Wanderers return from holiday, the weather is warm, can it really be summer at last?

Olympics discussed, holiday adventures recounted, acquaintances renewed, prayers shared, all with the usual laughter and banter.

On with the summer seasons Anam Cara liturgy – and then to the coffee shop for more of the above.

Anam Cara

Creator God, we pause in your presence and hold our day before you.

Still us, calm us, guide us as we enter this day.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

A short time of silence and reflection as we allow ourselves to focus on God’s creation around us.

Creator God, we hold this day before you, especially…

A short time of silence for personal prayer.

We hold before you Lord, all those who would usually be here with us at the bandstand…

These may be named aloud.

We hold before you Lord, all those we love, especially…

A short time of silence for personal prayer.

We hold before you Lord those who are sad because someone they love has died…

These may be named aloud.

We hold before you Lord those we know who are troubled this day…

These may be named aloud.

We hold before you all those we will meet this day…

A short time of silence for personal prayer.

Lord God, grant us the faith this day to truly walk in the light of Christ:

Christ as a light illumine and guide us

Christ as a shield overshadow us.

Christ under us; Christ over us;

Christ beside us on our left and on our right.

This day be within us and without us,

lowly and meek, yet all powerful.

Be in the mouth of each to whom we speak;

In the mouth of each who speaks to us.

Christ as a light, Christ as a shield,

Christ beside us on our left and on our right.

 We share bread and wine.

 Creator God, may your peace go with us wherever we will be this day

May you guide us through the
challenges, protect us when in need
and inspire us with your love.

May we acknowledge your presence
in all the human goodness we will see.

May you bring us home rejoicing to our place of rest this night.

Creator God, we now go into this day in the name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

As schools break up for summer many Third Spacers take a holiday. For a small group like ours this can make us feel rather vulnerable, especially on a Sunday morning in the bandstand.

The last meeting before folks take off for their summer break we bring something to share with each other for our Sunday morning worship.

I was working in my garden a place where I feel at peace and close to God (like meeting outdoors in the park on Sunday mornings – there is loads to see that inspires).  I was dead heading flowers (my poppies had taken a battering from the heavy rain and looked rather bedraggled). I set about them with the secateurs and started to think about what I could share with the group the following morning.

• As I looked at the scruffy old wrinkled lower leaves on the plants I thought of our group. Sorry folks! We are a small group and we are all getting older. (We range from teenagers to 60+)

• As I looked at the flower heads I thought of our group. What we share is wonderful, colourful, fresh and exciting. We started meeting together on a Sunday morning outdoors in the centre of the town in September 2009, but I had to ask myself – are we just a group of good friends having an amazing time?

seeds of hope

• As I cut off the seed heads I was reminded of how our group started. We very much took encouragement from the theme at Greenbelt 2009 which was The Long Now.  What we are doing now is the seed of what is to come.  I pulled open a seed head and saw hundreds and hundreds of tiny seeds.

• I was reminded that what we are doing is a new way of doing church, a fresh way to rekindle interest in Jesus, an experiment in reaching out, and a way of placing prayer and blessing into the centre of our town.

Instead of feeling concern about the number of people who would be meeting together over the summer I was encouraged to believe that what we are doing, what we experience and what we have is the way forward for Christianity.

I shared my thoughts with the group and passed around an open seed head. The seeds are in place for the future – in the fullness of time they will germinate and flourish.

This morning Steve led us, using the story of Jesus casting the demons out of Legion as a basis to review the core values we have at ThirdSpace and to ask questions of where we are and where we’re going. He concluded that the story speaks of a man who experiences Jesus-induced change:

• From exclusion to community
• From insanity to wholeness
• From living amongst the dead to being with the living
• From nakedness to being clothed
• From self-harm to being commissioned to serve others
• From violent uncontrollability to shalom

The questions we were then set to consider as we sat or wandered around the park, were the following:

OUR THIRD SPACE VALUES:

CHRIST. Jesus brings renewed life to this man; all others seem to have given up on him. Jesus then returns him to his own people and asks him to tell his story. What is our story of Christ’s rescue? What is our Third Space story? How do we place Christ at the centre of all we do?

