This week I’m currently reading:
Claire Keegan “The Forester’s Daughter”
Rowan Williams “Holy Living”
Fun Fact of the week: Jollof rice is a popular rice dish from West Africa and I made it yesterday for the first time. August 22 is "World Jollof Day" and sparks intense "Jollof Wars" competitions, particularly between Nigeria and Ghana, to determine who can make the best Jollof rice. The winner most years is Ghana.
This last week has been somewhat taken up by health issues. My own mother has had some fairly serious problems which meant I spent a couple of days with her in Oxford. Then I got a date in April for my own minor heart surgery (is any heart surgery minor?) which involved a pre-admission assessment. The good news was my blood pressure was lower than I can ever remember. The stress of organising a church service is nothing compared to a class full of teenagers! The main consequence of all this has been a need to cut back on one or two commitments. It is interesting to consider what is ‘less important’ in a role like parish Priest. I think one must always prioritise prayer and people. Paperwork can wait. In fact, I discovered that if I cut out procrastination then I had time for everything that needs doing! (Apologies for the number of exclamation marks. A friend and I were once chatting about the over-use of exclamation marks and suggested that everyone be limited to 3 a week. (I think the original suggestion was 3 a year but that is far too austere). I have already used 2 in a single paragraph so I will save one for my sermon on Sunday).
Our reading on Sunday is Jesus raising Lazarus in a foreshadowing of his own resurrection. We were practising the reading at youth group on Friday and what struck me was the emotional ebb and flow of the passage. Jesus, at times, appears a bit reserved but then, as he encounters the grief of Mary and those with her, he too weeps. There is a depth to his sorrow. His tears become his prayer. Unfortunately, I really struggle to weep myself. There is so much cultural baggage that comes with crying (especially for men?), that it restricts my capacity to pray in this heart centred way. As I continue on my journey of faith at St. James, and as I continue to support my family through health concerns, my hope is that God will enable me to discover an emotional openness that will enable more tears as prayer. The Psalmist writes “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book”. As we enter the last two weeks of lent, my prayer is that each one of us can discover more of what it means to follow Christ; as he surrenders himself to the will of God, and to the way of complete honesty and vulnerability to all that life demands of us.
As always, if you would like me to pray for, or have a conversation about anything then do get in touch. I am available to listen and share in whatever might be arising for you at this time.
"Nothing can separate us from the love of God revealed to us in Christ Jesus" Eph8:38-39
With peace and blessings,
Rev Steve
07503164309
My day of rest this week is Monday.