You know what it is like when you have planned to do something and then the unexpected happens and your plans fall apart.

Well this morning at Third Space was a bit like that.

What was planned? Well I will save that for another day, but let me just tell you that it would be a lovely thing to do in the sunshine, but NOT in the RAIN.

So although rain in this climate is not totally unexpected we had to change our plans and come up with Plan B. We tried to use the rain to enhance our worship.

I came across this song by a woman called Laura who wrote it after much prayer for her husband’s healing.

Laura Story – Blessings

search YouTube clips to listen to song and story.

The chorus of the song goes like this;

What if your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near?

‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?

What if trials of this night, are Your mercies in disguise?

We spent a few minutes walking in the rain after hearing the words of the song – using the rain to remind us of the cold, damp, disappointed feelings we get when things in life go wrong.

What struck me as I walked in the rain and raised my head to let the rain splash on my face was – the rain is not so bad if you are prepared for it.

Sometimes as Christians we feel that we are protected from catastrophe. That is wrong theology. Jesus never promised a life without problems. What he did was to experience the sort of things we go through for himself so he can understand and empathise with our suffering: Betrayal, poverty, humiliation, pain, death, homelessness, rejection, bereavement, anger, sickness, temptation, exhaustion and loneliness.

In fact he talks about suffering bringing blessing in the Beatitudes in Matthew Chapter 5

4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

We thought of those who needed to know blessing in suffering and collected a raindrop for each person we prayed for.

Those people who we prayed for need friends, companions to walk with along the difficult road they travel – we shared bread and wine and used our companions liturgy.

Small Beginnings

“Things great have small beginnings. Every downpour is just a raindrop; every fire is just a spark; every harvest is just a seed; every journey is just a step because without that step there will be no journey; without that raindrop there can be no shower; without that seed there can be no harvest.”
William Wilberforce

Jon led us in Third Space a few weeks ago on the theme of clouds. He had been inspired after coming across a plaque for Luke Howard the namer and classifier of clouds. Intrigued he investigated further…

  Luke Howard named clouds in 1803.

We spent some time lying on our backs looking at clouds, praying, meditating and being still. It was a beautiful morning with blue skies and, yes, clouds to ponder. Such a peaceful experience.

Jon had talked about the tremendous energy and power that clouds contain and yet they looked so fluffy, gentle and harmless. It made me think about the gentleness but powerfulness of God.

What we did that morning has remained with me and I find myself lifting my eyes to the skies and looking at the different kinds of clouds and reflecting on the presence of God with us.

Exodus 13:21 – 22

“God went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud during the day to guide them on the way, and at night in a pillar of fire to give them light; thus they could travel both day and night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night never left the people.”

God is present right here, right now.

God leads us on our journey.

Exodus 14:19

The angel of God that had been leading the camp of Israel now shifted and got behind them. And the pillar of cloud that had been in front also shifted to the rear. The cloud was now between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. The cloud enshrouded one camp in darkness and flooded the other with light.”

God has got our back.

God shields us from that which we fear.

 Clouds are everywhere even in St Pancras Station, London. So when you see clouds be assured of the presence of God.

“I will not forget you. I have swept away your offences like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.”

Isaiah 44:22

On the Sunday before Pentecost  we remember that the disciples were all locked away, scared and wondering how their future life would pan out, but have you ever considered actually how old those disciples were? We looked at this question, which we have no answer for, but it proved quite interesting to think about.

We are not told how old the disciples were when they started following Jesus, but there is some evidence that some could well have been quite young. Perhaps 15 or even younger.

In Jesus time young boys would be educated from the age of 5 and would only continue in further education at 15 if they were rich enough or an outstanding scholar. Young men in this category would then continue under a rabbi until they were 30, when they themselves would take on the role of a rabbi.

At 15 all the remaining boys would be apprenticed to a trade. Jesus chose his disciples from those the rabbis had rejected as they were neither rich enough or thought to be outstandingly bright, but we do not know at what stage he chose them. Some were brothers and had varied ages, but some could have been chosen by Jesus at the age of 15 when he became their rabbi.

Barbara said “My thinking about how old the disciples were started after reading Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis and when I started to look on the internet I discovered there was lots of discussion about it there.”