CELEBRATION. I imagine that he returned to his own people and there was a celebratory meal to welcome him back. There he told his story. How might we tell the story through celebration? How might we use the meal to build the Kingdom?

JOURNEY. He journeys from darkness to light. Have we arrived or are we still conscious of our own journeying? How can we encourage each other in our journeys more effectively? Can we use the redemption journeys of others to help us?

JUSTICE and SERVICE. He was ostracised, marginalised, living amongst the tombs. There are those in our worlds in those situations now. How might we seek justice for them? How might we serve those we meet in those situations? Has Third Space a role to play in this? What is it?

CONNECTED. Jesus was the God-man incarnated in his time and his culture. Yet he was transcendent Christ for all time. We seek to be ambassadors – rooted in our time and community and yet representing the interests of another Kingdom and dancing to a different tune. How do we maintain a salty “in the world but not of it”?

          COMMUNITY. He was returned to his own people. We too are a people called together. What is our next step? How might we discern the path ahead?

These are questions we intend to explore further – perhaps with Michael Mitton who is with us on Wednesday…

We finished with the words we have used before, written by Steve, in the sharing of bread and wine:

Perspectives – bread and wine

Bread – in all its variety – wholegrain, white bleached, flat, mother’s pride, granary, unleavened, pitta and crusty, soft and seeded. It is just bread – a staple – food for all, for the rich and the poor.

But in your outstretched hands, in your body, you transform this element into spiritual nourishment which in turn transacts our horizontal dimension with your vertical reality. We thank you that we stand in that crossing place once again.

For on the night before he died….Jesus gave thanks….took and broke….and shared….saying, “Take, eat, feed and remember – it is my body.”

ALL: We share this bread as one people with the risen Christ in our midst.

Wine – in all its variety – white and red, flat and sparkling, oaky and tannin rich, young and old, chardonnay and merlot, grenache and cabernet, old world and new world. It is just wine – a staple of celebration for all.

But in your wounded hands you transform this element to seal the new transaction between God and us. This wine spilt opens the new way, curtains rent asunder, the mundane becomes translucent with your presence. We thank you that we stand in that place once again.

For on the night before he died, Jesus gave thanks….took the cup….and shared it….saying, “Take, drink, it is given for you. It is my blood.”

ALL: We share this wine as one people with the risen Christ in our midst.

So we have eaten and drunk this transforming meal which brings heaven to earth. As Kingdom builders, we journey with Christ our Lord.

ALL: AMEN!

Good stuff! And a challenging morning – inspiring as ever. Thanks Steve!

The Third Space Fairtrade Breakfast was entered as one of the Steps for 2012 on the Fairtrade Foundation’s web site. I heard recently we WON A PRIZE for the idea. I received a pack of Fairtrade dried fruits and recipes this week. I shall be using them for the next Third Space meal. yum!

On the first fine day for what seemed ages we gathered in the bandstand.  Still mourning and missing our friend Tony we shared time together mindful of his family, Fran, and his daughters Charlotte and Catherine with it being Fathers Day.

reading

1 Corinthians 9:24–27  ^“24 Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize.^25 (E)Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever.²⁶ That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches.²⁷ I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest.”

Why would Paul say this? He is making the point that winning a prize requires discipline, self-control, and coordinated activity. Games like the Olympics were held all over the Roman Empire, and perhaps it is during one of these games that Paul is preaching in Corinth. Perhaps it was even the Olympics – the Olympics had three main thrusts, 1. It was a religious festival, 2. It was used by the city states whose competitor was a winner as a sign that their state was blessed by the Gods so they should have power, 3. To show military prowess.

