Better together...

Three pictures…

Kerryn Claire Banks d.o.b. 16th July 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ARK (Mr & Mrs Noah’s floating zoo)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lifeboat

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each picture comes with a question.

Kerryn – what hope would you offer her?

By 2050 it is estimated that there will be 9.07 billion. 62% will live in Africa, Southern Asia and Eastern Asia. This will increase the need for food and water by over 50% on top of today’s demand. As economies grow in the southern hemisphere some predict the UK and other northern provinces will fall behind and may even become much like 3^rd world countries are today.

Water and food wars may increase; already we spend six times as much on training and equipping a soldier as we do on feeding a child.

Homelessness and displacement are set to grow exponentially – an already acute problem both here in the UK and elsewhere.

Whichever way you look at it the predictions do not look good unless we radically alter the way we live.

We have been living way beyond our means using up the earth resources.

You will also be well aware of violence and crime and anti-social behaviour. Street Pastors & Street Angels have been once response to this.

Plus you will be well aware that babies like Kerryn who have birth mum and dad who are married are fast becoming in the minority given current trends and the shift away from traditional family patterns.

So what hope could you offer?

Two boats that offer two pictures for a possible response from the local church.

The ARK – safe, battened down hatches, ride out the storm whilst the world goes to hell.

Lifeboat – rescue those in danger.

Everybody on a Lifeboat is an active crew member. Lifeboats are manned by volunteers who go about their daily business. They meet to practise their skills and receive training for the task to which they feel called. When the shout goes up they drop whatever they are doing or get out of bed no matter what time it is and rush to the rescue.

One of the hopes for the future and the future of the Church is seen in the development of communities of faith who will begin to learn to walk in covenant more than in convenience.  People who love each other and are committed to each other enough to drop everything and run to help in the rescue.

Lessons are being learned from Monasticism both ancient and modern.

How do we walk with Christ as the people of God that goes beyond our simple meeting up for worship on Sunday? Living more like a Lifeboat crew with a deep love and care and willingness to put our lives on the line for each other and those in danger.

How do we discern the misseo dei – the mission of God to bring about the redemption of the cosmos?

And what’s the part a local church can play in bringing about a realized Lord’s Prayer.  

How do we share our faith and become attractive so that as we read of in Zechariah people will be grabbing us by the coat and asking to know more.

(See Zechariah 8. 20-23)

How do we live as exemplified by Jesus, who washed the feet of the disciples?

How do we ensure we don’t Lord it over anyone else and live out a life of service to one another? (See N.T. Luke 22. 24-27)

How do we offer hope to a world when there is so much darkness and despair?

 

It has been suggested that this equation is fast becoming defunct...

 

Priest + Congregation + Building + Sunday Worship = Church

 

What alternative suggestions  might you have for the 21st century?

 

 

To do the work of an evangelist!

South of England Show was as demanding as ever. Even more so, as I didn’t have Jane with me for the first couple of days!  However we did have a stalwart team who worked hard to get everything ready in time for our ‘Opening Act of Worship’ on Wednesday night. Our theme was ‘Hidden Treasures’ – celebrating the rural church. This was linked in with a Church & Countryside Conference of the same name and looking at tourism and visitors to churches. Our three days brought a mixture of weather despite the early forecast of bright sunshine. As part of our celebrating the rural church we had a mini-ring of eight bells set up by the Sussex Association of Change Ringers. It was great to see Penelope Keith, Show President having a go at bell ringing. Alongside the Church Tent we also run for the South East Agricultural Society the Lost People Station.  A very apt task for the Church! On the Saturday, the busiest day, we had 17 people who had become separated and lost, mostly children. This is a great facility we offer with the strictest of guidelines and it is always such a delight to see people reunited.  Refreshments also play another important role and we have a great system set up whereby a Church takes responsibility for each day. The refreshments are served out of a Salvation Army catering van.  

