'Do you remember when...' - Weekly Reflection 9th November 2025

Remember, remember, the 5th of November,

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

I see no reason

Why gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot.

Well, at one level I also see no reason that this event should be forgotten. However, I could give you several reasons why I think we should have long ago dropped the ‘celebration’ of oppressed Roman Catholics, terrorist that they may be, being brutally tortured and then executed in about the most barbaric way imaginable.

However, that is not what I want to invite us to reflect upon but rather on the whole concept of remembering which in some ways seems to mark out the month of November.

We have November 1st, All Hallows Day,  November 5^th and very significantly we have November 11^th and although perhaps not so well known we also have Road Peace Sunday on the 16^th November when we are invited to remember all those killed or injured on our roads. (About RoadPeace - RoadPeace)  

Remembering is part of what enables us to function as human beings and helps us to analyse or process information.  Once you being to reflect of the key role ‘remembering’ plays in our life it quickly becomes a huge topic and one well beyond the scope of a short weekly reflection. I only hope to start of your thinking and let you decide where it takes you or how deep you wish to go.

At one level we need to remember all sorts of things, from the mundane to the global level. For example, how to get to the shops, what we have gone there for, and then how to find our way home again. Although with an increase in online shopping that function is becoming less important. A little like satnavs, for the most part we have lost the skill of map reading and navigation and in some cases geographical locations.  As somebody said recently, as technology gets smarter we are becoming dumber!

And for those suffering from certain forms of dementia remembering brings a whole raft of issues into play and can make life very difficult for the person and family and friends.

And then consider what we do when we remember. How that makes us react and act in certain ways. We are currently watching a ‘remembering’ being played out between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza. That remembering is hate filled and spilling out in violence and retribution.

Of course, our whole justice system is predicated upon remembering. What happened, who was involved, what was said or done.  And for the perpetrator of the any ‘crime’ – are you able to remember why you did this, what was your motive, what was the reason behind your actions or even inactions? For the victims of crime, what does ‘remembering’ do for them? That can be a very long fraught journey.

And today, Remembrance Sunday, just what are we remembering and perhaps the hardest question of all is, are we learning anything in our remembering?

With over one hundred armed conflicts across the world currently, it would seem the answer is no.

And our Scriptures are replete with story after story, command after command, encouragement after encouragement to remember.

At the core of our Christian faith are these words from our Lord, ‘do this in remembrance of me.’

Here I find that if we consider the word re as a prefix it brings something very important to mind. We are invited to ‘re member’ someone – to bring them back into membership, back into memory, back into our thoughts.

However, immediately we follow this line of thought we see that this can be for both good or for ill, there are some people whom we don’t wish to remember. (But why is it those are the ones we seem to more readily remember, we seem to have a way of remembering more of the brickbats than the bouquets life has presented us with)

However, we cannot help but remember, we need to do that to be able to function and navigate our way through life. That being said, what we remember, and what we do with those memories is something we can cultivate and seek to attune more to the will and way of God. To purposefully focus on the bouquets and who offered them rather than the brickbats.

And remembering God’s faithfulness in the past can offer HOPE.  (Holding Onto Past Experience.)

Sadly, too often the way the ‘world’ handles remembering is not always the most healthy or helpful way, leading to bitterness and ongoing violence, seeking retribution.

Romans 12.1-2 helpfully reminds us 'not to let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.’

And then….

‘Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.’  Philippians 4.8

And as we remember the horrors of the two world wars that engulfed the world amongst the many stories of courage and self-sacrfice surely the story of Maximillian Kolbe stands out as a supreme expample of someone out of love giving their life for another in a selfless act of grace.  This is a truly noble story, excellent, praiseworthy and certainly worth continuing to think about and remember.

This is the story Maximillian's act of sacrfical love in Auswitch.

https://youtu.be/A8MbKF8YfiU?si=zbvpO_5GfIPA3dGv   

 

 

 

 

'Taking One-Degree' - Weekly Reflection 2nd November 2025

As a child I was fascinated by perspective, or to be specific one aspect of perspective. I was never very good at drawing and yet the concept that you could have two parallel lines that would run on side by side at the same distance apart for infinity. And yet if you introduced just the smallest dot in between the lines and continued with this new trajectory the two lines would begin to get further and further apart.