Some facts about the ancient Olympics

• Corinth to Ancient Olympia 115 m about 3 hours by car – Google maps does not do timing on foot, but Corinth was also the city that hosted the Isthmian Games
• The first recorded Olympics was held in Olympia in 776 BC and continued until 394 AD
• They were held to honour the god Zeus
• Like today it was always held every 4 years (but then always in Olympia)
• In the ancient Olympics there were 10 sports, Chariot races, horse races, boxing, the pentathlon (which consisted of discus, javelin, long jump, running and wrestling), three different running events over varying distances including a long run rather like the marathon
• Athletes competed bare foot and naked apart from the last race where competitors had to race in full armour (a real show of stamina and strength in battle)
• Only the winner was honoured and they received a laurel wreath and an olive branch, but winning held enormous prestige.
• Any free young men who spoke Greek could compete, (there were some other games in which women could compete)
• Competitors had to swear before the statue of Zeus that they had been in training for 10 months
• High ideals had to be adhered to by the athletes, commitment, striving for excellence, fairness and respect
• 100 days of peace surrounded the games so competitors could arrive for the events safely
• The games were certainly still going on during Paul’s journeys to preach the gospel to the gentiles, but by the time of Nero corruption had raised it’s ugly head. Apparently Nero entered the games in some of the events and he won each event he entered. It was recorded that there was an event in that time for singing which Nero won even though it was well known that he had a terrible voice
• Some sources claim the ancient Olympic flame symbolised the death and rebirth of Greek heroes

Some points to consider for ourselves

The ancient winners of the events brought great honour on their home cities – Paul is saying we can bring great honour to God by sticking at the task we have set ourselves on our faith journey.

The laurel wreath is something that will wither and fade, our prize will last for eternity.

Bearing in mind what happened to the Olympics in Nero’s day – we have our ideals, our values in Third Space – we need to make sure we don’t lose sight of them.

The ancient Olympics were marked by a sacred truce of 100 days. This was so competitors could reach Olympia safely when travelling through warring city states in the Greek peninsula.

To check our knowledge and to win a gold medal (Fairtrade chocolate of course) we took part in an Olympic Quiz. This brought out the competitive spirit in some of us.  Steve won hands down!!

We heard about the famous Christian athlete Eric Liddell – what an inspiring man

Eric Liddell (1902-1945)

• Born in China in 1902, his parents were missionaries.
• At boarding school in Britain he excelled at athletics, rugby union and cricket.
• While at Edinburgh University he broke the British records for the 100yds and 220yds, played     7 times for Scotland at rugby in the Five Nations, and in 1924 graduated with a science degree.
• At the 1924 Paris Olympics won the gold medal in the 400 metres, and in doing so broke the Olympic and world records. (Waiting at the starting blocks he was handed a piece of paper by the American team physio with 1 Sam 2:30 written on it: “Those who honour me I will honour.”)
• In 1925 went to China as a missionary with the China Inland Mission.
• While on furlough in Scotland in 1932 Liddell was ordained a minister of religion.
• During 1934 married Florence MacKenzie, a Canadian missionary, they had three daughters.
• Due to the Japanese occupation of China, Florence and the children leave for Canada, Liddell stays on in China and takes a position a rural mission station serving the poor.
• Liddell suffered many hardships at the mission as he tried to help the local people despite the war and occupation.
• Showed great courage as he stood up on behalf of local peasants against warlords, bandits and the Japanese occupiers.
• Was interned in a camp by the Japanese in 1943.
• In the camp he taught Bible classes, science to children, cared for the sick and elderly, and arranged games and sporting activities.
• While other missionaries moralised and acted selfishly he helped others, and encouraged people to share.
• Died from a brain tumour on 21 Feb. 1945, aged 43, just 5 months before the camp was liberated. 
• 1991 a memorial stone, made from Mull granite, was erected on the site of the camp.
• Near the time of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Chinese authorities reveal that Liddell refused to leave the camp as part of a prisoner exchange, instead he gave his place to a pregnant woman.
• Norman Cliff, an internee who survived the camp wrote: “the finest Christian gentleman it has been my pleasure to meet”. Langdon Gilkey, another survivor wrote: “He was overflowing with good humour and love for life. It is rare indeed that a person has the good fortune to meet a Saint.”

prayers

When considering the 100 days of peace 50 days either side of the Olympics. The 100 days started 10 days ago on Thursday 7^th June

We pray for peace in our homes, our neighbourhoods, our country and internationally. Pray for areas of our world where there is war and violence that peace makers will achieve successful settlements.