Defunct Car - as you will also know, shortly before the Show our car was diagnosed with a blown head gasket. I think the trip down to Cornwall for the Opening of the Celtic Cross was the final straw.  This began a frantic search to source another car suitable for towing. It was a bit like trying to cram for an exam as we desperately tried to match up what we could afford, what would be economical to run and what would do the job of occasionally towing the caravan and gear. In the end we settled with Priory Automotives in Sheffield who have experience of working with ministers. They were excellent and really pulled out all the stops to make it happen. However I didn’t have the car in time for the caravan to go up to the Show and therefore I had to hire a transit van with a tow hitch. Another new experience, driving a van whilst towing a caravan.  We settled on a Kia Sportage 2litres two wheel drive. So far it has proved an excellent choice and far less thirsty than the Landrover.

Spiritual Direction - I attended another ‘training day.’ This was looking at our ‘Shadow Side.’ Acknowledging and befriending our shadow side enables us to become a more integrated person who is comfortable in their skin!

Mission Shaped Ministry – on our penultimate Saturday I led a session on ‘Vision & Call.’  Fresh Expressions still tends to be a bit of a Cinderella in the diocese, however there are signs of some very inventive work going on including ‘Boot Fair Church’ and ‘Night Church’ that is linked with Street Pastors.

‘Soul by the Sea’ is the name given to the group who brought ‘The Passion of Christ’ to Brighton over the Easter period. We are currently exploring Christmass and also another Passion Play for 2014. The huge challenge however is to raise the funds, over £50,000 this year and we still have a current shortfall (prayers please and gifts more than welcome!) http://www.soulbythesea.org/

Love Beyond - I also met with Stephen and Richard who are promoting a West End style Musical showcasing at the Brighton Centre in October.  I am seeing if I can help make some links and connections for them. The long term plan is to run this across other cities in 2014.

www.lovebeyondmusical.com.

Jane continues to make herself a valued member of the staff at Mile Oak Primary School. She has just passed an assessment and been put onto a permanent contract. However the talk of getting rid of Teaching Assistants is disconcerting. Tabitha had a flight out to Banjul (Gambia) which meant having to stay there for five nights – in a luxury hotel! She was also called in last night and asked to cover Number Two, this is a senior position in Cabin Crew. Joe and Jen are making some serious plans for their wedding in 2015. Again Joe appears to be really flourishing in his job with Cotswolds.  Daniel and Tracey are waiting for their first baby. It’s all getting very close, very real and very exciting. This will certainly turn their world upside down and mean lots of new adjustments.

The month in review...

Saltash Celtic Cross

Back in 1997 when I was living in Saltash I encouraged the Saltash Churches Together to begin to prepare for the Millennium Celebrations. I  was invited to head up a small sub-group. One of our initial thoughts was to raise up a Celtic Cross to mark Saltash as one of the Gateways to Cornwall. It is a very long story save to say that whilst the Churches became very much involved in Saltash Festival Committee playing a full part in a three year programme, the Celtic Cross never materialized due to planning restriction and funding issues.  However in 2009 the Saltash Waterside Residents Association set about reclaiming a derelict piece of woodland. To help with funding they needed a ‘wow’ factor – and thus the Celtic Cross idea was re-born.  As a member of the original Committee I was invited to the official opening in early May.  It was a very strange feeling seeing this beautiful structure alongside thinking of those who had been very much part of the original concept but have subsequently died.  Plus it was delight to catch up with Brian Bliss and Sue Hooper and others from the original gang.

After a 480 mile round trip over two days I went along to the Mothers’ Union AGM and Spring Council. I never ceased to be enthused, amazed and encouraged by the ministry of Mothers’ Union members across the world and I am delighted to have been a member for twenty years.  http://www.themothersunion.org/

Ascension Day ~ balloons being released.

The pressure never really let up as Sunday 12^th saw the beginning of a two week Mission with St Mary’s East Preston.  The Sunday was our Commissioning Service. I returned on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to run a session on Faith Sharing. On the Saturday we had a fantastic ‘Family Day’ and I was asked to run some games and make badges. I have not run games for awhile and so had to get out my Games File and polish up my skills and bring out the parachute and other games resources.  I really enjoyed myself and I think the kids and the adults did as well!

Pentecost Sunday saw me dressed in red – however I wasn’t in Church but rather taking part in the Heroes’ Run along Hove seafront. This helps raise money for a school’s project in Africa. I ran the 10k in 55 minutes and as I was very close to St John’s and as it was only 11.20 I decided to slip into the back and join them for the last hymn and then for a coffee, dressed at Superman’s granddad! Three days before the run I celebrated my 62^nd birthday. Sponsorship still open…

www.justgiving.com/Gordon-BanksPIOA

I had the real privilege of hearing Alister McGrath and a galaxy of others who shine in the field of apologetics. This was part of the Premier Christian Radio Conference ‘Unbelievable?’ in London.