Emmerdale is currently running a very disturbing story line, and for me I mean that. I know it is a soap and yet the reality of this story line I know is so real it is disturbing me, and that’s not a bad thing.

There are some aspects that are just a tad fanciful like how all the main characters end up living in Emmerdale but that apart it has a real tone of authenticity.  The story line is of two young teenagers, a boy and girl who are in a relationship and are groomed initially to be carriers of ‘soft drugs.’ However, this begins to develop, and the girl is being lined up to offer sex to ‘clients.’  (In the story line she is sixteen)

There is obviously a lot more behind the story but the couple manipulating these young people are a mum and adopted son. Both becoming established as respectable people in the village and as part of their deceit becoming romantically involved with the grandfather of the young girl and the son with another woman in the village.

Gradually as the story line continued the tone of the mother and son changed from being kind and generous to becoming more menacing as they tricked the younger couple into believing they owed them a considerable amount of money because during a drug drop the drugs were stolen. But this too was a deceit to get them hooked and dependent. In the latest episode the woman said with chilling menace, I now own you and Dillon, and you will do as I say, and I will keep you and use you for a long time.

If this be true for following a path of destruction, death and chaos then for certain the opposite must also hold true.

One of my favourite passages of Scripture is the Letter to the Hebrews and chapters 11 and 12. Chapter 11 is a long litany of all those who remained firm to faith and then chapter 12 opens with these words that are so full of encouragement.  

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

And we have just celebrated All Saints Day, 1^st November. Not that you would know it as the evening before, All Hallow’s Eve, has morphed into Halloween and confused with Samhain, an ancient Celtic festival celebrating the beginning of winter.  And somewhere in this conflation we have the whole celebration of darkness, ghouls, ghosts and monsters. The most grotesque thing for me is the utter confusion, the Americanisation and all the hype and the cost of it all.

Thankfully the idea of an alternative, Light Parties, and the like have grown exponentially.

And as with the Gallery of the Faithfull in Hebrews 11 we can now add a plethora of all the saints, the notable ones who feast days we celebrate but also all the thousands of ‘saints’ who kept the faith and whose legacy of faithfulness we have inherited.

But I want to draw us back to perspective once again. However, this time thinking of the perspective of becoming more and more like Jesus.

Ephesians 4:11-14

^‘So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up  until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.’

Mesiah Jesus came to share our humanity so that we can come to share his divinity.

So, here is the challenge. What is the one degree shift we can make in our life, beginning next week, to help us in the task of realigning our lives to be more like Christ like.

Prayer, Bible reading, a Psalm for the Day, developing an attitude of gratitude. It might also be something like a simple act of kindness, or even as I try and do on most days, to pick up at least one piece of litter as I am out and about demonstrating a care and concern for God’s earth and where we live.

What is that one thing we can put in place and allow it to become positively habit forming.

That one-degree shift can help push us back on course as apprentices of Jesus and help us shine more brightly as a lights in the world of darkness. 

 

https://youtu.be/21GTTM2TIYA?si=Tp9QeZdO4QELAMHd

 For all the saints....

 

 

 

 

 

'What clothes does Christianity wear?' - Weekly Reflection 20th October 2025

What clothes does Christianity wear?

On Sunday 12^th October Jane and I wandered into Rugby Town following our morning worship at St Oswald’s. The Town was buzzing with Diwali Celebrations. A large car park had numerous stalls and venders, there was music and dancing and costumes. It was very vibrant and very full on making a very clear statement about this Hindu Festival of Light.

Looking around at this vast array of activity I somewhat sarcastically said to Jane, “and we might sing a few carols at Christmass.”

Later I began to ponder on this coupled with some of the animosity and violence shown towards both the Jewish Community and the Muslim Community.

What is interesting is how easy people appear to be able to link what is happening in Gaza or what happened on October 7^th in Israel with everyone who embraces the faith of either Muslim or Jew.

