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!

A couple of weeks ago we set up our second Soul Space event. Our theme was ‘Detox’ and with that in mind, Third Space members each brought a different aspect of what that might mean.
It was an opportunity to just come and think and be still. 

There were different aromatherapy scents to try – each linked into Bible verses,  to use as a support for meditation.

There was an opportunity to detox by carrying out an audit of the way we organise our finances ….and with the savings, to do something positive.  Others offered the opportunity to reflect on those things we would want the world to detox from – urging us to prayer and to action.

There was a rubbish dump – a  visual reminder that when it comes to sin God is not in the business of recycling.

And throughout the evening there was the offer to join in some liturgy from the Northumberland Community which we use regularly in Third Space.

All of this wrapped up with coffee, red wine and cake ( we like to embrace the contradictions of faith) and of course, the ubiquitous tea-lights.

We had a good time, and it was great to welcome new folks who hadn’t been to Soul Space before. We hold our next one on March 18th where we explore the theme of “Grand Designs”  Intrigued? – it may not be what you are familiar with when it comes to church, but it might just be what you’re looking for.

We started by looking at some of the history of Lent and Ash Wednesday

History of the beginning of Lent
Shrove Tuesday Traditionally viewed as a day of repentance, Shrove Tuesday has become the last day for celebration and feasting before the period of fasting required during the Lenten season. The name “Shrove Tuesday” is derived from the word “shrive”, which means to confess and receive absolution. The name denotes a period of cleansing, wherein a person brings their lusts and appetites under subjection through abstention and self-sacrifice.

The concept behind this practice is found in 1 Corinthians 9:27, where the Apostle Paul states: “I buffet my body and make it my slave…” Ironically, Shrove Tuesday has evolved into a day of frivolity and indulgence, during which people participate in as much pleasure and self-gratification as they can before Lent begins.
Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday,” was a celebration of life’s excesses before the austere self-sacrifices of the Christian season of Lent. It received its name from the tradition of slaughtering and feasting upon a fattened calf on the last day of Carnival. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, forty days before Easter, and includes a much more proscribed lifestyle for practicing Catholics: no meat on Fridays (formerly a year-round proscription until it was relaxed by Vatican II in the 1960s), and the requirement to sacrifice something dear, such as chocolate, during the forty days of Lent. Mardi Gras, which falls the day before Lent begins, was the final hurrah; excesses frowned upon at any other time of the year were viewed with a blind eye. (cant you see why we Louisianians love it so much)

Even ancient days, people marked times of fasting, prayer and repentance, and remorse by placing ashes on their foreheads. Examples found in;

2 Samuel 13:19, Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornate robe she was wearing. She put her hands on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went.

Esther 4:1 – 3, 1 When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly.

Job 42:6 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

Jeremiah 6:26 Put on sackcloth, my people, and roll in ashes; mourn with bitter wailing
as for an only son, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.

This custom entered the church from Judaism. Ash Wednesday marks the onset of a period of sober reflection, self examination and spiritual redirection. At first only public penitents received the ashes, they were made to appear barefooted at the church and perform penances for their sins. Friends and relatives began to accompany them and gradually the ashes were given to the whole congregation.
At first there was no specific length of time for fasting before Easter, and the people who fasted were probably only those to be baptized during the Easter festival.

Irenaeus (AD 180) testifies in the second century that there was a variety of lengths of time people fasted for but a little later Tertullian (AD 200) suggests that Catholics fasted two days prior to Easter, but that the Montanists (a heretical sect that Tertullian later joined) fasted longer.
Biblical fasts like those of Moses, Elijah, and especially Jesus, probably influenced the later fixed time of 40 days. The Canons of Nicaea (AD 325) were the first to mention 40 days of fasting.

