Steve Jobs, who died this week, told Stanford University students in a speech in 2005 of his love of calligraphy which came about through dropping out of college. This appreciation led to Apple having a unique appearance to it’s typefaces.
He also shared how his own creativity was released in a special way when he was fired by Apple at the age of 30 and was thrown into a situation of uncertainty.

It was a beautiful morning in the park to think on God’s creativity and that creativity that he has set in us. As we spent time alone reflecting on this, wandering around the park, listening to God, He amazed us on the park bench nearest the bandstand with a display of every variety of Ladybird you could imagine! (or certainly a fair few of the 67 species found on these shores, as Grayden informed us.) Thank you for that, Lord!

A God of Expression
God smiles, this much I know,
for he created laughter so that we might join in the enjoyment of his creative energy – 
those wonderful colour schemes of bird, butterfly and flower.
The shapes and expressions on so many creatures and insects 
These weren’t created by a boring God
they were drawn and planned by a God with a sense of humour
and that’s a comforting thought!
Creator God, we praise you for the diversity of your world 
and for the life you have breathed into all things
ALL: For the colours we see
The sounds we hear
ALL: The textures we feel
For the large
ALL: And the small
The fierce
ALL: And the timid
Predator
ALL: And prey
Creator God, we thank you for your creation, perfect in its design and purpose, perfect in its diversity and unity.
Psalm 19
How clearly the sky reveals God’s glory!
 All: How plainly it shows what he has done!
Each day announces it to the following day 
All: Each night repeats it to the next
No speech or words are used, no sound is heard
 All: Yet their message goes out to all the world and is heard to the ends of the earth
Creator God, your Spirit enables our own creative abilities as we allow Him to work through our words, our hands and our imaginations.
We thank you for the beauty of created things, for pots and bowls moulded 
by the skilful manipulation of clay, for a portrait which captures the essence of a personality, for the written word which transports us to a faraway place
a poem that captures the raw emotion of a moment, a prayer that speaks to our heart and soul.
You are present wherever mankind opens its eyes to see, can be heard whenever mankind opens its ears to hear, can be felt as hands are outstretched in faith.
All: As the wind blows across this land where it wills, so your loving Spirit blows in us and through us.
 As the sun warms the cold earth after the chill of night, so your love warms our hearts with joy.
 And your touch brings a peace into our restless lives.
God of Love, God of Joy and God of Peace, may we know all three as we open our eyes to the wonders of this garden in which you have placed us and begin to recognise the image of your love within the selfless actions of others.
Creator God, we pray for your Kingdom, established here on earth wherever you reign in hearts open to the expression of your praise and glory. 
All: Your Kingdom Come
But we also look forward an eternity in your Kingdom, your promise to all who truly believe
 All: On earth as it is in heaven
We take a moment of quiet to reflect on the creativity of our God, expressed through the world and through the creativity within each one of us
And together we join in the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples.
All:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory. for ever and ever. Amen

COMMUNION: The body of Christ, broken for us as an expression of His love. The blood of Christ, shed for us as an expression of His love.

God of expression, enable us, your creation, to enjoy along with you 
the sheer exuberance of your creativity.
All: Amen

Source: liturgy5.htm#ixzz1aDNoLqo7

The Gardener’s Apprentice
in the cool of the day
you create me
shape me
with divine image sparked dust
you make me, name me
aim us 
in community
you ask only that we obey thee
and become
tender
earth steward
friend be
in work,
at play
and walk with you
in the cool of the day.

Source: the-gardeners-5.html

We were returning from Lancashire recently when we came across a boat outside a church with the caption “Does Jesus float your boat?”

 “floats your boat”    

   What does this mean?

Here are some definitions from  the Urban Dictionary:

Whatever “soothes your soul” or whatever “works best” aka – whatever you feel like doing.

Whatever turns you on, interests you, suits you, something you like, your preference or choice.

So if Jesus floats our boat are we willing to let him use us (the vessel of our lives) to further his kingdom.

CAN JESUS USE YOUR BOAT?

Asking if Jesus can use your boat isn’t as strange as it may sound at first. After all, it is no coincidence that a person’s body is often called, or referred to, as a vessel. One of the great subjects of the Scriptures is the type of vessel a person becomes in this life; a vessel of honour or a vessel of dishonour.

(Luke 5:1-3)  1. Once when he was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, the crowd was pushing in on him to better hear the Word of God. 2 He noticed two boats tied up. The fishermen had just left them and were out scrubbing their nets. 3 He climbed into the boat that was Simon’s and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd

All of a sudden, seemingly, Jesus had a need. He needed a vessel to use so that He could launch out away from shore and teach the people. Simon’s boat is chosen because it is there, not because it has been freshly cleaned and painted, or because it is somehow superior in some way. I would think that Simon’s boat was neither better nor worse than the other boats there. It was probably pretty average as far as fishing boats go. In fact, as all fishing vessels are, it would be a bit “ripe” with all the fish remains and blood that would be lying around.