A Jew sneezes in Israel and therefore all Jews everywhere have colds!

Further reflection led me to thinking what would a Christian Christmass Celebration look like.

Ponder on that for a moment and see what answer you might come up with.

Then consider this, would the Christian Christmass Celebration in Rugby look any different in China, or Mozambique, or Mexico, Russia or even America.

Christianity is chameleon like and has a unique ability to adapt to its surrounding culture.

Some few years CMS produced a resource called, ‘The Christ We Share’ * that included pictures of Jesus portrayed in many different cultural contexts.

Historically of course the Christian faith and a particular culture sometimes developed a symbiotic relationship. This was something that happened in the UK and  during the days of the British Empire we sought to export and plant both across the world.  

This ability to adapt, to blend and to merge is both a blessing but also bring a challenge.

Hinduism is very clearly present in the cultural expression of Diwali, it is there in the music, the clothes the food.  You can see easily that it is primarily from the Indian sub-continent.  You couldn’t mistake the dancers on this Sunday for Morris Men!

There is something very special and unique and beautiful about the Christian Faith that sets it above and beyond culture while being rooted and ground in culture, incarnate in the soil in which is it planted and takes root.

At St Oswald’s we have just begun a series look at the First Letter to the Corinthians. This morning, we explored chapters 1-4.  (However, we didn’t read all the chapters, but 1 Corinthians 1:5-18, 1:26-2:5)

This is a Church planted by Paul who stayed there before moving on to Ephesus. Despite Paul having planted and established a Christian community they had wandered away from the Faith as first delivered.   They had overly embraced the local culture and allowed that culture to infect and affect their life together as the People of God.  The very proud Greek tradition of the sophist and philosophers, the ‘pop idols’ of the day. Factions had arisen and began to gather around Christian ‘celebrities.’ It is possible to look behind the list of the celebrities noted in 1 Cor.112. (Although we shouldn’t deduce that these men looked, fostered or invited such adulation)

Apollos we know as Greek speaking and well-schooled.  

Acts 18:24 “Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures.”  Alexandria was a major centre of education and learning in Egypt. Being from there, Apollos had access to strong Jewish and Greek teachings, making him well-educated.

Cephas (Peter) could he have brought a certain traditional Jewish slant to those who sought to follow him.  And then Paul, what was the peculiarity he brought to the table?

And some saying, ‘I belong to Christ.’  That was probably a bit of ‘close down the conversation’ group, can you really top saying you follow Christ. However, reading this in context this group also seemed to have certain quarrels with others.

Paul takes them all to task and goes over once again the basics of the Gospel of Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews who look for signs and foolish to Greeks who seek wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1.23

What clothes does Christianity wear, what songs does it sing, what food does it eat?

Christianity wears a cross and a mantle of servanthood with a belt of humility.

Christianity sings out the Gospel of salvation, that in Jesus, the God of the universe, who called things into being, entered the world in the particularity of the human person we know as Jesus.

Christianity eats the bread of heaven, symbolised in the Eucharistic Feast.

How Christianity dresses, how it sings the Gospel and serves and even how it celebrates the Eucharistic Feast will vary across the world.

And currently the Church of England is struggling to ‘maintain the bond of peace in the spirit of unity’ (Ephesians 4.3-6).  Perhaps we would do well to heed the words of Richard Baxter (1615-1691). Puritan pastor Richard Baxter took an old Latin phrase and popularized it in his day, in English. It is simple, but profound: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

One further question to ponder on during this week. If you were to find yourself in a court accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? In other words, how do you wear your Christianity?

* https://youtu.be/BPOb-IM-UNY?si=3Am4-8a-1uJuacsw

'Seeds of the past sown for the future' - Reflection 13th October 2025

Today at St Oswald’s Rugby we had a very fulsome Service with Bishop Sophie. She was with us to dedicate the refurbished Church which included prayers for various ‘items,’ the Holy Table, the Lectern and a War Memorial made from a repurposed pew.  We also had six people of various ages Confirmed along with four children Admitted to First Communion.

Historically St Oswald’s, built in 1864, was Anglo-Catholic and its style and the furnishing and fabric reflected this. .

