Thought for the Day 24th April 2020“There is nothing new under the sun …”We live in a world where we are always looking out for the next new big thing. This is just as true for the church as for any other part of our society. However, there is much that we have, even in the twentieth-first century, which has been seen before.As you know, the church is making the most of modern technology to increase access to services, which is especially important during this Easter period. And yet, long-distance communication has happened before, and without Wi-fi and lap-top. There is nothing new under the sun . . .I was thinking of St Clare of Assisi the other day, a name overshadowed by a more famous holy person from that Italian town. Clare was born in Assisi on 16 July 1194, when the crusades were in full-swing, to the wealthy Fiumi family. It is said that she pursued a regular routine of prayer in her early years but her spiritual life changed in a single moment. She heard St Francis of Assisi preach a sermon at a Lenten service. We do not know if this was similar to attending a Billy Graham meeting, but these words of Francis changed her life for ever. Clare then asked St Francis to help her to live the way of the gospel, which he did. On Sunday 20 March 1212, a Palm Sunday, Clare left her home, much to her father’s annoyance, cut her hair and took the veil and vows. After spending time in a couple of Benedictine communities, she established her own religious family in a building next to San Damiano, located on the flanks of Subasio. This became the Order of the Poor Ladies, now known as the Poor Clares, a community based on the Franciscan way of life.This new order did not live a mendicant lifestyle like the Franciscans, chiefly because it was not considered a suitable one for women. Instead, they devoted themselves to prayer, manual work and complete silence . . . well, most of the time. They also went around barefoot. St Clare died on 11 August 1253. Pope Pius XIII declared her to be the patron saint of television in 1958. Why? When she was ill, Clare was able to hear and see the Mass on a wall in her room. How did this happen, we know not. It was a miracle!Just as St Clare was able to participate in the services via miraculous means, and from a distance, so too are we. Indeed, modern technology is just as mysterious, miraculous and utterly unfathomable! St Clare’s experience encourages us to make the most of what we have been given, whether it be via the internet, or simply by watching ‘Songs of Praise’ on TV, or listening to a recorded evensong on the radio. There is nothing new under the sun . . .Nick Baker
Thought for the Day Wednesday 22nd AprilThere’s Power in the Name!Whilst pottering in the garden a few rambling thoughts came to mind, as they do from time to time, Im trying to put them into some sort of sense, so bear with!Everything in the World and even Universe has a name, from the smallest virus to the largest Nebula. In the garden of Eden, God gave Adam the job of naming everything “So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field.”In John 14:13 Jesus says, ‘You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.’ Powerful stuff, I often ask God to intervene on my behalf and usually something happens, but not like I thought it would!Our baptisms at St Catherine’s and St Peter’s are joyous celebrations and we have been blessed over the years to have a steady supply, it has become a ‘rite of passage' for many, many folk. Some people however choose not to have a religious celebration, but still have Naming Ceremonies, every culture has a way of marking the naming of a child. Father Andrew at every baptism says what a privilege it is to name a child and as is part of our tradition we often hear about the origin of the name of those being baptised.This got me thinking; How do you feel when you cannot remember someone’s name? A little embarrassed, I bet. “Hey you” is not a way of addressing someone. We all need to be able to name something, to give it credence, to give it legitimacy. However, we describe the current situation, Epidemic, Pandemic, Coronavirus or Covid-19 all give legitimacy. In the last 4 weeks I have never mentioned any of the above, in fact typing these words gives me some trouble. Call me silly, stupid, lost, deranged whatever you like, names are powerful things and sometimes, sometimes they can cause fear to arise within you, take the ‘C’ word for instance. So, I refuse to call this “thing” anything, I even baulk slightly whenever I hear it named. To me it is so much easier to deal with as a nameless entity. I know it exists, it is causing untold misery to people, I accept it is changing all our lives forever, but I don’t want that name to have any power over me and mine, give it a try, it’s easier than you think.Being in the choir since Adam was a lad, I have sung many Hymns and anthems, one that springs to mind is; "At the Name of Jesus" a hymn from 1870 with lyrics penned by Caroline Maria Noel. This hymn proclaims the sovereignty of Jesus as the first line