Pray for the Olympic event

Everlasting Father, giver of joy and the source of abundant life; we pray for all who are involved in the London Olympic Games, for their safe-keeping and well-being; and as we celebrate the skill and resolve of those who compete we pray that throughout the games there would be harmony, a striving for excellence, a spirit of humility and fair play, and a respect for others by all who are involved.

We prayed for those we knew by writing names on flame shaped pieces of paper and then stuck them on the edge of a piece of paper, this was then rolled up to represent a torch.

Torch prayer

Radiant King of Light, you lit the torch of my faith. Your Spirit fired it up, may it blaze with the heat of your love, and the light of your truth. Help me to ever hold it up allowing your light to guide, and to draw others out of darkness to shine for your glory. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

After sharing bread and wine we closed by saying;

God has called us to persevere in the race of life. Therefore:

With God’s help we will fight the good fight, we will finish the race, we will keep the faith.

Lord God give us the strength to run with perseverance the race marked out before us; fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Amen

Last night at 7:20pm Tony died after a long, long haul in his battle with bowel cancer. He had, only minutes before, been conscious and able to hug both daughters, Catherine and Charlotte. Frances, his mum and dad and siblings were all with him. At some point, in these last couple of days, he had woken from sleep and declared ‘It’s beautiful’ and said that everyone was waiting for him. We have no doubt of that.

A few weeks ago he was given days to live and ThirdSpace gathered around his bedside to pray the Celtic liturgy with him that we have so often said together. It was forever special to have shared those words together. When his move to Ashgate hospice gave him an extension of time, we planned to celebrate Pentecost with him. On the day he was too unwell, so apart from short individual visits, that evening of Celtic prayer was his last ThirdSpace communion.

This morning we gathered at the bandstand to express our thanks and sorrow and were overwhelmed and touched to be joined by Frances and Charlotte.

We began with a declaration of faith, using verses from Paul’s writings:

 ^12-15Now, let me ask you something profound yet troubling. If you became believers because you trusted the proclamation that Christ is alive, risen from the dead, how can you let people say that there is no such thing as a resurrection? If there’s no resurrection, there’s no living Christ. And face it—if there’s no resurrection for Christ, everything we’ve told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you’ve staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ—sheer fabrications, if there’s no resurrection.

^16-20If corpses can’t be raised, then Christ wasn’t, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ weren’t raised, then all you’re doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It’s even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they’re already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we’re a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.

^21-28There is a nice symmetry in this: Death initially came by a man, and resurrection from death came by a man. Everybody dies in Adam; everybody comes alive in Christ. But we have to wait our turn: Christ is first, then those with him at his Coming, the grand consummation when, after crushing the opposition, he hands over his kingdom to God the Father. He won’t let up until the last enemy is down—and the very last enemy is death! 1Corinthians 15 – The Message

^1-5For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade—and we’ll never have to relocate our “tents” again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it! We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less.

^6-8That’s why we live with such good cheer. You won’t see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don’t get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going. Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we’ll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming.

2 Corinthians 5

No eye has seen

No ear has heard

No mind has conceived

What God has prepared for those who love him

1Corinthians 2 – NIV

This was followed by an invitation for everyone to write things they remembered about Tony and gave thanks for. The following things were said:

• Tony always asking ‘What did you have for your tea?’
• School-boy humour! Parp!
• Driving too fast with my daughter!
• Giving kitty and Harry the names ‘Kittywick’ and ‘Harold’!
• Cheesy chips on the beach in Dorset
• Enjoying mince pies
• Doing doughnuts
• Practical jokes
• Meat lover!
• Cross-carrying
• Making the ThirdSpace video
• Caring so much for his cancer blog friends
• Pointing out the rising sun on Christmas morning
• Charismatic!
• Group hugs
• Full English breakfast
• Laughter
• Advice and support
• For all the times he made me laugh – particularly when he called Harry ‘Harold’!
• Food enjoyed – including barbecues!
• Laughter and tears
• Stubbornness!
• Laughter and strength
• Massive motor-biking
• For all the happy memories and those yet to come
• Helping and supporting Barbara last year
• On his motorbike in the park
• Calling me ‘Harold’!
• What have you had for your tea?

