WordPress Posts by Email

Someone is listening! No sooner had I described the workround I use to post to my WordPress blog by email, than a flag appeared on my blog’s dashboard highlighting a new feature – yes: posting by email.

Go to http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2009/05/12/post-by-email/ for all the details. Images and attachments will be retained, and there’s some other clever stuff too.

Filed under: Technology

Ely photos

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Ely Cathedral and its environs are just full of fantastic photo-opportunities. Here are a few that I spotted this sunny weekend – tracery in Bishop Alcock’s Chapel, a statue of Etheldreda, decorated chimneys on the monastic range fronting High Street, and one of my favourite bishop portraits – what an expression! His effigy is positively lolling along the aisle.

Filed under: Travel , Ely Cathedral

Pentecost

Today is Pentecost! How well this picture of the scene from Jesus Mafa conveys the joy of the Spirit. And just look at the detail of Mary, hand open, arm outstretched, once again expectant for all that God will give her.

If you don’t know the work of the Jesus Mafa group, so click through and have a look, and perhaps place an order. In the 1970s Mafa Christians in North Cameroun wanted to have pictures of the Gospel using their own cultural resonances. With the help of French missionaries they acted out the scenes, and sketches of the plays were worked up by French artists and given back to them – and to the world. More than 6 million copies have been distributed to date to 83 countries – a sort of modern Pentecost in itself.

Filed under: Christianity , Jesus Mafa

Hilgay Church

We visited Hilgay Church today, a fascinating country Tractarian shrine rebuilt by G  E Street complete with mini-triforium. Like so many country churches, it also looks after wonderful objects from our past: like the fees board above, and the grandest bier I have ever seen below: more a state carriage in fact. What a way to go!

 

The most poignant part of the church for an episcopal visitor (and the god Rector had warned me about this!) is a Clayton and Bell window of around 1895 depicting the story of the Good Samaritan – with a bishop in full fig playing the part of the priest who passed by on the other side. I think Hilgay may have been in Norwich Diocese at the time, which could make Bishop Sheepshanks the villain of the piece (perhaps he didn’t make it out to Norfolk’s Wild West too often …). I was pleased anyway to be dropping by to pray and not passing by this time.

Worth a visit too is the newly-renovated daughter church at Ten Mile Bank, on a by-road on the other side of  the channel. It’s so good to see a church that was in real need a little while ago now restored to glory.

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Filed under: Christianity, Travel , Churches, Good Samaritan, Hilgay, Ten Mile Bank

Josephine Butler

Today the Church of England remembers Josephine Butler. She was a born a Grey of Northumberland, shared her father’s passion for social reform and married an Oxford tutor (later headmaster of Liverpool College) with whom she shared her passion for the abolition of slavery, showed concern for the socially disadvantaged, and argued for better rights for marginalized women. Amongst her campaigns was one that led to the foundation of Newnham College in Cambridge, and she wrote widely on, for instance, The Education and Employment of Women, and Women’s Work and Women’s Culture. As so often with the women we remember in our calendar, she is most remembered for her work in relieving the predicament of prostitutes, in her case by promoting the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Act.

“My sole wish was to plunge into the heart of some human misery, and to say (as I now knew I could) to afflicted people, I understand. I, too, have suffered.”

The Josephine Butler Memorial Trust was established in 1979 to promote the education of persons of the Christian faith in theology and social sciences in accordance with the principles of Josephine Butler.

Filed under: Celebrating the Saints, Christianity, Church of England

Resurrection Men (and women)

Sermon at the Retired Clergy Eucharist 28-5-09 Ely Cathedral 

Acts 22.30, 23.6-11 and John 17.20-end

It is a daunting privilege to preach to you today, amongst a company of clerics that must have preached many tens of thousands sermons itself over perhaps ten thousand accumulated years of service. All the same, despite that substantial total, not even the greyest canon on the back row will I think predate the Anatomy Act of 1832. (I’m just checking …) That was the Act that put ‘resurrection men’, the body snatchers of the Burke and Hare era, out of business by legalising the supply of corpses to the medical profession. But I want to put I to you that you are all called to be in business as Resurrection Men and Women nevertheless, and that neither age nor retirement shall wither that calling.

St Paul told the Sanhedrin that he stood on trial ‘because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead.’ Now this was in part a Cunning Plan, à la Baldric, to set the Pharisees and Sadducees at each others’ throats, as you well know. But it was not just that: it was also the truth. When Paul spoke at Athens the crowd complained that, ‘ “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the Resurrection,” a strange way of putting it that means that Paul was possibly banging on about the Resurrection so much that they took Anastasis to be the name of a Goddess in her own right.

When the chips were down, Paul was out there preaching because of his hope in the resurrection. That was what he was in business to proclaim. He was a resurrection man.

And my proposition to you is that amidst all the diversity that a company such as this of retired clerics represents – and I have been know to say that organising you is akin to herding cats – the one thing you have in common is the calling, alongside Paul, to be resurrection men and women yourselves, sharing and proclaiming the hope of the resurrection, in word and deed; to be people of hope in this world and for world to come.

