Today the Church remembers the Apostles Philip and James...

Philip and James (or Pip and Jim, as they're often affectionately referred to in this house) are, between them, the patron saints of hatters, pastry chefs, pharmacists and dying people.

If I broaden that slightly, we have:  clothes, food, people who provide medicine, and the dying.

That seems to neatly sum up a lot of what is on our collective mind at the moment. Shopping is only really for food and other essentials, like medicine (and, especially with growing children, clothes). We have recognised, as a nation, that people who produce, distribute and sell food, and people who are involved in healthcare are the real 'key workers', and we have, by and large, underappreciated them and taken them for granted. We are concerned about how much protective clothing they have, and whether it is an appropriate size (especially for women). And, of course, as the death toll climbs higher, we are focused on how quickly the pandemic is being brought under control, and on grief - our own, and the grief of others.

In all of those, God can be found. Celebrating Philip and James today reminds us that.

As we reflect upon and pray about the current pandemic, they give us an extra reminder to give thanks for those keyworkers. For their work, and also for the fruits of their work - the bread we eat, the tablets we take, the clothes that keep us warm....

...perhaps today you might find it helpful to intentionally try to pause and say a quick prayerful 'thank you' each time you come across one of those things?

♫ Thank you

Photo of the day - 47

Music is so powerful. It can remind us of things we thought we'd forgotten, evoke strong emotions (try watching a film with the sound off and see the difference...!), and connect us in ways other things simply can't.

Why not listen to some of your favourite music today?
...Why are they your favourites? What do they remind you of? How do they make you feel?


[Photo shows part of a piano keyboard]

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We can take our voices for granted, but they are incredible instruments (even if we're not fabulous singers!)

Here's just a few links that show quite how amazing.
I'd suggest listening to them in order...

1. Pentatonic scale demonstrated

2. Train over the rainbow

3. A musician's blessing - Until we sing again

and, in case you want to get involved,
why not try this new virtual community choir, led by the assistant director of music at Worcester Cathedral? - Worcester Voices

For God shows no partiality...

...so I'll try not to either! We celebrated St Catherine of Siena yesterday, but have three male saints coming up in the next two days. So here's another female saint, on this 'spare' day in between:

St Teresa of Avila

She's perhaps most well known for these words:

Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.


But I'd like to suggest some different words of hers to act as our theme for today:

May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.


Why not let these words sit with you today?

(If it helps, here are a few questions based on that second quote:

What gifts have you received?
How do you use them? ...and how could you?
How do you show love to those around you?
Do you always recognise the love that is given to you? - by others, and by God.)


♫ A musical suggestion based on a prayer written by Jane Austen: 

Give us grace - by Joanna Forbes L'Estrange


(Original prayer available here.)

Photo of the day - 46

A photo of a gift.

This stole was passed on to my wife by a priest who was amongst the first few women to be ordained priest in the Church of England.

It always reminds me of her, and makes me wonder - what gifts do people give us (whether we or they realise it or not!) as we go through life?



[Photo shows a green stole - plain fabric with an embroidered lamb, with a banner with a cross]

Boredom buster - 46

Keeping with today's theme of 'gifts'...

How about thinking about a gift you might be able to offer somebody else today?


It doesn't have to be a 'thing'. Simply time - over the internet or with a phone call - or writing a letter maybe.
Perhaps share one of your gifts with somebody else? - are there particular talents or skills that you have that might brighten somebody's day?
It may, of course, be the gift of letting somebody help you.

Today the Church remembers Catherine of Siena...

A couple of quotes from Catherine of Siena...


'be who God made you to be and you will set the world on fire'


'love transforms one into what one loves'


I'll let those words speak for themselves...and a prayer suggestion is in today's 'photo of the day', but here's a musical suggestion on a similar theme: ♫ Love was his meaning - by Gemma McGregor

Photo of the day - 45

'Let my prayer be counted as incense before you...' (Psalm 141)

Incense has traditionally been used to aid prayer, and as a symbol of prayer.
It adds an extra sense to worship... in a Eucharist smell is added to the sight, hearing, touch and taste already there - and so incense also reminds us that we should use our whole bodies, and all of our senses, in our prayer and in our worship.

