Three cheers for our rubbish bin people.

Thursday is bin day. The truck(s) arrive very early in the morning so the bins have to go out before bedtime on Wednesday. It’s a cathartic feeling to hear the truck rumble and know that all my rubbish is being taken away never to be seen again. It doesn’t matter whether it is the recycle bin, the general rubbish bin or the green waste bin. The feeling is always one of resolution and being tidy.

There are some bits of our lives that are rubbish. The things that we have discarded, want to forget about, no longer have a use for, but somehow still linger. Usually, we are very good at putting them out of sight and more importantly, out of mind. Time is terrific at helping us with this process. Being busy and focusing on something else is also helpful.

But every so often we need a rubbish bin person. Someone that we can offload to which is why I reckon a soul mate is a cracker of an idea. Someone who knows you enjoys you and sees straight through you and knows exactly what to say. They know how to dislodge the garbage that you should have dumped a long time ago.

You might have a spouse, a partner, or just a decent human being who visits on a regular basis. And in the telling of your story and with the perspective of the outsider, something quite lovely happens. The burden is dissolved, options are opened up, fresh perspectives are unveiled and the world is just a little less tiresome and drab.

Whoever they are, remember to Thank them for the important work they do and if you find yourself ‘driving the truck’ and ‘emptying the bins’ then we are always in your debt.

The tale of three men.

A Reflection for the Coronation of King Charles

Question:

Who are you? …. Answer: You are living stones and you are priests.

In today's second lesson, Peter is encouraging the early Christians in their spiritual life. He does this by telling them to get rid of the not-so-nice stuff and then empowers them by telling them who they truly are.

First, let’s do the long list of yucky stuff they have to get rid of.

malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.

All this seems pretty obvious and it is still true today. It’s infuriating when we realise how easily these things find us or maybe we find them. Whatever the case, we struggle with the same things that the Early Christians did. There is nothing new here, just the same continuous spiritual battle the Peters correspondents fought.

But then Peter goes on to use an image to explain who we are.

He describes the early Christians and therefore us, as building stones and here I can’t help but think of those building blocks from the pyramids.

He points out

“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house”

Mmmm…. Living stones. We rest on the foundations of those who have gone before us. They continue to support, encourage and pray for us. A flimsy,  simple thing like death does not stop them from working for the Lord they love and it can never stop them from praying for us. Thank Goodness!

They are living stones. Albeit in a slightly different dimension, their work and fortitude and resilience and assistance are just as important now as when they walked this planet.

As living stones we sit side by side with our brothers and sisters who we can see and those countless others all around the world who are worshipping with us, right at this precious moment. There is never a moment in time when bread is not being broken and wine poured out. Together, we build up something far more lovely than we can ever comprehend or imagine and we never quite get to see the completed project; but we know that it is something infinitely worthwhile and an outrageous privilege to work on.

There will be others who come after us who will rely on what we accomplish here today. The stones that we are and the foundations that we are laying in 2023, will provide the framework of the Church in the years to come.

And always at the cornerstone; The most important rock is the master Himself. Without Our Lord, the whole thing falls over and comes tumbling down in a heap of rubble and swirling dust.

Then Peter reminds us of who we are called to be and what we are called to do.

We are called to be a holy priesthood, and we are to be offering spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God 

So what is sacrifice and what are the spiritual sacrifices that you and I offer up to God?

Sacrifice is when the other benefits from something we give up. When something we do, say or write points to the other and/or to God. A sacrifice must always point away from ourselves.

So here are some of the sacrifices that you offer.

Your Bodies. We are to present our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, which is acceptable to God. Your body is something special and a gift from God. Treat it wisely and responsibly.

Your Praise. We are to “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God.” Our verbal praise from a grace-filled heart is a spiritual offering to God. Every time you sing a hymn, say a prayer out loud and in silence.

Your good works and possessions. “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” The believer’s good works and generous desire to share what God has given to them is a sacrifice offered to God.

People that you have led to Christ. Now it might be that you are not aware of anyone. Or that they were already stumbling along the path with you, but simply by your example and willingness and faithfulness and your courage, you do lead others onwards. People you lead to the Lord are a spiritual sacrifice for our Father.

Your sacrificial financial giving to the Lord’s work - Paul refers to monetary gifts that the church at Philippi sent him through Epaphroditus. These gifts are described as a “fragrant offering and a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.”