Reading – Luke 4
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,2 where for forty days he was tempted[a] by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’[b]”
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’[c]”
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[d]”
12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[e]”
13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Initially the forty day Lenten fast began on a Monday, and was intended only for those who were preparing to enter the Church at Easter. Lent still begins on a Monday in many Eastern churches. Eventually the West began Lent on Ash Wednesday. In the Western Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty-six days (forty days not counting Sundays) before Easter..
Ash Wednesday gets its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of repentance. The ashes used are gathered after the Palm Crosses from the previous year’s Palm Sunday are burned. In the liturgical practice of some churches, the ashes are mixed with one of the sacred oils used to anoint those about to be baptized), though some churches use ordinary oil. This paste is used by the minister who presides at the service to make the sign of the cross, first upon his or her own forehead and then on those of congregants. The minister recites the words: “Remember (O man) that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”, or “Repent, and believe the Gospel.”
The East has no equivalent to Ash Wednesday.
The purpose of Lent is to be a season of fasting, self-denial, Christian growth, penitence, conversion, and simplicity. Lent, which comes from the Teutonic (Germanic) word for springtime, can be viewed as a spiritual spring cleaning: a time for taking spiritual inventory and then cleaning out those things which hinder our corporate and personal relationships with Jesus Christ and our service to him.

Quiet reflection while reading;
1. Forty days alone,
a wilderness of thoughts,
tempting and inviting thoughts,
which could so easily have distracted you
from your task, your mission,
your vision.
Yet you emerged, stronger and more attuned
to all that had to be done,
despite a time constraint
that to our eyes would have seemed hopeless.
We too live in stressful times.
Demands are made of our time,
that leave so little
for the important things of life.
We are easily distracted
in the wilderness of our lives,
by every call to go this way or that,
to turn stone to bread
leap from mountains,
and do all that would keep us from the truth.
We listen to the voices of this world,
and ignore the one who endured all this
and so much more,
and emerged triumphant,
that we might not have to suffer so.
Forgive us, Father,
when we get distracted from our task.
Forgive us those times when we try
to be all things to all men,
and fail to be anything to anyone

and

2. It is customary, Lord
to give something up
during the season of Lent.
What would you have me do without?
I who have so much.
Chocolate?
Cream cakes?
Cigarettes?
Sweets?
Swearing?
The list is endless
and I could give up all those things
for the span of 40 days
quite easily and almost painlessly.
But what difference would it make
other than making me feel ‘holier’
that my friend who makes no such sacrifice?
What would you have me do without?
I who have so much
Selfishness?
Conceit?
Envy?
Pride?
I fear before I ask,
that the answer might be ‘yes’
and the giving up
would be all too real, Lord.
It would be difficult,
painful,
sacrificial,
a real cross to carry for 40 days,
and more?

Whilst Harry burned some old palm crosses we said;

In the blazing light of your love
our failings are illuminated
our failure to give
our failure to love
our failure to follow
our failure to serve
our failure to be the people
you would have us be.
Forgive us and renew us.
You know our nature
know our failings
Enfold us in your arms
that we might daily know
your forgiveness and healing love.

Using the ash which we mixed with water from the River Jordan we said to one another;

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness. Psalm 103.8

Closing prayer
Lord, grant us simplicity of faith
And a generosity of service
That gives without counting cost
A life overflowing with Grace
Poured out from the One
Who gave everything
That we might show
The power of love
To a broken world
And share the truth
From a living Word
Lord, grant us simplicity of faith
And a yearning to share it

We dipped bread in oil (symbolising the Holy Spirit) as an affirmation and read;

May we know the love of the heavenly Father deep in our hearts,
May we understand our significance in the centre of His family, and the bonds that hold us so close as brother and sister
May we understand the lengths that He was prepared to go for all mankind and freely respond in the Today which he has given for us to cherish.
Repeat until all had bread
Amen

Many thanks to http://www.faithandworship.co.uk for ideas, liturgy and inspiration

On a wonderful crisp morning at the bandstand we were reminded of the purpose of Lent. After beginning with pancakes, we were invited to reflect on the week and write a confessional statement to God asking forgiveness. These were attached to a balloon which was released skyward. Nails of commitment for lent were hammered into a wooden cross. We finished with communion before retiring to Bridge News Cafe for a warming coffee and catch up.

Wednesday saw some of at the Red Lion to discuss issues arising from this book and ‘The Love Wins Companion’ we’ve bought to help us along. It seemed important to discuss first why it can be so hard to voice questions / doubts in Christian groups.

One of the reasons is the fear of being judged and ‘stuck’ in time in others’ judgments, as opposed to those viewpoints being true for us at one point of time on our journey. This was well illustrated in the ‘Companion’ where an interview with Billy Graham in 1997 revealed a surprising response, for many of us, concerning who is ‘saved’.