Perhaps use this image as an inspiration for prayer today? Sit with it, and with God.
(The smoke draws our attention to the unpredictable pattern of its movement. Unpredictable, but ever upwards. Is there a link between that and your faith, or the situation you find yourself in at the moment?)
Maybe also look back over the other photos, to do similar? - God can be found in all things, and in every moment of our lives. What photo attracts your attention most today? What comes to you if you sit with it for a few moments?

[Photo shows incense smoke rising from an incense burner.]

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Keeping with the theme of 'love'... perhaps intentionally take some time out today to do something that you love?

Maybe that's listening to music, or drawing, or cooking. or having an afternoon nap....
Perhaps take a few moments just to 'be'.

Whatever it is, there's so much pressure to do new things, take up new tasks, and be creative at the moment... it can be good to take some time out from that, and time out for you, in all of that!

A new song

One of the psalms set for morning prayer today caught my eye... Psalm 98.

It begins: 'Sing to the Lord a new song'

That seems to sum up a lot of what we're doing at the moment, in terms of how we worship as Church when we can't come together in person. There are online services, prayer booklets for use at home, 'zoom' home groups, virtual choirs...the innovation and creativity is astonishing.

In opening up accessibility, finding new ways to communicate and 'be together', and exploring what it means to 'be church', our understanding of God, and faith, and Church is changing... growing, and deepening.

This lockdown is asking big questions of, and in, the Church... how do we all participate in worship when we can't be together? how do we care for one another when we have to stay apart from each other? are we filling the gap left by Sunday services with what is truly needed, or just with a 'virtual version' of what we've suddenly lost?

As well as rushing for answers, and action, we need to also make sure there's time to listen prayerfully, to be guided by the Spirit, and to find the correct way forward... one that changes who we are in the future, rather than just simply 'filling the gap' until we can go backwards, to exactly how things used to be.

Having said that, we also need to hold on to tradition, and to familiarity. We may be 'singing a new song' at the moment, but while the tune might be different the words are the same as ever before...

"Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest."

Now, as always, we aim for all that we do to be in God's name, and to the glory of God.


♫ not *just* music, but definitely plenty of it... 
A very traditional way of worshipping, but as a 'new song' - here's the first ever 'virtual Evensong' from Selwyn College chapel, Cambridge.

Photo of the day - 44

Taking inspiration from today's the music suggestion... here's Selwyn College chapel - in a slightly unusual light!

I wasn't there for this particular celebration, but the photo is still a reminder of time spent with fantastic people and in a really special place. 

Only about a third of the way through the Easter season, this photo makes me wonder...  how much am I still celebrating Easter? Are there other ways I could help the celebration going, even amidst all of the pandemic confusion, pain and uncertainty? How do I carry the joy of the Resurrection through the season and into the weeks beyond?

[Photo shows the chapel of Selwyn College, Cambridge, lit up in bright patterns, with a firework bursting in the night sky.]

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Another tenuous link to get to today's boredom buster...
(Using the tenuous link to get to Selwyn College's evensong as today's music suggestion...)

Selwyn College was named after Bishop George Augustus Selwyn
(history of the college here, if you're interested).

Bishop Selwyn was once Bishop of New Zealand.

The flag of New Zealand has the four stars that make up the Southern Cross on it.

So...

...how about some stargazing one night?

Here are a couple of guides to what you might be able to spot:

Guide 1

Guide 2

Today the Church remembers Christina Rossetti...

Christina Rossetti was a devout Christian and is most well remembered for her poetry (even if you haven't read much of her poetry, you've almost definitely come across one of her poems - see the music suggestion below!).

Rather than a reflection from me, here are a couple of her poems to consider:


Come Unto Me

Oh, for the time gone by, when thought of Christ
Made His Yoke easy and His Burden light;
When my heart stirred within me at the sight
Of Altar spread for awful Eucharist;
When all my hopes His promises sufficed,
When my Soul watched for Him by day, by night,
When my lamp lightened and my robe was white,
And all seemed loss, except the Pearl unpriced.
Yet, since He calls me still with tender Call,
Since He remembers Whom I half forgot,
I even will run my race and bear my lot:
For Faith the walls of Jericho cast down,
And Hope to whoso runs holds forth a Crown,
And Love is Christ, and Christ is All in all.