Here are some further things to consider from biblical sources:

• Most men would marry at 18 we know of only Peter who was married.
•  The Temple Tax  – This is based upon a tax from Exodus 30 v 14 – “All who cross over, those twenty years old or more, are to give an offering to the Lord”.  There is a story in Matthew 17:22 – 27 where Peter is asked about paying the Temple Tax. At the end of the story the tax is paid only by Peter and Jesus. Were they the only ones over 20?

• In John 13:33 Jesus refers to his disciples as “my children”. Isn’t this a bit demeaning to say to mature men?
• Also when you consider how long John survived after Jesus death could he have been a really young disciple of Jesus? Does this put a different complexion on the understanding of Jesus words on the cross to John and his mother in John 19: 26 – 27
• It also might explain why John is described as the disciple who he loved.  A special care for a younger member of his followers.

If the disciples were so young – it puts a different complexion on them hiding away behind closed doors, without their teacher and leader and life mentor.

And,  what happens after Pentecost was even more remarkable!

*****

Poem/Liturgy...

Waiting, Waited,

Flame Breather, Life Teaser,
Sweet Essence, Hard Presence,
Pulsing Blood, Sweeping Flood
Storm Force, Water Source,
Deepest Kiss, Draining Bliss,
Motivator, Love Creator,
Hearts Gripped, Conventions Ripped,
Fire Poured, Winds Roar,

Whisper, Whisper,

Shalom,
Life Spirit, Holy Spirit, Spirit.

Jonny Baker worship trick 89

We used a parachute to show the movement and emotion of the poem and then blessed each other while standing under the parachute with the words;

(name)        Shalom, Life Spirit, Holy Spirit, Spirit

Prayer – We prayed for those who feel locked away and frightened, either facing persecution or because of circumstances in their lives using a prayer from St Hilda Community;

..be silent
be still
alone empty
before your god
say nothing
ask nothing
be silent
be still
let your god
look upon you
that is all
she knows
she understands
she loves you with
an enormous love
she only wants to
look upon you
with her love
quiet
still
be….

Sharing Bread and wine.

To a world dry and thirsty

God has poured out Living Water;

To a world weary and breathless

God has stirred a mighty wind;

To a world cold and dark

God has ignited the flame of the Spirit;

Let us worship the Lord for the Spirit has come

– hallelujah!

Jesus, on the night before his death,

gathered his friends for a meal.

During supper, He took a loaf of bread,

and gave thanks for it.

Then he broke it

and passed it among them

with these words:

This is my body

which is broken for you.

Take, eat and remember me.

(share bread)

After the meal, Jesus took a cup of wine

and gave thanks for it.

Then He passed it among his friends

with these words:

This is my blood

which is shed for you.

Take, drink and remember me.

(share wine)

Jesus, we thank you

For this bread and wine of remembrance;

And for coming to us,

Through your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Closing Prayer.

May the love we find in this community

make us peacemakers and justice-seekers;

and may the Spirit who fills us again

lead us to be those who proclaim God’s Kingdom

in every word we speak

and in everything we do.

Amen.

A Communion Liturgy for Pentecost

©John van de Laar

This Sunday we met away from the bandstand at  Cromford Meadows for a mini pilgrimage / prayer walk. It was especially good to have our good friend Chris join us and to see Michele, post-thesis – well done! We shared some opening words and then everyone followed a route with some suggested ideas to stimulate prayer. These are the ideas that we were given:

The Tree                               Take a moment to look at the new buds opening on the branches of the tree at the start of this reflection. Marvel at this new life.                            What are you saying to me Lord?

As you walk across the meadow towards the river, let Psalm 100 inspire conversation with God.

On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into his presence.

Know this: God is God, and God, God.
He made us; we didn’t make him.
We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.

Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.

For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.

Follow the river embankment and use any of the following to inform your thoughts / prayers

Psalm 25:4-5

Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.

Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Saviour,
and my hope is in you all day long.

Psalm 23 :1-3

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.

Take time to look at the trees – the deadwood, the signs of new life… to listen to the birdsong… become aware of all creation praising its Creator…

Turn back towards the car park.