We were reminded today that in 2020 the PCC began to consider the condition in which the Church building had fallen. The first step was to recognise the failings in looking after the legacy of previous generations. From there it was time to move forward with bold ambitious plans for a total refurbishment. Since the move of St Matthews, a thriving Evangelical Church, to St Oswald’s in 2011 it has moved more towards the Evangelical tradition.  

For me, it was a delight to see the care, love and attention given to ensure nothing of the ‘ornaments’ of it Anglo-Catholic legacy where not simply discarded. Everything from the Rood Screen and a huge Cross and many other items found a good home.  The ‘Stations of the Cross’ have been replaced on one wall but not disposed.  A pew has become a lovely board with brass plaques as a War Memorial.  Other pews have been used to build a gorgeous sound desk. The transition is truly breathtaking. And now there is a functional and comfortable building that is available to be used not only for the purpose of worship but also for a wide range of purposes for the wider community.

And all of this has been done with a mind to becoming carbon neutral with items such as heat pumps and later solar panel are going to be installed. These undertakings amongst other things have led us to be awarded the Arocha Gold Award. (A Rocha UK – Caring for creation) This was given to Malcolm Wright by Bishop Sophie as part of the celebrations.  Malcolm  heads up our Church Eco Group.

                                                      St Oswald's have regular Litter Picks.

It can truly be said that in building for the future great care was taken to respect the past.

And in her sermon Bishop Sophie said, ‘that the future is built on the seeds of the past.’

On Thursday last I helped with the Harvest Services from two of our local Primary Schools, St Matthew’s and St Oswald’s. Again, it was a delight to see everyone seated and comfortable on the chairs, everything could be heard and seen clearly thanks to the new audio and visual equipment. And as part of the refurbishment the former vestry has been turned into a separate room with a window so that you can see into the Church and the sound is relayed. This has been called The Nest and is kitted out to accommodate those with special needs. It was wonderful to see this being used by one of the children with his assistant.
My part in the Service is as a puppeteer with a puppet called ‘Grandad’ who helps his grandson James who always seems to be getting things wrong or misunderstanding what he has been told. Grandad gently helps James navigate through various things he is trying to understand.

One of the ‘items’ spoken about during the Service was a loaf of bread. The children were invited to consider how a loaf of bread came to be on our Supermarket shelves with the help of PowerPoint slides. 

Tracing this all the way back to Gensis 1.29, ‘Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with its seed in it. They will be yours for food.”  (No meat at this stage!)

The result of these ‘seeds’ I have been reflecting on have brought joy and hope but what about other types of seeds. What about the seeds such as those being sown in Gaza or Ukraine or in many other places across the world. What about the seeds sown by poverty, by bad parenting and damage done to children. That ‘damage’ sometimes resulting in people finding themselves in prison as those seeds bear fruit.  

Some people view such ‘miscreants’ as utterly beyond redemption, the seeds sown earlier have brought their own type of fruit, fruit we do not want or care to have living in the community and much better to see it locked away.  And yet it is worth reminding ourselves that John Newton was a former slave trader and yet went on to write ‘Amazing Grace.’

And this month we begin to see a new Restorative Justice programme being trialled, birthed out of the seeds of the Sycamore Tree Course.

‘The future is built on the seeds of the past.’ 

Therefore, as much as it lies within us, let us ensure we plant good seeds, seeds of forgiveness, generosity, love and kindness, to name but a few. 

Galatians 5.22-23 ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.’

That is the kind of fruit we so desperately need to see everywhere, in our lives, amongst our family and friends and across the nation and the wider world.  Such ‘fruit’ would make prisons unnecessary.  Now that is something to dream about, pray for and work towards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

'Give us today our daily bread' - Weekly Reflection 5th October 2025

Do you like buffet’s, you know, the ones where there is a wide array of choice of food.  (By the way, let me drop in here a great idea to help different ‘diets.’  All veggie food on a green napkin, fish on blue, meat on red and special diets on yellow, as a veggie I can’t tell you how helpful this to make sure I don’t mistake fish paste for hummus!)