Memories of Tony

We remember

Food and laughter feature a lot!

After that time, we turned to prayer:

Today we stand in the tension of sadness and of hope

We come to you Lord Jesus

We come to protest against all the horror of death and bereavement

We set our hope in you

We protest against the suffering Tony had to bear

We thank you that he is, at last, made new

We protest against the distress that Frances and Charlotte and Catherine and Tony’s parents, brothers and sisters have been going through for so long

We ask for your comfort, healing and hope

We affirm that we cannot and will not pretend that death is anything less than an affront to you, bringer of life

We stand firm in the hope that you promise to make all things new

We give you thanks that you brought Tony to us and to faith

We ask that his faith might lead others to you

We give you thanks for Tony and all he has meant to us

We look forward to being reunited with him in the renewed earth

Let us hold firmly to the hope we claim to have.

The One who promised is faithful.                                                                

(Hebrews 10:23)

We finished by sharing bread and wine:

Bread is a symbol of companionship for us. The companionship we share with one another. The companionship Jesus shares with us. We eat this bread to embrace that companionship and the hope of resurrection over death.

The bread of life

Wine is for sorrow and for joy, for suffering and for celebration, for forgiveness and new relationship

The wine of promise

Praying with Tony when we knew the prognosis

We love you Tony and we’ll miss you terribly. Here’s to a future reunion with more than new wine in the renewed earth – but a veritable banquet – perhaps a barbecue?

Fairtrade Breakfast 13^th May 2012

The sun shone in the park as we set up our chairs and tables and prepared to eat breakfast together. A camping stove provided power to boil water for Fairtrade tea and coffee

12th May was World Fairtrade Day and people all over the world were joining together over the weekend to celebrate by sharing a Fairtrade Breakfast. What a good plan for Third Space.

^{Introductory reading}

¹¹ “Moreover, say to the royal house of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. ¹² This is what the Lord says to you, house of David:

“‘Administer justice every morning;
rescue from the hand of the oppressor
the one who has been robbed,

Jeremiah 21 :11

God of sunshine and rain,

Of the blossom we now see on the trees

Signaling to us the fruits of the earth 

We thank you.

 The table was set out with Fairtrade pineapple, bananas, fruit juice 

God of the soil and harvest,

Of the bee, the cattle

and the food crops which grow to sustain us

We thank you

Fairtrade cereals, cereal bars, honey, chocolate spread, marmalade, peanut butter, plus milk, home made barm cakes and hot cross buns made with Fairtrade ingredients were added to the table.

Breakfast was consumed!! 

Prayers

For all whose image of your creation is marred by pain and suffering 

Your kingdom come                                                                                                           Your will be done

For those who wake each morning to shellfire and destruction
Your kingdom come                                                                                                           Your will be done

For children dispossessed of childhood and transformed into soldiers
Your kingdom come
Your will be done

For orphans wandering lonely roads to uncertain futures
Your kingdom come
Your will be done

For each persecuted family carrying your Cross
Your kingdom come
Your will be done

from www.faithandworship.co.uk/prayers_peace

Pray for those who we know who are in need …

time for silent prayer

Pray for ourselves and our families …

time for silent prayer

Pray that we might administer justice each morning …

time for silent prayer

Share the bread and wine

Jesus ate a meal with friends and shared bread and wine

Jesus bread of life be here among us

As Jesus poured out the wine he symbolized his life being poured out for us

Jesus giver of life – we thank you

Thought for the day

Every time you choose Fairtrade, farming communities in the developing world take a step away from poverty and towards a brighter future.

www.fairtrade.org.uk

The sun was shining, the air was fresh, the wind was still, the birds were singing and we were amongst friends – what more do you need to celebrate Palm Sunday?

