Another beautiful sunny day at the bandstand. It is on mornings like this I rejoice that we can meet outside.

The warmth of the sun, the spectacular scenery, the bird song, people looking relaxed and happy dressed in their colourful summer togs. We would miss all this inside four walls.

Opening Worship.

Open our eyes to see the beauty of your world – seeds caught in a lovely spiders web over the river.

God of generosity, justice and peace come into our midst this morning,

Breathe your breath,

Your Holy Spirit,

Your enlivening,

Your imagination on us.

Wake us up,

Open our eyes,                                                                                                                   

Unplug our ears;

That we might hear,

That we might see,

That we might grieve,

That we might dream.

That we might follow the ways of your extraordinary kingdom. Amen.

(Jonny Baker)

Spiritual Gifts

With the season of Pentecost almost upon us Grayden led us with some thoughts about Spritual Gifts. This followed on from a full and frank discussion at the Kenyons when everyone had shared their experiences after discussing the book we are looking at.

 Chapter entitled “Charismatic Streams” in Michael Mitton’s :Travellers of the Heart. 

Grayden talked about some of what Michael Mitton called shadow side of the Charismatic movement and we were sent away with the following questions to consider:

The Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts.

• Do we need to think much more widely about what spiritual gifts are?
• Don’t we all use spiritual gifts when preparing and presenting worship at Third Space and Soul Space?
• Aren’t we using spiritual gifts when we encourage and thank each other for preparing and presenting worship? Do we need to make a point of encouraging others even more?
• Are we put off spiritual gifts because we only associate them with tongues, prophecy and healing?
• Are we shy of talking about spiritual gifts because we think that much of the language used by charismatics is insincere and false?
• When you hold a door open for someone or let someone into a traffic queue don’t you get a feeling of that’s how life should be – generous, considerate and inclusive? Are these actions gifts of the Spirit?

Thinking about spiritual gifts.

Our discussions continued over coffee … 

Third Space hopes to be like the early Christian monks who set off in their coracles, sails hoisted, so the wind of the Spirit could take them forward.

So we need to continue to be open to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit.

DISCUSSIONS TO BE CONTINUED …

Bread and wine to share

The bread and wine of Jesus.

This is the bread and wine of new expectations

This is the bread and wine where everyone can come to receive

This is the bread and wine for those who haven’t met Jesus yet

This is the bread and wine of reconciliation

This is the bread and wine of acceptance

This is the bread and wine of the kingdom of God

This is the bread and wine of justice and generosity

This is the bread and wine of community

This is the bread and wine of Jesus, our Lord

adapted from Jonny Baker

Closing Prayer.

Kindle in us a love for the wild beauty of the creation of God.

Fan the flame of passion for community.

Heat us to white hot with yearning for culture to be transformed,

And people to know the God who breathed life into them.

Spark in us a fire which rages with all consuming heat against injustice, oppression and evil.

Bright flame, for whom Aidan of Lindisfarne was named,

Passed on from generation to generation,

From winter to winter,

From summer to summer,

From day to day,

Set alight in us the love of the Christ who walks in the world,

Blow on us with the wind of the Spirit…………Amen.

Jonny Baker worship trick 89

Weeping Beech

Just two days after the feast day of St Brendan (the Patron Saint of ThirdSpace?) it seemed appropriate to focus on travel. Brendan had long been an inspiration to us after our friend and writer Michael Mitton likened our journey to that of the Celtic saints who set off in their coracles and let the wind / Spirit blow them to the right destination.

His book ‘Travellers of the heart’ picks up on the theme of travelling across Old and New Testaments, and a week and a half ago we were discussing 2 chapters of this brilliant book, reflecting on our journeys through or around evangelical and charismatic expressions of Christianity.. Some of us felt, when looking at the question of what we might have lost from our evangelical roots, that we needed to return to our prioritising of the Bible.

Here then were the strands that led to this time in the park – in a stunningly beautiful, sunny, warm morning (at last!)

We met at the bandstand and began our gathering with words from Ray Simpson’s book ‘Celtic Worship through the year’ (Hodder & Stoughton):

In the name of the sending Father

In the name of the pilgrim Son

In the name of the wind-like Spirit

In the name of the Three-in-One.