Your prayers. No matter how flimsy or frail or feeble or ineffectual a prayer may feel… a prayer is a prayer and in God’s eyes it is never dated or less precious than any other prayer. And it matters not whether it is offered up by a tiny child, or a wizened old monk of many years. All prayer is a spiritual sacrifice offered to the loving Father.

So the sacrifices that you offer up are the things you do, the words you speak, and the worship you offer to God, throughout your daily lives. These sacrifices may be physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual. Just by being faithful, authentic, good old you. This is when you are most effective and give God the glory. All are called to be Christ’s priests: Silently offering the sacrifices presented to us.

Peter wraps up who we are and what we are called to do in the following words and they are the best words to finish with.

But you, … you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now… you, are the people of God;

Tread gently

It was one of those things that I had the privilege to relearn.

Someone far more adroit and perceptive than I pointed out that in the gospel stories we are only ever just given a quick snapshot of a person's life. We are not told what happens before or after the encounter with Our Lord.

Take for example the woman caught in adultery in John 8. The incident probably only took a few minutes. Long enough for the Master to doodle in the dust and for the older ones to drop their rocks and walk away.

This woman did have a hidden life before she was embarrassed. Did she have a husband, boyfriend or children? Was there goat stew in the oven when she was caught? We are not told. And what happens when the incident is over? Did she manage to get on with her life, a different life or simply leave town to start all over again in a different community? We simply don’t know and perhaps it is none of our business anyway.

So here’s the thing. We all have a backstory. We did not arrive in this place, in this form, out of a vacuum. Life and circumstance and accident and choices have all led up to making us who we are at this point in time. All we have before us is a snapshot. Sometimes fantastic, colourful, grey and drab, sometimes unfortunate, sometimes memorable.

And everyone we encounter also has a ‘back story’ Most of it we can never know so we should always tread gently.

A Curse or a Blessing?

In the Outlander series, Claire Randall is a time traveller. She is able to go back to the battle of Culloden to find her true love Jamie Fraser but also their nemesis Jack Randall. She is of course accused of being a witch and because Jack is such a nasty, twisted person she decides to exploit her reputation and curse him, but in an unusual way.

Not with frogs coming out of his ears or warts on his nose. No, something far worse. She knows and tells him the date of his death which is of course a dreadful fact and one that would make you very twitchy.

But here’s the thing. What if an attractive bonny lass burst into your life and told you what we know is an inevitable concrete fact, but which none of us really knows for certain?

Would that be a blessing or a curse?

On the one hand, it would be downright terrifying, but it would also give you an opportunity to get your stuff together and ‘tidy up’.

And I wonder if you were cursed/blessed with this bewildering date say… in 3 months' time… would it change the way you live today? Who would you contact, what would you say, who would you tell?

And as the day drew closer…? What then is on your checklist, your bucket list and what matters most? Do you see how this exercise sharpens the mind and fine-tunes our priorities?

Or maybe you would just let the clock run down and go on doing what you have always done. Perhaps you are already sweet, dandy, tidy and all squared away.

The date of your death may well be unknown, but it is out there, somewhere, and it will find you.

The gift of Emmaus a reflection for Easter 3

Today’s gospel is about seeing God as he truly is.

It is what we all long for – “To see God as he is”. Here on this earth we never reach full maturity, but we can certainly give it a 'good innings!'

The story of the disciples’ journey to Emmaus reveals something of Christ who is with us. When we are willing to welcome Christ to walk alongside us on our journey of life, when we are willing to listen and learn – even from a stranger, especially a stranger, then through word and sacrament the risen Christ can reveal himself. Christ’s presence brings both strangeness and familiarity to our hearts. Seeking Christ is at the heart of our life.

St Benedict at the beginning of his writing, would bid us to simply … listen. At the end of the rule Benedict makes clear it is listening that helps us to see; to see God, which is the end of all our exploring. Between listening and seeing, the spiritual life is one of love.

A response to love is first given by God, then a lifelong balance of being loved and of loving others, even with all their quirks and weaknesses. Together we journey with and to Christ.

Sometimes we will find ourselves like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. We are bereaved, experiencing the pain of the death of one we have loved. We feel the emptiness of loss and the uncertainties of a different future. Like those disciples, we can take comfort that our Lord is in fact walking with us. We are called to walk like the two disciples on the road, through a long and

faithful life. Our two disciples with their still unknown but friendly stranger, “came near to where they were going”. The stranger, we are told, “walked ahead as if he were going on”. Christ always has so much more to lead us onto in this life and the next. We are to always give the impression of reaching out to Christ whom we love, and know to be just ahead, but also alongside. Our exuberance must be balanced by our contemplative side. The Eucharist and prayer should be paramount in our life.