I have a bit of uncertainty to buffet’s, they are great if you want to have food available over a longer period, a running buffet, and they are great at introducing themed food, say from a certain country or region.

However, I am sure I am not alone in thinking, O, I would like one of those, and some of those, plus a few of them, and, and, and….

And then, the end, the ‘leftovers’ – that moment when you try and divvy out all the food or the host will be eating soggy sandwiches  and quiche for the next month!

There is a stagering amount of food waste in the UK alone.  Approximately 9.52 million tonnes of food waste annually is produced in the UK, enough to feed 30 million people!

This needs to be a recognised factor when we ‘Celebrate’ our Harvest Festivals as we did this morning at St Oswald’s, Rugby.

Added to this is the colossal amount of packaging, with a lot of it still going into landfill.

All of this was very much our focus this morning. Our collection along with many others from around Rugby will go to supply Rugby Food Bank. We also had a ‘hunger lunch’ –soup and a bread roll and then invited to put what we normally spend on lunch into a basket that would also go towards the food bank.

I remember some years ago one Church taking this a step further. Everyone was given a ticket for their lunch and then sat down together. Then, based on the ticket some people received a full roast dinner while others had a bowl of rice or a slice of bread.

And as wonderful as food banks are, I still think we are real danger of them becoming normalised. I am reminded of this quote from Hélder Câmara, * “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.”

We need to keep asking the question, ‘why do we need food banks?’

Today we were given a Scriptural quote to take home with us from Philippians 4.11-12,

^“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

On the 4^th October we were invited to remember St Francis, who is one of the best known and most loved of all the saints both within and without the Church. Back in 1972 Franco Zefferli produced a film called ‘Brother Son, Sister Moon’.  It’s a tad dated now, and it has the Zeffirelli feel about it, with Franics viewed almost as a 13^th century hippy type of drop out.  Partly this is because it has a wonderful soundtrack by Donavan, very much of that era.

I watched the film yesterday (on the 4^th October) and yes, I must admit that tears welled up as I watched the film again. (It’s become a bit of an annual thing)

I first saw this film before I became a Christian and remember thinking at the time, if only I could find the Jesus of St Francis, now that would be somebody worth following. In some ways, I think the film does a good job of portraying Francis’s childlike naivete as he steps naked into a new trust in Father God.

We are currently 81 days away from Christmass. Is it time for your family and friends to begin to have an honest conversation, about gifts and food? I have known of some families who have put a price limit on the gift, say £10.00 maximum. If people then want to give more there are plenty of Charities, including Prison Fellowship and Angel Tree, to whom you can donate anything ‘extra’ you may have spent.

Angel Tree - Prison Fellowship

Now retired we find that we don’t really need any more stuff but love experiences, a night out for a meal, or theatre or cinema.

Before the Christmass juggernaut begins rolling inexorable towards the day let us have those conversations now.

Our consumer society is predicated on creating dissatisfaction. It is powerful and can be all consuming and very hard to stand against, like the buffet table, O I would like one of those, and one of those, and I simply must get the latest phone, or, or, or….

Do we really need it – or do we want it, and there is nothing wrong in wanting things, as long as we recognise the difference between need and wants.

Somebody once said richness is either the amount of your possessions or the fewness of your wants. And at the end of the day, as Scriptures reminds us, no matter who has the biggest toys (or barns) everyone still dies and must hand over everything! 

(See Luke 12.16-21)

May we learn to live more simply so that others can simply live.

 *Dom Helder Camara, Archbishop of Recife, Brazil. A Roman Catholic priest Helder Camara was a champion of Brazil's poor and a pioneer of Latin America's liberation theology movement, who died in 1999.

 

 And for a bit of fun and yet making a serious point here is a song about Bigger Barns.

https://youtu.be/A0PqnSyI6Lg?si=EBj3aBy1lLuCv0-I

 

 

 

 

 

 

'Real Lives' - Weekly Reflection 28th September 2025

I had a couple of friends who made the trip to Twickenham yesterday which must have been an incredible experience. It was exciting enough watching the match on TV.