‘I think that everybody that loves Christ, or knows Christ, whether they’re conscious of it or not, they’re members of the body of Christ…the Apostle James…said that God’s purpose for this age is to call out a people for his name. And that’s what God is doing today. He’s calling people out of this world for his name,whether they come from the Muslim world or the Buddhist world or the Christian world or the non-believing world, they are members of the body of Christ, because they have been called by Christ. They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their hearts that they need something that they don’t have, and they turn to the only light that they have, and I think that they are saved, and that they’re going to be with us in heaven’.

That certainly gave us something to discuss along with what our previously held views on who was saved had been and the reasons some of us had come to questions these; whether we believed atheists would go to heaven; whether it’s important to know where we’re going when we die; and whether going to heaven or not is the message of Christianity.

All of this was, of course, set in the context of Jesus’ teaching. It is extraordinary how much of a gap there is between the answers many Christians might give to the question of how are we saved and the answers Jesus seems to give!

We had a very interesting evening, with everyone having plenty to say and decided to do chapter two next week, looking at heaven and what we mean by that – so watch this space for more on that and if any of you out there haven’t read ‘Love Wins’ – give it a go – it’s definitely worth a look.

We met well wrapped up on a cold and frosty Sunday morning, ice on the puddles, white frost on the grass, the air was still and damp and our breath came out like clouds. On the bare branches  of the trees that surround us at the bandstand there was still bird song and a feel that winter thought still here was coming to an end.

Our theme was emerging – we are emerging, growing, changing, maturing, what does all that mean. Emerging and changing in the church is nothing new, Christianity emerged out of Judaism and has contined to change throughout it’s history. Throughout this history different ways of worshipping have left their mark.

We have left our mark round and about the bandstand over time, one of the ways we left our mark was by planting some snowdrops. Despite the ground where they are growing being a short cut to miss out a corner the snowdrops were well and truly emerging this morning.

We stood beside them and said

This is your garden, Creator God                                             
a thing of beauty
beyond understanding, 
a poem that is being written
not in words,
but in colours,
wind’s whisper,
soaring bird,
snowdrop’s petal,
gentle rain,
sunlight’s warmth.
This is your garden, Creator God,
a thing of beauty
beyond understanding

We had a meander in the park thinking through two types of emerging church. One the Celtic church which emerged in this country 1500 years ago and emerging church today, with particular reference to ourselves.

Early Celtic/Monastic Church

· A genuine love of nature and a passion for God’s creation, coupled with a sense of closeness between the natural and supernatural.
· A love of art and poetry, seen within surviving illuminated Gospels and other works. 
· Although they seem to have been theologically orthodox, there was a distinct emphasis on the Trinity, respect for Mary the Mother of Christ, the Incarnation and the use within worship of early forms of liturgy. 
· Within their religious life we see an emphasis on solitude, pilgrimage and mission, sacred locations and tough penitential acts.
· There were few boundaries between the sacred and the secular
· We see an emphasis on family and kinship ties.
· There seems to have been greater equality for women than we see generally in the Church today. 
· A generous hospitality was an important part of everyday life.

Thanks to faithandworship.co.uk

 Emerging Church today

•  Identify with the life of Jesus.
•  Trinitarian belief.
•  Try to live communal lives.
•  Be open, inclusive and authentic.
•  Serve with generosity.
•  Be creative and innovative.
•  Have a heart for justice.
•  Attempt to transform society.
•  No hierarchies, leadership without control, all leaders!
• Emphasis on sharing meals together.
• Safe environment for people whose opinion would be rejected by conservative and fundamentalist Christianity.
• High value on social activism, campaigning for global justice, hospitality, and acts of kindness and generosity.
• Environmental appreciation and concern.
• Add your own thoughts

Bible reading – Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope”

Prayer

We included in our prayers today areas of the world where humankind is not in harmony with creation, places of war, famine or exploitation of the world’s resources and some more of the themes from Soul Space where we asked what people wanted to see detoxified from society.

NHS ‘Reforms’,  Child Prostitution,  Food Speculation,  The Separation Wall in Israel/Palestine,  Proposed cuts in benefits for the sick and disabled,  Rampant Rich and Paralysed Poor – People Polarised

We also included in our prayers we know who may lack the harmony of peace or health, for those in difficult circumstances

Communal prayer

Be with us Lord in our church as we acknowledge the importance of friendship, and appreciate how the love and companionship of our friends at Third Space mirrors the love you have for us. As we journey together help us to move from the familiar – into mission. Let us be like the sixth century monks that Michael Mitton likened us to, who took to the sea, raised their sails, navigated the storms of life, and trusted that God would lead them to a place where He wanted them to be.

