'Plodding or Prepared' - Weekly Reflection 25th May 2025

Next Saturday is the Kenilworth Show, back after an absence. I plan to be there along with other volunteers from the Farming Community Network. www.fcn.org.uk

The Show season has begun in earnest. One of the first ones of the season is the Devon County Show in mid-May followed in June by the Royal Cornwall Show and the South of England Show.

For nearly thirty-five years I ‘worked the Shows’ alongside attending countless other local Fetes and Fayres. The RCS, the Devon County, the South of England and then latterly, the Staffordshire County Show were a regular feature in my ministry. Over the years I developed a considerable bank of knowledge and built up an array of ‘equipment.’   This included a two-berth caravan decked out in Church Army livery which enabled to stay over on-site, on occasions following a Saturday Fete, I would then preach on the Sunday morning.  

Much of the equipment I garnered was a wide array of Garden Games alongside a badge -making machine as well as several gazebos.

The one thing I did learn was to be as prepared as I could be for every eventually, to adapt or to adjust if the needs arose, to find something that could deal with a problem. I might have something that can solve that problem was my common phrase.

I also got to carrying a wide range of tent pegs, ropes, bungee’s cords and a whole box of tricks plus several mallets. You would be surprised at how many times a neighbour setting up had forgotten their mallet.

When they work well and the weather is kind there is nothing quite like a County Show or even a Village Fete if presented well.

Today at St Oswald’s we continued looking at ‘Transformation’ and today’s story was from Luke 8: 22-39, the demon possessed man in the country of the Gerasene’s.

Now one of the things I am apt to do when watching a film, the TV or even in theatre is to notice what is happening at the edge, those actors chatting at the table or walking by, all that scene setting I find fascinating.

I also like to do this with the Scripture, and they are full of intriguing details.

Take for example from this story in Luke 4 and verse 35 after Jesus had given permission for the demons to leave and enter the pigs.

‘…Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.’

Earlier we read that the man was naked, ^‘Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasene’s, which is opposite Galilee.  As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs.’

(As an aside note that on the way across the lake Jesus had calmed a physical storm and now was about to calm the storm raging in this man’s life.)

Question then, where did the clothes come from that this now restored man was wearing?

For me there is a purposefulness in all of this. It is not hard to imagine that this man was known in that area. On this occasion at the Spirit’s prompting Jesus sets off to release this man from being held captive, ostracised by his community and living among the dead. And he takes some clothes with him – he is prepared.

Time to ponder.

How alert are we to the prompting of the Spirit to enter a situation so that God might bring healing, wholeness and restoration.  Or are we so busy getting on and doing our stuff, answering those emails, holding that meeting, going to see that person that the Spirit doesn’t really have much opportunity to guide and prompt us.  Just how ready are we at the start of the day to offer our day and invite God into our stuff and even be willing to change course, to spend a little extra time with someone, or to have that important conversation. Then as we journey through the day how good are we at remembering that we are ‘living temples’ the very presence of God wherever we are?

Prison Officers, the Police and Security Officer are very often well ‘tooled up’ and ready to deal with a whole range of situations that they may face.

How ‘tooled up’ are we as God’s people.

1 Peter 3.5

But dedicate your lives to Christ as Lord. Always be ready to defend your confidence [in God] when anyone asks you to explain it. However, make your defence with gentleness and respect.

And practically as well, think through what situation you might be entering and consider how you might be prepared. That might be an extra pen you could pass to someone, or even a sheet of paper, or it might be a packet of tissues or a pair of gloves, perhaps some plasters. These little things can sometimes lead to big conversations!

 

'We are, therefore I am' - Weekly Reflection 18th May 2025

On Saturday last I joined in a team of volunteers from St Oswald’s (Rugby) for what was called a Haggai Day.

This was based around Haggai 1.8-9 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honoured,” says the Lord. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.

The story of Haggai is about the rebuilding of the Temple after the return from exile.

At St Oswald’s we are gifted with the legacy of a building and grounds and as stewards we have a duty of care. The building and grounds serve as an icon of God’s presence.

This year the whole of the Church building is being reordered to make it fit for purpose and a multi-functional space in the 21^st century.  That includes trying to reach a net-zero carbon footprint. The building will also offer valuable community space.

On Saturday our task was to bring the grounds around the Church and in the garden of the Church Centre into good order. This involved removing of waist high weeds.

I was tasked with trying to recover what I could of a rose bush that had become buried amongst the weeds.  I also set to remove other dead sapling and bushes. Trying as best as I could to remove the roots.

Fortunately, the roots I was dealing with could be removed without mechanical aid and using diggers. Just a solid mattocks and hard work.

I bought the mattocks to deal with bamboo in our garden at home. Bamboo is not easy to remove because its roots spread out wide and intertwines with other roots.

