Recently I found myself considering a spoil heap hill (a feature of former coal mining areas) as a metaphor of transformation. A bit of background to explain that!As Archdeacon of East Derbyshire the part of my role that involves me travelling throughout the eastern side of the county means that I am frequently driving through settlements and landscapes associated with mining and its legacy. The small hill (and it was big enough to be considered as such) I was driving past at the time is now partially wooded and partially farmed. I’m not sure how long it will have taken to get this ‘heap’ to this point but it will have been a journey that has involved a great deal of attention and care around stability, drainage, probably some form of reclamation of the material and varying levels of plant and species colonisation, planned and otherwise. It is so much more than a single event! Many of us are on a journey of transformation as followers of Jesus, as our desire to be more like Him and the work of the Holy Spirit in us combine to spur us on in our pilgrimage. That can take us in a myriad of directions as we follow God’s call on our lives, but even as we heed that call, Scripture encourages us to ‘go on being transformed’, to keep on with the journey of discipleship, to go deeper with God. Others of us may be on a journey of enquiry and exploration, uncertain of where that might lead but still with a desire to find out. That journey is of itself transformative. For some that has led them recently to Ordination as deacon and priest. Please do hold those people in your prayers as they settle into this new phase of their lives. For a lot of us it is about ‘keeping on keeping on’ in our own situations, whatever we do, dealing with all the joys and challenges of life in the context of ongoing inner transformation as we daily know more of God’s love for us. Often challenging, sometimes extremely so, never dull! For me, as retirement approaches, the transforming love of God and my response to that will continue to transform me, although in a different setting. This is the last Archdeacon’s message I will be writing. Thank you for being part of the journey with me over the years, not just as Archdeacon but prior to that as well. My life has been enriched beyond measure by the people of this Diocese, whether part of a worshipping community or not, whether colleague or companion or passing acquaintance and it has been a joy, sometimes in the midst of struggle, to see God’s Kingdom bringing transformation in so many different places and lives in such a variety of ways. Keep on keeping on, nothing is beyond God’s redemptive and transforming presence, as the spoil heap illustrates (just a metaphor, don’t push it too far as one of my lecturers used to say). May God’s blessing be on you and with you as our journeys of transformation continue. The Venerable Karen Hamblin Archdeacon of East Derbyshire
This year sees the 10th anniversary of Thy Kingdom Come, a prayer movement launched by the archbishops of Canterbury and York 10 years ago. Since its launch, Christians in 172 countries now participate and more than 85 denominations are involved. Thy Kingdom Come is truly global in its reach!Thy Kingdom Comes focuses on the 10 days between Ascension Day and our celebration of Pentecost. Think back to the story of the disciples after Easter, waiting patiently in Jerusalem, full of expectation and anticipation, for the gift of the Spirit which Jesus had promised. If they were honest, it was all a bit frightening as they didn’t quite know what the gift would involve. They may not have realised what the impact of the Spirit would be – for them all it would be a costly gift involving the giving of their own lives in witness to the risen Jesus - yet they waited in obedience to Jesus’ instructions.This year the focus is on the words of the Lord’s Prayer, the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray and which we pray in every act of Anglican public worship. The published materials say: ‘the prayer Jesus taught us transcends the ages, uniting people across different denominations, generations, and nations. We believe that now, more than ever, we need to pray Thy Kingdom Come over our homes, communities, nations, and our world.’The resources include reflections on the Lord’s Prayer from a range of different voices from across the world to help us experience something new in a prayer that many of us are familiar with. Thy Kingdom Come has travelled a long way in 10 years. Let’s engage with it this year and become part of the story with global Christians. Let’s enter the hope and expectation that the first disciples experienced in those days before the first Pentecost in Jerusalem. Let’s create an opportunity every day in the 10 days between the Ascension of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit, to notice where God is active in the world, in the church and in our own lives, and to commit ourselves to cooperate with God’s work. Why not visit thykingdomcom.global and see how you can get involved in your parish? There are resources to help the Church pray and especially there is an encouragement to pray for individuals close to us. We are encouraged to pray for five people each that we with them may know the gift of God’s Spirit in their daily lives. On Friday, 30 May, from 7pm to 10pm, Derby Cathedral is holding a prayer vigil for Thy Kingdom Come to which all are invited. Why not hold a vigil in your parish church and open your own parish community to the growing involvement in Thy Kingdom Come?The Very Revd Dr Peter Robinson Dean of Derby