Each then received a copy of verses from the end of Genesis 11 through to Genesis 13:18, charting Abraham’s travels from Ur to Haran, to Canaan, to Egypt and back again to Canaan.

Armed with a map and starting questions we found places in the park to sit and reflect in the tradition of Lectio Divina.

The questions were:

What are the key features of this story that intrigue me?

What does this tell me about Abraham?

What might this story mean to Jewish readers?

What might this story say to Christian readers?

These were followed by four more suggested questions…

Possible questions to explore for ThirdSpace:

What might stop us from travelling onwards?

What have we left behind / do we need to leave behind?

Who or what are we being called to?

What have been our altar moments? (Moments of encounter / sense of God’s presence?)

We will be sharing our reflections on these questions on Wednesday evening when we meet at the Gate on Smedley Street.

We reconvened under a beautiful weeping beech in the park.

It is worth noticing that sacred trees feature often in the early books of the Old Testament as the ‘thin places’ people then found (the oak of Moreh & the oaks of Mamre in our reading today). There they built altars – places of sacrifice. Whether we are from high or low church traditions or not, it seems to me that every re-enactment of the last supper – the breaking of bread and pouring of wine – is a symbolic building of an altar, as Christ is in some mysterious way, sacrificed for us again. So, under our own tree, in our own thin place, we had our altar. There we wanted to be in communion with  those undergoing hard journeys and we prayed for many, placing stones symbolically as we all gave our ‘Amen’ to each prayer…

We ended with the following words:

In this sacred place, in union these people we have named

In this sacred place, in union with our brothers and sisters across the centuries and across all continents,

In this sacred place, in union with our forefathers Abraham and Brendan,

In this sacred place in union with all who have stepped out and journeyed into the unknown in response to your call, we share bread and wine

We break bread:     Jesus our companion.

We drink wine:        Strength for the journey.

And if this all sounds very solemn and deep – who says God doesn’t have a sense of humour? – here’s a picture of Steve who went through the whole things dripping, having had to get into the river to recue the dog who couldn’t get out after a rash entry down a rather steep slope!!

Despite the cold, dull and windy morning we were greeted by birdsong and blossom in the park reminding us that although the temperature seemed to be telling us otherwise the spring season was upon us.

Setting the scene we read John 20:11-18

“11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.”

 

• We heard about Jesus and his radical relationship with women during his ministry. In Jesus society men were not allowed to speak to women in public. Jesus talked to them openly and on equal terms with men. (e.g. Mary from Mary and Martha, the Samaritan woman at the well, the women who numbered among his followers and who supported him from their own means etc.)  Was appearing to Mary Magdalene first after the resurrection a deliberate act on Jesus part?
• We talked about Jesus and Mary in the garden and linked it to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden – how all had been put right through Jesus death and resurrection. 
• We took time listening for God’s voice, being aware of his presence – just as Jesus called Mary by name he could call us by name too.
• We heard remarkable poetry that blessed us, affirmed who we are and what we are doing.

Bringing us together: Community by William Stafford, Right Hear, Right Now by Peter Matthiassen

 

Called into relationship: God’s heart is for us and he desires that our heart beats as one with his.

Sharing the bread and wine

“On their own, the bread and wine are nothing. To become a foretaste and a promise of love made real and a world made whole, they need a story and a blessing and a people who believe… ”   Jonny Baker 

Closing responses – Wellspring

 In the beginning God created all things

AND GOD SAW THAT THEY WERE GOOD

At our beginning, God created us

UNIQUE AND IRREPLACEABLE

LOVED BY GOD AND WANTED BY GOD

KNOWN TO GOD AND TREASURED BY GOD

EVEN BEFORE HE CREATED US.

In all our new beginnings, God creates something new

SO WE WILL SEEK GOD

IN THE FRESHNESS OF MORNING

IN THE LAUGHTER F FRIENDS

IN THE COLOURS OF CREATION

AND IN THE WARMTH OF SPRING-TIME SUNSHINE

Lord God, King of Creation,

OPEN OUR EYES TO SEE YOUR PRESENCE

OUR SOULS TO SENSE YOUR PRESENCE

AND OUR HEARTS TO LOVE YOUR PRESENCE

EVER HERE IN YOUR CREATION

AND EVER BEYOND IT IN ETERNITY.

