First Sunday "Get up and Walk"

By Tim Ferguson (courtesy of Serious Comedy)

It is ridiculous to suppose that the great head of things, whatever it may be, pays any regard to human affairs.  

Pliny the Elder, Natural History, 1st Century

Another thinker contemplating the egocentric belief that I have significance.  I agree that it is extraordinary.  Yet all things are significant.  Me, by family, my community, my city, my nation, my continent, the world, the universe.

Hebrews Chapter Fifteen

Faith brings knowledge of security about the future. There is so much we cannot see that requires faith. People from history are celebrated for the faith they displayed. Only by faith can we understand how the universe came into being. By faith people honour the Creator, giving their best, when the Creator is invisible. By faith old people continue to trust in their relationship with the Creator as they approach the inevitability of death. By faith people set out on projects they believe are right when others see them as impossible or foolhardy. By faith some people leave their communities and travel to live in other countries with other peoples. By faith people believe that they will have children when science tells them it’s impossible. All these people ‘tread lightly on the earth’ holding onto their relationship with their Creator foremost. By faith our ancestor Abraham did as he thought he was instructed, and was prepared to kill his only son, as the people of the time were doing. This was despite the Creator promising that he would be head of many peoples. Abraham knew that the Creator had an ultimate plan that would succeed. It was by faith that our forefathers trusted that our people would survive against the odds. It was by faith that our people survived their turbulent history, with the threat of extermination occurring many times. Different people knew their part and were able to help, saving lives in the nick of time. There are so many stories I could relate that illustrate this wonderful quality which is to be treasured. Many people suffered greatly, and never saw the ultimate goal of peace and justice. But they knew that their Creator was to be trusted and ultimately had control over their story. We now see what the plan was and the route made clear to restoration and completeness. 

PRAYER:  I accept the impossible- that I am loved and special.  That my life has purpose and a meaning.

Lent Four "Get up and Walk"

'Hold Me Together' by Aykut Aydogdu 

 If God were not a necessary Being of Himself. He might almost seem to be made for the use and benefit of men.  John Tillotson, Sermons, 1694

Tillotson, the Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, was drawn into the many discussions of the time about the nature of Christ.  All the orthodoxies were being questioned.  It was an exciting and unstable time.  In the modern age, it is 'science' that has become the 'god of the gaps'.  Now there is an explanation, but how much does it faces this 17 century scrutiny?  

My personal quote based on Tillotson is:-

Science is not necessary for life, but it does calm the nerves.

John's Gospel Chapter One

Truly indescribable- in fact, I'm lost for words,

Complex from the beginning, as a murmuration of birds.

Omnipresent coexistent, appears in human frame,

I am charged to go before, this mystery to explain.

Of existence, all that's stable, true and upright,

Joy, energy, wisdom, come together to ignite.

But many see right through this, as if it were not there,

It's not what they expected, not what they hoped to dare.

Those that even dimly see, and want to cast their crown,

Will never be the same again, their world turned upside down.

Aware that I’m unworthy his shoes e’n to unlace,

Tearing up the form book, He reaches to embrace.

 It's as if the queen comes knocking saying, "Let me in, make haste,

I want to get to know you, it's good to see and taste."

Heart beating fast, descending stairs, I leave my attic view,

Choose to be adopted royal, because? Simply, "I love you."

PRAYER: All the answers you give are a bonus-  All I need is to hold your hand.

Lent Three "Get up and Walk"

 

Love Letter To to a Very Rocky Creek (Hume Response)
by Ash Keating- Melbourne, Australia

There are certain questions which are made unimportant by their very magnitude.  For example, the question whether we are moving in Space this way or that; the existence of God, etc. 

Thomas Hardy in F.E. Hardy, The Later Years of Thomas Hardy (1930)

I agree with Hardy.  It's ridiculous! The idea that this 'ant' walking on the surface of this planet, set in one specific galaxy, set amongst a multitude of galaxies, has any significance.   And yet there is hope.  

                 Ecclesiastes Chapter Three

A Time for everything

 A time to be born and a time to sleep, 

Sowing in faith that one day we’ll reap. 