On the day I wrote this article, the stock markets were down 11% as the impact of what President Trump termed ‘Liberation Day’ took hold on the global economy. As of April 2, the United States has imposed global tariffs on countries exporting goods and services to America. Some countries have already responded to Trump’s move by imposing retaliatory tariffs on the cost to the United States of exporting their goods into those countries. Now, you might not follow the ups and downs of global stock markets and the twists and turns of the geo-politics, but part of the concern over these tariffs will be their effect on nearly all of us. The US President’s move affects pensions, the cost of car purchases, family savings and more. And the language applied to the advent of these significant and far-reaching tariffs is ‘Liberation Day’. The heavy burden imposed on countries and individuals by these tariffs starkly contrasts with Jesus’ message of salvation, liberation, and hope that we celebrate during the Easter season. Jesus took the full weight of human sin on himself on the cross and rose from the dead to offer us new life in Christ. Whereas President Trump’s tariffs lead to hopelessness and despair, the liberation Jesus offers us brings hope. However, as we take our confidence in the Good News of Jesus, we must reconcile what we believe in faith with the world as we experience it; that is the challenge of being a disciple. It might strike you as hard to cling to a message of hope amid a fractured world, but that is the work we must do if we are to point people to Jesus. Will Freemont-Brown’s chapter in the Archbishop’s Lent book ‘Wild Bright Hope’ suggests that for Christians, hope is not the same as optimism but inviting Jesus into the challenging and traumatic: the hopeless places of our lives and the world, we can reimagine those spaces with hope. The apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans (12.2) urges early followers of Jesus to ‘not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your [our] mind’. Therefore, the challenge for us as contemporary followers of Jesus is not to deny or play down the despair of tariffs and warfare but, through prayer, invite the Holy Spirit to help us reimagine our outlook on the here and now, in light of the liberation Jesus won for us on the cross and in the resurrection. The Venerable Matthew Trick Archdeacon of Derby City and South Derbyshire
Bishop Malcolm writes...The message of Holy Week and Easter is that God’s love for us in Jesus is Good News - the best news anyone could ever get. How are we doing at making this obvious to everyone, as it has become obvious to us? One way we do it is simply to be present in each and every local community across Derbyshire. The way we are with our neighbours, the way we are as a church, and the way we are with each other, are all supposed to express the love of God in Christ – and very often they do! Where there is a community full of life and love and hospitality, people will experience ‘good news’ simply by walking through the door and being made welcome. Others will simply see the church tower, and be prompted to pray. But how else do we share the wonders of the life in Christ we have been blessed with? Another way is by making sure our churches are always places where people who are coming with questions about life and faith can find help in their search. Local churches either do it alone or they can team up to ensure there’s always something going on locally geared towards helping people make a start with Jesus. This can be one of the many courses available, or simply a fun evening in church or café or pub where any question is taken seriously, and where new disciples and others can explore the scriptures honestly, making the connections with everyday life. I do enjoy my ministry a lot – but the best thing I get to do as a bishop is to do confirmations. Hearing the stories of people’s search for God – and sometimes of how God has surprised them without their previously having been interested – this is an extraordinary privilege. It encourages the whole church when they tell their story. I thank God for the many churches where an annual confirmation course has once again become routine -something we lost perhaps during Covid, but now have the opportunity to revive. More and more we are hearing of newcomers, especially young people, just turning up at church wanting to see what goes on and to find out more. They don’t necessarily want to be smothered – but they are glad when there is clear information about what is going on and how they can engage if they want to. It is worth thinking of also that most searching and enquiring today happens online. My guess is that some of those who are just randomly turning up at church have begun their search out there. There are a range of great online resources out there to help people become disciples of Jesus – for younger people #thewayuk on Instagram or Youtube or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/twuktv/ is a great place to start. Or there is the Christian Enquiry Agency https://www.christianity.org.uk/site-map And there is helpful material on the Church of England website too: https://www.churchofengland.org/faith-life/what-we-believe This April we keep company with Jesus on his road to Good Friday and to Easter while the guns of war still sound, and in a world where human failure and sin are all too evident. So many lives are broken and hurting. There are many and various factors at play: with ever deepening poverty and rising inequality, with the global rise in political extremism, and with today’s preference for social media silo talk rather than open, honest conversation. Meanwhile the climate emergency only gets more urgent. It would be easy to give in, and give up hope. We must not. And yet, even in these perilous times, Sunday by Sunday, many are finding real hope in Jesus, the crucified and risen one. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are still good news to those who encounter him alive and present today. In Him there is a new creation – a whole new world. Let’s find ways old and new to pass this on. The Rt Revd Malcolm Macnaughton Bishop of Repton