Psalm 121:1-2                                    

I lift up my eyes to the mountains –
where does my help come from?
 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

As we see homes and buildings we turn to the needs of the world. We name those places in the world where people are crying out for help.                       Jesus help, be close, save…

Go through the Gate towards the Canal

We remember Jesus saying that he is the Gate – the way in and the protection for the sheep… As we go through, we quietly name those we know who have not yet come to that gate or entered through it, for those searching for the way, for those oblivious to the way, for those lost… May they find the gate opening before them, enclosing them…

The canal

As we come to the canal we think back to the days of horses pulling the canal boats along.  We turn to intercession – we cannot change the journeys that others find themselves on, but we can ‘pull them along’ in the prayer support we offer.  Perhaps some slow walking here – any direction you wish, as you draw these people to Christ – to still waters, for the restoring of souls, to comfort…

We gather around the picnic tables to share Bread and wine… (Using  Steve’s words from a couple of weeks ago)

We finished by walking to Colin and Michele’s for coffee, tea and cake.

The sheet concluded:

Jesus met his friends at Galilee after his resurrection and called to them:

‘Come and have breakfast!’

Come and eat, drink and discover Jesus amongst us…

And we did!

We should have put this summary of our time together onto our blog a couple of weeks ago – so apologies all!

Steve and Harry led us in worship, centred around their recent trip to Nepal.

After starting with words from Psalm 19 about all creation praising God, we were shown an image of the Fishtail mountain (a sacred mountain to the Nepalese) and then Harry showed us a picture he had taken of an elephant’s skin. This had been awe-inspiring for him and Steve explained how other teenage boys on the trip had had similar responses to the elephants on their short safari in the jungle.

When they  bathed the elephants, they bowed down and raised their arms to touch as if to worship.

As Steve explained, so much in our Post-Enlightenment thinking dulls us to the wonder of God’s Creation (rather it objectifies, analyses, dissects and exploits it). Creation speaks to us of the creator if only we have our ears attuned and a worldview to recognise this.

In the light of this we were sent out of the bandstand to take photos of things in nature that spoke to us of God. The wonderful thing about the feedback session was that everyone had something poignant and significant to share whether it was about the sun, sky, a red-leafed bush, a daffodil, blossom, shadows… Every contribution was different and truly inspiring. Yet again – the joy of meeting in amongst nature in the changing seasons and weather…

We prayed then for Nepal and for others….For Steven and Bina, Ashok, the Anandaban Leprosy Hospital…. All in need and all who make a difference there… and we named others known to us who need Jesus now before sharing bread and wine, using words written by Steve:

An invitation to the Table:

To this table in this place we invite:

The created order – pronounced GOOD by the Creator, suffering fallen-ness and awaiting eagerly for liberation in the renewed earth.

To this table in this place we invite:

Every living creature – included in God’s covenant with Noah and pronounced GOOD by the Creator, the variety of which inspires our awe and stewardship of which requires our care.

To this table in this place we invite:

The poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame – as Jesus invited to his banquet upturning the Pharisaic tables, insisting the first shall be last and the last first.

To this table in this place we invite:

The saints of old who have fought their good fight – we are honoured by their presence and inspired by their example.

To this table in this place we invite:

One another – each one endlessly precious to the Redeemer Jesus and each one a fellow pilgrim in faith.

L: This is the Body of Jesus broken for us

ALL: This is our body

L: This is the Blood of Jesus shed for us

ALL: This is our life blood

L: Then the Master told his servant, “Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.” We are sent out to be co-workers in building God’s Kingdom.

ALL: Amen!

It was good to hear something of their amazing adventures (we heard and saw more on the following Wednesday), of inspiring Christians further afield and to be included in an awareness of this bigger God that we so often lose sight of…

Head Space found us pulling the following questions out of the hat:

• What do you understand by the term post-evangelical?
• Is Christianity compatible with the Theory of Evolution?
• If Jesus of Nazareth is not “God made man” are all his teachings irrelevant?
• Who is your favourite biblical character (excluding Jesus)?
• What objects in or parts of a church building inspire you?
• Which people have been most influential over the past 2000 years in Christianity becoming a world religion?

Discussions were as always thought provoking, full of further questions, fun and laughter with no need for us to find THE answer.

We met in the park and it was WARM – Hallelujah!

Opening Worship

We gather this morning in the name of the Creator,

who creates time and space,

galaxies and stars and planets.

In the name of Jesus Christ, born on planet Earth,

and in the name of the Spirit who fills Earth with his presence.