AMEN.

“Beauty is the illumination of your soul” John O’Donohue

 

Sharing a meal together has always been a special time for those of us in Third Space. So trying to understand something of the tradition of the Passover Meal that Jesus would have shared with his disciples before his arrest and crucifixion was something we attempted to do.

With thanks to Michele Guinness and her book The Heavenly Party we had an abridged/abridged Passover Celebration.

During the meal we shared the four cups traditionally used during the celebration.

• The first cup, the Cup of Sanctification or Holiness (I will bring you out)
• The second cup – the Cup of Promise (I will free you)
• The third cup The Cup of Blessing (I will redeem you)
• The forth cup the Cup of Wrath

After drinking this cup Jesus left and went to the Garden of Gethsemane and on to death taking upon himself the Cup of Wrath in order that we can be forgiven.

Matthew 26

“36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.

40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.

43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Ever fancied improving the environment?

How about a spot of guerilla gardening.

In the autumn we planted some snowdrop bulbs around the park as a symbol of hope and resurrection. (See Snowdrops and Stones 6th October 2013)

guerilla gardening

It’s great to see little clumps of the delicate blooms dancing in the breeze and know it heralds the end of winter and reminds us of hope and resurrection as we head towards Holy Week.

Gathering at the bandstand this morning we opened our worship by taking advantage of the beautiful scenery that surrounds us in the park. The hills, the trees and flowers along with the birdsong and chatter of children playing happily, all helped us to glorify God.

As is our practise at Third Space – a question to think about and discuss.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Images courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

So what do you think about original sin?

This is what Grayden said:

“From time to time over recent years I’ve been pondering over the Christian dogma of “original sin”.   I don’t have a problem with the idea that we live with the consequences of “Adam’s” sin, because clearly we live in a world of suffering and conflict and death.  But I do have a problem with the dogma of inherited sin and guilt from “Adam”.  I have come to the conclusion that I am a sinner because of the choices I have made and not because of inherited sin and guilt from “Adam”.

Then over the last couple of weeks when preparing this morning’s worship I discovered through searches on the internet that the Eastern Church (which includes the Orthodox Churches of Greece and Eastern Europe, and the indigenous, pre-colonial Churches of Africa, the Middle East and Asia.) believes that humanity inherited the consequences of “Adam’s” sin but not his guilt. In contrast the Western Church (which includes the Roman Catholic Church and all its Reformed Protestant offshoots such as the Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal, URC, etc.) believes that humanity inherits the sin and guilt of “Adam” and therefore every person is born a sinner.

The difference between the Western and Eastern Churches view of “original sin” stems from Augustine’s interpretation of Romans 5:12, his interpretation is that Paul is saying that all people inherit sin and guilt from “Adam” and therefore are born sinners, whereas the Eastern Church reading of the verse is that all humanity sins due to inheriting a flawed human nature from “Adam”.

It seems to me that the two interpretations lead to a very different focus both on God and humanity.  The Western Church model is judicial and focuses on humanity’s sin and God’s wrath, whereas the Eastern Church’s approach is more therapeutic and focuses on humanity’s suffering and death, and God’s compassion.  It presents a God who says come to me and I will help you to become the person you were always meant to be.”

So what do you think?

To be discussed over coffee (Fairtrade of course) later  ????????????

bandstand centre piece

After some time for thought we prayed for problems in the world and for people known to us in need before we shared bread and wine together.

The evening of Wednesday, 26th February found us at Designate@thegate showing a film for Fairtrade Fortnight. “Black Gold” is about the world coffee trade, and focuses on coffee farmers in Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee.

Harvesting coffee for Oromia

Multinational companies dominate the coffee industry which is worth over $80 Billion annually, making it the most valuable commodity on the world market after oil. But while we pay top prices for our americanos and cappuccinos, the price paid to coffee farmers is so low that many have been forced to abandon growing coffee and instead grow crops for the drugs trade just to stave off starvation.