As the disciples’ day draws in, they invite the stranger to stay with them. Being with this man on the dusty road to Emmas gave them joy and it also brought out the best in them. So they take the next logical step and invite Our Lord in for some hospitality.

And it is when they sit down together to table and break bread, that they realise who it is that has been with them all this time.

At one level then we are the disciples. The stranger has much to teach us for they see things from the ‘outside’ looking in. We are used to seeing our church and our ministry from the inside and looking out. The stranger can perceive things and teach us things just because of where they stand. They walk alongside us, listen to us, and teach us. They are both one step ahead and alongside us. That makes them valuable resources and good friends. Strangers are important to us, they are good to us and they are good for us.

But did you see what happens when the disciples invite the stranger in to share bread, drink wine and engage in hospitality?

The scales fall from their eyes and they discover that the stranger who has been walking with them is actually the friend they thought they had lost. Has actually been with them all this time...

And there is a vital lesson here when we care for the stranger in our midst. It is one thing to walk with them sharing stories but the next dimension opens up when we ask them to eat and drink with us when we want to offer them hospitality and let them know in no uncertain terms that we would love to have them at our table. They must stay with us!

But there is one more way to open up this story. What if you are not just the disciples but you are in fact The Master himself? You and I know the gospel story of death and resurrection and most of us have lived in it in some way, shape or format. All of us at some point have felt denied, betrayed, ignored and forgotten. And all of us have known something of the joy of the resurrection and new life, delightful, unexpected surprises. It may not look like it and often it may not feel like it, but you do have oodles of wisdom and experience to offer those who are walking with you and to those who you meet in the marketplace of your everyday life.

The golden trophy of a church bursting with young people is only one part of what God desires. Everyone, young and old, is important to God and all have a role to play in the building up of his kingdom. Worldly experience is just as important as youthful energy.

When we walk the road to Emmaus with open ears and open hearts, with the imperative to welcome absolutely everyone, friend and stranger, the squawking baby and the ageing frail soul, then we will see God as He truly is. Then we will see ourselves as we truly are. This is the gift of Emmaus.

It’s only a flesh wound… or is it?

I want to begin with a phenomenon that I have noticed with some hospital patients. Occasionally they will show you their scars and they are quite persistent and passionate about it. I suspect they want to do so for two reasons.

First, to prove unequivocally to the visitor and to themselves,  that the operation really did happen.

The other reason is to prove that it really did happen to them. They seem quite unabashed by any squeamishness on my part and I always think that it is an enormous privilege to be shown something so personal.

As I thought about this I realised that there is a sense in which their scar tissue becomes a badge of their identity.

And this is what is happening in today's gospel.

At the start, the disciple's hearts are locked with fear just as surely as the doors are locked for fear of the religious leaders. It seems that the only way out is to confront Good Friday and even show it off a little. This is the key to banishing fear and unlocking the doors. They are also locked in by their disbelief.

But then ‘He’ appears and the disciples know who it is because of the scars. All doubt rushes out of the door.

And we learn afresh that it’s a physical, bodily resurrection

Thomas is invited to physically touch the scar tissue.

Dear Thomas,… when you read the story as a whole what conclusion do you come to? Surely it was not by chance that Thomas was missing in the first place? Or that on his return he heard, and in hearing he doubted, and in his doubting, he touched, and in that touching, he believed? I reckon that it was God’s cunning plan all along that things tumbled out the way that they did. When St. Thomas touched his Master's wounded flesh he cured the wound of his own disbelief and our disbelief.

So like the patient in the hospital bed, it’s imperative that Jesus puts his wounds on display. This is the proof that it is really him.. and the proof that the crucifixion really did happen.

And that is why, here today in our own upper room, on the first day of the week, we gather with all our fears and hopes and disappointments and the things that we have chosen to lock away. Somehow we know that it is the brokenness of the Eucharist,  the busted bread and the wine poured out that make it truly Him. We know it is truly Him that we take into our very selves because we know that He was broken just as we are broken.

This is my body … This is my blood. Our brokenness is blessed and consecrated through His brokenness.

And when we go out from here, we will find that it is our wounds that make us most authentic. It is our piercings that make us who we truly are.

The acoustics of the theological college I attended meant that you got to know others not just in conversations but in the noises that echoed around the bricks of the building.

So one student walked with a profound limp and you always could hear him coming up the hall and you knew who it was.  You learnt that whats-his-name was going to miss Morning Prayer … again … because you could hear them snoring 5 minutes before 7 as you went past their door and there were several other things that can never be mentioned, but you get a general idea.