We do not have to be perfect or cleansed or especially holy for Jesus to be able to use us. Just available.

Can Jesus use your boat is a sermon idea by Todd Pekel; workerstogetherwithhim.org

We ask ourselves the question – Are we available vessels to be used for God’s Kingdom?

We scribed prayers on paper for those who have no fresh water and those who are working towards providing fresh water supplies, those suffering because of the floods in Pakistan and those bringing relief, those in need because of the blockade in Gaza and those who try to bring them relief, particularly remembering those who try to break the blockade in boats.

We prayed for those we know who are in need. Praying that we might be available to bring the peace, hope, joy and the faith of the kingdom to them.

The prayer we had written were turned into origami boats, these we had intended to float away along the river, but then we thought of the impact on the environment. So our prayer boats were placed on the virtual river in the bandstand.

This Sunday Harry shared information about the work of
Sagoal – a partner of Tearfund – who are involved in helping  the people of Shrivnagar in Nepal.W e heard a
little of the pastor of Tikapur church, Madan, and of Sita, Dhandevi and
Motilal who are all freed slaves (bonded labourers).  This community is being given livestock to
help them make money to start their own businesses and they have had a school
and medical clinic set up for them amongst other initiatives.

We watched a clip form a Tearfund DVD and prayed for them
all, along lines requested by them, using incense as a symbol of our prayers
disseminating through the air to them…

It was wonderful to be reminded that the Kingdom of God is
at work and inspiring to us to be making sure we’re playing our part in it too.

It felt good to be outward looking and to know that our
small group in the Bandstand can stand alongside others in God’s family however
far away.

We’re fortunate to be able to step out of our doors and be surrounded by the most fantastic scenery  here in Derbyshire. So last Sunday we made the most of it and left the bandstand to take a walk. It wasn’t too challenging (or too long), and offered a lots of variety in a relatively short distance. We walked down country lanes, sat by a mill pond, climbed up through a wood and stood out on the edge of an amazing vista.  We shared ‘virtual’ bread and wine (because we left it at home by mistake!)  but somehow it didn’t seem to matter – God was with us, around us and in us.  Along the way, as we walked, we took the following words as a prompt for prayer and meditation, and  the autumn-tinged places we walked through, joined in the conversation.

The start

“Prayer is not primarily saying words or thinking thoughts.

It is, rather, a stance, a way of being present. All spiritual disciplines have one purpose: to get rid of illusions so we can be present”  Richard Rohr

By the mill pond

God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction. (Psalm 23)

A song of ascent – (for the climb up)

O Lord my heart is not lifted up/My eyes are not raised too high;/I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvellous for me.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul,/Like a weaned child with its mother;/My soul is like the weaned child that is with me./O Israel, hope in the Lord/From this time and for evermore  (Psalm 131)

Seeing the woods and the trees? (Through the woods.)

“What you look for determines what you see. What you focus on determines what you miss. The way you see determines what you are blind to, and what you render invisible. “ Brian McLaren

When he had come near, Jesus asked, “What do you want from me?”He said, “Master, I want to see again.”  (Luke 18)

On the edge.

On the edge is where we can see more widely and more clearly. It opens our eyes to the bigger expanse, the view. But it can be an unknown, frightening place where the secure world drops away from us. Individuals, communities and countries are on the edge.

What do we pray?

Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

²² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;  great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

A good number of us got along to Greenbelt this year – some camped… most didn’t!

For me highlights included:

All the mentions of ‘home’ that made me proud to be part of ThirdSpace and our vision for being home for others and plenty of renewed inspiration…

Seeing our friend Ian Adams with Matt Rees and hearing some of the things that they’ve learnt at Stillpoint this year…

Hearing Rob Bell speak in such an accessible way for a Saturday morning of important truths and real wisdom…

Hearing Nadia Bolz Weber for the first time – and loving everything she said!

Listening to Karen Ward on her Neo-monaastic cmmunity and again seeing something familiar and feeling we’re on the right track here – even if we have a long way to go…

Enjoying Brian McLaren’s fast talking, intelligent and stimulating input…

Laughing more than I have done for a long, long time at the evening with Adrian Plass and also at Jo Enright (Was that heckler really you Michele?)…

And being hugely impressed and blesssed by Michael Mitton’s seminar ‘The homing instinct’ with his observations about how people within and outside the church feel exiled from it and the innate homing instinct in all of us that yearns to belong. Much to ponder upon for us in ThirdSpace, much to inspire and encourage. A definite for us all to hear before Michael returns to meet with us again later this term.

