Visiting Norwich this last week caused me to think about how what is familiar and loved was once feared and hated as a foreign intrusion. Norwich Cathedral (pictured) is typical in many ways of the great churches which are seen as typically English and part of our inheritance. And, indeed, Norwich Cathedral and many others are incredibly important parts of our heritage. Yet, when they were built, they would have been seen as parts of the oppression which followed the Norman conquest of England. In the 20 years following the Battle of Hastings in 1066 English society was transformed with new Norman leadership in both state and church, an enormous enforced transfer of resources from English to Normans and a major shift in building styles and types – for example the introduction of castles. One part of this was a complete change in the leadership of the church – very few English senior clergy remained in post – and in the nature of its buildings. In place of much smaller churches, the Normans built massive cathedrals and reordered their staffing by replacing relatively informal groups of canons with much more rigid monastic orders. Very often these cathedrals were built in new more urban contexts. Norwich Cathedral typified this shift. Herbert de Losinga, from Normandy, became Bishop of the diocese of the East Angles, covering Norfolk and Suffolk, in 1090. In 1096 he moved his headquarters from the small town of Thetford to Norwich, the most important town in East Anglia. In just 20 years the Normans built the massive Cathedral which largely survives to the present day and with the Castle still dominates the city.Over time the way in which the Cathedral is used has changed – it now belongs to the Church of England, not the Church of Rome; monks have been replaced by Canons who work to keep the Cathedral relevant to modern society while still fulfilling their primary purpose of worshipping God and proclaiming the message of the salvation offered by His Son Jesus through his death and resurrection. Yet, apart from historians and some others, the origin of the Cathedral as an imposition by incomers and how attitudes have changed through time is largely ignored and these great churches are seen as part of the heritage of all of us. This is an outstanding example of how society is continually changing and how eventually that change is accepted.
A time to lament This week marks the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster. So much tragedy in one day in living memory. Rev Irving Penberthy, now aged 96, was the Methodist minister there at the time. The voice of God prompted him to divert to Aberfan on that day of unimaginable trauma. It was a ‘ministry of tears’ as he stood alongside fathers in sorrow in the Bethania Chapel where their children had been laid. ‘A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted’ (Matthew 2:18/Jeremiah 31:15) What comfort could there possibly be for those who lost children and siblings? The weight of the grief was heavy to the point of being unbearable. Jesus knew that heaviness, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death (Matthew 26:38), he said in Gethsemane. Irving talks of recalling Jesus’ words: ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ (Matthew 19:14). These beloved children are in a place of eternal belonging. When we prayer Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven we are asking God for glimpses of heaven until that time when there is a new heaven and a new earth, where God ‘will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away (Revelation 21:4); where all the things that mark the brokenness of this fallen world are made new. It’s Bible Sunday this weekend where we will thank God for his Word that speaks into our reality. And when we find ourselves inconsolable, we join with lament in scripture until his kingdom comes. With material from https://www.methodist.org.uk/about/our-stories/sixty-years-since-aberfan-a-minister-remembers/ Sarah Mortimer
Northern Ireland was a part of the UK I had always been wary of visiting. Those of us over a certain age remember the Troubles. During the 1970s and 1980s bombings and violence seemed to dominate the news. Yet there were always people working for peace, and their efforts finally bore fruit in the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Since then Northern Ireland has built a new reputation as a place that is safe and welcoming.Drawn by the attractions of Belfast, including the Titanic Experience, we recently paid a visit. It is a fascinating city, shaped by its history as a great seaport of the British Empire and famous for industries such as linen production and shipbuilding. Yet alongside that proud heritage runs a history of deep division between communities who held very different views about identity, nationality and faith. From the late 1960s, those tensions erupted into violence, and over the next thirty years around 3,500 people lost their lives, with many thousands more injured.Today visitors can walk freely around the Falls Road and the Shankill Road, once among the most troubled areas of Belfast. Murals still proclaim the history and beliefs of the communities that live there. Peace was not achieved because people abandoned their convictions. Rather, it came because they learned to live alongside one another while recognising the right of others to hold different views.Yet one feature of Belfast remains striking. A large Peace Wall still stands between parts of the Falls Road and Shankill Road communities. Built to reduce violence, it remains in place today, with gates that are closed overnight. The wall is covered with artwork, hopes for the future and messages from visitors, including world leaders.Standing there, I found myself asking a simple question. If peace has been achieved, why is there still a wall?Perhaps it is a reminder that peace is more than the absence of conflict. True peace is found when barriers are no longer needed and when trust becomes stronger than fear. That is a challenge not just for Belfast, but for all of us.Michael Kingston
It's been wonderful to welcome new people exploring faith for the first time or returning to church after a time away. If that's you and you have all sorts of questions about God, faith or the church, you are warmly invited to this new, short course looking at the basics of what Christians believe. The course starts on Thursday 22 October, it runs for 4 sessions over 4 weeks and is led by Revd Peter & Andrew Anderson-Gear.To register your interest, please email the Parish Office - office@stedburgschurch.org
