawkins.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <i>Prof Dawkins - incorrigibly reductionist?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Well, what have we got out of all
this notion-crunching? Surveys repeatedly show that people rarely come to
believe because they've been argued into it. This often breaks down into a
macho contest of wills anyway. Instead it's life events that led people to ask
all the big, "Is anybody there?" questions. So - have the two
cosmological bits of this series been worth it? I wanted to do it for three
reasons:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">To remind
believers that they don't have to accept the much flashed about opinion that
faith is irrational. I hope readers will agree with my stance that repeated
secularising attempts to destroy the Christian world view have not succeeded.
There is still a satisfactory case to be made for faith - in fact some of the
alternatives don't really stack up that well by comparison.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">To hope
that those who don't believe will continue to explore and ask those big
questions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I'm going
to assert later that faith provides a better means for "seeing life
whole" and "life" needs to include our rational life and
scientific explorations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Next time I'll be getting on to the
stuff that really excites me, that is, I believe in God because I believe Jesus
is His Son. This is the stuff that takes us from a First Mover who is only
needed to kick the whole game off to a Lord who wants to engage with us… However
I'm just back from holiday and there's a lot waiting to be done so it may be a
few weeks before I can get on to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I hope you're sticking with me. Your
thoughts are welcome!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-23712105224151892592015-04-12T22:04:00.000+01:002015-04-12T22:04:39.542+01:00<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Reasons for believing (1)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The enemies of faith seem to think
it's OK to trash Christianity as a fantasy for gullible morons. So I think it's
time to redress the balance. I wish my fellow Christians would be a bit more forthcoming
in making our case, but we all seem to have swallowed the view that it is
somehow offensive to assert that Christianity might actually be true. Consequently
we censor ourselves. However intelligent people have some very reasonable
grounds for believing. There isn't time to cover them all in one little blog
post so I'm doing a few at a time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So let's start with the classical
proofs for the existence of God, basically as codified by Thomas Aquinas in the
13th century. There is a good if complex discussion of these on Wikipedia at </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinque_viae"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinque_viae</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">. They have
been under a lot of fire from angry secularists for some time, and there is
justification for some of the faults they allege. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The word "proofs" is the
first problem. They are clearly not proofs in the current sense that they
demonstrate the existence of God as a mathematical certainty. They are more
like proofs in the publishers' sense: though they may invite correction, they
define a field for debate. Thomas Aquinas himself used the word
"ways." I'll stick with arguments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I start by weeding out the weakest
one. The argument from degree I find unconvincing. Most of what we experience
comes in relative degrees, say from hotter to cooler or wetter to drier or nicer
to nastier. There must be some sort of absolute standard to which these are
comparable and that absolute to which all other things are relative, says
Aquinas, is God. However this doesn't seem so obvious to me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">First most absolutes seem quite hard to establish. It
has been established that there is a temperature of absolute zero, for example,
where there is no energy whatsoever left in a system. Unfortunately absolute
negatives are easier to fix than absolute positives: how much heat would there
have to be in a system for it to count as absolute? I am pretty sure it would
be possible to create absolute dryness, for example, if only in a test tube
from which all molecules of H<sub>2</sub>O have been excluded. But what would
absolute wetness be? I suppose the moment of the big bang might have contained
infinite heat as all the energy in the universe was concentrated in an
infinitesimal point. But what that was actually like is inconceivable to us. In
what sense (other than inconceivability) would absolute heat imply God? It may
help us get round some very difficult physics, but in the sense that <i>absolute</i> is supposed to equal <i>divine</i>? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Secondly I think it is faulty to argue from
conceptuality to actuality in this way. Believers can conceive with hindsight
that God may be the absolute perfection from which all relative things came and
to which they all aspire. But we can't ask others to make the same jump. Just
being able to conceive of the perfect banoffee pie unfortunately doesn't make
it exist. In essence this is the same fault that Aquinas himself found with
Anselm's ontological argument. That we can form an idea of something doesn't imply
its existence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Next on the hit list is Aquinas'
fifth way – the teleological argument. This is the argument that the universe
exhibits purpose or design, and is probably the most controversial today.
Obviously for an atheist to accept that the universe is designed is to have
already conceded his position. He can appeal to several areas to help him. In
some areas, the design appears to be perverse, for example parasitism. In
others, the purpose appears to be incomprehensible – why billions of
unreachable galaxies? Why a million species of beetle? In still others, there
seems to be a huge amount of randomness, for example in quantum physics or
possibly, at least for the present, the dark matter that is thought to comprise
85% of the universe. And finally the universe often exhibits <i>processes</i> where
Aquinas saw <i>purposes</i> – natural selection say, or the gradual cooling of the
universe after the big bang.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I think these problems have a lesson
for believers as well as unbelievers. We need to show greater humility in the
face of the great mysteries of the universe. It would be arrogant to suppose
that the purpose of the vast tracts of space is entirely focussed on our doings
on our little planet, or that we should be able to work out God's unfathomably
deep purposes as if they were a Sudoku puzzle. And yes we do live in a
different universe to Aquinas' Aristotelian and geocentric one. Perhaps the
galaxies are there as a display of God's infinitely fertile creativity, of his
majesty, or his infinity transposed into exceedingly large numbers – we don't
know, we are just filled with awe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So the teleological argument needs
restatement. The statement I would choose is that the universe is intelligible.