Herself a rose, who bore the Rose

Herself a rose, who bore the Rose,
She bore the Rose and felt its thorn.
All loveliness new-born
Took on her bosom its repose,
And slept and woke there night and morn.
Lily herself, she bore the one
Fair Lily; sweeter, whiter, far
Than she or others are:
The Sun of Righteousness her Son,
She was His morning star.
She gracious, He essential Grace,
He was the Fountain, she the rill:
Her goodness to fulfil
And gladness, with proportioned pace
He led her steps through good and ill.
Christ's mirror she of grace and love,
Of beauty and of life and death:
By hope and love and faith
Transfigured to His likeness, 'Dove,
Spouse, Sister, Mother,' Jesus saith



And, how about another of her poems as a suggestion for prayer...

A Prayer to the Holy Spirit

O God the Holy Ghost
Who art light unto thine elect
Evermore enlighten us.
Thou who art fire of love
Evermore enkindle us.
Thou who art Lord and Giver of Life,
Evermore live in us.
Thou who bestowest sevenfold grace,
Evermore replenish us.
As the wind is thy symbol,
So forward our goings.
As the dove, so launch us heavenwards.
As water, so purify our spirits.
As a cloud, so abate our temptations.
As dew, so revive our languor.
As fire, so purge our dross



♫ Some of Christina Rossetti's poems were set to music to make hymns.
Here's one of hers... None other Lamb, none other Name

If you don't mind it being the wrong season, here's most famous one of all: In the Bleak Midwinter
(that's the Darke setting, but it has a link to the Holst one if you prefer that!)

Photo of the day - 43

'Herself a rose, who bore the Rose...'

These rose petals are so beautiful.
(Pink is also my favourite colour, which helps!)


They make me wonder, what do I think is beautiful?
It’s almost impossible to find something that is completely devoid of beauty... but how and why do I put some things but not others in the 'beautiful' category? And, how has my faith affected that?


[Photo shows lots of pink rose petals.]

Boredom buster - 43

How about taking a leaf out of Christina Rossetti's book, and try writing a poem or two?

They’re a phenomenal way of thinking about and expressing feelings.
(and there are plenty of strong feelings going around at the moment, with all the upheaval, challenges and difficulties of the pandemic...)
To celebrate, to get something off your chest, to record a memory, to say something to paper that you can’t say to a person, to lament... poems can do it all, and more!

If you're not sure where to start, there are templates here.

Or, if you're not feeling creative at the moment (or just want to have a bit of silly fun!), there's a poem generator here!

Daily Hope phone line

For anyone who can’t access the online services etc, there’s now a Church of England phone line - free and available 24/7, with prayers, hymns and reflections.

Please do let anyone who might find this useful know :)

Link to the announcement here, and in the sidebar links.

Were not our hearts burning within us...?

Happy Sunday!

Today's Gospel reading is the one where the two disciples meet Jesus on the road to Emmaus.

It's a story that shows us that even in the most ordinary events we can find God.
That seems a particularly topical message at the moment, with church buildings closed and public worship where people are physically together isn't possible. Life in lockdown - however unusual an event this pandemic is - seems mundane, repetitive, even boring, to many.

The road to Emmaus tells us God is always with us.
Sometimes it's obvious. Sometimes it takes something special - something being said, or somebody doing something. Other times we might need to look back, with hindsight, to see God's presence in our lives.

It also tells us we're on a journey. We're travelling, learning more with every step.
We travel with each other and with God (even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes). And one day we'll see God fully, face to face.

A prayer for this journey, the Collect for today:

Risen Christ,
you filled your disciples with boldness and fresh hope:
strengthen us to proclaim your risen life
and fill us with your peace,
to the glory of God the Father.
Amen.


♫ Today's suggestion:  I know that my Redeemer liveth, from Handel's Messiah

Photo of the day - 42

An apple pie that my son and I made today! 

Great fun to make, and just as fun to eat, hot with custard.

It also reminded me of times when I was the young one, helping make pies, cakes and crumbles... 

...it made comforting food even more enjoyable! 

It's also made me wonder - what other memories bring me comfort, laughter and warmth? (and, how many of them involve sharing time, and maybe food, with others?)

[Photo shows an apple pie.]

Boredom buster - 42

Weekend puzzle time!