Jesus in the high priestly prayer, which was our Gospel reading a moment ago, envisages an amazing chain of hope as this message is passed on. He has just prayed for his disciples, and now prays for those who will believe through them; and the prayer is the same, that they may be

in him,
in unity with each other, and
in the world calling it too to faith in him.

The chain carried on: from apostles to presbyters, bishops to monks, missionaries to ministers, mothers to children, until in the end it reached our homelands, and in the very end reached us. And Jesus’ prayer is still the same. That we too should be in him, in unity with each other, and in the world calling it too to faith him. That we should not be the end of the chain but its beginning again.

This then must be our job as resurrection men and women, priests of the new covenant if you want to put it in posher words: aiding and abetting God’s people at every turn and in every way to be vibrantly alive with the resurrection life in God, vibrantly alive with the resurrection life one with each other in the new community we call the church, and vibrantly alive with the resurrection life in the world sharing God’s love and calling everyone to that same life in him – and so starting again the chain of faith.

How are we to do this? There is no shortage of advice: of the making of books, especially of paperbacks on how to run churches, there is no end. Toppings across the road can sell you a shedful. But the book that really matters is the book which is every one of our own hearts. Even if techniques not to say tricks can help, there will be no long term fruit unless we ourselves are the witnesses to the faith we preach. So how is it with our own life in Christ? How is it with our own belonging in the church? How is it with our own service and witness in the world?

The hard truth is that Christians are not always too good at these things; and professional Christians are not always the best among them; and long-serving professionals not the pack-leaders amongst those. To put it straightforwardly, Grumpy Old Priests are alive and well and living in the Diocese of Ely just like everywhere else. So as at our ordination, so now, if we want to do well in these things it is with God’s help that we will. So shock, horror: the bishop is actually saying to his clergy that it’s time to get to straight again with God; to pay attention to the core of our spirituality.

I don’t want to keep you from your lunch, but perhaps I can offer a word or two about this under each of the three headings, or three dimensions as I sometimes call them, that Jesus prayed about in that high priestly prayer – being in him, in unity with each other, and in the world calling it too to faith; and for ease of memory we can think of them as Up, Round and Out – our calling to vibrant relationship with God, each other and the world around us.

God first – of course. Up, if you like. We certainly never retire from Him, from the calling to say our prayers, read the Scriptures, keep studying, keep listening for His word to us. Our experience of this un-retired spiritual life is very varied. Some settle into a routine; some find words giving way more and more to stillness; others find the words and the whole thing going dry. In fact, being a priest and of a certain age seem to make little difference in the sense that we carry on facing the same spiritual challenges that we will have observed in Jill and Jack over our years of ministry. So who ministers to the ministers? Are there people there who can help? Are they willing? And will you let them? Our retired clergy officers are a considerable asset to us here. If you are up a tree, or high and dry – bend their ear today, or mine if you can’t find theirs: we may not be always able to give you what you want, but we’ll do our level best to give you what you need. One thing you can be sure of: the one who has called you is faithful and he will do it, even if we struggle. He chose you long before you chose him, and he is not about to let you down now; and if you lift your eyes you too may see the glory that was given him before the world began.

Second, the church. Round – because it is about our relationship with each other. The passage of time can do funny things to us here. Look back to when you first started. Those old-timers on the PCC, the ones who found all change difficult and Series 2 impossible, who thought Matins should last for ever but got annoyed if it lasted more than an hour, who complained if the Bishop never came to see them and complained if he did. Well – goodness me, is that a mirror I see over there? It is really, seriously important that when we look in the mirror we see at least the glimmer of a smile. Those bearing the heat of the day in clerical harness now need your support and encouragement, and they are having to oversee change and introduce new ideas that would have made the hair on your grandfathers’ toes curl. You won’t always see the point, you won’t always agree, but please – always help. Be one with each other. All relationships matter in church, but especially the good relationships between the ordained. The key here, I suggest, is to take completely seriously what Jesus says, and Paul says after him, about the church: about how against all the odds and despite all appearances it, it, is God’s mysterious plan to seed his kingdom into the world, to create the new community of reconciliation, resurrection life and hope. And there is a lot to be hopeful about. In the latest years for which we have statistics more people, not fewer, are coming to church, and more under 16’s in our diocese among them. Ordinations have been going up not down. Confirmations too. Our buildings are in better shape than they ever have been, and more money is entrusted to us in parish giving than ever before. The tide of disbelief is turning, and it’s a good time to be an old-timer in the church, with a future to be proud of as well as a past. Go on – smile! You can even (yes, I know it’s a cathedral) cheer. For everything God can still do with his church: hip hip, hooray!