Somehow it is amenable to the numbers and words we humans supposedly evolved at
random to make sense of our experiences when we moved from forest to savannah. Amazingly,
it seems that the little pathways of electrons moving round in our brains
actually do correspond to real things. There are logical laws to the way things
happen, and without them the universe would collapse into chaos. At some level
both we and the universe we are part of are rational. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This could be the most incredible
fluke ever, the result of an infinite number of monkeys and an infinite number
of typewriters describing an infinite number of possible universes – and we are
the lucky ones who happen to be on board the only one that will work. But it
doesn't look like that – it looks rational. Of course, if there are an infinite
number of monkeys etc, it would still look that way, to us who have won the
golden ticket for the only ship that can navigate the chaotic waters of all
possible universes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">However a little piece of logic
called Ockham's razor comes to our aid here. William of Ockham held that in
formulating explanations we should avoid the multiplication of entities: that
is, if we have to fabricate a long chain of eventualities to explain something
when a simple and direct explanation is available, we should prefer the
straightforward solution. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">To me the multiverse – the infinite
number of dysfunctional universes – looks like the multiplication of entities.
By their very nature as universes completely outside our own, we can never
observe them or experiment on them or test their reality. These speculations
have therefore ceased to be science, which is about the observable, the
verifiable and the repeatable. In fact they are magic – everything's really
caused by all these invisible powers… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In place of this factitious
complexity we should prefer the direct and elegant explanation. The universe
looks rational because it is rational. Whence then the rationality? In short,
the teleological argument when suitably restated still provides strong grounds
for the reasonableness of supposing that there is a rational mind at work in
the way the universe is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I have to admit though that I felt
a bit bad rubbishing the multiverse in the paragraphs above. I actually think
that if God is the kind of God who creates billions of galaxies and a million
species of beetle, it would not be at all unlikely that He might create other
universes too. As wise old Professor Kirke says in <i>The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</i>, "nothing is more
probable." What I would expect to find though, should any of them ever
become amenable to our instruments, is that they too would exhibit rationality,
beauty and sufficient order to enable them to keep going: a very different set
of universes to the dysfunctional ones trapped in Brian Cox's <i>Infinite Monkey Cage</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The other very intriguing thing to
observe about the argument from intelligibility is that it puts a certain boot
back on the right foot. Somehow or other we have come to swallow the secularising
position that the more we understand about the universe, the less we need God.
This view depends on the belief that people invented the gods to give
explanations for the unknown, as in "What causes thunderstorms in the sky?
It must be the thunder god!" However this is not what any of the great
pioneering scientist thought. Like Copernicus, Newton, Mendel, Faraday, they were
mostly believers. Instead of thinking they were invading God's space and
squeezing Him out, they thought they were finding out about what God had done.
"Thinking God's thoughts after Him," was Kepler's phrase. The argument
from intelligibility expects that the more we know about the universe, the
stronger our grounds for believing in God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We've still got three more of
Aquinas' <i>Ways</i> to explore: the First
Mover, the First Cause and the Argument from Contingency. There is substantial
common ground between them, so I'll discuss them all together in my next blog, <i>Reasons for Believing (2)</i>. I hope you
will agree with me that they provide further and indeed stronger support for
the reasonableness of believing in a Creator God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">However there is only so far that
Aquinas can take us. If we accept his arguments we end up with a Creator of
all, a Mind on a supermassive scale, a Supreme Being rather like the one
painted by William Blake below: but this is not enough. God so conceived very
easily becomes an aridly intellectualised being, remote from us and right out of our league. So when I've finished looking at Aquinas I aim
to move on to a key area for connecting with God, not merely hypothesizing
about him: blog 3 will be <i>I believe in God because I believe Jesus is His Son</i>. The next
blog after that will assert that <i>I believe in God because through Him I can see life whole</i>. This step enables us to move on to the way we live
our own lives in relationship with God. In the last post I'm planning to cover
as my fifth <i>Reason for Believing</i> the
inadequacy of the alternatives. This will also give us space to reflect on
where our society is going and what it needs to flourish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;">It all looks terribly ambitious. I hope
I'm up to it… Comments welcome!</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiskiv_8TRGI1p1hlQUQXbktFCw5a1GjZbiuiS4YpuGA90X6x0KN_KwxkleIy2kaYj5Q7Irk1XwM3crqGRiAYMwPcVSuYsnIa-ANTGsR01Tk6z7XHpUynHZiB440eK-uVTtL8o3BH31bM/s1600/blake_ancient_of_days.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiskiv_8TRGI1p1hlQUQXbktFCw5a1GjZbiuiS4YpuGA90X6x0KN_KwxkleIy2kaYj5Q7Irk1XwM3crqGRiAYMwPcVSuYsnIa-ANTGsR01Tk6z7XHpUynHZiB440eK-uVTtL8o3BH31bM/s1600/blake_ancient_of_days.jpg" height="320" width="234" /></a></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">William Blake's <i>Ancient of Days</i> - </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">a remote, over-conceptualised vision of God?</span></div>
Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339390346570376415.post-72562629096578185542015-04-07T11:10:00.000+01:002015-04-07T11:10:29.288+01:00<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>Easter Joy</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Thank you everyone for a truly
uplifting celebration! Both churches were ablaze with Easter flowers and
enjoyed good attendances with a number of visitors. Horton had a beautiful
Easter Garden, St Andrew's had an Easter egg hunt with the children, St
Michael's had Kathy enthusing about the Moving On course, Wraysbury had the
band with Becky leading the singing. I was once told off for not making my
Easter service joyful enough. That has stayed with me and I have always aimed
to make joy a keynote every Easter since. And it was your joy, your
enthusiastic response to the risen Lord, that made this Easter special for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In both churches we reflected on
the story of Mary in the garden, caught unawares by a person she took to be the
gardener when she had come to mourn the death of her crucified Lord. The story
is in John's Gospel chapter 20. We used the picture below, on screen in
Wraysbury and on little cards in St Michael's. I thought you might like another look, especially if your card was a bit fuzzy at Horton or you were sat a bit far
away at St Andrew's. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So here it is: Rembrandt's <i>The Risen Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalen</i>,
painted in 1638. The original hangs in the Queen's collection at Buckingham
Palace. For a closer view, try <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt_-_The_Risen_Christ_Appearing_to_Mary_Magdalen_-_WGA19094.jpg">Rembrandt - the Risen Christ appears to Mary</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87XlrtqXHu2GEEiNk3k20ptXm4JrPDpCLS4lUONx8-W9qwvOPFr_v8oJIWZSFYTep4gCm5OQpmaEGWGthSc0RppVW6ERuW_y7oEdoZuD92dw1GfZPWEqBlr_J-3lVsK9UEuWLHYDJwAM/s1600/Rembrandt+Easter+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87XlrtqXHu2GEEiNk3k20ptXm4JrPDpCLS4lUONx8-W9qwvOPFr_v8oJIWZSFYTep4gCm5OQpmaEGWGthSc0RppVW6ERuW_y7oEdoZuD92dw1GfZPWEqBlr_J-3lVsK9UEuWLHYDJwAM/s1600/Rembrandt+Easter+001.jpg" height="234" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Rembrandt has packed a lot into his
telling of the story:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The jar by Mary's knee reminds us that she had come to
anoint Jesus' body in the customary way. There hadn't been time on Good Friday
because the sunset that heralded Passover, the holiest Sabbath of the Jewish
year, was just moments away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Everything about Mary indicates that she has been
completely focussed on death. She kneels at the tomb, reaching out her hands to
where Jesus is supposed to be lying. She must have been thinking,
"Couldn't they even leave his body alone? Haven't they done enough to
him?" She hears a stranger come up behind her and demands to be told if he
knows where they have taken Jesus. But it's so embarrassing - she's crying her eyes out: so she has kept her face turned away – until now!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The facial expressions are genius! Mary is in the act
of realising who it is that has come upon her – amazement, shock, bewilderment.
Jesus looks down upon her with compassion, understanding and, dare I say it, a
twinkle of humour in his eyes, complemented by his relaxed, hand on hip stance.
One of the angels sprawling on the tomb does that "eyes up" expression:
"She's got it at last!"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Rembrandt uses the rock wall of the tomb to divide his
composition firmly into two parts. One half is all darkness and gloom, the
other is filled with light. One side is death, the other is new life and hope. Jesus
is the brightest object, picked out in his white robe by the sunrise. He forms
literally the turning point between darkness and light, as Mary turns her face
towards him and towards the sunrise. Jesus' whole posture invites her to come
and share in the light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">There is something very personal
about this story. Jesus hasn't only come back to win a victory over death, to
demonstrate the grand theology of redemption, to become a figure of </span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">universal</span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">salvation, vital as all those things are. According to Rembrandt, and surely
according to John's Gospel too, it's much more personal. He's come back for
Mary. He says her name, and that is the overpowering moment of realisation –
"It's you!"</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Isn't this true of all the
resurrection stories? For Thomas: "Here are my hands that you wanted to
see, here's the wound in my side." For Peter, who denied him three times:
"Do you really love me more than these?" For two disciples trudging
wearily back home, thinking it was all over… Jesus came back for each one of
them individually, knowing their heartache and their issues. He came back
because he wanted to be with his friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And that's true today. He's still
the Risen Lord, he's alive, he still knows the things that wear us down or
challenge us, our bafflement and our sorrow. He is still the turning point
between a life circumscribed by darkness and death and the light of
resurrection life. He wants to come to us as he did to Mary and Peter and Thomas.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">He speaks our name. Are we
listening?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02697992290075167790noreply@blogger.com2