“Black Gold” asks us “to wake up and smell the coffee” and be aware of the unjust conditions under which one of the world’s favourite drinks is produced and then to decide to take action. The film provides a brilliant introduction to how necessary Fairtrade is, as it strives to give consumers a just and fair alternative.

Early in the film we meet Tadesse Meskela, a man on a mission to save his struggling coffee farmers from starvation. Tadasse  is the manager of  the Oromia Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union, which at the time of filming is made up of 101 co-operatives representing 74,000 small coffee farmers in southern Ethiopia. As the farmers work hard to harvest some of the highest quality coffee beans in the world, Tadesse travels the world in an attempt to find buyers willing to pay a fair price for the coffee. He works tirelessly to cut out the middlemen, the multinational companies and the commodity traders and speculators in New York and London who callously drive down the price the farmers get for their coffee.

The coffee farmers don’t want handouts – they simply want justice – a fair price for their coffee. Tadesse’s cause is supported by the Fairtrade movement, which is working to bring commodities such as tea, cocoa, sugar, bananas etc. as well as coffee, to an ever increasing number of consumers in the rich world.

Eventually “Black Gold” returns to Ethiopia, where a famine is taking hold. Some coffee farmers, facing starvation, have begun to replace coffee bushes with chat, a chewable narcotic plant which brings in a higher price than coffee.

There is a poignant moment in the film when some farmers are gathered around Tadesse, who asks them if they know how much a cup of coffee costs in the USA. The cost is so bizarre and unreal that rather than showing outrage they are astonished and lost for words. The disparity between what they get for their coffee beans and the cost of a cup of coffee just doesn’t make sense.

The film rather than simply being a rant against the corporate baddies, shows how Fairtrade initiatives are making a real difference to correct some of the injustices facing poor producers in the developing world, and how every person can make a difference by buying Fairtrade Marked products. So buy Fairtrade tea, coffee, sugar, bananas and chocolate, etc. and shun shops and cafes that don’t sell it or serve it. You can change the world for the better, one cup of coffee at a time!

Look out for the Fairtrade Mark

So what is new at Third Space?

Rumour has it that some members were seen disguised as Fairtrade Bananas this weekend in the Great Derbyshire Dales Fairtrade Banana Relay. Phew!

and in preparation for such an energetic event ….

Third Spacers went away for the weekend together to an idyllic setting in Yorkshire’s Bronte country.

Amazingly we managed to find a space between the rain to enjoy a walk in the countryside.

The rest of the weekend, well there was lots of extremely good food put on by various members of the Third Space Gastronomic Brigade, a wine tasting, some investigations into Celtic Christianity, Michael Mitton’s book to discuss, watching rugby matches with lots of friendly rivalry, photo opportunities with our resident photographer, a trip to Saltaire and much, much more.

We stayed on a working farm so our space was shared by a forth variety (get it – Forth Space) we must be getting even more Franciscan.

So what else is new – Watch this SPACE!

“A shining piece of film-making
on the darkness at the heart of
the City … this is a film no one
should avoid”

DAILY MIRROR

“The City of London’s murky tax
avoidance all wrapped up with
Queen and Empire”

THOM YORKE

Wednesday, 29th January, was Third Space film night at Designate. Although the evening was cold and wet the film was shown before a packed room. “The UK Gold” is fronted by a very impressive and gallant East London vicar, the Rev William Taylor. This is the kind of film that gets you hot under the collar, it is a very clear expose of the UK’s lamentable record of turning a blind eye to tax avoidance by the very rich and by multinational companies and it homes in on the unsavoury role played by the City  of London. The British Government does not come out of the film very well, you could say that it does not walk the talk! Barack Obama does rather better, he calls arrangements in UK overseas territories a “scam”.

The major features of tax avoidance are clearly explained – crown dependencies, tax havens, tax lawyers, accountants, phantom companies etc. But the tax avoiders’ best weapon is silence – at the end of the film there is a long list of people from the Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Labour Parties, plus people from the City of London who declined to be interviewed. It spoke volumes!

This is a documentary film to cause outrage and anger, do go and see it and be outraged! If the film does not manage to bring about change then at least it has brought into the open the scams and dodgy deals carried out by the City of London, the mega rich, the multinational corporates, and their tax lawyers and accountants.