For your reflection, you might want to think about what are the scars that make you who you are. What marks us forever are our deepest and most inward scars. They can be living badges of love and triumphant proof of a glorious resurrection to eternal life.

And our scars might be those hurts that are carried, of grudges that are nursed and held selfishly to ourselves and perhaps that is why we have this very important bit about forgiveness in today's gospel

Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

And perhaps that is why the Master is so very persistent with His Easter greeting of  ‘Peace Be With You’. Not to take away our wounds and pretend that the scarring experience never happened. But to use these hard knocks as agents of peace and reconciliation. That even when ghastly stuff happens to us, our lacerations can become the means of grace and the hope of glory.

Yes, this really did happen to me. It wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t pleasant, but now I am going to use my gashes to authentically be alongside someone else and I will be far more compassionate, far more loving and far more understanding because this very same experience happened to me.

The doors held fast by fear will be forced open by divine love, a conversation will begin and the gentle but persistent wind of the Holy Spirit will breathe new life into a mutilated corpse and a broken heart. Then we can say with our lips ‘Christ is Risen’ and finally one day, with every fibre of who we have become, we will be able to live His resurrection for our very own selves.

The three essentials for Life.

So they came, and even before they arrived at their first destination they were bug-eyed from a long flight that had been thwarted twice by foul weather.

Frazzled nerves and fear of the future coursed through their souls. And when all proof of the next leg of their journey had disappeared, the remaining minuscule fragment of hope they had been clinging to, also vanished. Now, three basic needs rose to the top of their delirium and screamed loudly for attention.

First: edible, nutritious food. Not the feeble imitation that a vending machine coughed reluctantly at an exorbitant price.

Second: Sleep. A comfortable lie down and a good hearty uninterrupted snore. Maybe even with a pillow. Why is it that when you are so tired that a restful deep slumber cannot be sourced, but will wink at you and then infuriatingly run away?

Finally: A shower. You know the sort of thing. The gadgety doodah sends streams of warm water to wash away the grime and grunge that insists on clinging affectionately in a lingering way.

In the 21st century, in an age when we can send words and pictures to the other side of the planet in a wink and when we can put human beings on the moon, it should not be too difficult to offer intrepid travellers these three basic necessities and yet .. and yet… there they were. In a shiny airport with hundreds of other beleaguered pilgrims that all felt exactly the same way, clinging desperately to the last remaining shreds of patience, humanity and sanity.

Interesting isn’t it…what we return to, our deepest needs, and our keenest longings. Our courageous crusaders learnt that when the technology fails, when the computer crashes, when the system lets you down, then you are ready to relearn what is genuinely essential.

Nothing is ever really lost

One of the things that continue to dazzle and enthral me is the interconnectivity of life. I went and knocked on a door recently (nothing new there) only to discover that folk behind this door were present at a wedding I had conducted a long time ago. More than a decade as it turns out. Now, what are the odds huh? They were amiable and I hope that we might catch up again.

I well remember the location of the wedding, the fact that it was bright sunshine and there was no snow. I remember the setting. I remembered there was some bubbly stuff in a glass. I assume that there was a bride, a groom, a photographer and me.

As I drove home from the wedding I genuinely believed that that would be the last time that I ever saw any of them again. I thought no more about them until I surreptitiously knocked on this anonymous door.

I learnt again that there is connectivity with people, places and important events in our lives. Church and parish world are mutually interdependent.  But more importantly, I relearnt that no conversation, no smile, and no silence are ever wasted. We might have forgotten all about these ‘moments’ but in the thoughts and hearts of others, everything is well remembered and frequently for the better. We must always choose our words very carefully and allow silence to work her magic in our conversations.

While we might be tempted to believe that the past is lost and consumed in the oblivion of our forgetfulness… in God’s eyes and in God’s heart, nothing is ever lost. Ever. Everything is remembered and everything is cherished!

9th of April

Question 1. Woman, why are you weeping?

Both the angels and Jesus ask this of Mary Magdalene, but we are not privy to the way it was spoken. The way this question was put to Mary makes all the difference to our understanding.

For example, was it spoken quickly and harshly?

Woman! Why are you weeping?

Almost as if to say ‘Snap out of it girl. Can’t you see that it’s all OK? It’s me you silly sausage.’

If the question was posed like this, then Mary’s grief is a hindrance to her seeing Jesus and she fails to understand what has really happened. Sometimes our grief is a cement wall around us to which no one gains access and we are imprisoned.