From death and hell comes a spirit of healing, 

Tears at this moment knowing joy is coming. 

A time to grieve and a time to dance, 

Stones are scattered, and stones gathered up. 

Today we embrace, tomorrow stand-off, 

All day I’m searching, but time says ‘enough’. 

Treasure once held is now cleared away, 

Yesterday torn up, then restored today. 

To love perchance to make a date, 

Not when a heart is full of hate. 

Unleash we now the dogs for war, 

And when it is done push peace to the fore.

But for most, the burdens of life are heavy. 

And yet all around us we see perfection. 

Simply try to enjoy your life, 

Enjoy the fruits of your labour. 

The line in the sand is final. 

There is no going back. 

Eternity has been planted in our hearts. 

It is purposed that we honour of Creator. 

And yet this paradox continues; 

Everything has happened before. Nothing is new.

PRAYER:  I am significant to you, and you are significant to me. And that's amazing.

Lent Two "Get up and Walk"

 

Creation of Adam- Michelangelo-
Sistine Chapel, Vatican City

If God created us in his own image we have more than reciprocated.  

Voltaire, Le Sottisier, 18th Century

Feuerbach puts it more kindly.  The 'divine' is the way human consciousness  projects 'the greater good' onto a shared concept of purpose and meaning in life. The problem for me is that after you have met the person of Jesus, everything changes.  It is a bit like being married.  When you marry someone you start everything from the perspective of being married.  When you know Jesus, you see life from the perspective of knowing Jesus. 

Philippians 1: 20-26

I will never be ashamed of Jesus, and will always be bold to honour him. It doesn’t worry me whether I live or die. I don’t even know which is better; but I know I still have a function, to encourage you and help you grow. And when I see you again we will be so full of joy because we see what Jesus is doing through this relationship.  The most important thing is to live as if we are already in heaven. Have no fear for the people who oppose you. They will see that Jesus succeeds, for we even count suffering for him as a privilege.

PRAYER: I desire to see out of my own eyes and see the world from your perspective.

 

Lent One "Get up and Walk"

Something from Nothing by Karin Goeppert
For sale on Art2Arts

Our dream dashes itself against the great mystery like a wasp against a window pane.  Less merciful than man, God never opens the window.  Jules Renard - Journal, 1906

In 1985 Joe Simpson and Simon Yates scales Siula Grande, a 6344 meter mountain in the Peruvian Andes.  On the way down Joe slipped and fell off an ice cliff.  Strapped to each other by rope, Yates attempted a rescue.  When this failed he famously 'cut the rope'.  Simpson fell 46 meters into an ice crevasse.  In the film 'Touching the Void' Simpson says that at that moment he called out to 'God' offering himself and asking for a 'spiritual experience'.  Absolutely nothing happened.  Simpson then went on to crawl for three days out of the icing tomb, and made it back to their base camp alive.  'Mountaineering' magazine described this in 2012 as "amongst the most remarkable instances of survival against the odds". - So was his pray answered?  I believe many assumptions about what 'a Creator' should do were being made here.

 John 14: 15-30

“If you desire to love me, see things from my perspective.

You will always to be able to do this because we'll do it together…

 “… I'll be a living presence in you.  We'll travel together…

 “… Our relationship together will help you to see and know things clearly.

Don't be put off if others cannot see my presence.  You see me because of our bond…

 “It goes like this…

 “…I am linked to the creator of all, I am linked to you, and you are linked to me.  Therefore, you are linked to the creator. I hold you, and you hold me.”

 Then Judas (the other one) spoke up.

 "Why can't this be for everyone?" he said.

 "Everyone who wants to follow my way does so because they love me, and the creator,” Jesus replied. “We are friends and live together.  I'm not making this up.  It has been said from the dawn of time."

 "The gift that I give you is peace in your heart and mind.  This is something no one can take from you. These current tribulations enable you to know the reality of what I am saying."

A 'Friend', a 'Guide' (courtesy of dreamtime.com)

PRAYER: I accept you they way you are, just as you accept me.