Did you know that this is how the mighty redwood roots also develop. Their roots go deep, up to 6-12 feet. But more importantly redwood tree roots intertwine and fuse with one another, creating a complex web of connections. This network allows the trees to share resources such as water, nutrients, and even information. Through this interconnectedness, redwood trees can thrive in challenging conditions and support the overall health of the forest ecosystem.

The sequoia redwood trees located in California, are some of the biggest trees in the world. The General Sherman is, in fact, noted as the largest known living single stem tree on Earth! It is 275 ft tall, 25 feet in diameter, and is approximately 2,500 years old.

Just glad I didn’t have to try and dig one of those out!

6-12 feet deep may sound a lot but when we you consider the height and the weight and the weather conditions the redwood survives it really isn’t that deep. Where it gets it strength from is the interconnectedness with other trees, like arms linked together giving each other support.

This morning, we continued exploring the theme of ‘transformation.’  Today’s story was the well-known story of the woman at the well, John chapter 4.  

That this woman was collecting water at the well at noon informs us that she was ‘outside’ the community and ostracised. That may have been for her dubious lifestyle, five husbands and now not married to the man she is living with, and that is something worth reflecting on. What circumstances had led her to this position, was this of her own making or was she the victim of male manipulation? However, or whatever it was we see her restored into the community after an encounter with Jesus she rushes off (leaving her water jar!) and tells them of Jesus.

‘I am because we are.’

On Saturday I wasn’t alone, we had a whole team of people of all ages and abilities doing whatever we could within the limits of our capabilities.

I am reminded yet again of a poem by John Donne, (1571-1631) ‘No Man is an Island.’

No man is an island,

Entire of itself;

Every man is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less,

As well as if a promontory were:

As well as if a manor of thy friend's

Or of thine own were.

Any man's death diminishes me,

Because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;

It tolls for thee.

Who are we connected to and with? Who is giving us support and who are we supporting? Is there someone we could reconnect with; someone we could bring and welcome back into the community?

Our watchword for the week is Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a word from South Africa, much loved by Desmond Tutu and Nelson Madela. It translates to, ‘a person is a person through other persons. The source of knowledge is, therefore, the community, not the individual. Therefore, we could say that for Ubuntu, ‘I am because we are’.  

To explore more of what this looks like on the ground check out 'Together for the Common Good.'

Together For The Common Good - Home

'All shall be well' - Weekly Reflection 11th May 2025.

1964 was an eventful year -- a half-century ago, humans were making strides toward space travel beyond the Earth's orbit, and Tokyo hosted the 18th Summer Olympics. The Beatles took America by storm, as Race Riots gripped big cities -- and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law.

And I turned thirteen on May 16^th in 1964.

I mention that for two reasons. Although just two years on, at the age of fifteen, I would leave school and enter the world of work, at thirteen I remember getting a toy yellow dumper truck as one of my presents.

Last week I watched the deeply disturbing 4-part series ‘Adolescence’ streaming on Netflix.  It is not an easy watch, but one that I think we should try to engage with as it explores the complexities, the family dynamics and the societal changes and pressures on young people today. The basic plot line is of a thirteen year old schoolboy named Jamie Miller arrested after the murder of a girl in his school. 

As the story unfolds you are taken into the dark world of the internet, the increased mental anguish as young people who do not have the capacity to process issues and some of the images they can easily access and share through Instagram and other social platforms. 

I found myself exploring Incel,  a term associated with a mostly online subculture of male heterosexual people who define themselves as unable to find a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one, and who may blame, objectify and denigrate women and girls as a result. The incel ideology is characterized by the hatred of women (misogyny) that is often expressed through hate speech or, in certain cases, violence againist women.

Interestingly I also watched ‘The Trial’ a 2025 single-episode British television drama directed by Michael Samuels from a screenplay by Mark Burt.  The drama is set in Britain in 2035 in which parents are held legally responsible for the crimes committed by their children. The drama shows teenager Teah on trial for a serious crime, putting her parents Dione and David Sinclair in the centre of a distressing legal battle against the Office of Judicial Inquisition, a powerful new division of the Ministry of Justice.

Add into this the VE 80^th celebrations that for me had a sad note as Europe is not at peace but has a war raging, as it is in Gaza and Sudan and now we watch as India and Pakistan engage in armed conflict. It is reported that there are 110 armed conflicts happening across the world at this moment.

How do we, as people of Faith, navigate our way through and seek to speak into these global convulsions. What sort of conversations are we having with family, friends and neighbours. What sort of stuff are we putting up on social media and passing on, reposting, perhaps without some fact checking first.