In case this has somehow passed you by I am referring to the ‘Red Roses’, England Women’s Rugby Team winning the world cup playing against Canada.

I know some old die hards who will still say that it is proper Rugby, which of course is total nonsense, its simply a different type of Rugby, but its Rugby none the less with athletes at the top of their sport.  With 81,885 in attendance at the game and over 4million watching on BBC I think it is safe to say that this is being taken very seriously and in certainly not a novelty or a sideshow.

However, delighted as I was to watch England win I want to reflect on another game, a football match painted by L.S. Lowry in 1953 of fans arriving at Bolton Wanderers game at their old ground of Burden Park.  Lowry painted several sports related pieces, but this is the best recognised.  

We saw the painting at the Lowry Gallery on Thursday last. A beautiful iconic building situated in the former dock land of Salford, Manchester. What is also special about this piece is that it has been set up to offer you a fully immersive 360 experience.  During the experience the narrative draws attention to the figures. Initially if you simply look at the painting it might appear that what you are seeing is the same ‘matchstick’ figures only dressed slightly differently. However, you are invited to notice a couple walking hand in hand. A small crowd gathered around a man who seems to be speaking, perhaps preaching. In other words, individuals each with their own story, each with their own life, hope, dreams and aspirations.

Some months ago, I was invited to write a piece on how I came to live in Rugby in 3,000 words. This was for a project by the Rugby Café Writers. They invited 17 people to tell their story of how they had come to live in Rugby.  The idea came about by recognising everyone has a story, even the most ‘ordinary’ things that happen every day. Amongst their immediate fascination they also offer a historical record. The book is Real Lives – Everyone has a story to tell. My story is called, From Rochdale to Rugby.’  *

And given my age, being invited to write up my story, and then making a trip to Manchester to see the Lowry exhibition all came together to make me curious to know more about my early childhood. While staying in Manchester we called off to visit my older brother who was able to help fill in some blanks and unclear recollections. Plus we did drive around ‘old haunts’ and I took the opportunity to lay flowers at both mum and dad’s graves.

Those who know me will be aware that I am fond of remembering Saints and notable Christians from the past, especially when they have a dedicated day on which we are invited to remember them.  For me this serves as a reminder that we are part of a greater narrative. That there have been others who sought to faithfully follow Jesus in their own day with all it challenges. They have a story to tell.

And despite the occasional very questionable behaviour we know that they succeeded in passing on the Faith – otherwise we would not have had an opportunity to embrace the Faith ourselves.  

On Friday 26^th we remembered the Founder of the Church Army in 1982. I love the way a colleague put it on a FB posting and I can do no better than offer you his own words.

On this day 83 years ago, a guy died who most of us have never heard of. He struggled at school, failed at business, had a breakdown, suffered from depression and yet has transformed the lives of thousands.

Wilson Carlile had profound back issues and so struggled through school. In spite of this, he became a highly successful businessman. But the stock market led to the complete failure of his business, leaving him depressed and broken. For years his aunt had been writing him letters telling him of his need for Jesus, only now did he listen, finding faith.

He was later ordained but quickly became frustrated with how little the church was doing for the poor. He began outdoor preaching in order to reach those who would never come to church. This led to work in the slums and eventually the formation of Church Army UK & Ireland, in a way the Anglican equivalent of the Salvation Army. The Church Army still works with the most vulnerable and neglected in society and their mission statement still speaks of 'enabling everyone to encounter God's love and empowering them to transform their communities through faith shared in words and actions.'

I love the words on his plaque in St Paul's Cathedral 'A man greatly beloved who loved and served all – especially those thought most unlovable. “GO AFTER THAT WHICH IS LOST"' (The plaque has the caps!)

If God can do so much through one man's life against all the odds, what can he do in your life?

If God can do so much through the initially rejected letters of an aunt, who is God prompting me to share my faith with? I might even need to start writing letters!

A few things to consider as we step into the new week…

What might you like your epitaph to say?

Have you ever tried to write your story, especially how you came to embrace the Christian Faith?

Can we be curious (not nosey!) about people’s life stories and invite them to share something of their story with us.