Sharing bread and wine.

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.

AMEN.

This is the bread of Christ,

          the bread of searching,

          the bread of equality,

          the bread of caring,

          the bread of community.  Amen.

This is the wine of Christ,

          the wine of peacemaking,

          the wine of serving,

          the wine of justice,

          the wine of the Kingdom.  Amen.

Closing blessing

We bless you, 
God of Seed and Harvest
And we bless each other
That the beauty of this world
And the love that created it
Might be expressed though our lives
And be a blessing to others
Now and always
AMEN

It was a special evening as we gathered round the Quaker table to share our haggis, neeps and tatties. For the
first time in a long while, Tony, Frances and Charlotte were all present and we were delighted to welcome Peter and Uta to their first ThirdSpace meal –
we were just sorry to miss doing the same for Liz, who couldn’t be with us. (Next time Liz!)

Between courses we used the words we have used in the past which are so thought-provoking:

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.

It would not have been God’s table if they hadn’t all been gathered around it: the betrayer and the friend, the power-hungry and the justice-seeker, the faithful and the fickle…

When Jesus poured the wine ,and the bread was broken; when everyone could eat – the outcast and the beloved, the arrogant and the gracious, the wrong-doer and the wrongly done by – the table became a foretaste of love made real and of a world made whole. And the promise is, that when you are together, when you tell the story and give the blessing, when you break the bread and pour the wine, you will discover a foretaste of love made real and of a world made whole.

Word becomes flesh, flesh becomes bread, bread becomes body, body becomes word, bread is broken (we shared the bread)

Pain becomes wine, wine becomes joy, wine bursts the wineskins, God bursts the tomb, wine bursts into song (we shared the wine)

After some more words of liturgy we feasted some more – on Fi’s stunning cranachen trifle and Frances’ magnificent shortbread and for those who were not faint-hearted, a tot of Stag’s Breath (whisky and honey liqueur).

It truly was an evening of the kingdom – feasting, laughing, sharing lives, sharing Jesus… the kingdom here and now and a foretaste of what is yet to come. How easy it was to be thankful (mindful of Steve’s theme at the bandstand) for friends and all of God’s rich blessings expressed around the table! Thanks be to God!

In the fierce winds whipping around Matlock (!) a number of us gathered (huddled) to reflect on what it might mean to live as thankful people.

Steve shared a prayer he’d grown up with at school known as the General Thanksgiving and had us reflect on the mismatch between those rather antiquated words and the values reflected in the world view of our society today. The mix of those ideas is reflected in this format below:

Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we thine (your) unworthy servants (are we really that unworthy? Can my self worth cope with such denial? I think I’m pretty sorted really.)
do give thee (you) most humble and hearty thanks
for all thy goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all men. (“People” obviously. I thank you Lord, that I am so PC.)
We bless thee (you) for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life; (although times are a little tough right now….)
but above all for thine (your) inestimable (not able to be estimated) love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. (Well jolly good – absolutely.)
And, we beseech thee,
give us that due sense of all thy mercies, (are we overdoing this a tad?)
that our hearts may be unfeignedly (genuinely) thankful;
and that we show forth thy praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives, (won’t the lips do? Please?)
by giving up ourselves to thy service, (Steady now – this is a getting serious.)
and by walking before thee
in holiness and righteousness all our days; (There’s that word righteousness…all a bit morally certain and judgemental for us Post- Moderns)
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit,
be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen. (Amen!)

With these words in hand we dispersed to wander around the park and to let the prayer and responses become our own conversation with God. We were also asked to reflect on 4 questions:

What would it mean to live a life of Eucharist?

To have a heart oriented in gratitude?

What perspective would we need and gain?

How different would our responses be at home, at work, at school?

Back in the bandstand, we turned to prayer, using some of the written suggestions from last week’s SOULSPACE, where people were asked to say what they would like the world to be detoxed from in the coming year. The ones we used this week were: Cruelty to animals; Child abuse; The Kibera slums, Nairobi, Kenya; Unemployment; Churches should support Occupy, both in London and worldwide; Discrimination against people because of race, religion or belief.  (We will use the others in subsequent bandstand gatherings). These and shared prayer needs then informed us as we built individual prayer cairns in the park (which we’ve left for the week). Harry had written a final prayer for us all at the end of that time then.

