Galmpton Church

On Sunday (25th July) will be giving a presentation on the future possibilities of this beautiful church and its worshipping community. Sometimes its easy to get downbeat about the numbers! However, there can be a real advantage to small group worship. The key I believe is for us to reframe how we see ourselves. If we want to continue to feel small then we need to be continually comparing ourselves with a town church. But if consider ourselves more as a priory or a sacred space then we are quite big! The church building is rather stunning and worth a visit, tomorrow I want to explore how to make it even more stunning. With a little bit of rethinking it could be a real attraction in the South Hams and beyond.

Acts 16. 16-34 and John 17. 20-end

A councillor in Bideford Devon is so incensed that council meetings began with prayers that he claims that it is an infringement of his human rights. The National Secular Society is now helping him with legal action. I struggle to get my head around how a person standing in a room with others praying can, even as an unbeliever, see that as such a violation. Maybe, and this is speculation on my part, is this because faith in God, and prayer in particular, is perceived as belittling.

Are we merely pawns in some divine chessboard? Is faith in God really about a kind of submission which reduces us to the position of slaves under a tyrant monster of a God (or if we don’t believe in God – a system of religion) ? Further more, is religion the one thing that divides us rather than unites us? Is it the case that without churches, mosques, temples and synagogues, human beings would have less conflicts and be more united?

**

The Roman-Greek mythologies did seem to stress the lowliness of men and women in the grand scheme of things. There was an underlying despair in their narratives which did see us as pawns. This made it very easy for citizens to fall into line with the view that the emperor was a living god. Just like the desolate souls of the Soviet empires who worshipped the Party leaders who told them that they were nothing but cogs in the machine that was the State.

In today’s first reading (Acts 16. 16-34) we pick up on Paul and Silas being taunted by a slave girl. “These men are slaves of the Most High God,” she says. In other words she is accusing them of being pawns, worthless minions to Jehovah.

But, who is really free in this story? The slave girl has a power of divination through some dark inner spirit or force. Her owners make a good buck from her predictions and of course are riled when she is power is broken. Paul and Silas are then imprisoned and after the miraculous earthquake - liberated. The guard is terrified of the punishment that will be met out on him so he quickly tries to commit suicide. He is dissuaded but asks, “Sirs what must I do to be saved?” The instruction is without hesitation, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” In this ancient culture the word for salvation comes not only close to liberation but also healing. So in New Testament mindset salvation is not just the next life, but also our experience freedom and wholeness, here and now. And the story, leads us to this conclusion, the guard is not just baptised, but seeks to wash (heal) the wounds of these apostles, and to offer them food and hospitality. We can imagine that a great burden had been lifted from this family and their joy was intense and complete.

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Have you ever watched that TV quiz show, Come Dine With Me, where participants (sometimes celebrities) make a meal and act as host. They then give each other marks out of ten and the winner gets a thousand pounds. The fly on wall documentary is popular but turgid and often there is a lot of predictable bitchiness.

Well it would make television history if a host, told his guests he was about to get wrongly arrested and killed. Imagine the cameras rolling as during the meal he breaks bread and tells them that this is his body and afterwards that a chalice is filled with his blood, even though it looks like wine. Then further more after the meal, imagine the host getting up and washing the guests feet, and imploring them to love one another. Top this with a prediction that some invisible spirit called the Advocate was going to come along later and empower them beyond their dreams. At the end this host prays that the kind of unity he has with God was the ultimate prize.

Of course we know this as the Last Supper. In the version by St John, the fourth evangelist, Jesus gives a long powerful speech. At the end of the testimony there is this prayer (John 17.20-end), which is often called the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus. It is recorded not for the disciples but for us the reader.

The heart of this prayer is that we may be one, united, just as Jesus himself is united to the Father. But what kind of unity is it? Is it the uniform drab eternal existence of a slave bowing in front of a giant throne? Am I somehow being absorbed into some magical spiritual force so that my identity evaporates? On earth does this ones mean doing as I am told in case that divine Big Brother or his clerics catch me out?