Other aphorisms by Jules Renard

• The horse is the only animal into which one can bang nails.
• The only man who is really free is the one who can turn down an invitation to dinner without giving an excuse.
• Writing is the only way to talk without being interrupted.

"Get up and Walk" - A Lent series that starts tomorrow

The Beggar - by Rembrandt

We live our lives like those with a million pounds available to us in the bank.  Every day these resources are there for us to draw on.  This is the presence of the Spirit of our Creator.  And yet so often I sit in the courtyard, needy and begging, like the man Peter and John met when they went to pray in the temple.  

 Acts Chapter Three

Two of Jesus’ friends, Peter and John, set out to the meeting place. As they entered the courtyard, a paraplegic man, who survived by begging for money called out to them, as he did with everyone passing that way. He was hopping for some charity. Peter stopped and looked the man straight in the eye. “I’m sorry”, Peter said, “we have no money; but willingly give you what we do have. In the name of Jesus, get up and walk.” At that instant the man knew that he could walk, and was completely better. He began walking and running around in complete joy. Lots of people recognised him and were astonished. Word passed swiftly around the place and soon a large crowd of wondering people joined Peter and John as the man hugged them tightly. Peter then engaged with the people. He explained this was no magic, but a continuation of the work of Jesus, and through Jesus, the Creator of all. “Do you remember Jesus, who was handed over to the colonial authorities, despite never having done anything wrong? Indeed, having done many wonderful things, he was condemned by you lot, and executed. Well, you are witnesses that this was not the end, and what has happened proves that he is alive today. It is through trusting in Jesus’ life that this man is now walking.” “I know that you did not know the enormity of this error as you supported the death penalty. You did not realise that you were ‘stabbing a knife straight into the Creator’. But the Creator had planned that this would happen, and the very act was foretold hundreds of years ago by many wise people. The Creator used this death to free all people from being locked into evil and ignorance. By turning to Jesus and rejecting wrong motives, you can heal your relationship. Look, every single person from the past who we revere today has pointed to this event, which we are now a part of.”

For the next forty days I have prepared a thought provoking quote, and a bible passage and prayer.  The theme is "Get up and Walk".  I am challenging myself to stop sitting, begging, and start living my life to its full potential.  

PRAYER:  How much of the journey have I made so far?  Lead me on Lord.

Pancake Day, By Basile de Loose, (1845)
For Sale- Bindery Gallery, Braodway

Lessons from Lockdown

 

What we have learnt so far.

This is a disease that emanates from rich counties.  But it’s the poor countries that are suffering.  We in the West are largely being inconvenienced.  The real suffering in happening in the poorer countries of the world where there is hunger and needless death. (No big bank loans and furloughs there.) https://www.statista.com/statistics/1104709/coronavirus-deaths-worldwide-per-million-inhabitants/

The people who are at risk of death in the West do not exist in the same numbers in poorer countries.  This is an illustration of one of the greatest inequalities present in the world and suggests “Rich Lives Matter”.

Is it polio? Or is it flu?  We cannot decide.  Are we trying to eradicate it, or find a way to live with it?

We, as a society, embrace the religion of science.  It is the vaccine that will save us. 

We forget:-

1)      Up to 80% of people do not seem to be affected. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/50-percent-of-people-with-covid19-not-aware-have-virus#How-transmission-works

2)      The research shows around 80% efficacy of the vaccine.  However we should expect this if the above research is factual. https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n18

3)      It might be that people of ethnic minorities are more reluctant to have the vaccine because they are less scared of dying.  The vaccine’s significance is less to people who see this life as a step along the way.  It is well known that the UK’s ethnic minority communities have a stronger faith in God.

So finally a quiz- Furloughed or not Furloughed?

Ø  Bailiffs (Eviction ban extended to end of March except for nasty neighbours)

Ø  Doormen / women (The job that limits touchpoint contamination)

Ø  Lollipop Ladies/ Men (children still need to cross the road safely to school!)

What is the etymology of the word furlough?  https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/furlough