Attendance at the conference helped as the next day I was preaching on Trinity Sunday, not always a favourite for preachers. However as long as you begin with the experience before the explanation you are on the right track. That was how it was for the first disciples who had this information before them, the Jesus phenomena and then the coming of the Holy Spirit, so they had to find a way of processing this information and eventually conveying it in words. The early church leaders described the Trinity using the term perichoresis. (Peri = around & Choresis = dance, as in choreography) The Trinity is an eternal dance of the Father, Son and Spirit sharing mutual love, honour, happiness, joy and respect. God’s act of creation means that God is inviting more and more beings into the eternal dance of Joy. Sin means that people are stepping out of the dance, stepping on people’s toes instead of moving with grace, rhythm and reverence. Then in Jesus, God enters creation to restore the rhythm and beauty again.

The Dancing Trinity!

Sermon ~ St Mary’s Kemp Town – Trinity Sunday 2013

Proverbs 8.1-4, 22-31

Psalm 8
Romans 5.1-15
John 16.12-15

If you ever find yourself talking to a member of the Watchtower and Bible Tract Society, better known as Jehovah’s Witnesses, the conversation may turn to the Trinity.

They may challenge you to find were the Trinity is explicitly spoken of in the Scriptures.

Don’t try looking – you won’t find it.

The Trinity is better experienced rather than explained.

Although it is not explicitly mentioned in the Scriptures the Trinity is implicit in many places in both Old and New Testament Scriptures.

Beginning with the picture of creation in Genesis where we have God the creator, the Spirit of God hovering over the waters and the Word sent forth from God with creative power.

Now immediately your minds should have raced on towards the opening prologue of John’s Gospel.

‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.’

That’s exactly what John wants to remind us of, that the Word comes amongst us and as the Message Bible puts it, ‘has moved into the neighbourhood.’

The Proverbs reading for this morning also speaks of the Spirit of Wisdom that some scholars identify with the Holy Spirit.

This idea is picked up in 1 Corinthians 2 verses 10 ff.

‘The Spirit searches for the deep things of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.  This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught us by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.’

In December we celebrated the Word coming amongst us. We then journeyed with Jesus through his Triumphal Entry, his Passion, death and resurrection. Then a few weeks ago we celebrated Jesus Ascension and last week the coming of the Holy Spirit as prophesied by Joel and spoken by Jesus.

Notice if you will the forward motion of all of these events, for God is a sending God and we are a sent people.

A dictionary definition of mission is sending, i.e. to be sent out to accomplish some purpose or task.

We, as the people of God, are the sent ones, sent out by God.

Here we must note that the initiative always lies with God, ‘who so loved the world that he sent his only Son, not to condemn the world, but to save the world.’

It has been said that the ‘Church of God doesn’t have a mission but the God of mission has a Church.’

Today at this celebration of the Eucharist the most important words that will be said come right at the every end – ‘go in peace to love and serve the Lord.’

The dismissal from which in the Latin rite we get the word Mass. ‘ite, missa est’

After his resurrection John recalls Jesus commissioning the disciples in these words…

‘I am sending you, just as the Father sent me. Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Note another implied reference to the Trinity, the Father who sends the Son who then sends the Holy Spirit upon his disciples.

The same ‘Holy Spirit’ who will come, as we heard from our Gospel reading this morning, to guide us into all truth so that the Son might be glorified.

So what is our mission, what is the task for which God called us and commissioned us?

We return to the Genesis story and God’s good creation.

In that story you might recall that Adam hid in his naked shame before God.

In 1 John3.28 we read ‘Children, stay united in your hearts with Christ. Then when he returns, we will have confidence and won’t have to hide in shame.’

The disobedience of the first Adam and its subsequent outcome is made right by the obedience of the second Adam.

O loving wisdom of our God,
When all was sin and shame,
He, the last Adam, to the fight
And to the rescue came.

That is our calling and our commission; to proclaim in word and in deed that Kingdom of God has come. That a way has been provided for all creation to be reconciled to God through Christ’s sacrificial obedience, vindicated by God’s raising Jesus to life.