Some I know are reading these current seismic shifts as signs of the times – the end times that is. However, I do think we need to be cautious about this reading of Scripture. We need perhaps to look back in human history and consider some of the other occasions when it appeared that all hell had broken loose.

Taking this ‘last days’ approach could lead to a sense of dismissal about current issues. If these are the last days and Jesus is returning, then what need is there to try and understand or to deal with any of the current problems. For some, who advocate that earth is not their home, they are just passing through and are on their way to heaven, this can then become an even stronger motive for dissociation from all the upheavals and all this talk and rumour of wars and famines are simply signs of the times we are living in and that are shortly to end.

In Mark 1.15 we read, ^“The time has come,” he (Jesus) said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

We then read on and discover what this kingdom of God looks like in words and in deeds.

Jesus references the words of Isaiah to denote his mission,

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’

Has that mandate changed – I think not.

Therefore, I come back to my question about navigating through these changing and challenging times and speaking prophetically into these times. (Prophetically more in the tradition of forthtelling rather than foretelling)

Apart from seeking to be informed as I can be ⁽¹⁾ while remaining alert to ‘doomscrolling’ I am also finding great help from The Bible Project. www.bibleproject.com.  Through their podcasts and other material they present the Scriptures in a way that speaks about the metanarrative of God’s redemptive purposes. Which includes a future state of a heaven earth conjoined reality. A realised Lord’s prayer. 

The other initiative I am finding very helpful, particular on the prophetic side is ‘Leaving Egypt.’ https://leavingegyptpodcast.substack.com/  This is a series of podcast interviewing leading thinkers to try and help us to navigate our way through these times of unravelling when so much that we have known and built our lives upon appear to be so much shifting sands.

Therefore, what kind of conversations might you have in the week ahead. What might you be able to do to announce and establish the kingdom of God. What might it mean to actualise ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done, upon earth as in heaven.’

As much as lies within us, let us be informed and as engaged as we are able and to speak into our turbulent times with a voice of hope. 

On May 8^th we were invited to remember Mother Julian of Norwich (1342-1416) and we recall one of her most famous quotes...

 "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well"

Always remembering that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it...

https://youtu.be/Uz5xbqU7msE?si=rx1HdBmzlRGb4eK5

(1(1)  I find ‘The Rest is Politics’ and the ‘Rest is Politics US’ helpful in gaining insights and analysis of global issues.  

 

'I see you' - Weekly Reflection 4th May 2025

Like all children our grandchildren enjoy hiding from us and a walk home from school will nearly always have at least one of the boys hiding behind a bush or a lamppost. We play along and say, have you seen James or have you seen William. Then a shout, I see you.

That phrase, I see you, has been with me a few times this week.

On Thursday I spoke to the Thursday Fellowship who meet every other Thursday at St Oswald’s. (This Fellowship is over 100 years old!). Mainly elderly folk who come together for a time of worship and to listen to a speaker or have some other activity.  I chose to speak to them about Modern Slavery. It is one of those topics that we know goes on, often under our noses, in our town and maybe even in our street or road. But it is so often hidden and as such we can begin to lose sight of an estimated 122,000 people, men, women and children trapped in modern slavery across the UK. Across the world an estimated 50 million people are caught up and trapped in modern slavery.

The Clewer Institute ⁽¹⁾ have produced this powerful video that talks about the hidden nature of modern slavery and the call to ‘see you,’ to take notice and be aware if we suspect someone is being exploited in this way.

https://youtu.be/7ClMChmeq1M?si=Xg_Pjm9T2vjW0FQQ

At St Oswald’s we have begun a Sermon Series on transformation and today explored a very familiar story for anyone involved with Prison Fellowship, ⁽²⁾ the story of a little man who went out on a limb to see Jesus!

Zacchaeus, from Luke 19.1-10. 

Importantly in verse 5 we read, ‘And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”

Everyone else saw a hated tax collector, a man who had become rich by exploiting and taking money off others, often those who could least afford it. They saw Zacchaeus as a tax collector who was working for Herod or even worse, the Romans. They saw someone ostracised, outside of table fellowship. They saw a sinner - in their judgement!

Jesus saw something else – he stopped – he looked – he engaged.

‘…because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.’ (v 9)

Can you think of anyone, anyone at all, whom Jesus wouldn’t see, stop, look and seek to engage with?  

Can you think of anyone, anyone at all, whom you wouldn’t see, stop, look and seek to engage with?

There may be a good reason, and security is certainly an important one. 

However, it remains a  good question to ask and as a watchword for the week….

Stop Look See Engage

 

1)      The Clewer Institute https://theclewerinitiative.org/

2)      The Prison Fellowship https://prisonfellowship.org.uk/

3)      Stop the Traffick - STOP THE TRAFFIK | People shouldn't be bought and sold