Have a quick scan though the Scriptures and notice just how many names there are, why do you think that is?

And perhaps take note of any ‘Saint’ or notable Christians we are invited to remember and learn a little more of their story.

And finally we are very much living in the age of the individual and a good antodote is to remember  that 'I am because we are.'   Our stories are always part of a rich tapestry of other people stories and their interaction, reaction and responses. 

Have a good week. 

 

 * Real Lives is availble to purchase -  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FQ2MYQC4

   

 

 

 

 

'Sticky Labels' - Weekly Reflection 21st September 2025

How good are you at starting a conversation, do have a regular ‘go to’ phrase? This was the question posited by a Radio programme I was listening to last week. People were invited to offer their conversation starters. There were some very intriguing ideas and several that were very puzzling. One British standard ‘go to’ is the weather, probably because we have so much of it!  Another suggestion was about musical taste, what people like. Another standard one that is still used regularly on Game Shows and the like is the question, where do you come from and what do you do.’

I remember a Vicar friend of mine who if ever he was asked ‘what did he do’ by way asking what job he did, would answer by saying he did all sorts of things. Even as a Vicar he refused to be defined by his employment. (Although strictly speaking Vicars are not employed, they are given a ‘stipend’ so that they do not have to work in the way we most often use and know that term.)

This Monday, 22nd September it is the Feast Day St Matthew. 

We read of his calling in Matthew 9.9

^‘As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.

With all the current toxicity around currently could this verse and the calling of Matthew guide us to have better conversations.

First and most importantly note the order this encounter is recorded.  (Without concerning ourselves overmuch as to the exact Greek construct of the sentence.)

Jesus first saw a man - a man named Matthew.

Then we are told that he was a tax collector.

It’s a very simple observation and yet powerfully profound and raises an interesting question for us. A person, a named person, then their employment.

When we see someone in person or even on TV what is our first reaction, how do we see them, what do we see?

A dangerous egotistical President of the United Sates.  A bullying tyrant wanting to annex Ukraine. Or maybe a President who appears to want to utterly destroy a people’s group, the Palestinians.

What do we see?

What do we see when we meet a prisoner, especially a sex offender or a murderer?

You get the idea, what do we see when someone is before us in person, or on the TV or even in a conversation being mentioned by name.

First and foremost, Jesus saw a man. Someone made in the image of God, Imago Dei.

I remember some years back meeting someone who polished stones. Not diamonds or rubies, but those stones you find lying around buried in the mud. These stones would be put in a grinding mill with other stones and sand, first quite a coarse sand and then moving on to finer sand. She showed me a stone she had picked up as we were out for a walk. After 24 hours of being in the grinding mill it was remarkable to see the colours that shone out of this now polished stone.

The Imago Dei may be buried deep, under layers of encrusted mud and dirt gathered over years. 

But, unless we believe certain people are utterly irredeemable, then we must at least hold onto the hope that it is there somewhere.

First see the person before we see their personality, their problems, their peculiarities, their profession and their peccadilloes.

It’s a tough call and deeply challenging especially today when there is so much vitriol and bile being spilt across the social media and on our streets.

Today (21^st September) is the United Nations International Peace Day. I used this powerful prayer from resources drawn up for today during our Morning Worship this morning.  

God of all, accept our plea for peace. Too many times, mothers have wept for their sons. Too many times, fathers have wept for their daughters. Too many times, children have wept for their parents. Our world is awash in violence and grief is everywhere. Guns attack children in schools and worshipers in their houses of worship. Everywhere persons perish by their own hands, the hands of another and mercy seems nowhere to be found. When will it end? How will your voice be heard above the crying?

Forgive us for othering and making different those whom you have created beautifully and wonderfully. Forgive us our divisive national identities, ethnic strife, religious opposition and culture wars – for they lead to violence within and between nations. Let us become a part of the solution by promoting critical thinking and providing empathy education. Give us the resolve to speak up for diplomacy and international organizations that foster understanding. Let us be willing to sacrifice wealth to promote economic equity and opportunity. Fill us with tolerance, compassion, and mutual respect on the pathway to peace. Help us to love our enemies and bless those who would persecute us.