says, "At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow.” The Story behind this hymn is that Caroline Maria Noel experienced bouts of intense suffering, and many of these lyrics were the outcome of her times of distress. They are particularly acclimated "for the Sick and Lonely" and were composed first for private meditation than for public use, although many are befitted to the latter audience. It is a rousing hymn and is often the Processional for Ascension Day. Verse 5 is particularly relevant at this time and brings me comfort that there is ‘Power in Jesus name,’ to assuage anything that may seek to have power over me.5.In your hearts enthrone him; there let him subdueall that is not holy, all that is not true.Look to him, your Saviour, in temptations' hour;let his will enfold you in its light and power. A Prayer:Heavenly Father,by the power of your Holy Spirityou give your faithful people new life in the water of baptism.Guide and strengthen us by the same Spirit,that we who are born again may serve you in faith and love,and grow into the full stature of your Son, Jesus Christ,who is alive and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spiritnow and for ever. Amen
Fourth Station of the Resurrection:The Angel appears to the Women(Matthew 28: 5-8)It is well known that I have an overactive imagination. Whether it be dreaming about flying to a distant planet, or even unearthing an archaeological treasure house like Tutankhamun’s tomb, I have pictured myself doing lots of strange and wonderful things. And imagination is not a bad thing. Indeed, even St Ignatius of Loyola stressed the importance of dreaming as part of spiritual meditation and discipline. For example, to picture yourself walking along the shore of Galilee with your Lord can be a powerful and prayerful experience.Many years ago I paid a visit to the Holy Land. I did the usual things, you know, climb the mount of the Beatitudes (more like a small hill rather than a mountain!), bathe in the Dead Sea, and even visit the church at Cana. Alas, there was no free wine on offer. The ‘highlight’ of the tour, so to speak, was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where you can pray at the spot where the cross stood, and see the split in the rock which resulted from the subsequent earthquake. Fr Terry mentioned this on Sunday. If you ignore the cacophony of the various Christian denominations trying to ‘out sing’ each other in various parts of the church, you can see the stone on which the body of Christ lay in the tomb. (In fact, part of the stone that was rolled away can still be seen – a sad portion of its former self.) When I went to that slab of stone, you are not so much greeted by an angel, but normally by other pilgrims, or even a bearded priest trying to keep some sort of order, rearranging the crash-barrier to manage the que. Regardless of the reality, I could not but help imagine what the scene would have been like for those women who came to the tomb on that first Easter Day. When we read the few verses prior to today’s gospel reading, we learn there was an earthquake, and an angel came from above and rolled the stone away.If you have ever seen the film The Greatest Story ever Told, which stars Max von Sydow as Jesus Christ, you will remember that the famous singer Pat Boone played the angel, dressed in white from head to foot looking, well, angelic. I can’t say that a vision of Pat Boone appeared in my mind as I was standing in that church in Jerusalem, but I tried to imagine what those women were feeling when they saw what had happened and heard him speak. Perhaps fear? Possibly surprise?Who were these women? Matthew tells us that they were Mary Magdalene and ‘the other Mary’, presumably the mother of James, Joseph and sons of Zebedee, and Matthew tells us that these two had witnessed the crucifixion itself. And the angel connects the Jesus of the resurrection with the Jesus who suffered an awful death on the wooden cross, the death they had just witnessed. The angel says ‘I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified’. There was no getting away from that fact.But let us have a closer look at the words spoken by the angel. In this passage we see that the angel references both pain and joy. The angel is clearly aware of the pain that is being experienced by those women: they had seen his death, they now saw an empty tomb. Where was the body of the one they had followed faithfully? But there is the joy and comfort, too. As the angel tells them, ‘Do not be afraid . . . ‘ and later ‘ he is not here; for he has been raised . . . ‘Even on that first Easter day, people experienced both pain and joy. Just as Jesus came to know what it was like to be human, so the angel also addressed those concerns and feelings that humans have. In our earthly lives, and especially today, we all have an understanding of pain and joy. Even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, when the statistics go ever upward and the discomfort of lockdown continues to bite, there is joy. There is the joy of communities coming together, albeit through strange and peculiar means, and greater co-operation between nations around the globe; there are wonderful feats of fund-raising and fund-giving. The women left the tomb in fear, no surprise there, but with great joy. It is a reminder that even in the midst of pain and fear, there is great joy, and for Christians the joy of resurrection hope. Don’t be afraid to run and share that news with others, keeping of course a respectful two metre gap.Nick Baker