🧩 How about a word search or two this week?
- they can completed done online, or printed out.

Today the Church remembers St Mark...

St Marks' Day!

One of the four Gospel writers, along with Matthew, Luke and John. They've traditionally been represented by different winged animals - ox or calf, eagle, person and lion - images that come from the book of Isaiah.

Different people over the centuries have matched up the symbols and the Evangelists differently.
Perhaps most commonly, Mark has been the lion.

The symbol reminds us to have courage in our faith and, as the lion is 'the king of beasts', also reminds us of the royalty of Christ ('Hosanna to the king!', as we heard people cry on Palm Sunday).

The lion is partly Mark's symbol because the Gospel of Mark begins by quoting Isaiah, attaching these words of his to John the Baptist: 'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness'   - the voice crying out in the wilderness has reminded many people of the roar of a lion.



For a beautiful illustration of these symbols, here's a page from The Book of Kells.


A quote from C.S. Lewis to ponder...

"I was quite safe. That is why the Lion kept on my left. He was between me and the edge all the time."

(from The Horse and His Boy)

♫ One about the Gospel, another lion-related, just for fun:

We have a Gospel to proclaim

The lion sleeps tonight (Hippo and Dog)

Photo of the day - 41

Another kind of lion!

In some places, they're known as the children's flower, because whatever stage they're at - flower or seeds, they bring joy to children. That and children picking them doesn't usually cause any consternation - dandelions are rarely seen as anything other than weeds.

Both flower and seed head are beautiful though. 

A weed is simply a plant growing where it isn't wanted.

It makes me wonder... what do I think of as weeds - both in terms of plants, and metaphorical 'weeds' in my life.

[Photo shows a dandelion clock, with dandelion flowers in the background.]

Boredom buster - 41

Tenuous links time...!

A few recipe suggestions, all lion-related...


DandeLION petal risotto
MilLIONaire's shortbread
Pork medalLIONs
ZabagLIONe trifle slice


Or, if you'd rather something crafty, here's a selection of lion images:

Lions!  - they're available to print and colour - but could be used for all kinds of things!

Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Today is sandwiched between two saints days - George yesterday, and Mark tomorrow. If we were keeping both saints days in church, it would mean swapping between white and red altar frontals, etc, alternately for five days! All that change and flux seem topical, as so much is 'up in the air' at the moment.

With the lack of familiar routines that people have suddenly found themselves with, I thought I'd reflect briefly on one routine that hasn't had to change too much - morning and evening prayer.

Here's Psalm 61, set for this morning:

1    Hear my crying, O God,  ♦

and listen to my prayer.

2    From the end of the earth I call to you with fainting heart;  ♦

O set me on the rock that is higher than I.

3    For you are my refuge,  ♦

a strong tower against the enemy.

4    Let me dwell in your tent for ever  ♦

and take refuge under the cover of your wings.

5    For you, O God, will hear my vows;  ♦

you will grant the request of those who fear your name.

6    You will add length of days to the life of the king,  ♦

that his years may endure throughout all generations.

7    May he sit enthroned before God for ever;  ♦

may steadfast love and truth watch over him.

8    So will I always sing praise to your name,  ♦

and day by day fulfil my vows.

'...you are my refuge, a strong tower...'
This seemed appropriate for today, as I also found myself helping my daughter with school work about castles!
But it also made me question... Where are my refuges? Where do I turn for support and shelter when the storms of life pick up? Where do I find strength?

One place is definitely the daily offices - morning and evening prayer, and night prayer (and others, less commonly said). The rhythm of the offices have been such a help to me, giving me a foundation that everything else can be built on.

Having relatively fixed points in the day for saying the offices give a pattern and predictability each day, even when life is completely unpredictable.
Why not give them a try? At the moment, they might even take the place of other routines that have been lost, like the commute to work, or the missing conversation during lunch breaks.

For today, and as a taster, here are a couple of prayers that are said at either morning or evening prayer each day:

As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever.
Amen.

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,
so may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts
and set us free to sing your praise
now and for ever.
Amen.


♫ Here's a sung setting of one of the evening prayer canticles - the Magnificat, in G (Stanford)

(Morning, evening, and night prayer each day, as well as a service of 'prayer during the day', can be found here)

Photo of the day - 40

'As the night watch looks for the morning, 

so do we look for you, O Christ.'