Opening Prayer. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you; righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)

As the people spread their palm branches on the ground to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem, so we welcome him into our lives this morning. Lord Jesus, Servant King, fill our lives this day and every day. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest.

Grayden said he felt cheated on Palm Sunday if he didn’t sing Ride on, ride on in majesty, so he led us in saying the words of the three verses he thought were the best.

Ride on, ride on, in majesty!

Hark! all the tribes Hosanna cry;

O Saviour meek, pursue Thy road

With palms and scattered garments strewn.

Ride on, ride on, in majesty!

In lowly pomp ride on to die!

O Christ! Thy triumph now begin

O’er captive death and conquered sin.

Ride on, ride on, in majesty!

In lowly pomp ride on to die;

Bow Thy meek head to mortal pain,

Then take, O Christ, Thy power, and reign.

We read the gospel account of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem from Mark 11: 1 – 11 and  Grayden shared a few thoughts on the    significance of what Jesus did from the passage.

• Often preachers and writers claim that the borrowing of the donkey was miraculous, but obviously it was arranged by Jesus with some of his followers in a local village.  They decided on a password for collecting the donkey and Jesus promised that it would be returned as soon as he had finished with it. Just a normal human arrangement.
• Also it often said that the crowd that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday was the same crowd that shout  “crucify him! ” four or five days later. Jerusalem probably had a population of about 50,000 in 30AD and it is estimated that for Passover there would have been at least 250,000 pilgrims in the city.  The people welcoming Jesus would probably have been a mix of followers, the sympathetic and interested and the curious. Those shouting “crucify” were  a “rent a mob” of locals organised by the Jewish authorities.
• Judas Iscariot was not as evil as is often claimed.  He probably had Zealot sympathies and when he saw Jesus ride into Jerusalem on a donkey his heart sank as he realised that there wasn’t going to be an uprising. By betraying Jesus he was hoping to force him to lead a rebellion. If he had just wanted the money and hadn’t cared about what happened to Jesus then he wouldn’t have committed suicide.
• Jesus makes a strong statement by riding on a donkey. He is saying that he is not a warrior Messiah. He rejects the methods and values of the Roman Empire, the Zealots and the Jewish authorities; their way involves violence, force, domination and coercion. In contrast the Kingdom of God’s values are love and compassion and justice and mercy.

We spent some time using our imagination –     what would we write on a placard if Jesus              passed through Matlock.

Prayers of Intercession.

O Lord our God, We bring you the needs of our world, broken by division and suspicion, by hatred and war. (short silence for prayer)

We bring you the needs of our land, the hungry and homeless, the wounded and despairing. (short silence for prayer)

We bring you the needs of ourselves and our friends, seeking your peace and healing, your wisdom and protection. (short silence for prayer)

Lord, come to us, In compassion and love restore us, And make us people in whom your gentle and just reign is seen.

Amen.

From: Sacredise.com

Prayer for sharing bread and wine on Palm Sunday.  

Lord God, we offer you our praise through Jesus Christ,

who on the first Palm Sunday came to us humbly and riding on a donkey.  

On the eve of his death, Jesus shared a meal with his friends.

Taking bread, he gave thanks, broke it, and offered it to them with these words:

This is my body broken for you. Remember me whenever you eat it.

After the meal, taking the cup of wine,

He gave thanks, and offered it to them with these words:

This is my blood poured out for you, Remember me whenever you drink it.  

And so, we eat and drink in memory of Jesus,

And through this bread and wine we proclaim His death and resurrection,

giving life to all people and renewing all things.

Amen.  

From:  Sacredise.com

Have you ever asked yourself – What can I do to make the world a fairer place?

Or

Do you feel that you are powerless to make a difference in a suffering world?

Well there is some good news, you can do something, you can make a difference by buying Fairtrade products.

Fairtrade Fortnight runs from Monday 27th February to Sunday 11th of March this year so our meeting today is slap bang in the middle of the fortnight. As we have members of the Matlock Fairtrade Town group in our midst we considered the emphasis that there is on justice and fairness in the bible.