I don’t subscribe to the theory that the Master was giving Mary Magdalen a polite verbal slap on the wrist and that her grief was inappropriate, a stumbling block to faith.

When I read this question from the Master, I hear him speaking it gently.

‘Mary,… why are you weeping?’

I hear Jesus inviting Mary to a conversation. ‘Tell me what it is that is hurting you so much. Why is it hurting you? Together let us explore this most personal and poignant and terrifying and painful experience that you are living right now.

For me then the Master is not saying ‘Don’t cry, it doesn’t matter.’ He is not saying ‘There, there it will be Ok.. just get over yourself.’

Woman why are you weeping…is a tender way of saying I want to get alongside you and walk with you in your grief.

Mary Magdalene, bless her, is honest and authentic in her answer.

She genuinely believes that the body has been snatched.

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

And you can feel the great wrench and hurt deep within her. The Lord who she loved is taken away and she doesn’t know where to find him; and if you scratch just below the surface it’s not only Jesus’ body that is lost, it is her. It is her own self. She is lost.

And Jesus' response is to simply stay. He does scurry away from her. In fact, in this little excerpt, he says embarrassingly few words. My hope would be that if you have ever been like Mary Magdalene at a grave, then would have found someone just like the Master. Someone who did not shirk with embarrassment, someone who said very little and offered you instead big dollops of silence. Maybe a tissue and a high-quality glass of something.

My hope for you is that you have found someone who has walked this rocky road before you, who helped you avoid the potholes, someone who reached out a wounded hand to lift you up, even when all you wanted to do was just lie there and wallow and say its all too hard.

“The one I love has been taken away from me. And I don’t know where he is.”

At least that is how it appears to her and when we have wept and grieved, that is how it appears to us.

Question 2. ‘Who are you looking for?’

Tell me about this person who you have loved so much. What was he like? How did you meet, what was it that endeared him to you? What are your favourite memories of him?

Which should turn and point Mary Magdalene and us towards the rocky, but ever so slightly smoother road of thanksgiving.

My sister, how blessed you were to have known and enjoyed this man who you loved so much. How fortunate you were. How marvellous to have loved so deeply and dearly that you now find yourself in the only viable expression of love, which are your salty and abundant tears.

These lovely questions ‘Why are you weeping?’ and ‘Who are you looking for?’ also apply to us today on Easter Day 2023.

Every time He is not as close as we would like him to be. When he seems separated and distant from us. When the coals of faith have grown cool and grey.

When we simply don’t know where He is?

This is when He comes to us afresh and if we are authentic and credible… if we tell it how it  really is, then he gives us that same invitation to engage with him

Why are you weeping, who are you looking for? And when we have told him everything in no uncertain terms when our grief is spent and our angst is vented when there is nothing left within us and even our tears have run dry. Then he speaks just one word, the same single word he gave to that distraught woman in the early morning gloom all those years ago.

Intimately, tenderly with great affection, He says just one word. He speaks our name. He speaks Your name. Then we will know that we have found him or rather, that He has found us again or maybe he was just there all the time.

When we hear him speak our name...

Then we will truly know: He Is Risen! Alleluia!

Of cranes and apples

I was plucking apples this morning. Years ago someone had the thoughtfulness to plant some apple trees on our nature strip and every year I go and reap the fruit of their ingenuity and foresight.

I’m not sure exactly when the trees were planted but they are fully grown now so probably it was some decades ago. I shall always be grateful for their hard work and vision. There was also an element of selflessness. They would have realised that they may never get to enjoy the fruit themselves. That it would be future generations in the 2020s that got to go ‘Munch Munch, Yum Yum.’

Coincidentally there is a seriously big crane in the churchyard at the moment and work is continuing apace to repair and solidify our massive steeple. We are deeply appreciative to all those who have made this work possible but again, it is future generations that will be able to look back on our minute books and photos and say ‘Boy! They really gave it a red hot go didn’t they?'

All this ‘hidden work’ for future generations got me thinking. What kind of legacy am I leaving behind? As a priest, husband, father and member of our community.

Will future generations congratulate me or curse me? It’s worth doing a bit of a stock take with this. The legacy we leave behind is important. It’s why the conservation and enhancement of our precious island planet are essential. Scientists may wax lyrical about setting up colonies on other planets but would I really want to live there?

So three cheers for our forefathers who built our magnificent church and planted apple trees on the nature strip.  Can you see the ‘cranes and apples’ around you?

He carried the sins of the world.