This is at the heart of the Lord’s Prayer. Something we may know ‘off by heart’ but do we know it ‘in our hearts?’

Your Kingdom come, your will be done, here in Kemp Town as in heaven.

May your name be held in honour – and to stop saying OMG I think would come into this category!

You know the rest; however the key is that whilst we may know the rest of the Lord’s Prayer; do we live it out in expectancy?

The Father, the creator God sends the Logos, the Word, who sends the Holy Spirit who sends us out as Ambassadors for Christ to bring about the redemption of the cosmos.

To set right the time; ‘when earth felt the wound; and Nature from her seat,
Sighing through all her works, gave signs of woe That all was lost.’  

(Milton – Paradise Lost)

To the end that we may see a realized Lord’s Prayer in our own lives, in our homes, our communities, our nation and our world.

The early church leaders described the Trinity using the term perichoresis. (Peri = around & Choresis = dance, as in choreography) The Trinity is an eternal dance of the Father, Son and Spirit sharing mutual love, honour, happiness, joy and respect. God’s act of creation means that God is inviting more and more beings into the eternal dance of Joy. Sin means that people are stepping out of the dance, stepping on people’s toes instead of moving with grace, rhythm and reverence. Then in Jesus, God enters creation to restore the rhythm and beauty again.

You and I are invited to a dance with the Holy Trinity as together in creative harmony we dance into our communities the love and light and joy and peace that redeems God’s good creation. This morning allow the Holy Spirit to lighten your soul and set your feet dancing to the delight of our heavenly Father as you come to receive Christ in the sacraments in preparation to go dancing in the streets.   

A month in review...

Probably not helped by sitting out in the cold over three days for the Passion of Christ I was not in good shape during Easter week. Therefore it was a delight to learn that Jane had booked a very last minute short break to Portugal.

After speaking at the Sussex Prayer Breakfast we (me and the ‘girls’) headed off for Gatwick and then to Faro. We arrived at the set of apartments just a few miles west of Albufeira around 9pm.  I hadn’t a clue where I was, only a vague idea of how I had got there, and as often happens when I fly, I could hardly hear anything. But Jane and Tabitha were fantastic and ensured I had the time and space I needed to rest and recuperate. I soon picked up and we had a brilliant time exploring the area in a hired car. We visited a great Anglican Church in nearby Lagoa. Always worth doing, as amongst other things, ‘locals’ can give you the best information on places to visit on a short stay.   

Arriving back it was straight into ‘work’ as I attended a Training Day in Supervision for Spiritual Directors Part-Two with the excellent Andrew Walker. A few days later we had the concluding Day for the year long course ‘Introduction to Spiritual Direction.’

The pace of life remained hectic because as much as I needed the break and it was great to be away the flip side was that I now had limited prep time for some upcoming events and activities.    

  The first of these was the Residential Weekend for our MSM course. http://www.missionshapedministry.org/ I was co-leading a module on Evangelism. It was a huge challenge trying to condense  two 90 minute sessions into one 120 minute session. The weekend itself was great fun and this was my first visit to the fantastic Ashburnham Conference and Prayer Centre.

I arrived back home on Sunday afternoon and had a quick turn around before heading north at 7am on Monday. I was going to the Church Army Gathering at The Hayes Conference Centre Swanwick. ‘The Gathering’ was chosen instead of Conference to reflect our becoming an Acknowledged Mission Order last September. The title was ‘Fit Together’ which was a very clever idea as it carried a number of motifs. We heard some ‘stories’ of the work of various Officers and again it is amazing the breadth of the work of the Church Army across the UK and Ireland.  However in our agreed endeavour to make Christ known we ‘fit together.’ Our key note speaker was Graham Tomlin who helped us explore how we could train ourselves in Spiritual Fitness. (Getting 'Fit Together') For my part I set up a display of the work of CA in rural areas, I led a small group plus I ran a workshop introducing the Rural Evangelism Course Simon Martin and I produced for the Arthur Rank Centre. http://www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk/

Back from The Gathering and time for some last minute preparation for the final session of the ‘Everybody Welcome Course’ at Wivlesfield. www.everybodywelcome.org.uk/

Sunday, and I joined the good folk at St George’s Kemp Town for what has now become an established Celebration BBQ following the Patronal Mass. I provided some large garden games, a PA kit, a folk singing brother, Malcolm, and a singing wife who also helps set things up – Jane is a real treasure!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although not so much an aficionado of detective novels and stories as my wife and daughter I do like certain ones. ‘Foyle’s War’ is one for example that I really do enjoy. There is nothing really daring do about Foyle, he is no maverick figure as so many of them are. He is a man of absolute integrity on which he will not compromise. He also is not afraid of asking awkward question of anybody because nobody is ever above the law.