Third, out, into the world. Arthritis may be taking its toll, and the rheumatism is rumbling away. But beware the buggy-racers on our pavements: living longer these days doesn’t mean being locked away. Older age can in fact bring perspective, the time to read and keep up with the news and the wisdom to be able to comment on it, as well as the urge to turn the telly off and have a nice snooze. I might dare as well to say that in the big story of society, the present echelon of retired people are something of a golden generation, with by and large a level of health, wealth and time that those who went before them could only have dreamt of, and which those who come after them may never attain again. It will already have occurred to you that today’s church has spotted this and is using you extensively to keep service rotas going. That’s good. I mustn’t let this opportunity pass without saying a very big thankyou to you all. We couldn’t be the church we are called to be without you. Now that is good – for now. What will be even better would be to use the opportunities you have to bring new generations into the faith and into the church, and not fall into the temptation of keeping things going just long enough to see us out. I can think of few things more beautiful or powerful than an older priest bringing a younger person to faith, and especially than one of you nourishing their vocation to priesthood in their turn. And if we keep connected with the world around us and with those young in the faith who are following us, that might be your story too; a very special moment in the never-ending story of the Gospel.

“Mummy, mummy,” said the young boy, looking up at the plaque on the church wall. “What is that list of names all about?” “Shhh,” she replied, “Those are all the people who died in the services.” … Let’s make sure that our services, all our service, is always life-giving, resurrection-life giving, and then we can in all truth be people of hope for this life and for the life to come.

+David

Filed under: Sermons and Talks

New Bishop of Carlisle

Downing Street have just announced that “The Queen has approved the nomination of the Right Reverend James William Scobie Newcome MA, FRSA, Suffragan Bishop of Penrith, for election as  Bishop of Carlisle in succession to the Right Reverend Geoffrey Graham Dow, MA, BSc, MSc, MPhil, who resigned on 30 April 2009.”

The Diocese of Carlisle is my old patch, and it’s very good indeed to see James, with whom I worked closely for many years, taking up the diocesan reins. As many people in Ely Diocese will know (he served here in days of yore), he brings a heart for mission, a head for strategy and a most engaging personality that has won him a strong following in the diocese already. May God bless him in his new ministry, and many others through him.

Filed under: Church of England

Calvin on the climb in China

Here’s a hat-tip to Andrew Brown’s excellent Guardian blog and its latest post about the rise of Calvinism in China and the Far East. Have a look.

I noticed a piece about the same thing on the Historical Theoblogy blog, which comes from a student at Calvin Seminary, Grand Rapids, US, about a conference on the subject last year. It’s another interesting blog, by the way, at least for someone who combines an interest in theology with a background in mediaeval manuscripts and texts as I do. A really popular place to visit then!

I hope this makes amends for letting Augustine trump Calvin earlier in the week!

Filed under: Christianity

Lanfranc

Lanfranc’s signature at the Council of Westminster.

Today the Church of England commemorates Lanfranc, first Norman Archbishop of Canterbury 1070-1089. He was an Italian who eventually entered the newly founded abbey at Bec in Normandy (home too of his successor Anselm). He gained fame there as a teacher, celebrated as totius Latinitatis magister and fiercely and polemically orthodox.

He seems to have opposed William of Normandy’s marriage to Matilda, but instead of this leading him to fall from favour, his toughness must have appealed to William, who imported him to be Archbishop of Canterbury once the Anglo-Saxon sitting tenant Stigand had been deposed.

Just as his successor Anselm’s feudally-framed theology wins him few friends now, so Lanfranc’s clear-out of the Saxon episcopate in favour of Norman loyalists doesn’t look too good from today’s perspective.

Of course he was more eminent and more worthy than this dubious summary is implying, a reformer, and amongst the Normans a force for moderation; but he never quite convinced the canonisation committee of his sanctity.

A road in Worthing is nevertheless named after him,a sort of immortality …

Filed under: Celebrating the Saints, Christianity, Church of England

Strong words on Saving our Churches

Well over 200 people packed St Edmund’s Church, Downham Market last night to hear Sir Roy Strong speak on saving the English country church.

There was something in his talk to cheer everyone, and something to provoke everyone too, and both Sir Roy and the Rector seemed delighted just to have got the subject out into the chattersphere.

Saving the country church. My own experience is that even small churches can be very resilient and I do not expect to preside over the closure of many of them at all, even where populations are tiny and reluctant to show their face on Sundays. So I do not subscribe to the idea that we face a crunch or a crisis.

What we do face, and Sir Roy explored this carefully and from many viewpoints, is a time of change. Churches that survive and thrive will probably have a clearer focus to their activity, perhaps specialise in one aspect of parish life, and collaborate with others within and beyond the fold of the faith. They will not be afraid to adapt their buildings as every other generation did, or to explore new patterns of governance and organisation.

I would still hold out for the gold standard of a service in every church at the same time every week with someone familiar there every time: but that person may not be ordained or paid or called a vicar, nor need the gathering always be a ‘service’ following the words of a book, or be shared by people scattered amongst pews.

Some frustration was expressed that ‘the church’ did not give a strong enough lead in facing up to change. It is true that they way we do things does not usually involve forcing local people to go against their grain. For good reason. But I did stand up and say that in my previous job as archdeacon in a very rural part of England I worked weekly with churches seeking change for the better, and had some success doing it. And that as far as I am concerned the C of E in the Diocese of Ely is up for collaboration with any plans for change that will help our rural churches not just survive but thrive. Over to you, to tell me what you think you could look to do in your own locality.

Filed under: Church of England, History