We met in the park on Sunday morning, few in numbers (with quite a few of us away) but we were joined with them in spirit.  We were privileged to meet Michele’s friend who met with us at the bandstand and in the coffee shop.

Following on from themes raised last Sunday and Wednesday we were to think about our part in the world seeking to know how we should bring something of God’s Kingdom where there is need.

Greeting us on the bandstand floor was our icon and cross surrounded by raindrop/tear drop shaped paper.  With the word that Wendy had quoted from Rob Bell; “What is God doing and how can I be part of it?”

Tears and Rain

During the prayer time we used the rain drop shaped paper to remember those in need of rain, and we wrote down places (especially remembering the horn of Africa) that are suffering from drought.

Following on from that we used the tear shaped paper to remember areas in the world where tears fall – areas of conflict, war or natural disaster. Areas where people mourn, situations that must grieve God and news that saddens those of us who hear it.

Finally we thought of those we knew who need our prayers. We wrote their names on one of the shaped papers and passed it around the group, each adding names to the list which was read aloud so that all were named before God.

We used and adaption of  Jonny Baker liturgy; “It would not have been Gods Table”,  Worship Trick 8

We shared bread and wine.

We closed with a responsive blessing.

As only the elite in ancient times would have been educated many would not be literate or numerate. Numbers were often used symbolically as well as a measurement.

We opened in worship remembering the dichotomy between a mighty God and a personal saviour.

The universe is created with order and pattern. We thought about how immense our God is and how wonderful it is that such a mighty God is bothered with his creation. Cosmologists believe that there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on the earth. God who created all that, knows us so well he can count the hairs on our heads.

Opening Worship

Oh Lord, Our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth, when we look at the Heavens and the works of your hands around us  – how is it Father that you care about us?

Infinite – Father

Immeasurable – Intimate

Incalculable – revealed

Omniscient – Saviour

Omnipresent – Personal

Omnipotent – servant

Indivisible – Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Alpha and Omega – First and Last

Understanding the symbolism of some numbers.

The Number One

There can be no doubt as to the significance of this primary number. In all languages it is the symbol of unity. As a cardinal number it denotes unity; as an ordinal it denotes primacy. Unity being indivisible, and not made up of other numbers, is therefore independent of all others, and is the source of all others.

“Hear O Israel the Lord Your God is One”

The number Three

Three or third stands for that which is solid, real, substantial, complete, and entire. All things that are specially complete are stamped with this number three.  Third Space!

 Prefect numbers                           

Three denotes divine perfection;

Seven denotes spiritual perfection;                    

Ten denotes ordinal perfection;

Twelve denotes governmental perfection

 The number seven           7

 The number seven represents perfection and completeness. Days of the week, musical notes in the scale, colours in the rainbow.

The number ten           10

The Ten Commandments contain all that is necessary, and no more than is necessary, both as to their number and their order, while the Lord’s Prayer is complete in ten clauses.

The number twelve          12

Twelve is a perfect number, signifying perfection of government, or of governmental perfection. It is found as a multiple in all that has to do with rule. The sun which “rules” the day, and the moon and stars which “govern” the night (12 hours day, 12 hours night).

Numbers in the park

What followed was an activity which brought out the competitive spirit. We were given a map and a series of numbers to find around the park.  We visited memorial stones, the war memorial, flood measurements, flower beds, duck ponds, pitch and put and other plaques around the park which showed numbers. Each individual digit had to be added up to make a grand total.

Some were the fastest, some talked a lot, some prayed, some helped others, but no-one got the correct answer, but there was a prize for everyone.

Sharing the bread and wine we were reminded of our unity and completeness.

Three times is the blessing given in Numbers 6:23, 24:–

• “The LORD bless you and keep you (the Father);
• The LORD make His face shine upon you; and be gracious to you (the Son);
• The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace” (the Holy Spirit).

So we were blessed three times.

Last night we reflected around various themes using Colin & Michele’s garden. The Franciscan concept Great Chain of Being, first explored in May at the Bandstand, was the hinge pin of the evening. As we meditated on God’s provision in the veg patch, we were encouraged to thank the hens for their manure to feed the veg, the scraps of which feed them and nourish them to produce eggs!

God's bountiful provision.

 

Psalm 150:6 - Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!

St Francis of Assisi

We also reflected on Jesus the true vine and what fruit we are producing or aspire to produce.

John 15:8 - My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.

A collapsing wall gave opportunity to remember places / situations where there are walls between people. Leaves were thrown into the wall in prayer that those walls too would come tumbling down.