Let there be peace on earth. 

Amen.

  

 Make me a channel of your peace....

https://youtu.be/S2R09Kuymd8?si=NH1Mp9I3yubiZHPz

 

  

 

‘Everybody’s Gotta be Somewhere’ - Weekly Reflection 14th September 2025

In Episode 163 of The Goon Show, the highly esteemed BBC radio comedy from the 1950s, Neddy Seagoon happens across the childlike Eccles in a dark, damp, coal cellar. “What are you doing here?”, asks Seagoon. Eccles replies: “Everybody’s gotta be somewhere.”[i]

The Goon Show featured on the periphery of my childhood but for some reason this quote has stuck in my memory. Hence I was delighted when a quick Google search revealed a ‘Reflection’ based around this quote. (Link here Everybody's Gotta be Somewhere - LifePicture)

It’s something about the pure logic of Eccles response that has lived with me. And throughout life I found myself in all sorts of places, and sometimes wishing I wasn’t there, but there I was none the less, because I had to be somewhere.  

I have just read a very harrowing transcript of a telephone conversation with Todd Beamer. Beamer (November 24, 1968 – September 11, 2001) was an American passenger aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked and crashed as part of the September 11 attacks in 2001. He was one of the passengers who attempted to regain control of the aircraft from the hijackers. During the struggle, the Boeing 757 lost control and crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing everyone on board, but saving the hijackers' intended target and potential additional victims.

That is certainly finding yourself somewhere you would rather not be in the ultimate extreme.  

My own experiences of wishing I wasn’t ‘somewhere’ pale into insignificance when compared this.

However, there are times when I ask myself “what am I doing here?”

One of those was on the recent visit to HMP Rye Hill on the 1^st September as part of the ‘visitor party’ for Afternoon Tea with the residents, especially those who rarely get visits.  I was a tad nervous about how this would work out. However, it turned out to be so well organised and such an enjoyable experience. And certainly, from what I heard at the time and the feedback since is that it was also well appreciated and an enjoyable experience for the people in prison.

And another occasion was last week on Tuesday 9^th September when I was with a group of 13 people mainly from St Oswald’s and visiting the Sherborne Recycling Centre in Coventry. (Sherbourne Recycling) Now that may sound like an odd place to visit but it turned out to be so informative and interesting. It is a state-of-the-art facility for recycling that has been in the planning and development since 2016 and was finally fully opened in 2025. Part of the facility is a visitors’ centre, and they welcome all community groups as part of their drive to reduce waste and involve everyone in the process of recycling. 

This morning at St Oswald’s we continued our exploration of Acts and today we reflected on Acts 16.16-34.  This this story of Paul and Silas being imprisoned while in Phillipi. And worth noting that this wasn’t where they thought they were going to be, see Acts 16.6ff, but here they were because everybody has to be somewhere. The story continues and we find Paul and Silas, beaten and thrown in prison. I am sure it was somewhere they didn’t want to be but look at their response.

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16.25

And Paul was to write in his letter to the Christians in Rome, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8.28.

Recall the beautiful story of Esther and when Mordica speaks to Esther about her needing to approach the king despite the danger, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4.14

Consider the story of Joseph having been sold into slavery and now being reconciled to his brothers says, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” Exodus 50.20

‘What am I doing here’ is a good question to ask as we step out into the week ahead.

Then asking, am I here for such a time as this, to offer something unique, that might be like Paul and Silas singing God’s praises in the direst of circumstances witnessing to God’s presence, power and authority. Or am I here to learn something, a life lesson or something in my onward journey as a disciple of Jesus.

Michel Quoist in his book, ‘The Making a Man of God’ (about King David) wrote,

“You are a unique and irreplaceable actor in the drama of human history, and Jesus Christ has need of you to make known his salvific work present in this particular place, at this particular time.”

“Everybody’s gotta be somewhere” – so, let’s endeavour to be where God wants us to be!  

 

[i] The Goon Show Site – Script – The Last Goon Show of All (Special Episode)