The key word is love. We called to be ‘one’ by our common experience of being liberated by the carpenter of Nazareth who says ‘I call you not servants any more but friends.’ This is the friendship of him whose love and passion for us is so intense, if not eternal, that he offers himself for us on the Cross at Calvary. He wants that love to sink deeply between the roots and marrow that we may be transformed by love, and know that we are truly loved, totally healed, and therefore free.

Council Prayers

The National Secular Society launched in April a legal challenge against Bideford Council of starting meetings with prayers. After a complaint from a councillor it appears that a case is being made that it breached his 'human rights.' I think there are two dangers here which need to be firmly challenged. First, the way in which the concept and philosophy of human rights is being so abused and diluted that it no longer has much meaning. People are now claiming for example that access to the internet is a human right. Anything, any moan or complaint, becomes a breach of human rights. Surely we are made of bigger stuff than this?

Secondly, how the exercise of prayer can be so offensive goes beyond comprehension? This especially with the British history of tolerance and pragmatism. This smells of someone having a grudge against faith and prayers. I would have thought it would be reasonable for a non-believer in such a situation to simply respect the situtation. On the same light presumably the NSS would have prayers in Parliament stopped, Remembrance Sunday scrapped, church bells stopped, Christmas and Easters holidays banned, etc, etc?

Lamacraft Priory Celebration

The brothers and sisters of the Glorious Ascension Order celebrated 50 years since their Anglican order started. The celebration was held at Lamacraft Priory near Start Point in the southern most point of the South Hams. A good hundred of us turned up for an Eucharist and picnic. The sun was scorching hot. Lamacraft is an amazing place and the brothers have a real vocation of hospitality. There is something about this place which relaxes and unknots you. The last retreat day here, I went upstairs to the attic chapel and slept for hours in a comfy chair. It was just what I needed. Other times, I find myself feeling very emotional - a sort of cathartic release. Well done, Br Simon and Br Andrew, what a brilliant afternoon - thank you for all your support and prayers,

Switch off your radio mic!

Following the PM's Bigotgate fiasco today I recall a similar blunder happening to a priest in Canterbury. Having a moan (with a few choice unpriestly words) about a parishioner the priest forgot in the vestry that his mic was still on. No taxi radio were constantly interfering with our PA system. So quick as a flash, he bawled over (making lots of crackling noise) 'Pick up two from the station over and out!'

Election websites for Christians

The Church Times pointed me in the direction of these two sites.


www.christiansandcandidates.org

http://www.makethecrosscount2010.net

Both are worth a look and the second has a petition

Who is the Lady on the Sign?

Today Nathaniel (4 years old) said to me in the car 'Who is the lady in the sign?' It took me a while to realise that he was not talking about traffic signs but the posters for the local conservative candidate. Apart from UKIP I havent seen any other posters.

Tonight it will be interesting to see how the three party leaders fare in the leaders debate on Sky News. I get a sense that what we are seeing now in the polls could be described as the 'John Sergeant Effect.' Remember him? The public voted over and for him on Strictly Come Dancing because they (a) loved seeing an underdog rise and (b) had contempt for the judging system. Could the current volatility in polls be part of the same reaction? With the scandal of MPs expenses last year it was only a matter of time before the public would get their revenge and do something dramatic. (Irrespective of the merits or otherwise of voting for a particular party.)I'm not trying to make a party political statement but rather sensing the way that TV with the new technology (eg social networking on the internet) allows these sudden public tidal waves.

Its a bit like the resonance effect that we see happen in the natural world. If you know the natural frequency of an object you can set in catastrophic vibrations.

Footnote

If I were a betting man, I would put my money on the leader of the Lib Dems becoming the deputy PM and his lordship, the business secretary (He Who Must Not Be Named) as acting PM. How long such a coalition can last...is anyone's guess?

Christ Rosen!!

My four year old just ran out of bed and shouted 'Jesus is out of the tomb.' Running up stairs I found him clutching his picture Bible with picture of the risen Lord. I asked him if that made him happy and he said it did. So he then ran into his sisters bedroom and told her about it. She (2 years old) exclaimed 'Jesus rosen'.

