Sunday, 21 July 2024

'Keys of the Kingdom' Reflection July 21st 2024

 'Keys of the Kingdom'


On Wednesday (17th July) we went along to see the ‘end of term play’ our granddaughter was taking part in, Year Six at Carglaze Primary School, St Austell, Cornwall. The play is a favourite for Key Stage Two children to perform, ‘The Pirates of the Curry Bean.’

This is a brief synopsis.

Anchors away and set sail for swashbuckling pirate adventure on the high seas in this piratical musical that's sure to shake your booty! Young twins Jack & Liza Periwinkle yearn for adventure, so imagine their joy at discovering a real-life treasure map! But when the infamous Redbeard and his pungent Pirates of the Curry Bean steal the map and kidnap their mother, the race is on to rescue her, reclaim the map and find the treasure!

Accompanied by their faithful cat Fiddlesticks, the twins join a mad admiral and his crazy crew on a voyage of adventure that takes them from Old London Docks to the mysterious island of Lumbago in the sea of Sciatica! Will they be first to find the treasure chest, or is a surprise awaiting them that's even better than gold? With colourful characters, sparkling songs and a witty script as sharp as a cutlass, this show is dripping with piratical style!

Pirates of the Curry Bean | Musical for KS2 Kids (musiclinedirect.com)

The Cornish accents also helped create the scene as did some local references which are encouraged.

It was great fun and a delight to see Kerryn playing her part along with the whole of Year Six.

Of course, there is a time when the treasure chest is found but it is locked and there is no key. And yet, one of the twins is carrying a strange locket that turns out to be the key.

This morning, (21st July) we joined the Church Family of St John’s in Stafford. We were part of this Church Family for five years and in some ways still are by extension. We travelled up on a Saturday to join in the birthday celebrations of Anne, one of the Churchwardens, and a very dear friend,  who celebrates her eightieth birthday on Monday 22nd July.  During refreshments afterwards (with birthday cake) there was a bit of confusion over where the church keys had gone, the ones Anne held,  she had given them to somebody who needed access somewhere.  They turned up okay and all was sorted.

St John’s have just begun a Sermon Series on Hebrews, we joined them on week two and Chapter 2 of Hebrews. However, rather than a detailed exposition of Chapter 2 we had an explanation of the background to the Book of Hebrews and why it may have been written and to whom it may have been written.  The answer to these questions remains as conjectures and the subject of ongoing scholarly debate. Therefore, we were offered one of those conjectures that appears very plausible and certainly helps unlock something of the complexity of this letter. (If indeed it is a letter, one suggestion is that it is a ‘sermon’ with greetings at the end.)

In short, the author is unknown and several ‘candidates have been suggested, including Priscilla and Aquila, which might account for the lack of an ascription as to the author.  As to the recipients it was intriguingly suggested that the ‘Hebrews’ may have been Jewish Christian living in Rome around AD 60 with Nero in the ascendancy and Christian’s being treated badly and ostracised if not yet suffering open and aggressive persecution. One way this ‘difficulty’ could be dealt with is for the Jewish Christians to return to the Synagogue, duly recognised by Rome, and publicly renounce faith in Jesus.   

This may be conjecture, although there is strong evidence of something like this, and once you grasp this concept the whole letter/sermon makes a lot more sense as it outlines in various ways how Christ it the ‘superior’ and the ‘better.’

I found this ‘key’ to opening Hebrews very exciting and enlightening.  

 (The Bible Project offers a great summation of Hebrews in this short video.)

Book of Hebrews Summary | Watch an Overview Video (bibleproject.com)

One of the outstanding features of prison is the keys and the importance of locking and unlocking, gates, door and cells.  For me, after any prison visit, it is one of those sounds that lingers in the memory.


In Psalm 84.10 we read,

‘Better is one day in your courts
    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.’

Not to put too fine a point on it, but simply put, some of those in our prisons have been living in ‘the tents of the wicked.’   Can we therefore become ‘doorkeepers’ and ‘key holders’ to enable them to move and come live in the ‘temple courts’ – in God’s presence.  To discover there, the richest treasure of all time.  

To discover that, ‘…we do not have a high priest (Jesus) who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin.’  Hebrews 4.15

Stepping outside of prison what about those we meet in our daily lives. Are we alert that God might be asking us to offer a word, a resource, or something that would be a ‘key’ to a new understanding or maybe even a new way of living.  And are we open and attentive to ‘keys’ that may be presented to us, such as I had this morning regarding the Letter to the Hebrews.

 Many Christians across the world still suffer persecution to this day. And Hebrews is an encouragement for them to remain faithful.  For us though, our ‘neglect’ of the Faith can come in more subtle ways, step by step we slowly walk away as we are attracted by other things, maybe even by some of the perceived treasures and trinkets available in the ‘tents of the wicked.’  

 We need to be wary of this and, ‘… encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.’   Hebrews 3.13

And from Hebrews 10.24 ‘And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.’ 

Now, where did I put my keys!