Lines from the end of compline (night prayer).

Words that makes me wonder... what am I looking for at the moment?

And, as we watch hopefully for the dawn of the end of this pandemic, a prayer often used at compline:

Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night,

and give your angels charge over those who sleep.

Tend the sick, Lord Christ;

give rest to the weary,

bless the dying, soothe the suffering,

pity the afflicted, shield the joyous;

and all for your love's sake.

Amen.

[Photo shows two silhouettes standing on a hillside at dawn.]

Boredom buster - 40

Two suggestions today, both ways to reflect on life ...


Here's the text of Psalm 61 again. Why not sit with it - read it through a couple or three times, and see which word or phrase 'jumps out' at you.
Then read that word or phrase, slowly, a few times.
What about it made it stand out for you? Were you expecting it to? Does it tell you anything new - about this psalm, or about yourself?

1    Hear my crying, O God,  ♦

and listen to my prayer.

2    From the end of the earth I call to you with fainting heart;  ♦

O set me on the rock that is higher than I.

3    For you are my refuge,  ♦

a strong tower against the enemy.

4    Let me dwell in your tent for ever  ♦

and take refuge under the cover of your wings.

5    For you, O God, will hear my vows;  ♦

you will grant the request of those who fear your name.

6    You will add length of days to the life of the king,  ♦

that his years may endure throughout all generations.

7    May he sit enthroned before God for ever;  ♦

may steadfast love and truth watch over him.

8    So will I always sing praise to your name,  ♦

and day by day fulfil my vows.

Perhaps instead, or as well, take almost an opposite approach....  

Find somewhere (at least relatively) still and quiet, with a blank sheet of paper and something to write with.

Clear your mind, then just write or draw. Don't worry about what it is you're producing, just write/draw - for a set time (say, two minutes) or until you 'run dry'.

Then, take a look back at what's on the paper.
Reflect on what (and why) you produced, and also how you feel now - and how you felt while writing.

Today the Church remembers St George...

St George!
The patron saint of England

...and Ethiopia,
and Moldova, and Palestine, and Turkey...
and Georgia, which is even named after him...
(and a few more!)

Whatever the facts and legends surrounding him, St George really isn't all that 'English'.
In fact, he was almost certainly born in what is now Turkey and never actually came to England.

Thinking about the worldwide effort at the moment to minimise the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, and the huge variety of nationalities seen in the NHS and working to produce food - to name but two - it's clear that we do best, as people, when we all work together.

I wonder if today we might celebrate St George's Day, and as we applaud the NHS and keyworkers (if we do so) tonight, we might give thanks for the diversity that makes our country so wonderful.




A prayer for today:

Faithful God,

who fulfilled the promises of Easter
by sending us your Holy Spirit,
and made known to every race and nation the way of
eternal life;
open our lips by your Spirit,
that every tongue may tell of your glory,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

[Prayer © The Archbishops' Council, and found here.]

♫ Elgar's Ave verum corpus

Photo of the day - 39

It's Easter season(!), but as the Church is remembering St George today, if I used one of these stoles for a Eucharist today it would be the red one...

As well as the symbols that are on the stoles, their colour is symbolic too. As with most symbols, there are different interpretations, and different ways to explain those interpretations, but one short summary is this:

Purple - for preparing (used in Advent and Lent, as we build up to Christmas and Easter)

White - for celebrating (sometimes gold is used on *really* celebratory days, like Christmas and Easter day themselves)

Red - for days where the Holy Spirit is particularly being celebrated (like Pentecost), and also for most Saints days, (like today) ...red for the fire of the Holy Spirit, and the blood of martyrs)

Green - for every other day. A reminder of God's presence in all things, and a celebration of the goodness of God's creation.

(As well as gold, there's rose (pink!), pale blue, black, and others, if you're really keen on their symbolism...)

...I wonder what feelings each of the colours evoke for you?
Are there other colours that you associate with part of your faith, or especially remind you of God?


[Photo shows my stoles - purple, white, red and green.]

Boredom buster - 39

We may be stuck inside, but we can still see different places around the world.
As we think about how many different places St George had an influence on, how about exploring this selection of 81 competition-winning photos from around the world (with links to more!) ?