Let the walls fall down, Lord.

We were comforted at the bird feeder and helped to put our worries into perspective: 1 Peter 5:7- Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Matthew 6:26-Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
A crackling, dancing fire greeted us in the chimenea. Fire has many uses. It warms, lights, refines, purifies, consumes. “What do you want this fire to be for you tonight?” We fed the fire with sticks, asking God to meet us with what we needed that night.

We had a lively discussion about the press and phone hacking on Wednesday and then Colin posed some really challenging questions.

One of which was something like, how can we in Third Space help people when they are vulnerable and downcast, how can we offer them support and strength?

As part of the discussion that followed this question I was asked how had I remained so strong over the recent months following a diagnosis of cancer.

I have thought about this a lot since I was asked and have concluded that, although I have had my moments of weakness, I have been able to remain strong because I have not felt alone.

I have not felt alone because:

• I know I am loved by my Heavenly Father.
• I am not alone in any pain or suffering that I have because I know Jesus went through much more pain and suffering than I will ever have to, and he understands all my weakest moments.
• I have some brilliant friends at Third Space who have supported and encouraged me.
• I have a wide circle of friends who have been there for me, making me laugh (and cry) when they showed me such love and concern.
• I have a special supportive friend, Tony. Who through his wisdom and advice (because he has been through the same) and his love and concern (when things are more serious for him) has been very moving.
• I have the support of a wonderful husband who has been with me along every step of the way.
• If all else fails eternity awaits me.

For those who want to support the vulnerable, the downcast be a good friend. I thank God for all my wonderful friends.

It was wonderful to be joined by 3 sets of visitors today! Lovely to see Fi and Jean and to welcome Rachel, Mark and 3 kids who sought us out having read our website! You all encouraged us and it was lovely to see you.

After enjoying the beauty of our surroundings, in bright sunshine, reflecting on selected verses from Psalm 104, we had time to read and reflect on the account of the feeding of the 5000 in John 6 and Jesus’ following teaching on being the bread of life. There’s something about everything that Jesus said and did that needs to be seen as part of a greater whole – the disciples were constantly being stretched to see beyond the obvious (Jesus providing lunch) and to see the bigger picure – rather like Rolf harris on children’s TV creating his large cartoons and asking ‘Can you see what it is yet?’

Can you see what it is yet?

We looked at 3 ‘scenes’ from the passage, considering various questions:

Scene 1           “There’s a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But  that’s a drop in the bucket for a crowd like this.”

In a world where might is right, Jesus reminds us that the values of the kingdom are the exact opposite. God’s way is for David to defeat Goliath, for faith the size of a mustard seed being enough, of his kingdom acting like yeast in the dough, of the least of this world having God’s favour…What situations overwhelm or paralyse you because the issue seems so big and your input so small? When has a small act of kindness or generosity made a difference to you? What have you done for others lately?
What could you do this week?

Catherine of Sienna: ‘Become the person you were created to be and set the world on fire’ We don’t have to be like anyone else, not powerful, not well-known – we just have to be authentically who we were intended to be. How can you fulfil this calling and make a difference to others?

Scene 2           “Gather the leftovers so nothing is wasted.”

God is a generous God. He doesn’t keep a tally of what we deserve, he wants to do so much more than we can ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3) and just as his word
never returns to him empty (Isaiah 55), nothing goes to waste in our lives.

What have been the lows of the past – recent or otherwise? What has  been hard / challenging / disappointing / hurtful?

St Paul said “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”. (Romans 12:28)

At the time of challenge, we often don’t see things as we come to see them with the benefit of hindsight (Rolf  Harris again!). What can you give thanks for where you see now that a past hurt has been woven into a plan for good for you? Is there anything you need to trust God for with regard to this at present?

 
Scene 3           “But now here is Bread that truly comes down out of heaven”

Bread broken and given to others is so much more than a matter of lunch! Jesus makes the link at last with sacrifice – his own – for the sake of the world. Jesus
fed a crowd and was nailed to a cross. It’s all about giving. In him alone can we find true fulfilment and in following him we also must take up the cross and deny self – we become the bread broken and shared for others.

Rob Bell said “We need to ask ‘What is God doing and how can I be part of it?’” (Open)

When we pray for those who are needy / struggling, we have to believe that God wants to be at work in their lives, to bring something good out of it – to offer bread…

What might it mean for you to break bread for others?

What is God doing and how can I be part of it?

When we reassembled from our own meditiations we broke bread and  shared wine. Finally we took the rest of the bread and threw bits of it into the river over over the bridge in ‘pooh-sticks’ fashion, naming those we were breaking bread for and watching those prayers being carried downstream as surely as they are heard by God…