Creator God,

in this time we call “now”

and in this space we call “here”

we worship you.

Make you presence felt among us.

Connectedness

Grayden introduced the subject by saying he often felt nostalgic for the 50’s and 60’s – an era of steam trains, children playing out rather than being plugged in to computers, good manners (treating others with respect) and school reports in which a teacher was allowed to say just a few words about a pupils’ progress rather than a short essay. For example, you might get excellent work, good, satisfactory, always tries hard, good oral work, but sometimes the teacher would write – could try harder or could do better.

Well in January we looked once more at our values, and both Barbara and Grayden thought in the area of connectedness – we could “do better”.

This led us to planning a Sunday morning in which we allowed time to think about our own connectedness as Third Space, but also as individuals. This mornings warm weather provided just the right conditions to do some self examination.

Prayer stations and instructions

1st Space – home and family

Sit on a bench in the park

• Think about your close family and thank God for each one of them
• Pray for any members of your family who are in need in any way
• Think about ways in which you and your family could be better connected to your neighbourhood or town

2nd Space – work or school

Walk down to the bridge and watch the water as it flows towards the sea

• Think about your friends at work or school and thank God for them

• Think about those you come across that you find more difficult – ask God to help you feel more connected with them

3rd Space – Third Space

Stand under a tree with bare branches and look up – think about the interconnectedness of all in Third Space

• Think about each member of Third Space

• Thank God for Third Space
• Think about any ways Third Space could be better connected in the town

4th Space – Your community

Walk slowly around the park for a few minutes, looking at buildings and people

• Pray for your neighbours
• Pray for your town / village
• Think about the different ways you are connected within your community
• Think about new ways you could be connected within your community

Sharing Bread and Wine with An Emerging Creed.

         We are people who……

Have found Jesus to be beyond compare.

Invite all to join us without insisting they become like us.

Find more reality in searching and questioning than in certainty and absolutes.

Realise that how we treat others is the greatest test and expression of what we believe.

Firmly believe in the equality of men and women, that no-one is greater than another and that all people bear God’s image.

Recognise that following Jesus is costly and we need to support each other in the work we feel called to do: being peacemakers, striving for justice, befriending the lonely, healing the sick, serving the hungry and destitute, visiting the sick and the elderly, inspiring children and young people, caring for God’s creation……………….

In sharing bread and wine together look back to remember Jesus’ death and resurrection and look forward to God’s feast for all peoples.

This is the bread of Christ, the bread of Community, the bread of Justice, the bread of Celebration, the bread of Service, the bread of Journey and the bread of Connectedness.

This is the wine of Christ, the wine of Community, the wine of Justice, the wine of Celebration, the wine of Service, the wine of Journey, the wine of Connectedness.

We ended our session with an entanglement of ourselves and string attached to the bandstand and said together:

 A Blessing for Your Community

May the blessing of God fall on our community,

May it be a safe place,

Full of understanding and acceptance.

Where you can be as you are,

Without the need of any mask

or pretence or image.

May this place be one of discovery,

Discovery of the love of God,

The peace of Jesus and

The transforming power of the Holy Spirit

Where from the clay all can emerge

To deepen and refine

Their knowledge of your kingdom

Amen

Sunday morning found us constructing a huge cube made out of canes.

Is that corner stable?

Jon must have designed this for a team building exercise????

This corner needs more

Laughter, co-operation, vision and initiative isn’t that what fellowship is all about.

Thank God for those among us that are tall…

and those that can bend down low.

Almost there

Jon explained that the cube we had constructed was the same size and shape as Nelson Mandela’s cell, shared by three people.

Inscription at the Archiepiscopal Chapel at Ravenna:

  Aut lux nata est aut capta hic libera regnat

 The light is either born here or imprisoned, reigns in freedom

Some quotes from Nelson Mandela

“There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountain top of our desires.”

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.”

Often credited to Nelson Mandela  – but a quote from Marianne Willamson

“We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

We all had a poem to take away and read to help us reflect on freedon

My FREEDOM –  Glamorous Enigma

Freedom To … Raymond A. Foss

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou

Frederick Douglass Robert Hayden

Underwear – Lawrence Ferlinghetti

The Weight – Linda Gregg

Prayer – Jorie Graham

A light exists in spring – Emily Dickinson

 Autumn Conundrum – Michael R. Burch

Freedom

Freedom comes from God:

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there

is freedom.