Jesus came and stood among them

This week's (alternative) Collect is:

Risen Christ,
for whom no door is locked, no entrance barred:
open the doors of our hearts,
that we may seek the good of others
and walk the joyful road of sacrifice and peace,
to the praise of God the Father.
Amen.


Reading it today, the words 'for whom no door is locked' stood out.
I guess, perhaps because of the current lockdown we're experiencing. Even if our front doors are unlocked, they may as well be locked most of the time, because there's so little coming and going....

It made me reflect, though, about metaphorical locked doors.
What doors do we lock, or barriers do we put up, to keep people, or things - like feelings or memories, out?

Do we do it to keep us safe?
Or to stop us having to face something that seems scary, or perhaps just hard work?
Or because we don't understand?
Or for other reasons?



♫  Today's suggestion: Breathe on me, breath of God

Photo of the day - 38

Some barriers can be beautiful. 

Here's a soap bubble that I took a photo of this morning.

It's made me wonder... why are some barriers that we put up so fragile, whereas others seem so tricky to get rid of, even if we want to?

[Photo shows a soap bubble.]

Boredom buster - 38

A few suggestions for activities that all involve creating a barrier of some kind.

(You might need to get hold of some extra equipment/items for some of them, but instructions are all below for how to do each one) :

Batik

Tie dye

Scratch art

Stained glass window biscuits

Today the Church remembers Saint Anselm...

Saint Anselm was once Archbishop of Canterbury. He is remembered for several things, but perhaps most famously for his influence on the Church's understanding of the Atonement - the saving action of Jesus that gives us confidence in the eternal life that awaits.

What exactly happened in Jesus' life, death and Resurrection that made such a difference to us all has been hotly debated since it happened - and still is now.

There are loads of ways to think about this, but most of the ideas can be fitted roughly around three main ideas. To summarise them (in far too little detail...!) :

- The first Christians took a Christus Victor approach (Christ the victor/Christ victorious) … in some way, by dying and rising to new life, Christ was victorious over death - not just for himself, but for us too, and reigns over the eternal life that awaits us after we die.

- Satisfaction. Anselm came up with a different approach. He argued that because Jesus was God, his dying for sin was the ultimate way to put right that which damaged the honour God deserves - and because Jesus was also human, this could apply to all of us.

- More recently, a moral exemplar idea has been added to those first two. This focuses on the example set to us by Jesus. His life and death give us a pattern to follow, and point towards the unlimited love that God has for all of us.

All of these three categories have pros and cons, and part of faith is getting comfortable with the mystery that God inevitably presents us with, as well as searching for answers and meaning. (Personally I suspect a little of each of the categories combined probably makes most sense to me, but that's also terribly Anglican...!)



A prayer of Saint Anselm:

O Lord our God,
grant us grace to desire You with our whole heart;
that, so desiring, we may seek,
and, seeking, find You;
and so finding You, may love You;
and loving You, may hate those sins from which You have redeemed us.
Amen.


♫ Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world...  Agnus Dei

(Agnus Dei  (The Lamb of God):

Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace.)

Photo of the day - 37

A symbol of God's forgiveness!
Last year, on Ash Wednesday, I took a school assembly and used 'flash paper' to describe how when we are sorry, we can be confident in God's forgiveness. Like the flash paper that burnt without a trace, God keeps no record of our sins.
(Forgiveness isn't quite that simple however, there are three parts - see today's 'boredom buster')

I wonder... what I have been forgiven for recently?


[Photo shows me at a school assembly with burning 'flash paper' causing a bright light.
Photo credit - Miss Ree, Offenham school]

Boredom buster - 37

The other posts today talk about forgiveness - which comes in three parts. God will always forgive us, but we can also ask for, and hope for, forgiveness from the person we have hurt. As well as those two, we also need to forgive ourselves for the hurt we have caused others.

How about a reflective exercise today?

This would work best with something like a fizzy dissolvable vitamin C tablet, but would work well with replacing that with stirring salt or sugar in water...

- Bring to mind something that needs forgiveness, and the hurt it involves.
- Start the vitamin C dissolving.
- As you watch it disappear from sight, try to let go of the hurt that you are carrying.
- Notice how you feel at the end. Do you feel any differently? Has anything come to mind about how to move forwards from what you've been reflecting on?