  

 

 

Monday, 15 July 2024

'On Yer Tod' - Reflection 14th July 2024

At 8pm on Saturday 13th July the St Austell, Athletic Running Club (STAARC) began a 24-hour run around a track at St Austell Cricket Club. Their aim was to raise funds for the Cornwall Air Ambulance. (A member of STAARC is one of the crew) Members of STAARC took one-hour slots.  The CAA is very close to Daniel’s heart and all the family, because if it wasn’t for the CAA Lowenna would not have made it to Bristol Children’s Hospital when she collapsed with a brain bleed.  Daniel picked up running with a passion a few years ago but has been badly hampered by asthma and other problems, some of them Covid related. As he knew I was down he invited me along to buddy up with him for an hour on Sunday, 5pm – 6pm. This worked out perfectly as it gave Daniel company, he pushed my pace on, and I pulled him back as it would only be natural for Daniel to try and run faster.  (They have gone over their £2,000 target and to date it is standing at £2,339)

In the morning, we attended Holy Trinity St Austell as they welcomed their new vicar, Jonathan Huff after a vacancy of several months.  


He preached on John 16.25-33. For me two things stood out. 

Verse 32 ‘” A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.”

This coupled with a question Jonathan put before us, ‘are you living for God or living with God.’ The emphasis being that we should seek to live with God. And therefore, if we are always living with God ‘we are never alone.’  

Jesus was in God and God was in Jesus. We read in 2 Corinthians 6: 18 “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

And in the concluding verses of Matthew, the Great Commision, 'Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

If we are ‘in Jesus,’ then we inextricably linked with God the Father. And we are never alone!

 I found it helpful to have a reminder of this ‘basic’ Christian teaching and in particular to continue to reflect and seek to live into the call to ‘live with God’ rather than living for God.

In Genesis 2: 18 we read ‘The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”


This sets a theme that runs throughout the Scriptures.  We do however find ourselves at times ‘on our own’ because of various circumstances, getting older and bereavement is one of those. And we know that ‘loneliness’ is a real issue in the UK.  It is also something that some prisoners face as we see from time to time in our Prayer Line Request.

Two ‘takeaways’ – let us lean into and be grasped by a deep desire to live with God and know therefore that we are never alone.  Secondly, in the story of Adam, Eve was created as a companion.  May we be prepared to be the ‘presence of God’ in human form for someone who is alone.  That might mean running as buddy with someone for an hour, or perhaps something less physically demanding!


And by the way, you might search out the story behind 'on your tod' - which is rhyming slang for Tod Sloane, a 19th century American jockey who developed the short stirrups and the 'monkey crouch.'



Sunday, 7 July 2024

'Good News' - weekly reflection 7th July 2024

 ‘Good News’

I think I would be correct in saying that we all welcome good news. We heard some good news about our granddaughters in Cornwall this week. This is the good news Tracey (mum) shared with us…

Today we were completely caught off guard (in a lovely way). We were invited to a "family event for Guiding to announce the money raised from their fundraising" Nope!!! - instead, unbeknown to us Lowenna had been nominated for the Guiding Star Award! Everyone there except us knew what was going on. Totally unexpected, very lovely surprise and Lowenna is feeling very proud to be given this. Also, it was arranged for Kerryn to receive her Gold Brownie Award! Very proud of our girls.

Mark 1:14-15 ‘After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.  “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Luke 9. 1-2 & 6

‘When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. So, they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

I remember the time when I looked at these verses and asked the question, what is the ‘good news’ being proclaimed here? Because this is all before Jesus’ death and resurrection!

Tom Wright explores this in his book ‘Simply Good News’ - Why The Gospel Is News And What Makes It Good.


This is also further explored in this essay, https://licc.org.uk/resources/jesus-died-to-save-the-planet/#

And this is all well encapsulated in Colossians 1.19-20

‘For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.’

We have just had a ‘Green Weekend’ at St Oswald’s, Rugby. On the Saturday morning, we engaged in a Litter Pick before building a Bug Hotel. All of this was carried over into Sunday morning All Age Worship. We focussed on Psalm 24.1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.

Pulling all these threads together we recognize that the ‘Good New’ the ‘Gospel’ is much fuller, richer and deeper than a single focus on Jesus’ death, resurrection and forgiveness of sins. Although that is deeply important. The ‘full’ Gospel is that Jesus died to save the planet (see essay above) and one day heaven and earth will be reconciled as described in Revelation 21 as a Wedding Feast.

Jesus proclaimed the Good News of God’s Kingdom come upon earth (cf: Lord’s Prayer) and his death and resurrection inaugurated that reality. The technical term is, ‘inaugurated eschatology.’  

The Genesis creation story speaks of Adam and Eve being called to be good stewards and seek the flourishing of all things upon earth.  Jesus comes as the ‘Second Adam’ – the obedient ‘Second Adam.’ And now through his death, resurrection and ascension to the right hand of God, all authority on heaven and earth has been given to Jesus. (Matt 28.18)

And picking up on John Mark Comer’s book ‘Practicing the Way' we are called to 'Be with Jesus, Become like Jesus and Do as Jesus did.'

"For Jesus, salvation is less about getting you into heaven and more about getting heaven into you."

And I would want to add it is getting heaven into all the places you go, into every word you speak, into every action you take, into every engagement you have with people - and the whole of creation.

Because The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.


https://youtu.be/Uz5xbqU7msE?si=1ZbyNYY-OJbpQjc7