2 Corinthians 3:17 (NIV)

Freedom to talk to God:

In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom

and confidence.

Ephesians 3:12 (NIV)

Freedom to share it around:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to

preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom

for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the

oppressed.

Luke 4:18 (NIV)

Freedom to follow:

And I’ll stride freely through wide open spaces as I look for your truth

and your wisdom.

Psalm 119:45 (The Message)

Prayer

Lord,

Thank you that you are the source of our freedom even when we choose to walk in darkness.

Thank you that we are free to talk to you any time we want without fear of imprisonment.

We remember those who are not free and who are persecuted

for their beliefs.

Thank you that we are free to come into presence because you removed the roadblocks.

Thank you that you make wide open spacious places for us to dwell in.

Help us not to abuse our freedom and follow our own selfish desires.

Help us to use our freedom wisely and walk in the light.

Give us courage to speak words of life which set others free.

Thank you that you were imprisoned and died for us so that we may be set free.

Amen.

We all met in the bandstand (welcome to Jon’s family who have not been before and Anthony).

After most of us tried ice skating on the frozen puddle we stood together in the sunshine.

Easter Sunday morning views of Riber Castle

This is the day:

When tears are wiped away,

Shattered hearts are mended,

Fears are replaced with joy.

This is the day:

When the Lord rolls away the stone of fear,

Throws off death’s clothes,

Goes ahead of us into God’s future.

This is the day the Lord has made:

Death has no fear for us,

Sin has lost its power over us,

God opens the tombs of our hearts

to full us with life.

This is the day – Easter Day!

Christ is Risen

Hallelujah!

Easter Eggs – Fairtrade of course!

Have a guess how many chocolate Easter eggs are sold each year in the UK.

(Answer, more than 80 million.)

Easter Eggs are an Easter tradition – why?

Christians have been very clever at taking over existing symbols and making them their own. Eggs were used in Pagan times to symbolise new life and fertility in a spring festival. So early Christian missionaries used the symbol of the egg to tell the story of Jesus death and resurrection.

Throughout history there have been lots of different stories that have added eggs into the Gospel stories, but the main Christian symbolism of the egg are as follows:

• The egg represents the stone that was rolled away from the front of the tomb.
• The egg should be empty as it represents the empty tomb.
• The hard shell has to be broken to demonstrate that the power of death was broken through the resurrection of Jesus.
• Eggs represent new life through Jesus. The new life Jesus had when he rose from the dead and the new life that is offered to us when we become Christians.

Eggs were traditionally given up during the fast of Lent – so they are used once again when feasting to celebrate that Jesus had risen.

Chocolate is used today as it is a real luxury and again something some people give up during Lent.

It takes the whole crop from one cocoa tree to make 16 Eggs of this size.

To make The Real Easter Egg one cup of Fairtrade chocolate (125g) is melted to 28 degrees (like a warm bath!). The liquid chocolate is dropped into two half-egg moulds which are pushed together and spun, very fast, for 20 seconds. When the two moulds are separated, the hollow Real Easter Egg is released. So Chocolate eggs are made by melting chocolate and placing it in a mould.

The Jews were expecting a messiah very different from Jesus .

 His life and teaching broke the mould.

He spent time with the poor, needy, sick and socially unacceptable.

Jesus death and resurrection also broke the mould –

smashing the power that sin and death have over us.

We broke the egg and ate some remembering that today we celebrate

Jesus is risen 

Nurtured, cared for, loved

So Jesus died for us and nurtures us through our lives.

Paul gave out the sunflowers, now growing –  with a plant label which read – nurtured, cared for, loved (Seeds having been planted a few weeks ago and they were thriving).

Michele shared a brilliant piece of sand art by Joe Castillo on a youtube clip

                                                                       He is Alive

HAPPY EASTER!

Easter coming…

Spring is in the air …

What’s that Soul Space cancelled because of blizzard conditions?

Snow underfoot actually in the bandstand.

Snow usually stays on the outside of the bandstand. We will have to start a collection so we can purchase some walls – heaven forbid!

Unheard of in the three and a half years we have been meeting and its nearly the end of March.

Have a happy and blessed Easter.

I hope that we won’t be being fooled on April 1st!