(Remember - we are assured of God's forgiveness, and it is only ourselves who can forgive ourselves, but we can never demand or assume the forgiveness of others - that is entirely up to them.)

Supposing him to be the gardener...

There are a few Saints days coming up, but time to squeeze in one more symbol of the Resurrection... the lily.

The seemingly lifeless bulb lying underground represents the tomb, from which bursts the magnificent flower - a glorious symbol of Jesus rising from the dead.

Crosses used to celebrate Easter are often drawn with lilies on and around them for this reason, and this is the reason churches are full of lilies at Easter. Though not this year. Traditions and practices have had to change, and we long to get back to normality. But I wonder - with all the creativity, flexibility and innovation going on at the moment, what new traditions, practices and symbols are we developing?

Simply putting all of the online services, mutual aid groups and (if you're anything like me) more reflective and intentional living, to one side once this lockdown ends, and going back immediately to how things were before would seem a waste. Accessibility has become an issue that affects everyone, not just those with disabilities. Keyworkers have been identified who were previously overlooked and taken for granted. Communities are coming together in solidarity, hope, and compassion.

As we wait for the lockdown to end, I'm wondering whether perhaps we should also think about how much of the lockdown we will carry with us, once it's gone....




A prayer that seems to tie together both the bulb and flower of the lily:

In darkness and in light,

in trouble and in joy,

help us, heavenly Father,

to trust your love,

to serve your purpose,

and to praise your name;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

Amen.

(Prayer from here.)

♫  A floral suggestion:  Waltz of the flowers (full version) - or, a shorter one with a fun video.

Photo of the day - 36

This afternoon we all planted sunflower seeds and, in the pot in this picture, carrot seeds!

Carrots are one of the favourite vegetables in this house (so much so that my daughter once had a 'carrot cake' for her birthday - not made with carrots, but a chocolate cake decorated to look like some carrots!)

In a few weeks, we'll have delicious carrots to eat (especially as the pot is away from our puppy - he quickly learned how to harvest carrots last year!)

Planting the seeds today made me wonder...what's out of sight at the moment, but that we can anticipate joyfully (and perhaps impatiently!) ?

[Photo shows a large plant pot with soil in, that carrot seeds have been planted in.]

Boredom buster - 36

As I've walked Tallis recently there have been loads of flowers around - some that I know the name of, others that I'm unsure of.

Why not see what you can find, and look up any you don't know using this wildflower identification guide?

If you can't get outside, why not look at the guide and see what flowers you can discover?
(It'd be fun in itself, but bringing a little bit of the 'outdoors' in has also been shown to help in the same kinds of ways as physically getting out into the countryside - helping relaxation, bringing joy, etc)

Alleluia! Christos Anesti!

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!


Happy Easter!
..I'm saying that again for two reasons:

- Orthodox Christians, who use the Julian calendar to work out when Easter is each year, are celebrating Easter Day today, rather than last Sunday!

- Easter is not just a day, but a 50 day-long season, that lasts all the way up until Pentecost (which is on 31st May this year)


(We have a tradition in our family to save enough small chocolate eggs to be able to have one each Sunday throughout the whole season! It's a fantastic reminder of us particularly celebrating the Resurrection over the next few weeks.
Eggs, of course, are possibly the most famous and recognisable symbol of the Resurrection. They resemble the stone that was rolled over the tomb Jesus' body was laid in. They are also symbols of new life - life that emerges from something that looks lifeless.)


This Sunday the Gospel reading set by the lectionary is also the one about doubting Thomas. How often, that story makes me wonder, do we doubt or reject things just because we haven't seen them with our own eyes? - we don't understand them, so we dismiss them or even work against them.
We only have to look as far as Thomas to see how naturally that comes to us... it's not Thomas, but 'doubting Thomas'. We don't have 'denying Peter' or 'ran away naked Mark'...but it's always 'doubting Thomas' - as this cartoon shows.
It seems an unfair name for Thomas to have been landed with. Maybe it's because doubt is so relatable? It makes me wonder what other names and stereotypes we have (good and bad) that we simply take for granted, though.


♫ Two musical suggestions today:

- An Orthodox Christian chant for Easter, the Paschal Troparion.

- A hymn about the Risen Christ:  Crown him with many crowns