One of the keys to his detective work and all good detective work is that of observation. In one of the recent Sherlock Holmes films Holmes on one occasion says to Watson ‘you see but you do not observe.’

That is a skill all Christians need to develop and something I am learning and trying to put into practise on a daily basis.

How alert are we to the world and the people around us with whom we have a daily encounter? Do we randomly sit next to someone on the bus or train, or might this be a divine encounter? I am not advocating we muscle in on every occasion to begin a conversation with someone sitting next to us about the deep meaning of life. However I am suggesting we become aware, observant and prepared. (1 Peter 3.15) It might be a smile, a simple word, help with luggage, anything at all. This may not seem like anything earth shattering and yet if we practised this sense of God’s awareness, this observation, being God’s detectives, we would find our own lives richer and the Kingdom of God more fully realized.

Could we learn in each and every situation to look around and say quite literally, ‘what am I doing here for God’s sake?’ 

Having just celebrated the joy of Easter we now anticipate Christ’s ascension and then the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. The work of Jesus is now entrusted to us through the power of the same Spirit.

 

‘Without God we can not, without us God will not.’

This is beautifully encapsulated in this prayer by Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)

Christ Has No Body

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

That means through you and me Jesus now boards’ busses and airplanes, he rides trains and he goes to work at the head of multi-national companies and he cleans toilets!

I have in my head a children’s song that I think comes from a Captain Alan Price collection, ‘Life’s an adventure following Jesus.’

That’s what I am trying to do, to be aware of, to be attentive to and to be ready to act upon the prompting of the Spirit in each and every situation I find myself in.  

Passion of Christ

For information about the Passion of Christ 2013 and how to support this year’s production please visit www.soulbythesea.info

Next weekend marks the beginning of a very special and important time for us as believers, as we journey with our Lord through His passion and death and then rejoice on Easter Sunday when we witness to Jesus’ victory over sin and death!

Here at Soul by the Sea we are in the final stages of our preparations to relive the story of Jesus through the Passion of Christ, due to be held at 2:00pm daily from 29th – 31st March on the lawns of St Peter’s Church, Brighton.

Finances:

We would like to sincerely thank you if you have already made a financial contribution towards this year’s event, which we are hosting over three days, free to the public. However, we still need to raise a further £20,000 to cover production costs and this is causing some cash flow challenges, with the event now only a week away! If you are able to help us achieve our target, with a gift of any amount, it would be a fantastic encouragement to know that you have joined in this very practical way. Details of how to give are on our website and also on the attached ‘How to Donate’.

Our most vital prayer needs are:

For fine weather (also good for local businesses who benefit from crowds gathering to the Passion Play);

For all matters apropos health and safety and allied to that, all matters technical;

And most importantly, that the message of Jesus would be heard and received by many who have not yet given their lives to Christ.

Prayer must undergird this all! You can find current prayer requests on our website.

On-site prayer gatherings:

Beginning with Good Friday morning, prayer held from 9-10am on St Peters south lawns.

Following this, should you wish to join, there will also be a Good Friday Walk of Witness which will involve various Churches coming together at the Old Steine.

Again on the 29th, there will be prayer held at 12:30pm and this will repeat daily during the course of the weekend at our on-site prayer tent.

Volunteers: are still needed in variety of ways leading up to and throughout Easter weekend. A Recruitment Form is attached giving more details.

Final challenge: could you encourage all your Christian friends to invite a ‘not-yet Christian’ friend or family member to the Passion of Christ and then arrange to take them out afterwards for a coffee or even a meal? This would enable discussion on what it is they have just witnessed. Material will be available on the Soul by the Sea site to help guide those enquiring about the Christian faith.