We heard that Jim Wallis ( Sojourners, Washington DC ) when he was studying at seminary had first come across the idea of a God who cared about the welfare of the poor and needy. He was told on his return to his home church that those ideas were not Christian but Communist. He returned to seminary and to make the point that justice was an important Biblical theme cut out all the passages from the bible that referred to justice,  injustice, the poor, the oppressed, the needy etc – the resulting bible was in shreds.

Here are some examples:

Deut 16:20  Follow justice and justice alone, …………..

Psalm 33:  The Lord loves righteousness and justice, ………..

Psalm 82:   Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless, maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

Psalm 106:  Blessed are they who uphold justice, ………..

Prov 29:  The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no concern.

Prov 31:  Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, ………….defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Isaiah 1:  Seek justice,  encourage the oppressed, defend the fatherless and ……the widow.

Isaiah 5:  The Lord looked for justice, but saw bloodshed and heard cries of distress.

Isaiah 58:  Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice,…… and set the oppressed free……………..

Isaiah 61:  For I, the Lord, love justice………

Jer 22: Woe to those who build houses by injustice, not paying workers for their labour.

Eze 18: Suppose there is a man who does what is just and right……..

Amos 5: Let justice roll on like a river and righteousness like a never failing stream.

Micah 6:  What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Zech 7:  Administer true justice, show mercy and compassion. Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor.

Matt 5:  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice…………….

Matt 23:  Woe to you Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices……….. But you neglect the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness.

So caring about the needs of the poor, powerless and oppressed is central to the message given by the God of the bible. As Christians we should be instrumental in campaigning against injustice.

              Bring Justice, Lord.

              God the Holy Spirit,

              You are the restless breath of love that sweeps through the world.

              You move where you will, breaking down barriers,

              Stirring hearts to change, making all things possible.

              Inspire each one of us to hunger and thirst for justice!

              Come, Spirit of God,

              Sweep through our world bringing great change.

              May the bounty of your goodness be shared more justly,

              So all may share in the rich blessings of your creation.

              And, for us, bring transformation in our praying and living,

              So that we may act justly, love mercy,

              And walk humbly with you all the days of our lives.  Amen.

The Treasure Hunt

There are times when you wonder how mad we might be for meeting outside and this morning was one of those. Special parcels had been hidden around the park for us to find, aided by a map. The heavy rain made this exercise less enjoyable than it would have been, but it may prove to be one of those memorable moments when we look back.

Each parcel contained a Fairtrade chocolate bar, some bigger than others. Congratulations Michele – we are not too jealous!

The plan had been to consider what step we might take to make our world a fairer place, whilst walking slowly and finding our hidden parcel.  The rain may have prevented our slow walking, but it will not dampen our enthusiasm for bringing about the Kingdom of God through justice and fairness.

We need to ask ourselves continually what steps we can take to try to make real;

YOUR KINGDOM COME, YOUR WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IN HEAVEN.

We also heard a quote from Alan Duncan about the political and business sense of Fairtrade.

Transcript of Alan Duncan, Minister of State for the Department for International Development

Fairtrade has shown its ability to deliver results, it’s a great example of partnership between consumers, producers, businesses, NGOs and governments delivering more value into developing countries and ensuring that trade contributes to improving education, health and employment, in those countries. I’ve had 20 years in international business, and I’d like to think that you cannot pull the wool over my eyes. And I’ve sensed that some people just remain a little bit sceptical about the real, practical justification for the whole Fairtrade concept. So let them hear it from me today, from a source they simply cannot challenge on these business terms, I say this; don’t scoff at Fairtrade. Those who sneer at Fairtrade and think it’s some sort of soppy, do-gooding trendy left-wing notion; are completely wrong. It is a robust economic model which delivers direct benefits to some of the world’s poorest people. It injects fairness and sensible economics into business communities in poor countries. And it rewards hard work and quality produce, with a fair price. And everyone should support it.

Liturgy for sharing bread and wine.