I saw this image on Facebook a few days ago and I have been giving some thought to the message it contains. We have experienced lockdown since half way through Lent, an important 40-day period of time in the Christian Calendar. It is impossible to say at the moment how long our ‘Stay Home’ period will last, but I suspect that we need to prepare for at least 40 days! During that period some of us will have caught the virus and some of us will have weathered some difficult storms, but God stays with us through it all.40 is a significant number in Jewish-Christian scripture:· In Genesis, the flood which destroyed the earth was brought about by 40 days and nights of rain.· The Hebrews spent 40 years in the wilderness before reaching the land promised to them by God.· Moses fasted for 40 days before receiving the ten commandments on Mount Sinai.· Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness in preparation for his ministry.What can we learn from these Bible events?1. Noah walked with God and he did all that God commanded him. (Genesis 6:9,22) God had a special task for him: he was to stay safe with his family inside the ark and he was to look after the animals that were placed in his care. Our priority is to make sure we walk with God every day, regardless of how disconnected we feel in other ways and ask the Lord to write his Law on our hearts. Hebrews 8:10 says ‘This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.’ Take good care of your families at this time. Stay connected with the church family. Enjoy the wildlife that comes into your garden and take good care of the wonderful pets you have at home who are your constant companions.2. The Hebrews wandered around the wilderness, often complaining to their leaders and frequently ignoring or disobeying the voice of God. Not all of them reached the promised land.‘For the Israelites travelled for forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the warriors who came out of Egypt, perished, not having listened to the voice of the LORD. To them the LORD swore that he would not let them see the land that he had sworn to their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ Joshua 5:6Perhaps you have been giving some thought as to whether the COVID-19 virus is a plague sent to test us. John and Bernie gave us food for thought in their ‘Thought for the Day’. Lent is a time for self-reflection, confession and repentance. God is faithful and will forgive us for the times we have strayed in the wilderness. Intercede for our nation at this time – the people of Great Britain need to return to God! We need a new generation of Christians who are able to enter the Promised Land!3. Moses’ fast was a time of special preparation before he received the Ten Commandments. During his time on Mount Sinai he talked with God and heard God speaking to Him.During Lent, some of us choose to fast or give up something. The purpose of this should be that it helps us to draw closer to God, rather than being an end in itself, or thinking that our self-denial makes us more holy. We have more time for reflection when we are staying at home. Let us prepare ourselves for a greater awareness of God’s presence with us.4. And Jesus Christ? What did his forty days in the wilderness signify? The imminent birth of a new Israel liberated from sin, reconciled to God, and governed by the law of the Spirit rather than a law chiselled in stone. The temptation of Christ shows us the tactics of Satan, the evil one. Bread, a symbol for all that sustains our physical life, is a great blessing. But Satan tries to make material things the ultimate, distracting us from a deeper hunger and a more enduring food. During our period of lock-down we are realising the precariousness of relying on material wealth and how it is not necessarily the highest paid workers who do the most valuable work in our society.Political power and all leadership are intended by God for the sake of serving the common good, but many leaders become self-seeking or even oppressive. Pray for our leaders and for all leaders throughout the world, that they will seek to serve the common good, especially during this time of crisis. Then there’s religious temptation, the trickiest of them all: using God’s gifts to make people look at us rather than at Him. In all we do, in lock-down and when we can be physically together again, let us worship God and serve only Him. This time of lock-down could be with us for a while yet, so just hang in there and remember that God keeps his promises. After your confinement, when the ‘rain’ stops and the ocean of virus subsides, watch for the Rainbow!Mary Tynan