Pentecost Looming

I was initially sceptical that anyone would turn up to the Easter Sunday dawn service at 6am at North Sands. (I even questioned if I would make it!) Yet my doubts were overturned by the good weather and the attendance of over forty others. We began in the dark with the lighting of a fire and the blessing of our paschal candles. As the morning sunlight bled over the glassy North Sands waters we praised God and recalled the Easter mystery – Christ is risen; the light of world has conquered.

The symbolism of fire and light doesn’t stop with Easter. At Pentecost we recall after Jesus’ ascension the disciples were all in one room in Jerusalem. There they waited until the Holy Spirit broke in and descended. The Acts of the Apostles described the event. ‘Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.’ (Acts 2.2)

The point about this account lay in the fact that until then experiences of God’s spirit were limited to the few. Now the Holy Spirit can make us all prophets, priests and kings in Jesus’ revolution. The Easter fire now spreads out to the corners of the world. Jesus words ring true, ‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! (Luke 12.44-45)

**

Pentecost has been interpreted as the birthday of the worldwide Church. Some congregations have started taking this to heart and celebrating with a big birthday cake and lighted twelve candles. Birthdays remind us of our origins and keep us rooted.

With every good wish

Daniel

For more thoughts, sermons and diary notes visit
http://salcombevicar.blogspot.com

Holy Week Services

The Easter break appears to be upon us with lots of visitors pouring into Salcombe. The benefice has a number of services this Holy Week and I have listed them below.

Wednesday at 2pm at Salcombe Church
School Service with children exploring the Passover Meal

Maundy Thursday at Galmpton Church 6pm
Eucharist of the Last Supper

Good Friday
10am at Salcombe. A Walk of Witness starting at Whitestrands and followed by an ecumenical service at the church around 11am.
10am Ecumenical service at All Saints Malborough

Easter Day
At Salcombe there is a dawn service at North Sands (lasting about 30 mins) starting at 6am. There then is an 8am Prayer Book Communion and 10 Family Eucharist. A songs of praise service is on at 6.30pm with many favourite hymns.

At Malborough the Easter Service is at 10am and at Galmpton 11am.

The Good Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ

April Magazine Editorial

Groucho Marx famously remarked that he wouldn’t belong to any club that would have him! I wonder, if many people today think the same thing about being part of life of the Church? The world-wide Church at its heart is not an institution but a living vibrant body; a band of people from every walk of life trying to follow Jesus. Can we look at membership of the Church afresh and present it in a more positive light?

Of course, it’s all to easy to imagine that the historic Church is an invention of man and nothing near what Jesus would want. Philip Pullman in his controversial new book, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, resells this old chestnut. In the author’s view Saint Paul is the ultimate spin doctor who has recreated Christianity and made it into something it was not meant to be. The same kind of slant on the Church is painted by Dan Brown in The DaVinci Code but with Emperor Constantine as the one who invents Christianity rather than Paul. Neither Pullman or Brown are practising Christians or theologians, rather they are in the business of telling stories and selling books.

The alternate view to these contentious authors is to see the Church as Christ’s body. This does not mean that Church people have not got things wrong in the past or have done terrible things in the name of religion. But, it does mean that at the centre of Jesus’ work, here and now, is this spiritual family. So, even if clergy and laity make a hash of it, the Lord somehow will make good of bad. We, fallible human beings, are the only material that He has. Maybe the Church has many centuries to go before it reaches its perfection? Could it be that we are in the infancy of the Church?

Sometimes being part of a church can be testing but it can also be tremendously rewarding, welcoming and spiritually, intellectually and emotionally nourishing. There can be politics and squabbles in our churches which can drive us to distraction. But, just as ‘no man is an island’, surely no Christian can be truly fed without some participation in the life of Christ’s Body? Maybe this Easter we all need to give the Church a second look, and think afresh about how we can be part of it?

The Wedding of the Year!

Tim Hore and Liz Sheldon are getting married today and we are all praying for better weather than yesterday. They bought last year Victoria Inn and have happily settled in the town, running a very successful business. Liz was baptised in our church last year and has been an inspirational member of the congregation. Tim has been a great support to her, and we all wish them the very best in their married life together.