We believe that bread comes from grain

that grows in the wind and the sun and the rain

with the farmers’ help.

We believe that bread comes from love

the love of God

the love of the farmer

the love of the baker’s hands

the love of those who bring it to us.

We believe that bread can be

and should be broken

and shared

and given to all persons

until all have enough.

We believe that Jesus loved bread

and took it

and broke it

and blessed it

and gave it to his disciples.

We believe enough in bread

to want to receive it from Jesus

to want it to nurture us.

We want to be bread for others.

We believe the Spirit will help us.

 Amen.

 As with the bread we believe that Jesus loved wine

and poured it

and blessed it

and gave it to his disciples.

We believe enough in wine

to want to receive it from Jesus

to want it to nurture us.

We want to be poured out for others.

We believe the Spirit will help us.

 Amen.

(from Frank Henderson, Liturgy & Social Justice)

BLESSINGS.

            As we receive your blessings, O Lord,

             May we bless our park,

            Our town and our nation.

            And may our choices bring blessings on

            Your Earth and all its people.

            In the name of the Creator,

            Redeemer and Sustainer of all.

            Amen.

                  (United Reformed Church)

This Sunday we basked in the sheer beauty of nature around us as we reminded ourselves just who God is and who we are – using these words:

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good

His love endures forever.

The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it

Who can compare to our God?

In this sacred space we affirm our faith

Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.

Know that the LORD is God

It is he who made us and we are his.

For he knows how we were formed

He remembers that we are dust.

After reading Exodus 17:8-13, the story of Moses’ hands being held aloft, we remembered that we are called to support one another in our prayers, that is, to pray for one another and to help each other to pray. This is something we do in one way every Lent and Advent, when we do a ‘secret Santa’ prayer partnering – praying for a particular person in ThirdSpace daily throughout the season. With the wider calling in mind, we used the following circling prayers, passing a ball of string around as we named people and situations that we wanted to support.

Encircle those caught in conflict and suffering… Keep hope within. Keep defeat out.

Encircle those who are troubled… Keep peace within. Keep distress out.

Encircle those who are grieving… Keep comfort within. Keep despair out.

Encircle those we love… Keep love within. Keep division out.

Circle us Lord… Keep faith within. Keep apathy out.

 In Lenten tradition, we focussed on confession and repentance, borrowing a Jewish new year custom known as Tashlikh in which crumbs of bread are cast into water, as a symbol of sins being cast away, recalling Micah 7:19 “You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea”.

We walked to the bridge over the river reading silently the following words that we have used in the past about fasting from discontent and feasting on gratitude etc

We then spoke the words of Psalm 130 and cast our bread. Dramatically and rather beautifully, gleaming white gulls swooped down and devoured the bread – St Francis would have loved that!

I couldn’t quite capture the scene with the birds due to the strong sunlight on the water… Back at the bandstand we shared bread and wine, saying

We eat this bread as a sign of our forgiveness.

Jesus our salvation!

For your embracing love

a Father’s love

a Mother’s love

The love that sees our failings

and forgives us

The love that sees our joys

and embraces us

The love that knows no ending

or beginning

The love that could die for us

and did

We bless you.

Jesus we bless you! (Words from www.faithandworship.com)

We concluded our time there with these final words:

We have reflected on our own weaknesses and on the frailty of others. Jesus says ‘Go and sin no more’

 So we go, no longer accusing ourselves of sins that have been forgiven

Nor condemning others for the sins that God has forgiven them.

As receivers of God’s grace

We ask for help to be grace-givers in the week ahead.

In the name of Christ – Amen.

From there to the café where we almost stayed till closing time – noon – with wonderful and rich conversation, covering an unprecedented range of topics ranging from Upstairs Downstairs and the politics of the day, the reigns of Stephen and Maud in the Middle Ages (I ask you!), Six Nations rugby, glass making, pigeon Spanish, how to get Whisky prescribed on the NHS and I don’t know what else! I know that I am amongst all people richly blessed to be part of ThirdSpace – thank you everyone for a special morning!