Prayer cairn in Hall Leys Park

Finally we shared  the eucharist, speaking the following words to each person in turn:

Receive this bread; feed on it with thanks; it is the gift of God to sustain and nurture; it is Jesus incarnated and given for us. Give thanks.

Drink this wine with thanks; it is the gift of God to bring us joy; it was a hard won battle; it is Jesus poured out for our redemption. Give thanks.

So, we head into the week with the challenge and inspiration of being thankful people… good stuff!

We met in the bandstand as the wind howled around making the planned candle lighting rather a challenge. Thanks to Steve working as a wind shield we had a measure of success.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined.” – Isaiah 9:2

Then and Now As we enter this season of Advent, let us remember the condition of the Jewish people 2000 years ago. The Romans had conquered Palestine and subjected the inhabitants to a set of foreign and often brutal rules. The conquerors did not respect, nor even understand, the religion and customs. People had lost their freedoms and when anyone tried to rise up in rebellion it was brutally put down.

Sound familiar? In the same area today there is oppression and lack of respect for beliefs and customs. Palestinians are subjected to brutality and their freedom of movement is limited. Family homes are demolished and when they try to rise up in rebellion it is brutally put down.

2000 years ago in the midst of that turmoil, a child came, born in a dingy, dirty stable. Out of those humble beginnings, a saviour was born. Because of that child we believe that love is stronger than fear, peace more enduring than hate, and that darkness will never put out the light. Because of that child, we dare to pray that injustice and oppression will end.

A time of quiet to pray for peace, freedom, justice and love in our world.

All – We are a people of hope, and this light is a reminder of that hope.

Prayers

T lights were lit for those who we named in prayer

All – We are a people of hope and this light is a symbol of our prayer

Talk

We looked at John Ch. 7 and 8 where Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles  It was one of the three great pilgrimage festivals of the Jewish Year.  The Feast lasted seven days, from the 15th to the 21st of  the seventh month – Tishri, that is early October in our calendar. The festival took place at the end of the fruit harvest. The people lived for 7 days in shelters or tabernacles made of palm branches. It was an agricultural thanksgiving, but also a reminder of their ancestors’ tent-dwelling days in the wilderness during the Exodus. It was a time of great rejoicing.

During the feast there were two very important events. The first was a great procession led by the priests to the Pool of Siloam to collect water which was ceremonially carried back to the Temple through the Water Gate, and then poured out. It was a vivid reminder of God’s provision of water during the Exodus. It would have been at this point of the festival that Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”  (John 7:37-38)

That was the first important ceremony in the Feast of Tabernacles which Jesus applied to Himself. The second was even more dramatic. The Feast actually went on for seven days and seven nights. To make this possible, each night four huge candelabra were erected in the Court of the Women to provide illumination for the whole Temple area. The candelabra were very large, the height of the Temple walls.  The Temple itself was built on the highest point in the city of Jerusalem, so these huge flaming torches would have illuminated the whole city and probably way beyond its walls. It was then that Jesus stood up and said,  “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness” (John 8:12).

Why is this statement of Jesus at this time so controversial? Firstly, he’s claiming to be God, because the light from the candelabra was seen as a reminder of the “pillar of fire by night” which led the Israelites to the promised land. The lights at the feast were also associated with the great expectation of the coming Messiah.  (Isaiah 62:1-3)  So through this statement Jesus is saying that he is the Messiah!

So as Advent begins let the enormity of Jesus promise sink in, “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk  in darkness, but will have the light of life….”

The bread and Wine

All        

In this Advent season we await the coming of Christ Light of the World, come,

Come to the oppressed and exploited,

Come to the despised and rejected,

Come to all in whom the divine image is distorted.

We wait in joyful expectation.

Come not as a man of power, but in love and compassion,

Come to the outcast – like the shepherds in the fields,

Come to foreigners – like Magi watching from afar,

Come to rich and poor, young and old, male and female,

We wait in hopeful anticipation.

Come to bless all creation with your love,

Come to bring salvation on the earth,

Come to rule with justice and in peace.

Come Light of the World, illuminate our path.

We wait with all the peoples of the earth,

Light of the World we welcome your coming.